ã€ŠCrystal Constellationsã€‹


 1: Self-Inflicted Carpal Tunnel

    Even before getting hit in the face by a window and getting its outline imprinted on her face, Lin Songmei¡¯s mood was already rock bottom.

    She spent the entire day filling out reflection forms about the school year, one for each class... and she had eight classes. It was already post-graduation, the school year had already ended but here she was, spending the first day of break filling out these forms during a massive rainstorm.

    Sitting at her desk, Songmei spent the entire day filling out these asinine forms, hand-writing them since her school apparently was living fifty years in the past. Didn''t they know everyone just used terminals these days? Even she, who lived in what could only be called an orphanage, had the cheapest model.

    Therefore, since the head lady, the woman in charge of managing everyone in this, ¡®Government Funded Public Home For Those Without Homes,¡¯ or an orphanage as everyone called it, ordered everyone to finish these before they could start their summer, Songmei spent the day destroying her wrist while staring at her reflection in the window.

    Throughout the day, when not giving herself carpal tunnel syndrome, Songmei got a great view of the rain, her reflection, and some more rain. Of course, because it was... her, she knew her reflection quite well, so staring at her reflection wasn¡¯t ground-breaking entertainment.

    She had silver eyes that seemed to, for some incomprehensible reason, hold less life than usual, white-silver hair that changed color under the light, and a reasonable enough looking face... probably? It wasn¡¯t like she was going to get any action at sixteen while living in an orphanage.

    Well, needless to say, added to her features was also a bright red imprint of the window, why did the window have to open inward anyway?

    Now, sitting there, after closing the window, Songmei had some time to weigh the positives and negatives of getting some temporary body art done by the brilliant artist, the window.

    Negative.

    The negative was too big. Without a doubt it destroyed the positive like an adult going against a child in a competition of who could do their taxes the best.

    With the negative being the fact that half of her hand-written forms were now utterly useless because they were soaked in rain. The ink that she had used to write the forms now formed some... amazingly beautiful streams that mimicked nature while being as useful as literally NOTHING.

    At least she had a more interesting reflection to look at in the mirror now, something to distract herself while mourning the loss of half her day''s work.

    But, sitting there mourning wouldn¡¯t do her any good, so, with a deep breath and a light slap to the cheek that ended up hurting a lot more than it should¡¯ve, Songmei got back to work, rewriting how she thoroughly enjoyed math class this year, and how it was such an enriching subject that she felt truly changed her life in a way never before.

    Her pen moved without break, probably to the point that if it had a will it¡¯d be filing for worker¡¯s compensation. Songmei kept one hand on the window to keep it from bursting open again, the elbow on that same arm on her paper, and her other hand on the pen, writing as if her break depended on it... which it did.

    ¡°... I¡¯m done with this.¡±

    Resigned, Songmei almost threw down her pen before realizing it was one of two pens she had. Putting her pen down like a precious treasure, Songmei stretched a little while keeping her hand planted on the window.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    The window, like the rest of the building, wasn''t in the best condition. A little dilapidated but still livable. The paint was chipped, old, and outdated, but still did its job. However, this was the only home that Songmei knew, it was either this or living on the streets, and... obviously the streets were not the ideal living situation.

    Reminiscing on how life... wasn¡¯t the worst in the orphanage, Songmei had an epiphany, a lightning bolt of inspiration: she could just put a few books against the window! So, after doing just that, she stood up and began doing some light stretches in the middle of the room.

    Stretching without anything to look at, Songmei just sank into her thoughts, remembering the conversations that had transpired during dinner earlier. And for the record, Songmei had literally nothing to look at. She had her desk, a mega-small cabinet, a bed with a thin blanket and garbage mattress, and one worn... no, well-loved stuffed animal. All things she¡¯d etched into her mind long ago.

    Earlier in the evening, the large cafeteria-like room, with long tables, suspicious body odor, and loud talking, was dominated by a couple conversation topics. The first was mundane, how unfair the head lady was for requiring everyone to finish their forms before they could go on break. The second was a little more... interesting considering the general lack of entertainment they had in their lives, everyone, and Songmei meant everyone, was both excited and nervous for the big event coming up.

    Continuing her stretches and letting out quiet groans of pain under her breath as she began to mourn her hamstrings along with her ruined forms, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but begin to smile a little when thinking about the event that¡¯d be transpiring tomorrow: aptitude tests.

    She, along with everyone else in this ¡®Government Funded Public Home For Those Without Homes¡¯ building for sixteen year olds¡ªthey¡¯d move to a new building every year¡ªwas excited for these tests, they were a ticket to a different life that was fantastical beyond their wildest dreams.

    Chuckling, Songmei remembered several of the loudest people in the dining hall, people who had been confident about their aptitude...

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at punching things! Yeah... YEAH! I swear, I¡¯m going to have the best aptitude out of everyone here! No... the best out of everyone in the whole city! The whole country! The whole continent!¡±

    ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting?! You barely survive gym class, how do you think you¡¯re going to have the best aptitude? As for me, the most fit person in every aspect for the past three years, I¡¯ll probably actually be the one with good aptitude.¡±

    ¡°You know... I¡¯ve read a lot of those ¡®cultivation¡¯ novels and I share a lot in common with those main characters, so I think I¡¯ll be able to have a good aptitude, they have really good ones after all.¡±

    Smiling as she remembered the sheer amount of laughter that had broken out after that comment, along with the chorus of ¡°Do you even young master?!¡±¡¯s, Songmei laid on the ground with a long sigh, bored of stretching while also not wanting to continue filling out her forms.

    Everyone had to fill out the forms, even if they had ¡®supreme talent.¡¯ Because everyone had to send the forms to the school before the start of the next school year¡ªor in Songmei¡¯s case, needed to submit the form to the head lady who¡¯d then hand them into the school¡ªSongmei pushed herself off the ground, sitting back in front of the desk and letting her pen continue its tireless journey across the pages.

    ¡°Turns out I¡¯m NOT done with this... who would¡¯ve thought... god darn it.¡±

    With that, Songmei worked into the wee hours of the night, illuminated only by the small lamp on her desk, climbing into bed only after the last form had been filled out to completion.

    ---

    Author''s Note:

    Well, I finally started posting this on RoyalRoad woo! Hoping to have a nice time here but uhm... yeah kinda nervous lmfao

    I''ll try and be consistent with the posting, but forgive me if I fall off a little...

    This chapter was originally edited May 24th, 2023, I''m hoping to edit some of the others before they get posted, but we''ll see since I''m also doing a private overhaul to prep this for (a possibility of) traditional publishing one day, since a handful of agents were interested in Songmei.

    Thanks for reading~!!

    Take care reader friends <3<3

 2: Waking Up After Regrettable Life Choices

    Waking up the next morning, after spending way too little time asleep in a bed that was... sad, to say the least, was not fun. Sitting up in bed like a betrayed blob, depressed over the fact the sun had risen and the day had begun, Lin Songmei swung her legs out from underneath the thin blanket, staring off into the distance while listening to the bustling sounds around her.

    ¡®I¡¯m so sleep deprived it¡¯s not even funny... Not even for a good reason either... Just those stupid forms.... My wrist still hurts too.¡¯

    But today was the day! Aptitude tests! She just had to survive the morning inspection and then it was the moment of truth!

    ... Well, the morning inspection was going to be an ordeal itself...

    Stumbling her way towards the small cabinet in her room, one of her three furniture items, Songmei began to ¡®dig¡¯ through her clothes. Or, if one wanted to be ¡®accurate¡¯ for some reason, flip through the three outfits she had.

    But... Why was it so loud in the morning?

    There was the head lady and her assistants waking up the entire apartment-like building, going floor-by-floor while doing what felt like their best rock band impression. Then, there were those up early, excited and loud, ready for the aptitude tests.

    ¡®Well, the head lady did ¡®advise¡¯ everyone to sleep early yesterday...¡¯

    ¡®I just wanted to finish my forms though.... to escape this dilapidated place and go to the library...¡¯

    Snapping out of her thoughts, Songmei began dressing, taking her time, hoping that would let her wake up and feel refreshed after the meager amount of sleep that she had gotten.

    ¡®Is this one of those novels that some of the others like to read? ¡®Woke up as a zombie¡¯ or something? It feels like that... Frick, I didn¡¯t sleep enough...¡¯

    Done putting on her clothes, Songmei made her way to the communal bathroom. So, with a lurch, a stagger, and a few eye rubs, Songmei washed her face and moved through her morning routine.

    But hey, tired or not, Songmei was still ecstatic after checking the mirror, there wasn¡¯t a window outline still on her face! Victory! It was as the saying said ¡°gotta take what you can get,¡± and this was a massive, absolutely gargantuan thing to take.

    Back in the peace and quiet of her own room, though, her room with walls definitely too thin¡ªshe¡¯d heard too much of her neighbors¡¯ private life already¡ªSongmei grabbed her self-reflection forms. Clenching the forms she had sacrificed her wrist for, Songmei left her room, easing the door closed behind her.

    Click.

    And so, she rushed down to the dining hall where the main lady had instructed them to meet.

    ---------

    Lined up in order by the room number they lived in, Songmei was planted right in the middle, between another person with the surname Lin and... another person with the surname Lin. None of them were related to her, of course. It was just those with the same or similar last names were put in rooms near each other¡ªeasier for the people who managed this ¡°Government Funded Public Home For Those Without Homes.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    With an air of anticipation for the day to come thick in the room, this air also mixed with a touch of anxiety, the head lady walked in. The head lady, as always, wore a button up long-sleeve shirt and some business pants. Her brown hair was in a neat bun, one of the few things kept immaculate in this dilapidated place.

    Averting her eyes, Songmei listened as the head lady began her count off, stalking her way down the line as she went, inspecting each and every single speck of every person.

    ¡°You! Why are you wearing that tie loose? Are you trying to be cool? You¡¯re about as far as you can get with cool, it¡¯s not cool to be a broke loser on the side of the street begging. Is that what you¡¯re trying to be?¡±

    ¡°N-No ma¡¯am! I-I¡¯ll tighten it right this instant!¡±

    ¡°You!¡±

    ...

    ¡°You!¡±

    Standing ramrod straight, her hand holding her self-reflection papers shaking and sweating like a waterfall, Songmei¡¯s turn came around after the head lady finished grilling, barbecuing, and then deep-frying the person next to her.

    ¡°You! ...What¡¯s that in your hand?¡±

    Faced with the head lady¡¯s sharp eyes gleaming, as if ready to shoot out a stream of daggers at a moment¡¯s notice, Songmei began to stammer, averting her eyes and shrinking back against the sudden onslaught of pressure.

    ¡°The... the... These are m...my self-reflection forms ma¡¯am...¡±

    As a scowl surfaced on the head lady¡¯s face, the head lady leaned in closer, asking in a low-tone, ¡°I know you¡¯re an honor student Lin Songmei, but you are aware that I¡¯ll only take them if all of them have been completed, right?¡±

    Her hand still shaking, Songmei grabbed her arm with her other hand, steadying it just a touch, like pouring a bucket of water on a forest fire, helpful... but not really in any broader sense. ¡°I-I... I have completed all of them m-ma¡¯am... Here... here you go.¡±

    ¡°I see. Next time don¡¯t sleep so late.¡± The head lady spat, snatching them out of her hand, ¡°I shall complete my duties accordingly, though. Good job.¡±

    Relief washing over her like ocean waves¡ªsomething she¡¯d personally never seen because... she was poor¡ªSongmei let out a long sigh thanking every deity that she could think of, every star in the sky, and every dirty speck on the ceiling of the dining hall.

    ¡®I survived...¡¯

    ---------

    Zoning back in once the head lady had finished going through the line, Songmei followed the line like an obedient duckling, climbing onto the public bus that she¡¯d been assigned to, the bus that¡¯d take her to the site where the aptitude tests would be happening.

    And sitting on the bus, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask, honestly, what the hell were cultivators and how did they function with society...

    Like... honestly? It didn¡¯t make sense.

    Songmei didn¡¯t know the specifics even after learning some of the basics in class growing up, but cultivators were... weird.

    Society was modern! We were living on the cutting edge of innovation as many called it, but at the same time, many of the richest people, richest clans, had been at the top for as long as anyone could remember.

    It was crazyyy, like... these cultivators just... live a long time and also do a bunch of martial arts. Their world, from what was revealed in interviews, blog posts, books, and more written by cultivators, was totally different from the life that Songmei was living.

    She was just an honor student who spent all their time doing well in school since she had nothing else after all...

    ¡®Even if it''s just a little talent, please let me have some, so I can at least live in the comfort that cultivators get to have...¡¯

    And with that, as the bus rolled up to the test center that had been set up, Songmei crossed her fingers, hoping for a ticket out of the thin blankets, the old clothes, the creaky mattresses, a ticket into a new life.

 3: Extroverts.... Oh No...

    The bus had dropped them off in front of what could only be described as a fortress. A sprawling complex of buildings, all gleaming bright white with blue highlights under the sun. However, even with the large windows that lined the futuristic-looking buildings, the number of armed guards and the official procedures taking place made this place only seem like a government building or a military fortress... or both?

    Walking up to the building, Songmei could only think maybe it was both, they¡¯d take the test and anyone who was good enough would instantly be kidnapped into a sect, that¡¯s the secret yep.

    In actuality though, spread across every major city was one of these testing centers, with everyone getting a different time spread across about a week. The time, in the end, didn¡¯t really matter though, it was just a way to keep things organized, test times were given based on the area of the city you lived in.

    Yet, of course, certain test times would have media swarming over them, test times that might have a descendent from some famous cultivators, sects, or family clans.

    Songmei however, remembering back to the teacher at the school recounting how he was in the same group as one of the now famous cultivators, couldn¡¯t help but lament, ¡®There¡¯s literally not a single media person... not one at all. I think I could count more suns in the sky than media personnel... and there¡¯s only a single sun...¡¯

    Her thoughts keeping her occupied as she filed into a sprawling auditorium, Songmei was jolted out of her thinking as she bumped into the person in front of her. Making a quick apology, Songmei looked around the area, finding a place where no one was sitting.

    ¡°HELLOOOOOO EVERYONE!¡±

    Lamenting the sudden loss of her hearing and all of her future hearing capabilities, Songmei¡¯s attention was directed to a raised podium in the center of the auditorium that now held an apologetic-looking man.

    ¡°So... I¡¯m a cultivator from the nearby alliance. First of all, sorry I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be that loud...¡±

    ¡°However! I¡¯m here to tell you about how it¡¯ll go today!¡±

    ¡°First, there¡¯s a team of staff going around, RIGHT NOW! These staff will, based on your name, give you a number. Then, when we call a range of numbers, these people will go towards their designated test site! You can find the corridors leading to them spread out around you!¡±

    Swiveling her head, Songmei did see several parts of the web-like walls fold outward, forming corridors towards other places.

    ¡°Other than that though, feel free to hang out! Talk to your friends, talk to some strangers and make some friends, there¡¯s not much to do really... However, since you¡¯ll be spending all day here, we will be providing breakfast shortly, and then lunch later! You¡¯ll be out before dinner I assure you, so have fun!¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    With a bright smile that seemed to illuminate the auditorium, the man raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a shower of yellow leaves.

    ¡®Hot damn...¡¯

    Stunned, Songmei along with everyone else in the auditorium almost forgot the contents of the cultivator¡¯s words, instead, everyone was in awe of the cultivator¡¯s mystical technique... that could be theirs! This was the place where dreams were made or shattered.

    Pressing her hands together, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she began to pray, ¡®Please... if there¡¯s anyone looking down on me... actually there are a lot of those, I¡¯m poor, but in the other way, if there¡¯s anyone looking down on me, please give me some talent, I just want a nice house, tasty food, and more than a single drawer¡¯s worth of clothing...¡¯

    Her eyes opened after she felt... absolutely nothing, from her small prayer to... absolutely nothing, Songmei found an open space near a wall, sitting against it while preparing to spend the day bored out of her mind.

    ¡®I should¡¯ve brought a book... though I only have three and I¡¯ve memorized them all cover to cover...¡¯

    Fighting the urge to fall asleep¡ªshe knew that if she fell asleep she¡¯d miss the one of the team members who were handing out numbers along with the free breakfast¡ªSongmei sat against the wall, admiring the exquisite architecture that the hall was made of.

    ¡°Heeeeey~¡±

    Poke.

    Poke. Poke.

    ¡°You¡¯re alone too, why don¡¯t we talk and become friends!¡±

    ...

    Why.

    Did her prayer instead send a curse towards her?

    Turning towards the source of the voice and pokes, Songmei, with dead eyes, was greeted with a girl with deep blue hair... and bright golden eyes flecked with ruby-like dots.

    Putting on a small smile, Songmei looked into the girl¡¯s eyes once more, only to have a strange feeling blossom in her heart, one that she couldn¡¯t quite name.

    ¡®Those eyes are definitely not normal. Let¡¯s just be polite, not too cold and not too eager. Don¡¯t be too cold, you can talk to people Songmei!¡¯

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    As the single word left her mouth, Songmei felt the urge to throw up blood, composing herself before trying again. ¡°Hi, nice to meet you, what¡¯s your name?¡±

    A smile blossoming on the girl¡¯s face, taking her already attractive looks to another level, the girl introduced herself in an excited whisper, careful not to draw the attention of anyone around her, ¡°I¡¯m Yan Mingqing, nice to meet you! What¡¯s your name? Something told me you were a nice person, and also you were sitting alone so I decided to come talk! I love talking to people just... I don¡¯t get the chance to talk to many people...¡±

    Touching her ear a few times to make sure it hadn¡¯t fallen off from the stream of words, Songmei introduced herself while beginning to lament the situation she had gotten herself into (she really was doing a lot of lamenting these days). ¡°I¡¯m Lin Songmei, nice to meet you too. Why don¡¯t you get to talk to people much? I feel like approaching a stranger during this time where everyone is stressed isn¡¯t the best way to socialize...¡±

    ¡°Well you see...¡± Mingqing began in a hushed tone, leaning into Songmei¡¯s ear to whisper, ¡°I¡¯m actually the second child of the direct lineage of the Kunpeng clan...¡±

    Stiffening up hearing Mingqing¡¯s confession, Songmei once more began to lament the situation she was in, if Mingqing was telling the truth, this was someone Songmei couldn¡¯t offend.

    ¡®It went from annoying extrovert to the child of one of the richest people in the world, and one of the most powerful clans in the world... Is this good or bad... is my luck dog excrement or pure gold...¡¯

 4: Does Talking Count As Golddigging?

    Lin Songmei then had to pause her conversation with Yan Mingqing, receiving a small name tag that had her name along with her number on it. It wasn¡¯t a hard process, just giving the staff their name and letting them scroll through a list on their fancy device. Then, they¡¯d print it right then and there and hand it to them.

    However, with her name tag, and Yan Mingqing also having her name tag, Songmei had a million questions running through her mind. Why was she here? Why was the second child of the famous Kunpeng clan talking to her? A direct descendent too!

    And... if Mingqing didn¡¯t have that lonely edge that poked its head out in her voice every little bit, Songmei would¡¯ve run away in a heartbeat, relocating to the other side of the world if possible, or more likely, the other side of the auditorium.

    A quick look revealed the people around them were still talking and chatting, absorbed in their own worlds of nervousness or excitement. So, without worry about being discovered, Songmei began to whisper her questions to Mingqing who was sitting there wondering if she shouldn¡¯t have revealed her identity.

    Meticulous with her words, Songmei knew that if she said something offensive or stupid, her future would be bleak at best and fast track to an incinerator at worst...

    ¡°So... why me? And... why don¡¯t you get to talk to a lot of people in general? And... that Kunpeng clan? The really big one everyone probably thinks of?¡±

    ¡°Well, my gut told me that you were a cool person! And since it was a shame no one else seemed to know, I decided to come up to you,¡± Mingqing began, scooting over so that she was sitting next to Songmei against the wall, ¡°I don¡¯t get to talk to many people because... for a few reasons... And yes I am from that Kunpeng clan you¡¯re thinking of, the Kunpeng that can be both a massive bird and massive fish, the one related to the ocean and stuff.¡±

    Even though she had known about it before, hearing Mingqing confirm it sent a waterfall of shivers running down Songmei¡¯s spine, what was she supposed to do? She was just an orphan who had practically given herself carpal tunnel syndrome the night before...

    Shaking her head and dispelling her anxieties, Songmei did her best to keep the conversation going as the sun began to shine through the transparent high ceiling, ¡°Well, nice to meet you! Uhm... why are you here? And like... why aren¡¯t there any media people then? Wouldn¡¯t they swarm over you, especially with how famous your brother is?¡±

    ¡°Ahh... I pretty much snuck out with my parents'' help,¡± Mingqing shrugged, a carefree sigh escaping her mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t like the expectations and eyes that are all around high-society. Although I probably have a talent for cultivation, and a pretty good one too, on the off chance I¡¯m one of those born into a cultivator family that has no talent at all, I¡¯d rather find out like this than with the media around.¡±

    Opening her mouth to reply, Songmei¡¯s eardrums were once again destroyed by a staff member, she couldn¡¯t help but feel... Did the world have something against her and her hearing capabilities? Like... Why her hearing specifically...?

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The message, which was displayed on a large screen as well as being repeated by the staff member at the microphone several times led to a fair amount of people standing up and making their way through the semi-crowded auditorium.

    [EVERYONE WITH THE NUMBER 1-100, PLEASE REPORT TO ONE OF THE TESTING HALLS! FIRST TWENTY TO THE FIRST HALL, SECOND TWENTY TO THE SECOND HALL AND SO ON.]

    Looking down, Songmei saw that her own number was in the hundreds, while Mingqing¡¯s was in the two-hundreds.

    ¡°How long do you think this¡¯ll take?¡±

    ¡°A while...¡± Mingqing sighed, her bubbly attitude fading a touch, ¡°I asked my mother and she said they need to record a lot of things, so it takes the whole day to get through the 500-ish people here...¡±

    ¡°I see... Well, good luck with the test, though... it seems we¡¯ll have a while before our turns. Anything you want to talk about?¡±

    And so, as a steamy, warm breakfast was being served to one section of the auditorium at a time, Songmei and Mingqing, two girls from separate ends of society began to talk, getting to know each other. As they talked, they transitioned from topic to topic, letting down their guards as they¡¯d never see each other again after the day was over.

    ---------------

    [101-200, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO YOUR DESIGNATED TEST HALLS. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED AT THE HALL.]

    Giving Mingqing a small wave, Songmei made her way through the groups of people walking into the second corridor.

    However, even with an official number, 135, Songmei still couldn¡¯t help but feel a little out of place. Everyone else was wearing formal clothing, the most expensive, ornate outfits they had. Yet, here Songmei was, in a pair of pants given to everyone in the orphanage and a cute jacket she had bought with some spare change she had saved up.

    Getting in line between 134 and 136, Songmei suppressed the shame she was feeling, staring out the window beside her.

    Outside the window, consistent with anywhere affiliated with cultivators, was lavish. An immaculate garden trimmed to perfection with a small, empty gazebo in the middle.

    ¡®This place is so rich you could probably announce the richest people in the world and that gazebo would place first¡­¡¯

    Beginning to move forward as a staff member motioned for them to, Songmei was once again faced with a video projection of the loud cultivator that read out the opening statement.

    ¡°Hi everyone! I want to say, congrats on the big day! I hope one day I¡¯ll be able to fight alongside some of you!¡±

    Letting out a small, inaudible sigh under her breath, Songmei had to suppress the urge to say ¡±as if.¡± If she got even a smidge of talent, she wasn¡¯t going to cultivate to fight off the big evil demons, instead, she¡¯d go fight off her urge to become a potato.

    But, Songmei couldn¡¯t lose herself in her thoughts for long as the recording continued after a short pause.

    ¡°So... the test isn¡¯t too complicated on your end. For you, it¡¯ll just be pressing your hand against a crystal orb. The crystal orb is quite special you see, it¡¯ll display what quality of spiritual root you have, along with any special constitution you might have.¡±

    ¡°Sadly, for some confidentiality reasons, we ask everyone to not share anything about their results. These could decide your future after all...¡±

    ¡°No need to worry about the measurements themselves! They may seem mystical and mysterious, but everyone will be categorized into a list, then based on your position, different sects may reach out to you, either to offer you a direct position, or a chance to take their sect entrance test.¡±

    ¡°With that... Good luck everyone! May the heavens smile upon you!¡±

 5: Maybe Sleep Deprivation IS The Answer

    Standing in line like a fish that had somehow lost the ocean, Lin Songmei, seeing that many of the others had decided to sit down, followed suit, plopping onto the ground while ignoring the gazes she was getting from the others around her.

    Songmei, deciding to just take what she could get and be glad that the interior of the building wasn¡¯t hot even though there was a lot of incoming sunlight, occupied herself on her terminal, passing the time best she could until her turn.

    Freezing for a moment, Songmei¡¯s fingers began to blaze across the small keyboard as she remembered Mingqing from earlier. There had to be a photo of her online, right? She could confirm for the millionth time that it was actually the second child of the current head of the Kunpeng Clan.

    ¡®Kunpeng Clan...¡¯

    [The Kunpeng Clan is a clan descended from the famous Kunpeng of times past. The Kunpeng is a spiritual beast that has two forms, the Kun, a large fish, and the Peng, a large bird. It represents freedom along with having many connections to the ocean, water, the sky, and other things in that realm... Furthermore...]

    Shaking her head and scrolling past the ¡®helpful¡¯ information about the Kunpeng, information that anyone who had lived more than 5 years should know, Songmei scrolled through several articles before narrowing her search.

    ¡®Kunpeng current family members...¡¯

    Finding some gossip articles about the oldest child and his potential love life, Songmei kept scrolling, noting however the... keen resemblance between the two siblings.

    Finding a picture of Mingqing, Songmei¡¯s hand shook a touch, seeing that it was a perfect match, even the earrings that Mingqing was wearing were the same.

    ¡®I should just believe her... the stories aren¡¯t something you can make up anyway... but just... Why would she come talk to me?¡¯

    Songmei, of course, didn¡¯t know that Mingqing came to her since she was attractive and alone just like her, but that was something for Mingqing to hold in her heart and her heart only.

    Having finished doing some light... stalking, one could say, of her new ¡®friend¡¯ someone she¡¯d probably... no definitely, never see again, Songmei scrolled through some random news articles until she came to the front of the line.

    The staff attendant that managed the front of the line was... imposing to say the least. With thick muscles that seemed to be torturing the shirt like it was a prisoner in front of its greatness, the man had a pair of black sunglasses on, stoic-faced and ready to quell any potential fights.

    Glad that she had no urges to start or be in any fights, the man would probably obliterate anyone within a couple of punches after all, Songmei fidgeted in place until she got let into the interior area where the measurements would take place.

    -------

    Click.

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    As the door closed behind her, sealing her fate no matter how much the nervousness seemed to erupt in her stomach, killing any butterflies that might have been flapping in there, Songmei looked around the small, dark, but lavish and ornate room.

    Sitting down at the small, wooden round table in the center of the room, Songmei was in awe as she listened to the kind staff member explain what to do and a little bit about how the orb worked.

    Press.

    Pressing her hand against the small orb, Songmei was impressed. The orb began to have a mist swirl within it as Songmei could feel a small tugging sensation through her arm, what magic cultivation thing was this?

    ¡®Hopefully the orb doesn¡¯t take into account being poor or potential carpal tunnel into its measurements...¡¯

    ¡®And what the hell, this place is so rich, they have velvet colored blackout curtains just for this room? Just for this??? I¡¯d kill for some curtains like this...¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected...¡±

    A smile breaking out on his face, the staff member that had been recording down the measurements on the orb paused for a second, getting Songmei¡¯s attention. ¡°Young lady?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! Yes... yes?¡±

    Jolted out of her thoughts and her worries, Songmei looked up to see the staff member in front of her, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showing his age as he began to speak again. ¡°There are some things I shouldn¡¯t ask and shouldn¡¯t comment on. But I can tell you that your life... is going to be much different, and if I hazard a guess, much better. This is the highest quality spiritual root I¡¯ve seen not just this year so far, but highest in several years...¡±

    ¡°A... A-Are you...¡± Suppressing the urge to say ¡°shitting me¡± to someone she should be polite to, Songmei sat there, jaw dropping as the realization hit, ¡°R-Really?¡±

    With the staff member giving an affirming nod, Songmei sat there in disbelief, wondering... maybe she was dreaming? She met the heir to the Kunpeng Clan then found out she was really talented... What was this? Was the sleep deprivation making her hallucinate?

    A second later, Songmei¡¯s throbbing wrist that sent pain scrambling up her arm every time she moved it reminded her that she was awake... wide-awake.

    Ow.

    Why did it hurt so much anyway...

    Giving the staff member a nod as she walked away, pushing open the door to blind herself with the bright light outside, Songmei walked along, disbelief pushing aside her thoughts. She felt as if she was floating on a cloud, that the sun was bright, that the food she had eaten was good, that life... seemed brighter.

    Walking out of the hall back into the main auditorium, Songmei looked around, trying to find a path back to where she was sitting before.

    People. So many people.

    All sitting on the ground since even the super rich cultivators were too lazy or cheap to give them chairs or tables, people were sitting in circles, in pairs, or alone, all hanging out. Some were even doing an obscene amount of public affection...

    Snaking her way through the crowd, apologizing here and there, her mouth repeating ¡°excuse me¡± over and over... and over again.

    Close to where she had been sitting earlier, Songmei noticed a smaller circle had cleared out around where Yan Mingqing was sitting, it really seemed like she did have that resting bitch face that she had talked about earlier.

    Mingqing, who was sitting there stone-faced, absorbed in her terminal, had a sharp expression on her face, her previous smile and warm golden eyes were replaced with a cold demeanor and eyes that seemed to look down on everyone around her.

    Breaking into the invisible circle that had been created around Mingqing and the repressive air that surrounded her, Songmei, surprised at the initiative that she was taking¡ªmaybe it was because of the good results of the test, maybe it was something else¡ª tapped Mingqing on the shoulder.

    ¡°Hey again, I¡¯m back, how are you doing?¡±

 6: Oooh ~Mysterious~ Association

    With Yan Mingqing¡¯s face brightening to a degree where it was comparable to the sun, Lin Songmei sat down beside her, leaning back against the wall and letting out a long sigh. The test really went well... really well.

    The sun outside shined through the ceiling, illuminating the hall as Songmei looked around while Mingqing asked for a second to finish reading the article she was reading. People were returning out of the halls as they finished their test, a person would come out every five minutes-ish.

    5 minutes?

    She had sat there getting her measurements recorded for 5 minutes?

    ... Those blackout curtains must have worked like magic...

    Or, more likely, her nervousness had become a bit of a time machine...

    ¡°I won¡¯t pry into how you did, but I hope you did well,¡± Mingqing murmured from beside her, having put away her own terminal, ¡°What is it like? Is it true that you just press your hand against the ball and that¡¯s it?¡±

    Kicking her legs out flat and sliding a little down the wall into a bit of a hunched position, Songmei took a second, pushing her hair out of her face. ¡°It¡¯s true, yeahhhh... I kinda sat there and that¡¯s it. They have some fancy blackout curtains though, I¡¯d kill for some curtains as nice as those.¡±

    Ah.

    Mingqing probably has curtains like that already... or better.

    Let¡¯s just... talk about other stuff.

    Not giving Mingqing a chance to reply, Songmei sat up again, changing the topic with about as much subtlety as brick being thrown through a window. ¡°A-Anyway, can you tell me more about... uhm... the Cultivators Association? You mentioned a little about it earlier and uhm... I feel like it¡¯d be beneficial to know a little more now.¡±

    Laughing, Mingqing leaned in close, her golden, ruby speckled eyes dancing a little as she whispered, ¡°You did well, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re not very good at hiding it... Of course I can tell you! Though... you¡¯re much worse at hiding things than I thought based on the first impression you gave off.¡±

    Cough.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it''s cute!¡±

    COUGH.

    Doubling over with a slight pink tinge on her face, Songmei, who was wondering when the bubbly Mingqing got replaced by a demon, poked Mingqing while composing herself. ¡°Just... Just explain please...¡±

    Beginning her explanation, Mingqing pulled out her terminal to find some images to provide some visuals while ignoring some of the murmurs from nearby people about how she, ¡°Had a different side to her¡± and, ¡°Wasn¡¯t always a bitch after all.¡± She didn¡¯t care much for the murmurs, she¡¯d heard them before, and, not to be pretentious, the chance that she¡¯d ever see anyone from this auditorium again was slim.

    Not even Songmei...

    Banishing the sad realization that Songmei was someone she had begun to get attached to but would have a small likelihood of ever talking to outside of unique circumstances such as this, Mingqing pulled up a picture of a shield that had two swords crossed in front of it and a dragon coiling around it. ¡°So, this is the logo of the Cultivator¡¯s Association. It¡¯s honestly a pain in the ass, it¡¯s overly complicated so anything they print it on makes it look tacky. Even if it looks good... it¡¯s super expensive.¡±

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°The association though, is something that most people won¡¯t hear much about so it''s understandable if you don¡¯t know much. As you know, since sects are more powerful than nations, national governments just being managerial institutions really... there was a gap, who was going to organize and lead the sects? Or were they just free to do whatever?¡±

    ¡°The solution was the Cultivator¡¯s Association, also yeah we just kinda call it ¡®the association¡¯, but it originally was an alliance formed between the largest sects, but now it includes practically every sect in the world.¡±

    Songmei, who was leaning against Mingqing, put her head on Mingqing¡¯s shoulder and let out small murmurs of acknowledgement as Mingqing explained this ¡®mysterious association¡¯. At least it wasn¡¯t evil, that was good, it would suck if it was secretly run by a bunch of demons or something...

    Furrowing her eyebrows realizing that what she thought of was practically asking for trouble, Songmei scolded herself and shoved the thought aside, refocusing and listening as Mingqing continued her explanation.

    ¡°And as you know, there are hunting squads. These hunting squads are pretty famous... I mean... they¡¯re always on television, billboards, interviews, and stuff. So, these squads, as you know, hunt demons and mindless or rampaging spiritual animals, among other things. However, what¡¯s less known is that these all work under the association.¡±

    Her legs splayed out all over the ground like a dead squid, Songmei decided to pull them in, hugging her knees while asking,¡°Is the Cultivator¡¯s Association just like... the secret boss of everyone then?¡±

    ¡°I mean, yeah? But they¡¯re not really secretive, they just don¡¯t do much notable stuff... And the leaders are all people elected from the big sects. It¡¯s just really boring to be honest.¡± Mingqing answered before diving into a story about how in recent years the biggest drama in the association was pretty much whether or not to renovate the headquarters more or not.

    And from there, Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s conversation continued to devolve back to the random topics they were talking about before. Continuing until Mingqing¡¯s group was called to take their test.

    Following that, Songmei sat in silence, passing the time alone with a few activities: laying on the ground, staring off into space, reading some articles, laying on the ground some more, and eating the lunch they passed out.

    Boring...

    Having read all the articles on her terminal, eaten lunch, and ¡®admired the auditorium¡¯ for a while, Songmei laid there, waiting for Mingqing to return. She knew that Mingqing had a later number so it¡¯d be a while but she didn¡¯t think it¡¯d take that long...

    She wanted to talk as much as she could after all...

    As someone without friends, having only had a few passing friendships that all fizzled out, Songmei wanted to enjoy her time with Mingqing just a little longer. Mingqing had mentioned that her terminal was monitored by her parents so there¡¯d be a slim chance she¡¯d be able to talk after this was over...

    Plastered to the ground while stewing in her thoughts like a slow cooker, Songmei the new floor decoration was eventually roused from her stupor by a finger poking her cheek.

    ¡°Heeeeey~¡±

    Poke.

    Poke. Poke.

    ¡°You¡¯re alone too, why don¡¯t we-¡±

    ¡°No need to repeat that all over again...¡± Songmei grumbled with a small laugh, sitting up while rubbing her cheek, ¡°I hope it went well though.¡±

    Laughing, Mingqing took a seat beside Songmei once more, ¡°Thank you! What were we talking about, though? Hobbies? Want to continue talking about that? That line was so stifling, there was no one to talk to at all...¡±

    Mystified, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you approach someone like you approached me?¡± After all, if a broke as dirt orphan was someone she was willing to talk to, why not anyone else who was more affluent?

    ¡°It¡¯s not the same, my gut told me it wouldn¡¯t be,¡± Mingqing dodged, answering with about as much vagueness as was possible for a human, deciding to not mention how everyone in line around her wasn¡¯t her type. ¡°Anyhow, my hobbies have been mostly just... school. Done some learning with the sword though. But more interestingly, tell me more about that book you were talking about when you gave an example about how reading was your hobby! A cultivation novel but it takes place in ancient times where there wasn¡¯t technology...¡±

    Remembering that novel, Songmei, forgetting all about Mingqing¡¯s vague answer, sat up, revitalized in mere moments, and dove deep into conversation with Mingqing once more.

    And so, the pair talked and talked, passing time until announcements were made about the end of the testing day. Dragging their feet, the two talked until they had to part, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes with promises to try and stay in contact.

    ¡®I¡¯ll miss her... Yan Mingqing, Yan Mingqing,¡¯ Songmei recited in her head, back on the bus to the orphanage, trying her best to engrave Mingqing into her memory.

 7: Do Important People Really Have Nothing To Do?

    Beginning the day after the test, Lin Songmei began going to the nearby nature-themed library everyday. Being the first in the whole orphanage to finish her self-reflection forms, Songmei basked in the freedom of her break, no school, no responsibilities, just books and free time.

    Though pangs of loneliness would hit her at random times...

    With that though, a week passed in a flash, the aptitude tests finished, and it was then legal for the media to begin reporting and gossiping about the famous, highly anticipated test takers and how they did. Only if the results of their targets were shared to the media of course.

    Scrolling through an article with an unimpressed look, one speculating about a child of a larger clan, Songmei wondered how they were extrapolating a range of potential results just from the person¡¯s downtrodden look as they walked out of the testing area.

    What if they just like... had an upset stomach from the food they had eaten...

    Closing the article and looking up from her terminal, Songmei crossed the street, continuing to make her way back to the orphanage, still a little sad that the library had closed early. Why have a cleaning today? It was just the beginning of the break!

    Feeling the vehicles on the road fly by her¡ªthe vehicles ranging from poorer single person cars, to the sleek public shuttles, to luxurious single person cars¡ªSongmei pulled her coat back closer around her, running her hand through her hair, trying to make it blow less in the air.

    ¡°I wish the sidewalks were just a bit bigger...¡±

    Slide.

    A sigh escaping her lips as she had returned to the familiar orphanage lobby, the ancient automatic sliding doors closing behind her, Songmei began to climb the stairs back up to her room, looking out the windows to see the afternoon sun hanging high in the sky. What was she supposed to do now? Learn wrist yoga? She only planned to come back to the orphanage around dinner time...

    Closing the door behind her with a click, Songmei plopped onto the bed, sinking into its familiarity. Sure it was bad and cheap, but so was everything she had, so what was the difference?

    Yet, just as she pulled her one stuffed animal into her chest, patting it while trying to find an article about wrist stretches, she heard a knock on the door. ¡°Lin Songmei? Are you here?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Songmei stammered, leaping up from bed, setting down everything she was holding, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    Opening the door a crack, Songmei flinched, as the only thing she could see was a single eye, staring through the doorway, ¡°You have a guest here to see you. Actually... quite a few, but they¡¯re all from the same place. Therefore, please make your way down to the head lady¡¯s office as soon as you can.¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    What.

    W-What?

    A tossed blanket, rushed scrambling, a quick brush of the hair, and the hasty footsteps of an anxious person.

    Songmei took deep breaths, controlling herself to not break out into a run, did she do something wrong? What sort of people were here to see her... Mingqing? No, the assistant did say multiple people.

    Cracking the door to the head lady¡¯s office open, Songmei poked her head in, seeing the sight that most in the ¡°Government Funded Public Home For Those Without Homes¡± wouldn¡¯t want to, the head lady¡¯s office.

    The office was nice though, with a clean but not pompous carpet, a neat desk with some stacked paperwork, and a few pictures of group trips everyone had done. Songmei didn¡¯t know what she expected, the head lady, although strict, was practically the embodiment of fairness so nothing would¡¯ve changed, she loved keeping things the same if she could.

    Though... maybe fairness wasn¡¯t the best word...

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    The head lady¡¯s words cutting through Songmei¡¯s random thinking like a volcano-temperature knife through butter, Songmei made her way into the room, shifting on her feet. ¡°Head lady, did... Did you call for me?¡±

    Her hands beginning to shake a little again, her stomach churning, Songmei waited for the head lady to look up from her papers. A moment later, as the pen was set down with a small clack, the head lady began to explain. ¡°You¡¯ve had a group of guests here since... I¡¯d say around lunch time. I was going to call you back from the library, but they insisted that they¡¯d just wait for you. They¡¯re all in the first conference room down the hall, so... go meet them.¡±

    With the head lady waving her out of her office, Songmei gripped the hem of her shirt as she walked down the hall. A feeling of foreignness overtook her, maybe it was because she was nervous? Maybe it was because she hadn¡¯t been in this type of area ever, even though she had lived in the orphanage buildings all her life.

    Creak.

    Silence.

    Songmei froze. Poking her head into the conference room, each of the 5 people in the room fell dead silent and turned to look at her. ¡°S-Sorry... I was told to come here and meet with you all.¡±

    Laughing, the man in the center waved her in, the pressure on Songmei lifting in an instant, ¡°I apologize, we didn¡¯t mean to put that much pressure on you. Come in, come in! It¡¯s great to meet you!¡±

    Songmei made her way in, taking a seat at the long table. The table was clean, a few empty plates in front of some people, some food in the center. It was clear that the five of them had been eating an... extended lunch.

    It was already 2:30 pm-ish though... and some plates still had food...

    ¡°So... who are you all?¡± Asked Songmei, a little confused by the exquisite, well-manicured outfits each person was wearing. The man who had talked to her earlier was wearing a button up shirt and a pair of black dress pants, his well-toned body filling out the clothes quite well. Moreover, with his well-maintained hair that seemed to sway a little as he talked, Songmei was sure that he was an ABSOLUTE bomb among the ladies and men who swung that way.

    She wasn¡¯t into men though, so it didn¡¯t matter too much to her in the end...

    As for the others with the original man who had spoken to her¡ªtwo men and two women¡ªthey were all genial, they seemed quite nice. However, they stayed silent and let the man lead the conversation. It seemed like... no, without almost absolute certainty, Songmei felt that the man was the leader of those here. He wasn¡¯t even the oldest either, probably second or third oldest.

    Leaning back into his chair though, the man stretched a little before sitting up and putting his hands on his knees, a mysterious but warm smile on his face, ¡°I¡¯m Tu Weiping, leader of Starlight Lake Sect, number one sect in this continent, and we¡¯re here to scout you.¡±

 8: Why Is This Offer So Scam-Like?

    Shock.

    Freezing in her chair, Songmei sat there like a child who had been told that the sky wasn¡¯t actually blue because it was a reflection of the ocean. And, because Songmei had more than half a brain cell, she could also conclude that the other four people sitting at the table were elders of the sect.

    Why were they here? Aren¡¯t these types of people like... important and busy?

    Letting out a stream of stammers that sounded more like a verbal keysmash rather than spoken language, Songmei took a few deep breaths to calm down. ¡°Wh... Why are you all here? I-I¡¯m honored but... but why? And nice to meet you, of course.¡±

    Songmei was struggling. There was an invisible pressure in the room and... a lot of people. Songmei wasn¡¯t used to talking to a lot of people, or people older than her, and this was both. Suppressing her shaking though, Songmei tried her best to keep an amiable smile as Tu Weiping gave some more information.

    ¡°So, as you know, the week of testing has come to an end.¡± Tu Weiping began, shrugging his shoulders with a relaxed tone, ¡°And, since we live today instead of the past where it¡¯d take the association a couple of months to gather all the results and then make a list with rankings, the list has already been released to us sects.¡±

    ¡°Therefore, because Starlight Lake is the number one sect in the northern continent, we get first pick out of the best talent,¡± Tu Weiping explained with a twinkle in his eye. Songmei however, couldn¡¯t help but feel that... wasn¡¯t this literally the inequitable system of society that she had learned in school? Systemic inequality or something?? Hello social justice warriors? Cancel them! Well... it¡¯s probably hard to cancel people who can blow up mountains in one hit...

    Still a little speechless and once again... in disbelief, Songmei wiped her sweaty palms against her legs. ¡°You all should have a lot of people to go scout then, right?¡±

    Songmei¡¯s question eliciting a nod and ¡°Yes¡± from everyone, Tu Weiping stroked his short-cut beard before shooing away the four elders in an exasperated tone, ¡°Go, go occupy yourselves, I don¡¯t know, don¡¯t just sit there and act as human nodding machines. What do some of you younger elders do these days? Go play that brick-laying video game! I want to talk to Lin Songmei alone.¡±

    Shuffle.

    Annoyed murmuring.

    ¡°... We¡¯ll lay a brick castle around your property in the game Sect Leader.¡±

    ¡°Weiping you¡¯ll pay for this.¡±

    Click.

    ¡°Ahh... Those sect elders are going to murder me... I¡¯m going to get teamed up on. My economy¡¯s going to be ruined!¡±

    With the door closed, the sect leader Tu Weiping kicked his legs up, resting them on another chair while facing Songmei. ¡°Well, there are a few people we need to scout. Not too many every year. We only scout direct disciples, people who will study right under elders. This year we¡¯re trying to scout, I think... 6? More than most years, many years there isn¡¯t even a single person. Though, I feel like most will probably go to other sects. We¡¯ve been getting robbed these past few years.¡±

    Thanking Yan Mingqing in her head for giving her a rough rundown of these types of things, Mingqing¡¯s brother had been scouted after all, Songmei nodded along as Tu Weiping continued his explanation. ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one other person I need to go scout in person. For the other four, we sent a group of elders to go talk to them.¡±

    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Not even giving Songmei a chance to reply, Tu Weiping put down his feet, spinning in his chair before leaping to his feet, ¡°ANYWAY! What I''m here for! We want you to join our sect!¡±

    Is this a scam?

    Songmei¡¯s thoughts were dominated by those words as she looked at her potential future sect leader¡¯s slideshow. It had a bunch of rainbow flashing bits, and just pulling up the title screen, there was a 5 second transition where the slide bounced onto the screen.

    This middle-aged attractive Tu Weiping guy... was he like the leader of some scam circle...?

    Moving onto the second slide, after a 10 second transition where the projected slide had to spiral onto the screen like a star, Tu Weiping jumped into his explanation, his tone and face changing to a much more official look, ¡°As the formal sect leader of the Starlight Lake Sect, we offer you a position as a direct disciple of the sect.¡±

    ¡°This entails a multitude of benefits, I would go into them right now but I have a feeling you wouldn¡¯t really understand it. So, to keep it brief, you¡¯ll have first priority for support, amazing resources to aid your cultivation, and also you don¡¯t have to take the sect entrance test.What will you be doing during the entrance test period then if you accept, you ask?¡±

    Songmei did not in fact have this question in her head, but Tu Weiping continued on, answering his own rhetorical question.

    Songmei also knew that Tu Weiping had definitely rehearsed this slideshow before, there were fancy hand motions, dramatic button clicks, clear signs that he was trying to not move while presenting. The whole school presentation vibe was all there.

    ¡°So, you should¡¯ve received some official documentation from the association about the score you got, right? It¡¯s a bunch of confusing stuff, yeah... I barely even understand it now.¡± Tu Weiping confessed.

    Beginning to have a multitude of questions pop up in her head like pesky mushrooms, Songmei began to ask herself if this guy knew what he was doing, ¡®How was this guy the sect leader?¡¯

    She knew he was probably legit because the head lady would¡¯ve checked and there was the official seal, id card and everything laid out on the table, but this really felt like a scam...

    Changing the slide with the use of another 10 second long transition, Weiping detailed the entry process should Songmei accept the offer. ¡°You¡¯ll go through our interview process, not to decide whether you get in or not. That¡¯s a simple yes or no. But it¡¯ll help us decide which elder would be best to support you. We, as a sect that cares highly about staying ahead, treat direct disciples a little like adoption. I know this is kinda ironic considering we¡¯re in an orphanage right now, but we try to match you with an elder that will not only guide you along your cultivation, but also be like a parent, uncle, grandparent, or older sibling to you.¡±

    Songmei stayed quiet and maintained her poker face, but in her mind, she was impressed. On the slides that suffered from the transitions¡ªSongmei swore could practically hear the slideshow screaming in agony¡ªthere was a detailed list of benefits, accommodations, along with what to expect should she accept.

    Listening along, the slideshow continued on for another 15 minutes, Songmei had listened and paid attention, but even though the content was gripping and could change her life, by the end she wanted to collapse on the ground.

    Transitions.

    On EVERY slide!!

    Told that the head lady had a way to contact the sect once she made her decision, Songmei walked out of the conference room with a little information booklet while also being a little lightheaded. There was so much information... and her future could depend on her choices.

    No, her future kinda did entirely depend on what choice she made.

    ... ugh

    Maybe asking the head lady for some advice would be good...

    Walking past a circle of couches, Songmei saw that the elders that had been shooed away were... actually playing a game about bricklaying...

    A bolt of lightning, an idea.

    Songmei leaned down over the couch, nudging the shoulder of the youngest looking elder. ¡°Please... please fix the sect leader¡¯s slides...¡±

    ¡°Transitions?¡±

    ¡°... Every slide...¡±

    ¡°Not again, we¡¯ll get on it. I offer you my sincerest apologies for sitting through that...¡±

 9: Sect-Commit Videos Are So Weird...

    ¡°What do I do?¡±

    Two days had passed. The media was crazier than ever. In fact, when not drowning herself in books at the library or getting dragged into meetings with sects, Lin Songmei had seen several familiar names pop up in the news. A famous demon hunting squad had returned from an expedition, some famous young masters and their decisions, even the media elusive Yan Mingqing had shown up a couple of times.

    No contact from Mingqing though...

    Pushing that thought aside¡ªit still popped up even after almost a week and a half¡ªSongmei kept scrolling on her terminal, watching some famous young master she didn¡¯t know the name of pick the sect they were going to on live video. Why? What was the point of this guy pulling 8 fakeouts only to then announce the actual sect he was going to...

    Media was weird.

    Taking a moment to rub and massage her tired eyes, Songmei did some stretches while looking over at the information booklets she had spent the day reading through. Doing that, Songmei had learnt a lot, however, as an added bonus of doing that too, not only did she have carpal tunnel syndrome, she now also probably had permanent lower back pain.

    Great.

    Are all 16 year olds supposed to be this easily hurt?

    To summarize the booklets though, the sects all gave similar things, but Songmei did have to say, the first sect she had met with, the Starlight Lake Sect, was a cut above the rest, they really did deserve to be the best sect on the continent.

    Even with that sect leader that didn¡¯t know how to make a slideshow to save his own life.

    Though... it was better than the sects that had a sect leader who seemed to be a wrinkled shrub that was dying as they asked her to join.

    Bleh. Songmei scrunched her nose just remembering the smell that the old man gave off, maybe he was so old he was born before showers were invented...

    Why was choosing so hard?

    Patting her stuffed animal, a small purple cat with yellow eyes named Plum, Songmei sat there, just sinking into her thoughts. There was the conversation she had with the head lady, there were the rumors that she had heard being whispered about her and her frequent trips to the conference rooms.

    Well, as she thought about it, Songmei realized... it wasn¡¯t actually that hard. She had liked the Starlight Lake¡¯s people the most, their offer was the best, they were the best sect, and the head lady had advised her to go there.

    A long sigh escaping her lips as she fought off the sleepiness that was seeping into her as she laid on her bed, Songmei kicked herself up. She had to stop being a wet noodle that laid in bed all day, it really sucked the hours out of the day.

    Rubbing her back and wrist, she made her way to the head lady¡¯s office, hugging the Starlight Lake¡¯s information booklet to her chest while psyching herself up to choose the Starlight Lake Sect.

    ... And also the head lady was scary.

    ------

    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Feeling free of a massive weight after she had returned to her room, Songmei slumped onto her bed, clutching Plum to her chest. ¡°You¡¯re the best Plum, how are you doing today? Need a little stitching?¡±

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Songmei nodded towards her stuffed animal Plum who she was holding in the air, ¡°Hmm... your ear needs a little stitching.¡±

    Dotted with several stitches from the various times that Songmei had repaired Plum, Plum was Songmei¡¯s prized possession. Having first received the stuffed purple cat in a charity event when she was young where a company gave each person in the orphanage one, Songmei had tried her best to take care of hers: she had washed it, she had patched it up, and she had slept with it almost every night.

    Remembering the time in her life where she wasn¡¯t doing great, and remembering the times she had spent crying while pouring out her emotions to Plum, Songmei coughed, an embarrassed tinge creeping up on her face. ¡°Just forget about those times already Songmei...¡±

    ¡°Anyway~, let¡¯s get you patched up Plum.¡± Songmei murmured, deciding to distract herself by patching Plum¡¯s ear while playing some music in the background.

    Stitch. Stitch. Stitch.

    Her voice quiet as she sang along to the song under her breath, Songmei¡¯s needle looped under then out, under then out.

    Songmei, all her life, found it relaxing to sew. Sewing was a critical life skill at the orphanage, everyone knew how to patch up their clothes, everyone had a little sewing kit in their room. Hers in particular was a little more luxurious, Songmei had bought a few more colors of string and kept a little stock of different cloth patches just in case.

    Her sewing kit was kinda a hazard though... Songmei had never been good at keeping it organized, every time she reached into it she lost a few bits of flesh. If she didn¡¯t clean it out every time she sewed, maybe a little flesh monster would¡¯ve formed after a while.

    Stitch, Stitch, Stitch.

    ...

    Knock. Knock.

    ¡°Yes? Come in please.¡± Songmei called out, raising her head from the sewing she was doing.

    Cracking the door open, Songmei saw a familiar assistant on the other side of the door. However, as she was getting ready to explain that she had already chosen so there wasn¡¯t a need to have her go to another meeting, the assistant informed, ¡°The Starlight Lake Sect has replied, they¡¯ll be coming by to pick you up tomorrow. So please pack your bags and be ready for that.¡±

    Tomorrow?

    ... Tomorrow?!

    Almost leaping to her feet and beginning to panic pack, Songmei sat back down from her half-standing position, taking a few deep breaths.

    It was good she didn¡¯t have many possessions.

    Sighing, Songmei chuckled under her breath at her own little joke, that was one benefit of being poor... sadly being poor came with many other drawbacks.

    Cracking the door open once more, the assistant then added, ¡°I¡¯ve also placed some bags outside your room that are free for you to use and keep.¡±

    Click.

    What the hell...

    Still, it had barely even begun to set in that she was leaving this place and she was leaving... tomorrow?

    Songmei was glad for sure, everything was bad here, her bed with a mattress that could pass for a solid rock, her super duper ultra mega thin blanket that could¡¯ve been a curtain in its past life, and the overall just... dilapidatedness of the place. She didn¡¯t even have any friends! She was just a quiet person who read books all day!

    ¡®But I still have some attachment to this place...¡¯

    Reminiscing a little in her time in the orphanage, Songmei finished up patching Plum, patting it a few times before setting it down on her bed and beginning to pack.

    ¡°Clothes... clothes... clothes...¡±

    ...

    ¡°Alright done with clothes.¡±

    ¡°One book, two books, three books... and that¡¯s all my books.¡±

    Already having packed most of her possessions, Songmei paused... maybe packing in one night would be easier than she thought.

    So, as the night fell, as the others in the orphanage went to bed, some still despairing over their cultivation aptitude test, while others were excited to attend the upcoming sect entrance tests, Songmei packed all the items she needed except those she¡¯d need the next morning, reminiscing in her memories of the orphanage while suppressing her excitement for the next day.

    ¡®... This smile won¡¯t go away...¡¯

    ¡®... I¡¯m so excited...¡¯

    ¡®I can leave this place!¡¯

 10: DAYUM These "Scammers" Are Rich

    Birds chirping. Cars driving.

    Sunrise.

    As the world woke up, the sun rose, clouds drifted their way across the bright blue sky, and a gentle winter chill blew its way between buildings. Those who had jobs began to make their way to work while those in school enjoyed the beginning of their break, school wouldn¡¯t start for another two months.

    In one building, a building that blended in with the rest, its only distinctive trait being its dilapidated-ness, was Lin Songmei.

    Songmei was wide awake. Waking up at the crack of dawn, she was bursting with excitement, her palms had kept sweating and her face wouldn¡¯t stop smiling. She was going to be free!

    Staring out her window, Songmei ran her hand across the peeling paint while gathering herself, the appointed time was almost here.

    Songmei kept trying to tell herself that there was no need to be an overly excited child. Even if her younger self dreamed of getting adopted or fostered¡ªsomething that obviously never happened, she was still in the orphanage after all¡ªshe should stay composed, make sure to thank the head lady before she left, make sure to bring all her possessions, make sure to bring Plum.

    Humming along to a melody under her breath, the melody of a popular classical style piano piece that had risen to fame in recent weeks, Songmei stood up from the window side, crouching down in front of her bags, checking she had packed everything.

    ¡°Books. Toiletries. Clothes. Plum... pencil case... sewing kit. Wow, there isn¡¯t much.¡±

    Picking up her two bags, Songmei pulled the door open with a creak, appreciating the half-attached doorknob one last time while etching her room into her mind. ¡°Goodbye... Forever this time.¡±

    Songmei nodded to orphanage workers she passed as she made her way to the head lady¡¯s office, they had always kept their distance, she had heard in the past that there were orders for them to keep their distance to avoid emotional attachment.

    Walking through the snaking hallways, getting a few stares as she moved, Songmei pushed open the door to the head lady¡¯s office. Songmei also knew that no matter how her life changed, if she ever saw the head lady again, she¡¯d quake like a fish in front of a bear.

    The head lady was scary, okay?

    ... Like a dragon in a building of bears.

    ¡°Oh? Lin Songmei?¡± The head lady asked as Songmei made her way into the room, ¡°I just sent a person to get you. Seems you¡¯re early though. Shall we make our way outside together then?¡±

    ¡°A-Ah? S-Sure... sure... yeah.¡± Murmured Songmei as she began to follow along behind the head lady. ¡°I just w... wanted to say thank you for taking care of me up until now. Even if you weren¡¯t the warmest.¡±

    ¡°I was just doing my job.¡± The head lady shook her head, her tone freezing cold as always. ¡°No need to thank me.¡±

    Shivering a touch, Songmei would¡¯ve sworn the temperature had dropped as the conversation dropped dead on the floor. In fact, if Songmei was a betting woman... which she was not, she was broke as hell, she would¡¯ve bet that the head lady¡¯s freezing cold demeanor could single-handedly solve climate change.

    The head lady¡¯s talents really were wasted managing an orphanage for people of a single-age group...

    Walking through the double sliding doors, the head lady broke the silence. ¡°Goodbye, Lin Songmei.¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Stammering out a reply as someone from the Starlight Lake Sect walked up, Songmei was then surprised beyond belief as a small but warm smile broke out on the head lady¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t come back, just look forward and enjoy life. You¡¯ve been a pleasure to have in the orphanage, I¡¯m sure you have a wonderful life ahead of you. Take care Songmei.¡±

    Not giving Songmei a chance to reply, the head lady nodded towards the representative from the Starlight Lake Sect before turning and walking back into the building.

    What?

    ... Did the head lady get replaced?

    Songmei stood there frozen, clamming up as the Starlight Lake representative walked up. ¡°N-...Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Lin Songmei...¡±

    Coming to a stop in front of Lin Songmei, the slightly taller woman introduced herself with a flourish and a bow. ¡°I¡¯m Liu Xueli, elder and one of the two heads of the Martial Pavilion in the Starlight Lake Sect. Nice to meet you! You should recognize my face, I was one of the 5 who came to meet you last time!¡±

    Liu Xueli was familiar for sure, Songmei could easily recognize her. Liu Xueli was probably the second youngest person who came in that bunch, and was definitely pretty too, she seemed like she was just coming out of youth, like... not young young, but not old either. If Songmei had to guess, she would¡¯ve guessed the cheerful woman was quite young, but cultivators had long lives so she had no idea.

    Walking along with Liu Xueli, Songmei and Liu Xueli exchanged some small talk as they walked through the streets, making their way to a transport station. Through the small talk, Songmei learned that Liu Xueli kept her black hair short because... she looked better with short hair, and that Liu Xueli hated wearing the business suit she was wearing, preferring to wear cargo pants, boots, and whatever random shirt she could find most of the time.

    Unfamiliar with Liu Xueli though, Songmei began to talk less and less. Songmei was doing her best to hold a conversation, but she really wasn¡¯t one to talk much... maybe Mingqing¡¯s extrovertedness would¡¯ve helped.

    Then again one had to go through about 50 layers of walls to get to that talkativeness...

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to talk about,¡± Liu Xueli confessed after sharing that she used a sword, ¡°I can¡¯t give many details about important things since we might get overheard here, so just... don¡¯t mind my random topics. I¡¯m hip! I swear I''m still young, I can talk to you kids.¡±

    Songmei felt that was literally, exactly, what an old person would say, but she didn¡¯t say that, instead, she decided to just ask some questions. Asking questions was an easy way to make a decent first impression right? ¡°So the sect is... north right? Like farther north than we are right now.¡±

    ¡°A fair bit north,¡± Liu Xueli answered, walking into the transport station with confident steps, the crowd parting in front of her, ¡°Not north enough that it¡¯s always snowing, but right now in the winter, the lake in the center has frozen over and snow has fallen. But during the warmer months it¡¯s quite temperate there.¡±

    Getting pulled out of the way of a barreling cart, Songmei thanked Liu Xueli as they walked into the VIP section, coming to a stop in front of a small vessel.

    The vessel was... expensive, no doubt. Clean, gleaming, and almost sparkling under the sun, Songmei looked up and down what could only be called a private jet in shock. ¡°Thi... this is nice... is this the sect¡¯s?¡±

    Snapping her fingers to let the door open and a staircase descend, Liu Xueli chuckled, walking up into the small jet while waving Songmei in, ¡°Nahhh, it¡¯s mine! I just bought it with some treasure I found on an adventure I went on. Several other people in the sect have more extravagant ones, like actually massive planes, or massive flying boats.¡±

    Taking and storing Songmei''s bags into a small storage locker, Liu Xueli patted Songmei on the shoulder. ¡°Is this all you have?¡±

    ¡°... Yeah...¡± Songmei coughed, a little ashamed in front of Liu Xueli and her obvious status as a person with an ungodly amount of wealth.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± Liu Xueli reassured with an exuberant smile, ¡°A lot of us aren¡¯t well off when we enter! If you come under me, this auntie... no... no no, I¡¯m young, I''m hip, this older sister will take care of you well!¡±

    Again... Songmei wanted to tell Liu Xueli that saying one was young or hip was the exact way to sound like an ancient turtle that¡¯s been alive for several millennia.

    Shaking her head with an exasperated but amused smile, Songmei listened as Liu Xueli gave a small tour, pointing out the lounge area, the storage area, and the restroom. Taking a seat in the lounge area as Liu Xueli melted onto a couch, Songmei jolted in surprise as she felt the plane take off in a second, blasting through the transport station and into the sky.

    ... Was... was there a pilot?

    As if reading her mind, Liu Xueli explained, ¡°It¡¯s a perk of being a cultivator. This plane is an artifact, so I can control it with just my mind and some... Qi.¡± Saying Qi, Liu Xueli laughed while flicking her fingers, sending an icy mist out from her fingertips. ¡°No biggie, you¡¯ll be able to do it soon too~¡±

 11: Pure-White, Not Yellow Snow

    Lin Songmei and Liu Xueli spent the flight just talking, and with Lin Songmei opening up bit by bit after some time and Liu Xueli sharing more about herself, the two became a little closer. While talking too, Songmei spent some time looking out the window, resisting the urge to plaster herself against it after seeing the world shrink back below the plane for the first time.

    Through the conversation in the luxurious little cabin lounge area, Songmei also learned that Lin Xueli was the one to pick her up because she was one of the candidates the sect were leaning towards. Though, apparently since there wasn¡¯t much to go off of, it could still change very as easily as flipping a coin.

    Liu Xueli, having changed into a more comfortable outfit was now in some casual clothes, changing the air around her from a businesswoman to someone who could probably lead a military unit.

    ... Songmei still wondered if she should comment on the whole ¡°I¡¯m hip, I¡¯m young¡± thing though.

    Maybe... maybe Songmei was the old one, she was still feeling twinges of pain in her wrist along with back tightness...

    ¡®Who knows, soon enough maybe I¡¯ll be reading the newspaper in my free time.¡¯

    However, after about an hour or two in the air, the small plane-like artifact began to descend and Liu Xueli began to explain a bit about the sect. ¡°So... if you look out the window you should see the sect. Do you see that ring of mountains? That¡¯s where the sect is~ isn¡¯t it nice?¡±

    Holding onto an armrest to steady herself as the ground became closer, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but wonder... where was the lake?

    It was the Starlight Lake Sect not the Ring of Mountains Sect...

    ¡°Liu Xueli?¡± Songmei asked, raising her hand to get Liu Xueli''s attention while she was making some tea for herself as the plane came to a stop after landing. ¡°Where¡¯s... where¡¯s the lake?¡±

    Taking a second and downing the entire cup of hot tea in one gulp, Liu Xueli kicked open the door while waving Songmei over. ¡°Come on, come on! Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll show you where the lake is. We have to take a shuttle from here since there isn¡¯t anywhere I can land this baby in the sect itself.¡±

    ... A whole cup? At once?? That thing was steaming...

    Chalking it up to the cultivation, Songmei grabbed her bags, checked everything was there, and followed along behind Liu Xueli.

    Snow...

    Songmei had never seen snow before, she¡¯d seen pictures, seen movies, she knew what it was, who didn¡¯t? But now, walking outside, where a layer of snow blanketed the ground, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but crouch down, shivering a little from the cold while clenching it in her hand.

    ¡®It¡¯s wet... good thing this isn¡¯t yellow.¡¯

    Unimpressed at her own thoughts, of course it¡¯d be wet, it¡¯s made of water, Songmei bunched it up into a ball, throwing it at Liu Xueli.

    Pomf.

    Turning and looking away as Liu Xueli spun on her heel after taking a snowball to the back, Songmei watched as Liu Xueli brushed the snow off out of the corner of her eye, getting ready to run at any time. ¡®Don¡¯t move Songmei, if you don¡¯t move, she can¡¯t see you. That¡¯s how it works with old people. If you stay still she¡¯ll think you¡¯re just a statue.¡¯

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Songmei¡¯s eyes darted for a second before a snowball pelted her in the stomach, exploding into a mass of white powder.

    Liu Xueli slung an arm over Songmei¡¯s shoulder and Songmei let out a sigh and quiet apology as an embarrassed tinge creeped up on her face. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve never seen snow before...¡±

    Patting Songmei as the two began to walk, Liu Xueli reassured, ¡°It¡¯s fineeeee~ Just expect retaliation, okay? As your senior, I won¡¯t go easy on you next time~ and you¡¯ll have plenty of chances, we always have snowball fights every year! It¡¯s practically a tradition! Sometimes there¡¯s even a competition to try and see who can hit the sect leader first! Oh yeah... now that you¡¯re in the sect you have to call Tu Weiping by ¡®Sect Leader¡¯ unless he tells you not to.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I can do that no problem, I called the head lady... head lady, for 16 years.¡± Songmei murmured, her voice quieting as streams of people walked by the two as they made their way to the shuttle area. ¡°So... what do I do for the next few days? I know I¡¯ll have to do some interviews but... beyond that what do I do? They shouldn¡¯t take the whole day, right?¡±

    With the crowd parting in front of Liu Xueli once more¡ªSongmei realized Liu Xueli really was an important person...¡ªthe two got onboard the futuristic sleek silver-white shuttle as Liu Xueli tapped her chin with a cheerful grin. ¡°You can just hang out~ I¡¯d probably recommend working out, since you aren¡¯t that fit. Maybe also interacting with some people around? Your elders, the other senior direct disciples? They¡¯re all nice people so I¡¯d recommend getting to know them!¡±

    Watching Liu Xueli flex her toned arms, Songmei was not only impressed by Liu Xueli¡¯s muscles, they weren''t like bulging or anything, but she was still muscular, but also, Songmei was impressed by how she could wear a tank-top in this weather. It wasn¡¯t snowing right now, but it was cold! Cold as shit!

    Shivering in her coat, even as they were inside the shuttle that began to move, Songmei opened her mouth to ask another question but then closed it again, falling silent, not having much to talk about. ¡®This place is so nice though... I don¡¯t really feel like I belong here... I feel like I''m dirtying the pole just by hanging onto it as the shuttle ascends into the air.¡¯

    Silence.

    Liu Xueli had been approached by an older elder who was asking her about some secretive things that Songmei couldn¡¯t hear, was it a technique?

    Maybe like... sound transmission? That¡¯s a technique that¡¯s common in those cultivation novels. Songmei had read a few, they were... interesting, but most of them were set in ancient times which made it less immersive. How did they use the restroom and stuff? Or were their bodies too... amazing or something...

    Chuckling to herself remembering the meme that was ¡°Do you even young master?!¡± Songmei covered her mouth with a hand, looking around to make sure she hadn¡¯t disturbed anyone around her.

    Whirrrrrr.

    As the shuttle accelerated in an instant, flying through a crack between two mountains, Songmei looked out one of the large glass windows for the first time and... wow.

    Her jaw dropping, her grip around the pole loosening, Songmei stood there in awe as she saw the sect for the first time.

    There was the ring of mountains she had seen earlier, each of the mountain peaks being spires that jutted into the sky. But the true show was in the center of the ring of mountains.

    Beautiful.

    That¡¯s the only word that came to Songmei¡¯s mind.

    Inside the ring of mountains was an expansive frozen-over lake that seemed to sparkle and gleam. Then, above the lake, there were a number of floating islands of various sizes, some with only one building on them, some with just some trees and nature, some with a multitude of buildings on them.

    Each building was made out of a rich wood, all woven together to form amazing shapes. Songmei could see some people going in and out of the buildings, all minding their own business. Yet, to Songmei, even these mundane actions seemed magical and out of this world.

    Over the lake too, was a series of tethers, lines of semi-transparent energy that marked where the shuttle lines were, ensuring that anyone who was advanced enough to fly wouldn¡¯t get plowed into by a shuttle.

    That¡¯d be really sad...

    Wouldn¡¯t that be like... instant death? Or only instant career over? Or something else...

    Pushing her thoughts aside, Songmei steadied herself against one of the poles in the shuttle, getting ready to disembark as the shuttle came to stop, its doors sliding open with a quiet, clean whoosh.

 12: Freeloading Sure Is Nice...

    Songmei disembarked the shuttle with Liu Xueli after Liu Xueli had bade farewell to the elder she was talking to. Out of the shuttle, Songmei stood there like an awkward penguin as she looked around, marveling at the wooden station that had walls and ceiling that seemed to be woven out of wood. A thin layer of snow covered the ground, but at the same time, sunlight shone through the roof, providing light but no heat.

    She had read about why the sun didn¡¯t provide as much heat farther north, but in her head, Songmei always just chalked it up to the sun being lazy...

    Songmei plodded along behind Liu Xueli. Songmei thought that her back really wasn¡¯t cut out for this type of movement, she had just wrecked it a few days prior!

    ¡®It¡¯s fine Songmei, you got this. If Liu Xueli is ¡®young¡¯ and ¡®hip¡¯, you¡¯re a baby that hasn¡¯t even been born yet!¡¯

    ¡°So a series of bridges connects these floating islands,¡± Liu Xueli explained, pointing to a sign that gave directions while also nodding her chin towards a distant bridge. ¡°There¡¯s some temporary housing over across that bridge so that¡¯s where we¡¯re going. You¡¯ll live there until you move in with an elder.¡±

    Picking up her pace behind Liu Xueli while making sure to not drop her bags, Songmei asked while looking around at the islands. ¡°Do all the elders live on these islands? I feel like there isn¡¯t enough space...¡±

    ¡°There isn¡¯t, not even close, we have a lot of elders. A lotttt~ I don¡¯t know the exact number so I¡¯ll just say a lot.¡± Answered Liu Xueli as she crossed the bridge, making a right turn towards a small complex of buildings, ¡°So, to give a little more context, the most important elders live on some floating islands, people like me who are the head of a place. Other elders live on the peak or near the peak of those mountains that surround us.¡±

    Songmei nodded along, Liu Xueli dropped a lot of random useful information at the weirdest times. Pushing open a door, Songmei gave a murmur of acknowledgement to show she was listening as Liu Xueli walked in, looking for an open room that Songmei could use while continuing her little spiel.

    ¡°Then, direct disciples, like what you¡¯ll be, will live with their assigned elder. Inner disciples live on the mountains and nearer to the peaks while outer disciples live at the bases of the mountains.¡±

    Opening the door to a room that was marked unused, Liu Xueli let Songmei in while finishing up her little explanation with a flourish.

    ¡°All the places people live in are quite good, obviously, they¡¯d have to be since we¡¯re the number one sect, but there¡¯s still a lot of traffic to the middle islands with people coming to use the facilities here. There are many things like training fields, practice rooms, and meditation rooms over there, but, for example, there¡¯s only one divine repository, and it¡¯s over there.¡±

    Chuckling, Liu Xueli pointed to a tall building a little ways away outside the window, ¡°That place! It¡¯s really nice, trust me. Now, though, I¡¯ll help you get unpacked real quick, but I can¡¯t stay for long, I have some business to attend to.¡±

    Songmei dropped her bags to the ground. Around her was a nice room. Really nice. It was probably around 4 times the size of her last room, if not bigger. The room was empty except for a cabinet, bed, and door to a connected bathroom.

    To start with, the cabinet was... alright, Songmei didn¡¯t know how cabinet¡¯s worked but it seemed well-made. The bed though... It was so big! It looked so soft! It was worth salivating over... Songmei had never seen a bed so big in her life, not even on Live, the video streaming service that everyone used.

    Lastly... a connected bathroom!!

    Songmei had used a shared bathroom her whole life, and in this temporary living space she got her own! Temporarily!! What luxury... she could go use the restroom as late as she wanted now...

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Resisting the urge to tear up, Songmei set her packed bags down right next to the cabinet, handing one to Liu Xueli¡¯s offered hand to unpack into the cabinet while she unpacked another.

    ¡°You¡¯re here first, by the way,¡± Liu Xueli informed, unpacking the bag at a speed that was... unbelievable, her hands were literally leaving afterimages! How unfair was this?! Songmei was already down to 1.5 wrists! ¡°You¡¯ll be staying here for about half a week I¡¯d say? Your interview process won¡¯t take too long. Throughout this time though, you might see some other faces of direct disciples, so you should get to know them~ it¡¯ll be a worthwhile endeavor, I promise you!¡±

    ¡°Alr-¡± Songmei began, only to be cut off by an alarm coming from Liu Xueli¡¯s terminal.

    ¡°Oh sh-... shoot,¡± Liu Xueli apologized, urgency appearing in her voice as she ran to the window, pulling it open. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t stay longer! I have an important meeting in 15 seconds!¡±

    Jump.

    Songmei ran over to the window that Liu Xueli had jumped out of, only to be greeted by a small cloud of snow.

    ¡®... she¡¯s gone?¡¯

    Sticking her head out the window while looking around, Songmei was impressed as... Liu Xueli had disappeared. ¡®How the hell did she do that... Will I be able to? Eventually?¡¯

    Click.

    Window now closed, Songmei continued to unpack her bags without a fuss, staring out the large windows that gave a good view of the outside.

    ¡®It¡¯s really pretty...¡¯

    With that, Songmei settled down and the interviews were over in the blink of an eye.

    ----------------

    Throughout the half week, a lot had happened...

    Songmei had spent a lot of time walking around, exploring the floating islands. She was too afraid of getting on the shuttle alone for now, she didn¡¯t want to get lost out there.

    The morning of the next day after she had arrived, Songmei had found a bundle full of clothing, each tailored to her exact size. Songmei didn¡¯t know who it was from, how much it had cost, or how they knew her exact measurements, but she wasn¡¯t going to complain... It was stylish, and high-quality, she¡¯d take the free hand out that was better than anything she had before.

    Exploring after having donned some of the clothing and a pin saying that she was a direct disciple, Songmei had learnt about and memorized where a ton of different important things were. There was the Assignment Hall, the Divine Repository, the Hall of Learning, the Disciplinary Bureau, the Treasury, the Martial Pavillion, and the Public Relations Department.

    The Public Relations Department seemed out of place... After all, most of the others Songmei had read about in random cultivation novels, but a PR department was right out of a corporate business.

    Ignoring how out of place the Public Relations Department was, Songmei spent a lot of time in the Divine Repository, it was practically a library after all, getting to know the friendly, old, chubby elder who managed the place. He was really nice but Songmei never could muster up the courage to ask for his name again after she forgot it the first time...

    She also, following Liu Xueli¡¯s advice, did a fair bit of running on the track in the martial pavilion. Running was torture.

    Other than exploring though, she talked to a few other disciples that she ran across, trying her best to get to know them and make a good first impression.

    Socializing was hard.

    Beyond talking to other disciples, Songmei also went through the interview process, talking with the sect leader along with the heads of all the elders in charge of each branch in the sect. Each talk wasn¡¯t too bad, it was just a small talk that¡¯d take place in their office or at the main canteen that was run on one of the floating islands. It was only through this process that she had seen the Sect Leader and Liu Xueli again, although it seemed they were both... really busy.

    Maybe she had been treating them too lightly...

    In the end, after a lot of talking and not enough time to herself, Songmei had collapsed onto her bed every night, sleeping like a dead person until she woke up in the embrace of heaven every morning... or in other words her bed.

    At the end of the hectic half-week, Songmei went to bed one last time in her temporary room, pulling fluffy blankets over herself as she clicked off the lamp beside her bed, closing her book and setting it on her nightstand.

    ¡®Tomorrow... tomorrow I¡¯ll find out which elder I¡¯m with...¡¯

    ¡®I hope they¡¯re nice...¡¯

 13: Beds, The Ultimate Gift From Heaven

    The bed was like a kiss from heaven. Having been used to a mattress that was closer to rock than mattress, Songmei for the past few days had been waking up in bliss. This morning in particular, Songmei woke up to a view of snow. The sky was cloudy and there was gentle snowfall.

    Rolling over in bed, Songmei wanted to stay under the covers forever, but, hearing the bustling sounds of life outside, she knew she had to get up.

    Songmei kicked her legs out from under her blankets and sat up, gasping a little at the cold air. Sitting there, Songmei stumbled her way to the bathroom, washing up and fixing her bed hair that looked like a white-ish, silver-ish tangled mess. ¡®They¡¯ll give me a letter today... I think? I wonder if it¡¯ll be paper... or maybe even like parchment? That¡¯d be fancy...¡¯

    Feeling a little more alive after washing up, Songmei put on one of the cute outfits given to her by the sect that she had left folded on a chair near her bed and made her way down to the first floor. There¡¯d probably be some breakfast laid out on trays down there that she could eat.

    Life was good.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have to do anything at all!

    Well, she knew she¡¯d have to do stuff in the future, but for now... she was free! She just did some exercising everyday and... that was it. Songmei didn¡¯t mind this new life, though Liu Xueli had told her that for a while she¡¯d still be going to the school in the sect.

    Sad...

    Most cultivation novels Songmei had read had no school at all! And yet, here she¡¯d be, returning to carpal tunnel land!

    Picking up one of the food trays while sitting down at table, Songmei lamented her future schooling while waking up every so slowly by eating.

    The food was steaming hot, glistening under the lamp light that illuminated the first floor. Moreover, the food in the sect was... amazing, to put it lightly. Songmei had asked an elder and they had explained it was something called Qi Infused cooking, but all Songmei really knew was it made the food taste exquisite.

    ¡®I wonder what soup this is... it¡¯s... it¡¯s so good.¡¯

    Sipping her amazing tasting soup in small spoonfuls, Songmei sat back in her seat, blinking her eyes awake while looking at the snowfall outside.

    Songmei could see some people walking to their morning jobs... well she called it their job in her head but she didn¡¯t know. Life seemed good, people greeted each other, street lamps illuminated the outside while the cloudy sky made it bright, but not too bright.

    ¡®I wonder if those two outside are going to start a snowball fight... That senior sister and senior brother do seem rather close too...¡¯

    Smack.

    Bolting upright in her seat after getting hit in the face by a letter, Songmei looked down at the sealed letter that had fallen onto her lap. Making sure not to spill any soup on it, Songmei looked up only to be greeted by a smiling Liu Xueli.

    ¡°G-... Good morning?¡± Songmei murmured, giving a small wave to Liu Xueli who had taken a seat across from her.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Propping her elbows onto the table and resting her chin on her hands, Liu Xueli, with an exuberant smile as always¡ªshe really was energetic all the time somehow¡ªgreeted Songmei back. ¡°Good morning~ Did you sleep well? Just wake up?¡±

    Songmei gave a small nod, sipping her soup while putting the letter down onto the table.

    Sip.

    Ah... the soup was nice.

    Feeling Liu Xueli¡¯s burning gaze, Songmei relented, picking up the letter and sliding her fingernail under the seal.

    Songmei opened the letter with delicate movements, putting the un-ripped envelope back down onto the table before unfolding the letter inside.

    Calligraphy.

    Her eyebrows raised, impressed at the care and effort put into the letter, Songmei read the handwritten calligraphy.

    [Dear Lin Songmei,

    As the Sect Leader of the Starlight Lake Sect, I, Tu Weiping, would like to congratulate you on finishing the interview process of becoming a direct disciple!

    Good job!

    We know that talking to a bunch of old people can be intimidating, but good job on pushing through! Not that you had a choice, but it¡¯s still worth congratulating.

    Below, I¡¯ve written the elder you¡¯ve been matched with, I wish you two plentiful happy times!

    Your matched elder:

    Liu Xueli

    With warm regards,

    Tu Weiping]

    Songmei felt like the letter was... full of fluff. It could¡¯ve been one sentence, yet it had so much fluff Songmei could practically make clothing out of it.

    Looking up, after reading the letter, Songmei was enlightened, no wonder someone like Liu Xueli came to deliver the letter herself. ¡°Well... I hope we get along, Elder Liu.¡±

    Liu Xueli burst out into laughter, reaching over and taking a small bit of pastry off of Songmei¡¯s tray, ¡°It¡¯s the tax~ Anyhow, it¡¯ll be great! This auntie... no... this older sister will take care of you, okay? Now that you¡¯re under me, just call me Xueli!¡±

    A little aggrieved, she had just been robbed of some food, Songmei asked, ¡°Can I really? Or... should I really? You¡¯re important... Even the other elders call you by Elder Liu!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fineeeee~ and I tell them to call me by Xueli... I hate being called by ¡®Elder¡¯ what what,¡± Xueli snorted, crossing her arms while sitting back in her chair, ¡°I¡¯m not that old yet I swear, I¡¯m hip with the kids, I¡¯m young!¡±

    Not this again...

    A small sigh escaping her lips under her breath, Songmei made some light conversation with Xueli while continuing to eat her breakfast. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m hanging out~ The only thing I have to do today really is take care of you, help you move and stuff and pick up the other direct disciple that I chose.¡± Xueli shrugged, waving over someone to get her her own bowl of soup.

    ¡°You chose two people?¡± Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask, a little curious now to what the other person was like, ¡°And why do you have to pick them up? Shouldn¡¯t they already be here at the sect like me?¡±

    Thanking the person who delivered some soup, Xueli took a long sip, letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°This soup hits the spot~ Ahhh~ and, to answer your question, her situation was a little unique. So we did the interviews with her while she stayed at her house. Some of the elders like me did theirs in person, others just did it online.¡±

    ¡°I see... I¡¯m, I¡¯m excited to meet her then...¡± Songmei murmured, a little bit of shyness creeping into her voice, she had been meeting a lot of people tho in the recent days, so she was ready! If she told herself she had social skills, she¡¯d have them, that¡¯s how it worked... right?

    Sipping the last of her soup and giving the pastry to Xueli, Songmei stood up, patting down her clothes. ¡°I¡¯m finished with my breakfast, so let me go pack my things and we can go to your place. You live on one of the floating islands, right?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just wait here then, take your time~¡± Xueli reassured, having just gotten another bowl of soup, ¡°My house is quite nice, so look forward to it! And don¡¯t worry, the other disciple is great~ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love her!¡±

 14: Is This A Dream?

    Lin Songmei blew a puff of breath into her hands, warming them up a touch as she walked along with Liu Xueli. Songmei didn¡¯t have mittens, but she didn¡¯t mind, she had already gotten a fair amount of clothes from the sect. She kinda felt like a burglar in all honesty...

    Xueli was carrying Songmei¡¯s bags in a space expansion ring, so Songmei¡¯s hands were free as she walked along the small road talking to Xueli about what she had done over the past few days.

    Sticking her hands back into her pockets, Songmei nodded to a passing disciple, Lu Qiang, one of the other direct disciples entering the sect this year. Songmei liked Lu Qiang, they had shared a few conversations, Lu Qiang wasn¡¯t pure per se, but was just a very nice person.

    If Songmei had to really describe Lu Qiang in one phrase, she¡¯d say that he was gentle but muscular...

    ¡°So are the residential islands separated from the ones everyone can enter?¡± Songmei asked after she and Xueli crossed a bridge, walking down the main road on one of the larger islands that had a few clusters of buildings.

    ¡°A little,¡± Xueli shrugged as she gave nods of acknowledgement to a group of elders walking by. ¡°There¡¯s a section of the floating islands that are designated for residential purposes. That makes it so there isn¡¯t a residential island in the middle of a bunch of public use ones. Then, there are also just little check-in sensors on the bridge to a residential island, making it so people who aren¡¯t authorized to enter the island, like a random disciple, won¡¯t be able to enter.¡±

    Pressing her terminal¡ªa fancy looking bracelet¡ªagainst a little scanner, the gate in front of the two opened as they made their way in.

    Past the gate, Songmei stood there, frozen, from both the cold and from indecision. There were 10 bridges fanning out from behind the gate, each one going to a separate person¡¯s residence. Which bridge went to Xueli¡¯s though?

    Getting dragged along by the Xueli, Songmei decided to just ask Xueli about her work as they traversed the bridge. ¡°So the martial pavilion is kinda just a large dueling arena.... What do you do though as the head of that place?¡±

    Xueli brushed some snow off of her bare shoulders as she answered, she was wearing just a tanktop today as well to the absolute bafflement of Songmei. ¡°Well, we¡¯re also in charge of the training halls and stuff, so we partner with the Divine Repository to help disciples learn and get better at combat.¡±

    Beep.

    Swishhhh.

    As the gate slid open in front of them, Songmei gave a quiet thank you to Xueli as the view of Xueli¡¯s residence was revealed to the pair.

    RICH!

    Xueli was rich as hell!

    With a small river and tree in front of the doorway, the two had to cross a very small two-step bridge. Past the bridge they were greeted with the charming exterior of the house. With white walls and a red roof that had a little overhang over the wall, the house wasn¡¯t too imposing, seeming cozy and welcoming.

    On one side of the door there was a small banner that read ¡°Liu Xueli¡± while the other banner read a small inspirational quote that Xueli had put up. Was Xueli already at the age where she¡¯d put up live, laugh, love signs?

    Cracking the door open, Xueli laughed at Songmei¡¯s surprised expression as the two took off their shoes. Just inside the entrance way, there was a direct view into a courtyard in the middle of the building. ¡°You like it, Songmei? This is your home for the next... many many years. Though this is the main courtyard, the small rooms that connect to this courtyard are for my personal use. There¡¯s a west wing, that¡¯s where you and your fellow direct disciple will be living.¡±

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Xueli poked Songmei on the nose, staring at Songmei¡¯s silver eyes with a small smile, ¡°This is our home now, remember that.¡±

    ¡°I-... I...¡± Struggling for words, Songmei was stunned. It was beautiful. In the small courtyard, there was a small pond with some koi, a tree that arched over the courtyard as a whole, and a small table with a half open book on it. ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s beautiful.¡±

    Pulling Songmei into a hug, Xueli burst out into laughter at Songmei¡¯s shy tone, running her hand through Songmei¡¯s long silver-white hair, ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it~ I know you haven¡¯t had much in the past, but with me, you¡¯ll have all you¡¯ll ever want, okay?¡±

    ¡°... Thank you.¡± Songmei murmured, tearing up a little while returning the embrace.

    The two stood there in silence, embracing for a few moments as Songmei let her new permanent home sink in. Songmei didn¡¯t even know what to think, she was happy, obviously, she had won the lottery with talent, she had entered a sect, everyone was nice to her, she had a home now and a kind master who insisted that she was just an older sister.

    Life... was good.

    ¡®I¡¯ll work hard... I¡¯ll make sure to get that huge house, and I¡¯ll make sure to not let Xueli down...¡¯

    Squeezing her master, Xueli, one more time, Songmei let go as she coughed, embarrassed and ashamed at her little showing of emotion. ¡°Well... uhm... c-can you show me the west wing? Sorry...¡±

    Songmei wanted to apologize more but she felt that overdoing it wouldn''t help, so, telling herself that she¡¯d work hard to pay back all the things that she had gained recently, she followed along Xueli.

    ¡°In your room, there¡¯s only a bed, a couple of cabinets, and a small table with some chairs on it right now.¡± Xueli began after reassuring Songmei that she was fine, deciding it¡¯d be better if she didn¡¯t focus on the previous topic. Songmei didn¡¯t seem to realize that she had left two small wet splotches on her after all. ¡°I¡¯ll put your bags down in your room and you can start to unpack and make it home, okay? On your bed, there¡¯s also a set of official robes, make sure to keep those somewhere you remember, you¡¯ll need them for all official events.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes! I¡¯ll make sure to do that...¡± Songmei nodded with vigor, resembling a bobblehead as she nodded along to all of Xueli¡¯s words. ¡°The entrance ceremony is one of those events, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep~ Look at you go! Other than official events like that, you can just wear whatever you want, we¡¯re not living 500 years in the past, after all.¡± Joked Xueli, pointing out a few helpful rooms such as the bathroom, the storage room, the private training hall, as they went.

    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± At her exclamation, Xueli turned the corner then made a flourish as Songmei turned the corner as well. The west wing! With a smaller courtyard than the main one, the west wing as a whole was a little smaller. However, from the covered wooden walkway that surrounded the courtyard, Songmei could still see a number of rooms.

    ¡°This... is so nice...¡± Songmei murmured, as she and Xueli walked towards the other side of the courtyard through the wooden walkways that surrounded the courtyard.

    ¡°Attached to both of your rooms are small bathrooms, but this room over here has a larger bath in it, so feel free to use it. Here¡¯s a storage room, I store a lot of stuff in here, you probably won¡¯t need this room. Here¡¯s the room the other direct disciple will be staying in. And... Here¡¯s your room!¡± Xueli exclaimed, pushing open the door to Songmei¡¯s new room.

    ¡°T-... This is amazing...¡± Songmei thanked as she walked in, taking her bags from Xueli.

    Patting Songmei on the back a few times, Xueli smiled, ¡°You can just take your time settling in! I¡¯m going to go pick up the other direct disciple I¡¯ve taken in. I¡¯ll be back before lunch, it shouldn¡¯t take long~¡±

    Hug.

    Songmei gave Xueli a surprise hug and a small thank you.

    Returning the embrace, Xueli couldn¡¯t help but feel like she had tamed a small animal, shaking the thought out of her head before wishing Songmei good luck in her unpacking endeavors.

    Wind.

    Because the covered wooden walkway was raised a touch above the courtyard itself, at a height of a little more than a step, Songmei watched as Xueli leapt off that ledge, disappearing in a puff of snow, blending in with the gentle snowfall that was already happening.

    ¡®I want a technique like that one day too...¡¯

    But after Xueli left, Songmei decided to just settle down, unpacking her bags, hanging up and folding her clothes. Songmei set out her toiletries in the connected bathroom, put her stuffed cat Plum onto the bed, patting it a few times before getting ready to unwrap the packaging that Xueli had left on her bed.

    However, at that moment, Xueli had returned, bringing back the other direct disciple, and as the two came face to face, Songmei¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground.

    ¡°...Y-... Yan... Mingqing?! You¡¯re here!?¡±

    Was this a dream...?

 15: Maybe Theres A Hidden Talent For Puns Too

    Going back in time a little bit...

    With gentle snowfall outside, Lin Songmei sat on the ground in her room, folding some of her clothes. Liu Xueli had already left to go pick up the other direct disciple, so Songmei was alone, just hanging out and enjoying life. Songmei had put on some music from her playlist, humming and singing along to it while unpacking.

    Songmei, in all honesty, felt a bit like a rat in a treasure vault. She didn¡¯t feel like she belonged, but every gold coin in the vault told Songmei that she was supposed to be there.

    Why was everything so confusing?

    Putting away the last of her clothes, shoving it into the cabinet like a hitman stuffing a body into a dumpster, Songmei stood up, ready to open up the sealed package on her bed.

    Hopefully it wasn¡¯t a bomb.

    That¡¯d be really funny but really sad at the same time...

    It should be the robes?

    Songmei pushed her hair out of her face, if it was a bomb, so be it, she¡¯d die with glory!

    ¡°Songmei~?¡±

    Her hand pausing just as she was reaching out to open the package, Songmei stood back up, picking up her feet while calling out to the door. ¡°Come in!¡±

    Xueli came back fast... what time was it? Songmei looked at the clock and saw that it was about 20 minutes before Xueli said she was going to come back.

    Songmei wouldn¡¯t complain though, Xueli coming back earlier wasn¡¯t a bad thing.

    Hearing some voices outside the door even after she had said that they could come in, Songmei decided to open the door herself. Were they afraid that the doorknob would set off a bomb? Songmei swore that there was no way there could be that many bombs around here...

    However, after opening the door, after having prepared herself to make an energetic first impression, Songmei froze as she saw the two people in front of her.

    One, someone who she had become quite close with recently, was Xueli. Standing there with a playful smile as always, Xueli was wearing her combat boots, baggy cargo pants and tank top as always.

    The second person though, was...

    Yan Mingqing!

    Her jaw losing functionality for some reason, Songmei began to sputter. Taking a deep breath, Songmei choked out, ¡°...Y-... Yan... Mingqing?! You¡¯re here!?¡±

    As the door creaked after Songmei let go of it, the trio of them stood there in silence, with Mingqing and Songmei both staring at each other in silence and shock.

    ¡°S... Songmei?¡± Mingqing murmured, her voice shaky as she dropped the bags that Xueli had just taken out of her ring, ¡°You¡¯re here? ... H-How are you here?¡±

    Her mouth opening and closing a few times, Songmei confessed, ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m not sure, it just happened...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad it did then!¡± Chortled Mingqing, rushing forward and hugging Songmei while apologizing. ¡°I tried to contact you so many times! But... but... my parents said it was too sketchy...¡±

    Hugging Mingqing back, Songmei sank into the second hug she had gotten in the day, happy to reunite with Mingqing.

    Squeezeeeee~

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Songmei was happy... hugs were great, and she got two in one day!

    On the other hand, watching her two direct disciples embrace, Lin Songmei, a poor orphan who had never worn good clothes, eaten well, or lived well in general, and Yan Mingqing, the second child and first daughter of one of the greatest clans of cultivators to exist, Liu Xueli was stupefied.

    How did the two know each other?

    Well, she was glad the two seemed to be getting along.

    ... but why did she feel so old and so much like a third wheel all of a sudden...

    Clearing her throat and getting the attention of her two disciples, breaking up their little reunion in the process, Xueli, with an awkward smile on her face, asked, ¡°So... Do you two know each other?¡±

    Songmei had only seen it once, but Xueli was already quite familiar with Mingqing¡¯s sharp resting facing and menacing aura. Yet, to Xueli¡¯s bewilderment, the moment her abrasive disciple came face to face with Songmei, the ice seemed to melt, being replaced with a warm spring.

    Separating from their hug, Songmei and Mingqing stood there, unsure really what to say. Songmei in particular was shifting on her feet, trying to think about what she could and couldn¡¯t say. Was it okay to tell Xueli that Mingqing had snuck out to take her aptitude test?

    ¡°You both look like squirming penguins standing there, shifting around,¡± Xueli surmised while raising an eyebrow.

    A long sigh escaping her lips under her breath, Songmei leaned over to Mingqing, whispering that she could say as much as she wanted.

    Giving a light nod in return, Mingqing began telling the story, from why she begged her parents for this one favor, all the way up until the present moment.

    Her storytelling skills were amazing.

    That¡¯s all that bounced around Songmei¡¯s mind, Mingqing added just the right amount of humor, just the right amount of comparisons, and the way she phrased things... perfection. The way Mingqing told it just wove the story out right in front of the listener.

    Letting Mingqing tell her story, the three of them, the master and her two direct disciples, moved to the middle of the courtyard, sitting around a small round table under the gentle snowfall.

    ¡°I... see.¡± Xueli noted, as Mingqing wrapped the story up. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care much that you snuck out, you did your test legitimately and everything. I¡¯m just glad you two get along~¡±

    ¡°As your older sister,¡± Xueli began, emphasizing the older sister part to a suspicious degree as she stood up, ¡°And your young and hip master, I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you two, but make sure to look out for each other! I know Mingqing is older by a few months, I¡¯ve already seen you two do a few knuckleheaded things.¡±

    Before the two could retort, Xueli clapped a couple of times with a smile, ¡°Chop, chop, though. I¡¯ve decided! We¡¯re all going to get lunch in a bit, so get back to unpacking! Songmei, if you finish early, go help Mingqing, okay~? Think of it as some more disciple-disciple bonding!¡±

    ¡°Where are you going to be then, master?¡± Mingqing asked, standing up as well, her expression much warmer after having opened up to Xueli.

    Fluttering her hand, Xueli shooed the pair of them off, ¡°Your master is going to go feed her koi and drink some tea. Also, call me Xueli! I¡¯ve told you a couple of times Mingqing, I¡¯m hip! I¡¯m young! You can talk to me informally!¡±

    Walking away from the senior citizen with Mingqing, Songmei wasn¡¯t sure what to say... She didn¡¯t have the heart to say it but Xueli really had some old lady hobbies...

    Making eye contact with the unimpressed Mingqing, who was standing there with an expression that seemed to say ¡°really?¡± Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°You hear the irony, right? Xueli has... really old lady hobbies, and no young person would actually say they¡¯re young and hip.¡±

    A small smile on Mingqing¡¯s face, Mingqing offered a hand to Songmei as they began to walk back to their rooms. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s definitely old. No young person would also be the co-head elder of the Martial Pavilion.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right...¡± Songmei mused with an amused smile, taking Mingqing¡¯s hand for the short amount of time they had before they had to split off to their own rooms. ¡°I just need to open up this package and then I can come help you. So let¡¯s catch up, okay?¡±

    Nodding, Mingqing gave a small murmur of affirmation, squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand one last time before letting go. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then, good luck~¡±

    Click.

    Songmei, hearing the door close, turned to enter her own room. Closing the door behind her, Songmei was... baffled to say the least.

    Having lost her breath for a second after seeing Mingqing¡¯s smile as her dark blue hair blew in the wind with little snowflakes in it, her golden eyes lighting up and curving into happy crescents, Songmei could barely comprehend it.

    It was... so different.

    Remembering the one time she had seen Mingqing in ice queen mode, second-in-line to the Kunpeng Clan, Songmei felt that they were two totally different people.

    It was like the difference between a ball of fluff and a whole-ass tiger.

    ... Maybe a tiger was putting it lightly.

    Like the difference between a ball of fluff and a whole-ass Kunpeng.

    Pun definitely intended.

 16: Marrying Into Money Might Have Some Benefits...

    Closing the door behind her, Lin Songmei made her way over to the bed, unwrapping the package that had been left on her bed with care.

    Songmei let out a small murmur of amazement. The robes that were in the packaging were nice, and that was an understatement. They were a pure snow-white lined with a pale blue, then, on each shoulder there was an emblem made of three pairs of wings representing her status as a direct disciple.

    She didn¡¯t know why the emblem was three pairs of wings, but Songmei wasn¡¯t complaining, the robes were nice and they were free. Folding the robes with care, Songmei laid them next to her other folded clothes. She wouldn¡¯t need these often but Songmei was glad they looked and felt comfortable.

    She wasn¡¯t interested in wearing sandpaper for official events... she had already done that for her whole life.

    Done with opening the package, Songmei made her way to Mingqing¡¯s room, pushing the door open after knocking and asking if she could enter.

    A mess.

    That¡¯s all Songmei could call it.

    Well, maybe she could call it a disaster.

    Bags strewn across the floor, all half-unpacked, clothes here, books there, Songmei was speechless.

    Striding through the maze of stuff on the floor, Songmei took a seat next to Mingqing. ¡°This... this really is a mess.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re just in time!¡± Mingqing rejoiced, folding another pair of shorts and putting them into a pile beside her. ¡°Please help me out! My bags are all just... kinda stuffed with stuff, so if you could help organize that¡¯d be great!¡±

    Nodding, Songmei began to fold while sitting back to back with Mingqing, catching up with Mingqing, asking her how she was doing, what she had been up to. After talking about a book that Mingqing had read, Songmei asked as the question resurfaced in her mind. ¡°So, how did you end up in the sect? It¡¯s... kinda a massive coincidence that we ran into each other again, you know?¡±

    ¡°Well, probably a few reasons...¡± Mingqing pondered out loud, standing up to put a pile of her clothes into a cabinet. ¡°One would be that this is the best sect on the continent, and my family¡¯s main house is on this continent, so it¡¯s been a tradition for my family members to join the sect. Along that vein, my brother is one of our seniors, he¡¯s out right now though.¡±

    ¡°Another reason might just be that they wanted to pair people up this year it seems,¡± Mingqing explained, pointing in the general direction of where Liu Xueli was resting at the moment, ¡°Our master took two disciples, and the other master who took in disciples also took in two. Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei.¡±

    Enlightened, Songmei let out a murmur of amazement at Mingqing¡¯s little impromptu analysis, that wasn¡¯t something she was good at. Songmei had instead spent the last hour or two just sitting there in wonder, impressed that fate had lined itself up that way.

    With a smile appearing on Mingqing¡¯s face after Songmei¡¯s compliment, Mingqing coughed before changing the subject, ¡°A-Anyhow, do you know what we¡¯re going to do in the next few days?¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s just to familiarize ourselves with the people around, with the directions, that type of stuff.¡± Songmei answered, unsure herself. ¡°We can ask Xueli during lunch, she said we¡¯d all be going out, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Opening her mouth to reply, Songmei froze as she opened the bag that she grabbed. It was one of the last few bags, so Songmei had grabbed it to be helpful. But, after opening the bag, Songmei closed it once more, handing it over to Mingqing without a word.

    Maybe opening random bags while unpacking wasn¡¯t the best idea...

    Songmei really... really didn¡¯t want to be that one person who took the initiative to unpack sensitive items while helping someone else unpack. Songmei felt that taking out someone¡¯s family pictures and their diary would¡¯ve just been... insensitive.

    Folding some extra clothes that she had found in another bag, Songmei paused for a second, handing over some of the already folded clothes to Mingqing. ¡°This should be the last pile of clothing. Put away all the stuff and we¡¯ll be done.¡±

    Getting a thank you and a passionate hug, Songmei returned the embrace before the two made their way out of Mingqing¡¯s room, towards the larger courtyard where Xueli was up to her ¡®young person¡¯ hobbies.

    Snowfall.

    With the still gentle snowfall, Songmei and Mingqing both admired the snow covered scene in the middle of their smaller courtyard as they walked around it while under the covered wooden walkways.

    A pair of trees in opposite corners, a small creek that ran through the courtyard, a number of small snow-covered bushes, and in the center, a small table with a couple of chairs. Though everything was covered in a layer of snow, the pair paused for a moment.

    ¡°We should sit there and do homework together...¡±

    Agreeing with Mingqing¡¯s little wish, Songmei then let out a small lamenting sigh. ¡°It¡¯s a shame we still have to go to school though... Xueli mentioned it a while back and just... it¡¯s sad.¡±

    ¡°I know, right?!¡± Mingqing exclaimed as they turned the corner, waving and getting the attention of their master, ¡°My family also told me that the school you attend here will also last longer than if you weren¡¯t a cultivator...¡±

    ¡°That sounds like hell...¡± Songmei shuddered, remembering the self-reflection forms that she had written.

    ... Even Songmei¡¯s wrist was beginning to throb again.

    Putting on some slipper-like shoes by the edge of the wooden walkway and walking into the courtyard, Mingqing and Songmei were greeted by a lazing Xueli.

    Songmei raised her eyebrows as Xueli seemed to almost flip herself up, standing before the two with a bright smile. ¡°You two done packing?¡±

    ¡°¡°Yep¡±¡±

    ¡°Alrightyy~¡± Hummed Xueli as she motioned for them to follow her, ¡°Come with me, come with me, you¡¯re just on time, I just finished feeding my koi. I have some stuff to give you two before we go to lunch.¡±

    That sounded ominous and mysterious for no reason.

    Songmei looked over towards Mingqing who also looked towards her. Sharing a silent bewilderment, the two followed behind Xueli. If it was a gift though... damn this sect was rich. They gave out so many free things, it was like being showered in money.

    Rustle.

    Digging through a drawer that was letting out dust like a reverse vacuum cleaner, Xueli, after what felt like a year of looking, pulled out two bracelets that had little inscribed pieces of jade on them. ¡°For the two of you! These bracelets should let you two freely enter the residential islands without issue!¡±

    More gifts...

    With each gift of these gifts, no matter how big or small, Songmei felt her heart being warmed, she¡¯d treasure them, she¡¯d received a handful of gifts beforehand in her life until now. At the same time though, with each of the gifts, Songmei was really starting to understand the appeal of marrying into money...

 17: Running Is Just Self-Inflicted Torture

    Half the break had passed in a blink of an eye.

    It was the next year, and their classes would be starting up in a few weeks.

    Through these past few weeks, Lin Songmei didn¡¯t end up doing too much. Songmei worked out with Yan Mingqing, getting some help from the other elders that managed the daily affairs of the training hall. Beyond that, Songmei also got to know the two other direct disciples after a few conversations and bumping into them in the training hall.

    Lu Qiang, the first of the other direct disciples she had met was fit. That was one of the few words Songmei could really use to describe him. Lu Qiang was, by no small margin, the most fit person out of the four of them, even if Mingqing and Cai Yufei had worked out most of their lives. Being a hunk of muscle, Lu Qiang was still very encouraging towards the three of them, cheering them on during each workout.

    Moreover, as a person, Lu Qiang was popular, he was respectful to everyone, though, his ability to not sniff a semblance of an innuendo even if it was served on a platter in front of him was... impressive.

    To contrast Lu Qiang though, was Cai Yufei. Cai Yufei out of the four of them was the most ramrod upright, rules-following person Songmei had ever met, and she herself was a teacher¡¯s pet!

    Cai Yufei was disciplined, everyday he woke up at the same time, 5:30 am. Cai Yufei would then go on a morning run, wash up, then begin the day¡¯s activities.

    Dude lived like a machine.

    Songmei liked Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei though, and with the addition of Yan Mingqing, the four of them spent the majority of their days during the break hanging out, whether it was something small like working out or eating, or something larger, like a direct disciple camping trip their masters took them on.

    That was something else too.

    A fond smile surfaced on Songmei¡¯s face every time she remembered the camping trip the 6 of them went on. Nothing much had happened, but she, Mingqing, and Lu Qiang, had managed to drag Cai Yufei into staying up later and singing campfire songs with them.

    It was through that camping trip that Mingqing had begun to get close to Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, surprising the two of them when they learnt how talkative and extroverted Mingqing was once the ice queen melted off.

    Through these past few weeks too, Songmei had studied up and reviewed some cultivation-related things. One of the biggest takeaways she learned was how the association managed to stay relatively unknown even though they were so important.

    For one, they took a ton of measures to dodge media attention and reporting, such as keeping the location of their headquarters secret, along with turning down media reporting requests.

    Another reason was that, as an administrative body, they didn¡¯t accomplish much. Even with the demon hunting squads being managed by them, any achievements a squad made, the association would push the publicity and credit to the sects of the members and members themselves.

    Lastly... one of the most important things that Songmei learned from all the stories Mingqing had ready at a moment¡¯s notice, was that the Cultivator¡¯s Association, with all its importance, was boring as hell...

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    They made a decision in what felt like once every two years, they¡¯d spend most of their meetings discussing their personal lives, and they would push as much work onto the sects as possible.

    Songmei wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if they were all top mahjong experts too.

    At the present moment though, even while immersing herself into her own thoughts, Songmei was suffering. Her legs felt like she had dipped them into the sun, every step she took felt like a heavenly tribulation.

    Even if there was snow outside, she was running around an indoor track, baking and sweating like an oiled whale, cursing how the temperature was set to the preferred temperature of anyone who enjoyed feeding koi.

    These past few days, Songmei tried to run at least 16, sometimes even 20 laps around the track a day.

    Not having enough energy to muster up words or gestures, Songmei just plodded along her last lap while Mingqing, Lu Qiang, and Cai Yufei cheered her on to finish.

    Today was the day too, Songmei just had to push through, today was the day that Xueli would return from her business trip. Returning from her trip, Xueli had promised Mingqing and Songmei that she¡¯d help them begin their cultivating journeys.

    She¡¯d wanted to earlier, but over and over again Xueli had been dragged away by the Sect Leader to go do some work.

    Not wanting to delay it much more, Xueli and the master of Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, Wu Sen, had decided that the day Xueli came back they¡¯d both begin instructing their disciples.

    One final stretch.

    Songmei only had to run one final little stretch.

    Her mind emptying as she ran, focusing on just pushing through the pain, Songmei made it across the line after a few moments.

    Heavy breathing.

    Panting like a dog.

    Her lungs were on fire... no, they were already burnt to a crisp.

    Forcing herself to walk around instead of collapsing, Songmei gave a small thank you to Mingqing as she was being handed water. ¡°Life... Lifesaver.¡±

    Her hand clung onto Mingqing¡¯s shoulder, it was a stable rock, without it, Songmei felt like she would fall. ¡°Any... any word from our master?¡±

    Mingqing brushed her dark blue hair out of the way so that Songmei could use her shoulder as a better support. Shaking her head, Mingqing showed the message the two had received before they began running.

    [Xueli: I¡¯m on my way~ I know you two missed me! Meet me at the main courtyard at our house after lunch! I¡¯ll text you if I¡¯ll be getting back earlier~]

    ¡°That¡¯s the last message still, I¡¯ve been checking but she hasn¡¯t sent us anything else,¡± Mingqing sighed, her distaste and resignation towards the small stream of emojis that followed that message clear in her tone. ¡°Everytime I look at my messages though, I feel like Xueli is getting older and older... you ever get that feeling?¡±

    ¡°All the time,¡± Songmei sympathized, handing back the bottle of water that Mingqing had given her. ¡°Thank you for the water and cheers.¡±

    Giving her thanks to Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang as well, Songmei and the others walked towards an open area to do some stretches before they¡¯d head off to eat lunch.

    ¡°You know,¡± Cai Yufei murmured as they all sank into a hamstring stretch. ¡°Lu Qiang and I overheard your conversation earlier. Do you... do you two ever get the feeling that our master is younger than yours?¡±

    With Mingqing and Songmei looking away and suppressing their laughter, Lu Qiang waved his hands around with an apologetic smile. ¡°It¡¯s just that... you know. Even though our master is a fair bit older than yours, he knows slang, he dresses in fashion, his hobby is playing video games... like... he might be a real rule stickler, even more than Yufei, but he¡¯s... youthful.¡±

    Snorting, Cai Yufei nodded and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll give you that one, man is more uptight than me. On the note of uptightness though, it¡¯s been a minute and 3 seconds that we¡¯ve done this stretch so change sides already you three.¡±

    Groans.

    ¡°Yes sir, Mr. Police Officer Yufei.¡±

    ¡°Amazing sense of time you got there, Automated Timer.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Yufei.¡±

    Shaking his head with a smile at Mingqing and Songmei¡¯s teasing nicknames, Cai Yufei sighed, taking solace in the fact that they had at least listened to him, and that Lu Qiang as always was pure and thankful.

 18: Pro-Food Reviewer Mingqing

    Lin Songmei could breathe again.

    Thank the heavens.

    Food had been laid out on the table in front of them, it was lunch so the food was plentiful, the menu was so long Songmei felt that if she printed it she could use it as a towel.

    Having ordered a dumpling soup, Songmei sat down at a small round table across from Yan Mingqing¡¯s empty seat. Due to some... unfortunate circumstances... Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei couldn¡¯t eat with them.

    In the few words that Songmei managed to hear as the pair ran off in a panic, the two had forgotten to do something that their master had assigned to them.

    ... Imagine having a strict master...

    Clank.

    With a tray being set down on the table and the seat across from her being pulled back, Songmei looked up to see Mingqing¡¯s piercing eyes.

    Gold.

    ¡°What did you end up getting?¡± Songmei asked as Mingqing sat back into her seat. Mingqing¡¯s golden, ruby-flecked eyes were always piercing, it had only been a few weeks and Songmei could overhear some of the whispers like ¡°The Ice Queen¡± that had begun to surround Mingqing.

    However, Songmei felt they were inaccurate... Mingqing¡¯s eyes melted the moment she smiled. Granted, others didn¡¯t see it much, but still, that¡¯s how it was...

    ¡°I ended up getting the beef and vegetables rice bowl, it seems good. Last time I got the sandwich version of this because of the novelty, and that was an absolute catastrophe, so I¡¯m hoping this one will be better.¡± Mingqing answered, a barrage of words escaping her mouth as she picked up her chopsticks. ¡°What did you end up getting?¡±

    ¡°Vegetable wonton soup, same as always.¡± Songmei shrugged, motioning her spoon towards the bowl of soup in front of her. Though she didn¡¯t say much, Songmei was happy that Mingqing¡¯s word barrage-like answers had returned. When Mingqing had first shown up, Songmei had felt the weeks of separation made it almost as if they hadn¡¯t ever spoken before. Now though, the distance seemed to have closed a bit more.

    ¡°Songmei... why do you eat soup for every meal?¡± Mingqing questioned, raising her eyebrow while leaning over the table to peer at Songmei, using her chopsticks to poke Songmei¡¯s nose. ¡°Eat some more substantive stuff! Like me! You can¡¯t be afraid of getting fat can you? You run so much everyday!¡±

    Raising her spoon to her mouth, sipping the soup and eating the vegetables that were left, Songmei sat there, her other hand tapping the snow-white, sky-blue tray as she thought of an answer. ¡°I just... am used to it I guess... I grew up eating soup.¡±

    An exasperated sigh leaving Mingqing¡¯s mouth, Songmei shrugged, turning to look out the window. It wasn¡¯t snowing anymore. Instead, the sky was shrouded by a layer of clouds, and since much of the sect was built on floating islands, several of the taller buildings and taller mountains pierced into the cloud layer.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Poke.

    Turning back to Mingqing, Songmei saw that she had an urging smile while poking Songmei¡¯s lips with her chopsticks. ¡°Open your mouth.¡±

    Songmei opened her mouth, receiving a small piece of meat and a satisfied look in Mingqing¡¯s eyes. Chewing and swallowing the food that Mingqing had given her, Songmei gave a small thank you before murmuring, ¡°you don¡¯t need to treat me like a child...¡±

    Picking up some of her soup in her spoon, Songmei then offered it to Mingqing. ¡°Here, to pay you back, try some of my soup.¡±

    Raise.

    Her hand moving away from Mingqing¡¯s hands that wanted to take the spoon, Songmei shook her head before pushing it towards Mingqing¡¯s mouth. ¡°You did it to me, so I¡¯m doing it to you. C¡¯mon, open up.¡±

    Satisfied after Mingqing had eaten the food, Songmei asked, ¡°So how¡¯s the food in general? You¡¯re practically a food reviewer of all the food they serve here.¡±

    ¡°This beef and vegetable rice bowl is pretty good,¡± Mingqing began, pausing to continue eating her food, ¡°It¡¯s much better than the sandwich version. Your soup, I¡¯d say, probably ranks pretty high among the soups, while this bowl I¡¯d say is... average. I¡¯ve found that this canteen is much better at making pork dishes than chicken or beef. So, that¡¯d be my personal recommendation.¡±

    Songmei sipped her soup, nodding along to Mingqing¡¯s little explanation. Mingqing''s eyes always lit up when talking about food, a little reminiscent of an excited child, and since Songmei enjoyed talking about it too, the two talked about it often while eating together. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right about the soup. Their morning soups are usually the best, but this vegetable wonton soup is still quite good.¡±

    Adding Songmei¡¯s analysis to her personal mental encyclopedia, Mingqing took a moment, her chopsticks moving like lightning as she ate her food. The two ate in silence, enjoying each other¡¯s presence while sitting by the window, savoring the beautiful view of the sect that was by their side.

    Songmei treasured these moments. Just spending some time near others was nice, here at the sect, she could enjoy the good food she never got to eat while growing up while also living life at a more relaxing pace, no more crazy strict schedules of the orphanage.

    As they ate however, a commotion broke out near the door.

    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s happening?¡± Songmei asked Mingqing who was craning her neck for a better view.

    Mingqing set her pure-white chopsticks down next to her bowl, standing up halfway out of her seat, trying to get a view over the inner disciples that were near the door. ¡°Ah... Seems Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang finally arrived. Carrying little goodie bags too.¡±

    ¡°I hope they save some for us then...¡± Songmei longed, drumming her hands on her tray. Growing up, free goodie bags were the best presents that Songmei got, it was through free goodie bags that she managed to get Plum. ¡°I bet half of the people over there are for Lu Qiang though.¡±

    ¡°For sure, no doubt about it. I¡¯ve seen some go up to Cai Yufei and try to get a connection through him to Lu Qiang. Yet, through all of this, Lu Qiang is the most dense person I¡¯ve ever seen, he insists they¡¯re just... admirers... or friends.¡± Mingqing muttered with a grin, sitting back down and continuing to eat.

    Songmei was inclined to agree, among the four direct disciples, Lu Qiang was the most popular. Songmei herself was second to Lu Qiang, but that was... mostly because Mingqing was too scary to approach and Cai Yufei had a stick too far up his ass.

    Songmei didn¡¯t understand why people kept approaching her, she assumed it was because of her position, but her... keen dislike for talking to strangers made it so every conversation would wear her down.

    At least she had gained a few close friends to talk to...

    She wasn¡¯t the closest with Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, but Mingqing... Mingqing was enough.

    And so, she went back to sipping her soup, laughing and joking around with Mingqing until they finished their lunch and headed off back towards their residence.

 19: Cultivating Seems Suspiciously Puzzle-Like...

    It was snowing again.

    Still gentle, of course, Lin Songmei had learned that it was rare for the sect to receive heavy snowfall.

    Walking arm in arm with Yan Mingqing on the way back to their residence though, Songmei stuck her tongue out, trying to catch some snow on it. Together, the two of them reported to the courtyard that their master Liu Xueli had told them to be.

    The courtyard was serene as always, the large tree that stood in one corner rocking in the wind, the small koi pond filled with koi. In fact, Xueli treasured her koi so much that she had bought some qi artifacts off of some other sect members to make sure the pond wouldn''t freeze over during the winter.

    Sitting down on the edge of the covered wooden walkway that ringed the courtyard, Songmei and Mingqing made some idle conversation while waiting for their always tardy master.

    ¡°So you know our senior brother Ma Sicheng?¡± Songmei started off, resting back on her hands while staring off into the sky. ¡°I heard he went through the core formation tribulation recently. Have you heard much news about it?¡±

    Sitting cross-legged, Mingqing nodded her head with a laugh, keeping an eye on the door. ¡°Who hasn¡¯t? He¡¯s one of the three rising stars in the sect. It¡¯s amazing that he succeeded so early though, doing it at 25 makes him truly deserve his spot among the young stars.¡±

    ¡°Truly... We¡¯re quite fortunate that our sect has three pretty famous rising stars though.¡± Songmei agreed, relaxing her arms, deciding to just fall back and lay back onto the wooden walkway.

    Before they could talk about some of the other news that had been going on within the sect, the door burst open, a haggard Liu Xueli running in. ¡°Hi you two~ I¡¯m back, I¡¯m back, come on let¡¯s go!¡±

    Getting pulled up like a ragdoll, Songmei swore to treat her stuffed cat Plum better as she got dragged into an empty room that Xueli had emptied before she left. Still breathless, Xueli sat down, waving at them to sit down as well in front of her. ¡°So! Are you two ready?¡±

    Songmei sat down and looked around, taking in the surroundings, Xueli truly moved too fast for her, it hadn¡¯t even been a minute since Xueli burst through the door and they were already sitting down getting ready to begin?

    Higher-level cultivators and their abilities to move as swift as the wind were bone-chilling yet impressive indeed.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± Mingqing answered for the pair, having decided to just take charge as she watched Songmei sink into her thoughts once more.

    Bashing those thoughts aside with a large mental club, Songmei sat upright, giving her own affirmation.

    ¡°Alrighty~!¡± Cheered Xueli with a few claps, leaning forward a touch with a grin, ¡°Let¡¯s just jump right into it shall we? What do you all know about the realms? Just to save time, just tell me about the realms categorized in the early stage.¡±

    ¡°You want to start?¡± Mingqing asked Songmei, Mingqing had everything cultivating related drilled into her head since she was young so she would rather let Songmei answer to fill in any patches in Songmei¡¯s knowledge.

    ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Songmei shrugged with a small chuckle, ¡°I feel like everyone knows the basics. At least at the orphanage we all memorized it when we were younger...¡±

    ¡°To start, the first step to becoming a cultivator is recognizing the three internal dantians in your body.¡± Songmei explained, counting them out on her fingers. This was Songmei¡¯s forte, answering knowledge based questions, it was just what she did in school. With this, Songmei¡¯s brain began to spin, recalling all the knowledge she had read about, each of the metaphors the authors used to give a better explanation.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°A dantian is best thought of as an internal cavity that can store energy. Except it isn¡¯t really based on an actual cavity. In each of the dantians is stored one of three energies. Jing in the lower dantian located just below the belly button, Qi in the middle dantian located in the center of the chest, and Shen in the upper dantian located in the head.¡±

    Liu Xueli raised her eyebrows, when she started cultivating, she too was just a commoner off the streets, but her own knowledge wasn¡¯t even close to this level of comprehensiveness. Oh how the times had changed...

    No, no, it must¡¯ve also been because of Songmei¡¯s vigorous reading habits...

    With the other two staying quiet to listen to her, Songmei continued on her explanation after Xueli gave a small wave to continue.

    ¡°I never really learned the specificities of Jing, Qi, and Shen, since all the books on the topic were really confusing. But being able to peer into yourself and see the different dantians is the first step to cultivating. Then, the goal is two link up these three dantians by opening up your meridians.¡±

    Getting into a groove, Songmei continued her little explanation, her back straightening, her usually more dull-silver eyes gaining a brighter sheen. ¡°So the meridians are quite unique, there are 12 main meridians and 8 extraordinary meridians. To advance from the stage requires you to open up the 12 main meridians, with the 8 extraordinary ones being optional. However, the more you open the 8, the more of a future you will have.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to stop you there...¡± Xueli laughed with an impressed smile, waving her hands in front of the now droopy Songmei. ¡°You did a great job! In all honesty, I didn¡¯t expect you to have that much knowledge... But, since I do want to get you two started today, I¡¯m not going to waste too much time with the explanations, it¡¯s clear you two are already... well-educated.¡±

    Getting a few pats on the back from Mingqing who was snorting at Xueli¡¯s ¡°well-educated¡± comment, Songmei sat back up, listening to Xueli as she continued. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just add some other stuff that isn¡¯t... hard set? Just common thinking among cultivators.¡±

    Xueli pushed back her short hair, cracking her neck before beginning. ¡°Well, as you said, recognizing the three dantians is critical. That¡¯s what sets apart someone who can and can¡¯t cultivate. Us cultivators kinda treat that as the entrance gate to cultivating. You¡¯re still weak as shit, pardon my language, but you¡¯re one of us.¡±

    A small chuckle escaping both of her disciples, Xueli¡¯s face broke out into a warm smile, glad she had disciples that didn¡¯t have a stick up their asses. ¡°Another thing is that the 8 extraordinary meridians have more weight than just determining your future potential. I know it''s already a lot of weight that not opening some will seal off your potential, but it goes further than that. For a young genius, well, anyone in this sect for that matter, opening all 8 is a must.¡±

    The warm, cheery mood getting doused a little, Xueli reassured, ¡°Though they¡¯re ¡®extraordinary¡¯ for you two, they¡¯re really not going to be that hard let me assure you. I¡¯m just reminding you because if you ever want to ascend, you must open all 8. Additionally, if you don¡¯t open all 8, you¡¯re just asking to be ridiculed by the cultivation world.¡±

    Ruffling Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s hair, Xueli laughed as she then got up to retrieve a small box that had been left on the floor haphazardly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it~ I opened all my meridians at 20, you two will be totally fine~¡±

    20? Songmei struggled to keep her jaw from falling, that was the mark of a genius too... similar to their senior brother¡¯s feat of entering the core formation realm at 25!

    Maybe her master wasn¡¯t that old after all...

    Songmei made eye contact with Mingqing, only to see that Mingqing was... not surprised. ¡°Did you already know about this, Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mingqing shrugged with a nonchalant expression, watching Xueli sit back down in front of them with the open box. ¡°Our master is pretty famous, you know? She¡¯s really famous for her feats, I heard about them a lot growing up.¡±

    Bursting into laughter, Xueli flapped her hand while pulling out the two blindfolds that were in the box. ¡°No need to compliment me like that! I¡¯m already fully accepting of you two, no need to kiss up to your master~.¡±

    With an unimpressed look on both of her disciples faces, Xueli coughed, changing the subject with as much subtlety as a car crash. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll explain the three energies, Jing, Qi, and Shen, after I get you two started. So put these on and we¡¯ll begin!¡±

 20: Why The Hell Are These Energies So Complicated

    Lin Songmei wondered if the blindfold was expensive, if she had to bet, she would¡¯ve guessed that it was. Alas, there was no invisible person who she could make bets with.

    Songmei tied the blindfold around her head, replacing her vision with a dark void. The blindfold was comfortable at least, a silky material that also didn¡¯t let any light through.

    ¡°You two okay?¡± Liu Xueli¡¯s voice rang out as she moved around to adjust their blindfolds. ¡°It¡¯s not too tight is it?¡±

    Songmei gave her affirmation that it was fine along with Yan Mingqing. They sat there in the darkness waiting for Liu Xueli¡¯s next words.

    Silence.

    Just as Songmei was beginning to think she had zoned out and missed something, Xueli began to laugh, causing Songmei to lurch slightly, her heart rate skyrocketing.

    ¡°Ahh... I didn¡¯t mean to scare you two, my apologies.¡± Xueli murmured, an apologetic tone clear in her voice. ¡°This is how people used to do things a long, long time ago though. You¡¯d just sit here and maybe you¡¯d see it, maybe you wouldn¡¯t. Obviously that¡¯s not what we¡¯re really striving for, for people to sit here for days, weeks, or months. Therefore, we do something different now~ Hands out please.¡±

    Extending her left hand as she was on the right, with Mingqing on her left, Songmei felt her hand get grabbed by Xueli¡¯s. As she felt her hand get grabbed, Songmei felt an ice cold, yet refreshing feeling seep up her arm into herself. At the same time, instead of just seeing a pitch black void, Songmei felt as if there was a haze in front of her.

    ¡°You see a haze, yeah?¡± Xueli asked, eliciting a nod from both of her disciples. ¡°Good... Good, we would¡¯ve had a big problem otherwise.¡±

    ¡°From here,¡± Xueli explained, squeezing each of the hands she was holding a touch, ¡°I¡¯ll just be sending some Qi through you two. It helps speed the process along for reasons that are... too annoying to get into. Instead, I¡¯ll just explain the three energies, Jing, Qi, and Shen. While I do this, just listen along and concentrate on seeing that haze more clearly.¡±

    Getting another nod from her two disciples, Xueli was ecstatic, look at her! Her disciples were so obedient and mature, she really chose well! Maybe she could start calling herself heaven¡¯s favored teacher or heaven¡¯s favored older sister.

    ¡°Alright, you two keep quiet and just... focus, but not too hard. It¡¯s hard to explain but you want to give it just the right amount of attention. Too much and you¡¯ll start overthinking and that will cloud your vision, while too little and you¡¯ll... fall asleep.¡±

    Giving the two slow-breathing, half-meditating disciples a light handshake each, Xueli began her explanation. ¡°So to start, the basics. I¡¯m sure you know this, but it never hurts to repeat. There¡¯s a hierarchy of sorts to these three energies. Jing is the lowest, Qi is the middle, and Shen is the highest.¡±

    The strategy was quite simple, it had been used by countless masters, a common yet subtle tactic they used in the Starlight Lake Sect. Give some explanation of concepts that are important, but not critical to fully comprehend, allow the disciples to learn while also helping them divert just a touch of focus to each thing.

    Jing, Qi, and Shen were abstruse concepts to the extreme so it was fine to not understand them in the beginning. Intuitional knowledge would work for the most part.

    Sending a careful stream of Qi into the two disciples, Xueli continued her explanation. ¡°Jing is the first energy. Jing is like... an invisible energy that is the basis of matter. For our purposes however, we focus on Jing¡¯s other purpose, it''s the basis of life energy, the basis of vitality.¡±

    Xueli grinned, everyone always perked up when they found out Jing was the energy that really helped them live longer. ¡°Additionally, Jing is also, to put in simple terms, your sexual energy. It¡¯s strange but yes, sexual energy. It and life energy, if you think about it, are related.¡±

    Moving on before the two in front of her could dwell on it too much, Xueli began to explain how the energies were used in cultivation. ¡°So for Jing, more Jing means you¡¯ll live longer. It also means you¡¯ll have a stronger body. However, with this life energy, how are you supposed to direct it? That¡¯s where Qi comes in.¡±

    ¡°Qi is the middleman, the driver for everything.¡± Xueli surmised, her tone of voice becoming grandiose before returning to normal. ¡°You can train Jing by working out and stuff, but you¡¯ll reach a limit. That¡¯s where increasing your Qi comes in. Qi is in the food you eat, the liquid you drink, and the air you breathe.¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Xueli let out a small sigh under her breath, she felt bad she had to bore her disciples now, but it was critical to expose these concepts to her disciples early.

    Making sure her Qi stream was smooth, Xueli also hoped Mingqing¡¯s family had enough sense not to expose Mingqing to those concepts early, as a child with as much talent as her trying to mess around and start cultivating could ruin their future.

    ¡°Qi is sort of like this magical force, with it you can control more Jing and have a much stronger body and live longer. Additionally, you can use Qi directly to manifest fancy techniques.¡±

    Of course, it went further than this, it was more intricate on how that happened, but Xueli felt like there wasn¡¯t a need to drown the two in too much information at the current time.

    Listening to this information, Songmei was amazed, all the texts that she had read were... vague as hell with such convoluted language with descriptions such as ¡°The driving force behind your locomotive movement.¡±

    Xueli continued, thanking the cultivation association and sects in her head for their underhanded business in keeping detailed guides on Jing, Qi, and Shen out of the market.

    ¡°Qi is what we primarily cultivate to become stronger. With more Qi we can control more Jing. However, you may ask... what controls Qi? Well, that¡¯d be Shen of course.¡±

    ¡°This is where it gets more annoying and convoluted,¡± Joked Xueli, a bit of a lamenting tone also creeping into her voice. ¡°The most common descriptor of Shen is that it¡¯s the manifestation of your experiences, memory, wisdom, and understanding of the world and its laws.¡±

    ¡°Shen is not something that you can just sit down and cultivate like Qi or go outside and workout to gain like Jing.¡±

    ¡°Shen is something that will naturally grow, from you adventuring outside, to life-or-death situations, to just maturing as a person. With more Shen however, you will be able to control more Qi and know the way to move forward on your cultivating journey.¡±

    Seeing the faint nods from the two in front of her, Xueli continued without missing a beat. ¡°Therefore, we encourage you to go out and adventure, hunt demons, hunt beasts. With that your Shen will grow more quickly, you¡¯ll be able to increase your Qi and Jing, and lastly, your cultivation as a whole.¡±

    ¡°We measure cultivation mostly based on what stage of Qi you¡¯re at, since that¡¯s the most dynamic, Jing and Shen more often than not only go under changes in quality, denseness or amount.¡±

    Looking over at a clock to see how much time she had spent sitting there sending Qi to her disciples, Xueli shifted her sitting position a touch. ¡°Now, it¡¯s unproductive if I just sit here and give you two Qi all day, so I¡¯ll go over one last thing before I get going.¡±

    ¡°The last thing I want to mention is cultivation deviation. There are a few ways that this can happen.¡± Xueli began, her tone much more somber than before, ¡°and each is quite... sad.¡±

    ¡°The first is a problem with the Shen, this is the most troublesome I¡¯d say. Most of the time we refer to this as an internal demon or tribulation.¡±

    ¡°This is when your Shen goes awry. Most of the time this might occur after traumatic events or getting your mind corrupted. The effects of this vary if not solved, sometimes you just lose your cultivation, sometimes you mutate into a demon, sometimes your personality splits and so on.¡±

    ¡°The second way would be where you have too much Qi and not enough Shen to control it.¡±

    ¡°Most of the time this will create problems in that you¡¯ll start leaking Qi, getting worse would be that when you use your techniques you won¡¯t be able to control the power. The part that can really kill you though is if it gets too bad and your Qi starts to rip through your body.¡±

    Shuddering remembering someone who had suffered that fate, Xueli wrapped up with Jing.

    ¡°The last category of cultivation deviation is when your body has too much Jing.¡±

    ¡°With this, you might start getting random growths, bone spines, or other stuff along those lines. However, go too far in that direction and you¡¯ll turn into a mindless beast. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes people instead experience the loss of the use of their limbs, and eventually become statues.¡±

    ¡°As you can see... really not stuff anyone would want to go through.¡± Xueli sighed, lamenting the human experiments that had been done in the far ancient times to try and control cultivation deviation.

    ¡°Anyhow, it should be much more clear now, right?¡± Asked Xueli, who began to taper off the flow of Qi once she saw the two had nodded. ¡°Alright then, now try and do it without my help~¡±

    Standing up with a laugh as she saw both of her disciples frown, Xueli booped both of their noses, leaving a tiny mound of snow on both. ¡°My advice, as vague as it is, is try and begin peering through the haze by looking within yourself, instead of, for example, squinting at the far-ass menu in the canteen to order, look into yourself, your memory of the menu because they never change it.¡±

    Ruffling the two¡¯s hair, Xueli walked out, closing the door with an inaudible click while leaving them to it.

    Sitting down in the courtyard where she¡¯d be able to greet them when they came out, she reclined into a chair, feeding her koi.

    Life was good.

    She was such a good teacher!

    Dayum... maybe she could ask for a raise or some more sect resources.

    As Xueli basked in her own ego though, Songmei and Mingqing sat there, both confused beyond belief. First, the energy descriptions were... convoluted and hard to take in all at once, and this whole look into yourself thing was confusing...

    And what was that menu analogy... Did the canteen wrong their master?

 21 No Longer At Step Negative One!! Cheers!!

    Lin Songmei found it¡­ easier than expected. After Liu Xueli stopped her flow of Qi, Songmei could still see the haze, albeit it was much more¡­ hazy.

    Concentrating though, she felt she could see the blurry haze with more and more clarity as time went by. That was good, she wasn¡¯t a fraud, worries assuaged.

    As time passed, the inside of the small room was quiet, Songmei and Yan Mingqing concentrated by themselves. However, sometime through the process, their hands, empty after Xueli had left, clasped each other.

    Sending a small squeeze to Mingqing, Songmei felt that it was comforting to have someone else going through the same process, reassuring to have someone else in the room.

    Boring.

    As more time passed, Songmei felt that the haze was getting more clear, but it was just a really long and tedious process. Couldn¡¯t the sect let them listen to some music?

    And so¡­ time passed.

    The snow stopped falling as the sun dipped in the sky.

    Xueli left around dinner time, returning with three trays of food, one for herself and two for her disciples if they finished before breakfast the next day. Xueli was pretty sure they would, and so, she continued to wait outside in her courtyard, turning on some lamps and lights.

    A fair amount of time after the sun had set, around about 9 pm, Mingqing let out a slow exhale as she felt a rush of clearness ripple through her body.

    Mingqing stayed dead quiet, taking a moment to inspect the changes in her body while deciding to wait for Songmei.

    Squeeze.

    Mingqing used her free-hand to take off the blindfold, sitting there in silence to not disturb Songmei.

    A few minutes later, or maybe longer, Mingqing wasn¡¯t checking the clock hung on the wall, she heard Songmei make a similar long, slow exhale.

    Songmei sent a squeeze back to Mingqing. Everything felt... different. It wasn¡¯t as if her senses got a lot sharper or anything, or that she was thinking a lot faster, it was just that... it felt different. ¡®Wow, Songmei, brilliant thinking.¡¯

    Taking off the blindfold with her free hand, Songmei opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light in the room that had been left on by Xueli. Taking a look around, Songmei was greeted by Mingqing¡¯s golden eyes that were gazing at her with a happy light twinkling in them.

    ¡°Congratulations!¡± Mingqing grinned, shifting and breaking the silence before Songmei could say anything, leaning forward and giving Songmei a congratulatory hug.

    Songmei returned the embrace, coughing a few times as she tried to speak, her throat was so dry...

    Mingqing pointed to the cup of water that had been left in front of Songmei, Songmei downed it, noticing that Mingqing¡¯s was already empty. ¡°How long before me did you finish? You didn¡¯t need to wait for me...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s really fine,¡± Mingqing reassured, laying back onto the ground, stretching out after being still for so long. ¡°I only finished a few minutes before you.¡±

    Laying down and stretching out next to Mingqing, Songmei opened her mouth a few times before coming up with, ¡°Well.. congratulations to you too! It feels different doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Mingqing murmured, raising her hand above her and staring at it. ¡°It¡¯s a weird feeling, and... it feels weird to finally understand the feeling my family described to me. Also, look out the window, it¡¯s completely dark outside.¡±

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s good... I honestly don¡¯t think I could describe this feeling to anyone.¡± Songmei craned her neck, looking towards one of the small windows that were on the outer wall of this room. It was... dark. There was warm light from the lights outside, but no sunlight. ¡°Oh... woah, you¡¯re right. Did we completely miss dinner?¡±

    Propping herself up while offering a hand to Songmei, Mingqing pulled Songmei up as they cracked open the door.

    ¡°I checked the clock, it¡¯s about 9:15 ish...¡± Mingqing murmured to Songmei as they walked out, eliciting a thankful nod from Songmei.

    ¡°Were you two successful?¡± Xueli called out from her rocking chair in the courtyard, tossing some more koi feed into the pool. ¡°Food for the two of you are on the trays by the column over there.¡±

    Giving their thanks, both Mingqing and Songmei nodded and let their master know that they had indeed managed to take that first step that she had talked about.

    Songmei thought it would be much harder...

    Maybe something with dancing on bamboo while jumping through flaming rings...

    Songmei never read that much about cultivation growing up, she went through a phase when she was younger but never got too deep, the cultivation world seemed so far, she never thought it¡¯d be of any use to her.

    Especially with how cultivation was... loosely based on genetics. Cultivators would almost always have cultivator children, and non-cultivators would almost always have non-cultivator children.

    Songmei didn¡¯t know her background... her background was just... poor.

    Sitting down on the wooden walkway across from Mingqing, Songmei began to scarf down the food that had been left there by Xueli, she and Mingqing didn¡¯t care if it was cold, they were starving! They hadn¡¯t eaten since lunch...

    ¡°How is Xueli so old sometimes...¡± Mingqing murmured while staring at Xueli who was rocking in her rocking chair while smiling at her koi. ¡°Isn¡¯t she like... one of the upper elders?¡±

    ¡°I have no clue...¡± answered Songmei, just as baffled as Mingqing was. Maybe this was one of the wonders of the world.

    Songmei ignored her master¡¯s... interesting antics and habits, choosing to continue eating the food that was on her tray.

    There was a small bowl of now-cold soup, a bowl of rice, some chopsticks, a napkin, and a bowl of an entree. It seemed to be some of the beef and vegetables that Mingqing had eaten during lunch...

    ¡°Is this the beef and vegetable entree that you had during lunch?¡± Songmei asked the current starving beast that was Mingqing, deciding she might as well instead of thinking about it. ¡°It seems familiar...¡±

    Pausing for what barely felt like a second, Mingqing gave a rare short answer, ¡°different vegetables¡± before going back to shoveling down her food.

    Songmei nodded, enlightened, continuing to eat her food at her own pace. After devouring some of the rice and entree that had been provided at first, she now slowed down, taking her time while eating.

    How did Mingqing¡¯s chopsticks even move that fast...

    Maybe she¡¯d start a fire in her bowl?

    If anyone could do it, it¡¯d be Mingqing...

    Meanwhile, over at the koi pond, there were a few ripples as some more koi food fell onto the surface of the pond. Xueli had some... spiritual koi, as she liked to put it, so she could feed them all day! She considered these koi one of her life¡¯s greatest finds...

    It was kinda sad in all honesty... she had found plenty of treasure, some even could be described as heaven shaking, but these koi? They were special... but not that special...

    Maybe Xueli was just old...

    Feeding her koi though, Xueli also gazed up into the clear night sky while sinking into her thoughts.

    She was... shocked, to say the least.

    She had expected her disciples would finish around maybe 1 am at the earliest... that¡¯d be 12 hours! Already very fast! Yet... they had finished at 9 pm...

    Xueli no longer remembered how long it had taken her, but she knew that these two girls of hers were... very talented, and that they had definitely taken less time than her.

    In the end, of course, it didn¡¯t matter much, the difference in how long someone took to recognize their three dantians and become one with the concept and realization was reliant on a lot of different things. A few might be what mental state they were in, what food they had eaten, and what purity of Qi had been provided to give some exposure first.

    Still, they were both talented, and Xueli was excited to push... no... guide them along the path of cultivation.

    Smiling, Xueli pushed herself out of her rocking chair, walking over towards Songmei and Mingqing as the wind picked up, blowing her short hair along behind her.

 22: Does... Does The News Anchor Have Depression?

    As Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing made their first step on the path of cultivation, the world outside continued to move.

    Everyone who had taken the aptitude test had entered their new sect. Things were beginning to settle down. However, at this time, a few of the cultivator-exclusive media agencies, agencies run by cultivators that only could be accessed by other cultivators, began to move.

    They wanted to report on the most famous new disciples, get comments from their masters, while also maintaining their reports on famous rising stars.

    As the market was dominated by a few media agencies, all the others having been quashed underfoot, these media agencies began to request statements from large sects about their disciples.

    The Starlight Lake Sect was no exception.

    In fact, because they had taken in a crazy four direct disciples in one year, the media was sending as many requests as they could. For the media, this was an occurrence more rare than a meteor falling out of the sky and hitting them, and if they could actually meet with these new disciples? They wouldn¡¯t mind taking an entire meteor shower!

    However, this was when the Starlight Lake Sect¡¯s robust Public Relations department began to do their work. Because the Starlight Lake sect was one of the four biggest sects in the world, they could strongarm the media all they¡¯d like and they¡¯d have to sit there and take it.

    To maintain their reputation as open and transparent though, the PR department decided they¡¯d release a short profile on each of their new direct disciples, releasing them while also getting some short quotes from their masters.

    It was a win for both sides, so why not?

    Liu Xueli was sitting at her desk, it was cluttered from the amount of trash she had left on it. Xueli didn¡¯t have time to care about it though, she was hunched over the desk, a never-ending stream of profanities leaving her mouth as she wrote an essay about both of her disciples.

    Crushing another can of an energy drink into a small ball and throwing it behind her, Xueli was outraged! The PR department wanted her to write an essay about each of her disciples so that they could choose one or two sentences to release to the public! What unfairness was this?!

    Xueli chugged another energy drink, crushing it and tossing it onto the massive pile behind herself.

    She didn¡¯t need them, they wouldn¡¯t affect her at all, but the taste was refreshing.

    As much as Xueli cussed the PR department though, and wished that all they ate for the next month was dog food, Xueli recognized the critical importance of her work. Right now was the height of the media frenzy season! Any cultivator-exclusive media agency would eat the news up, even if it was just a picture of a strand of hair!

    In fact, just recently, with the breakthrough of Ma Sicheng into the core formation stage at such an early age, the media had already come knocking on the sect¡¯s door, hoping for a chance to do a spotlight interview on the sect¡¯s three brightest up and coming stars.

    They were turned down for a plethora of reasons.

    The biggest being that one of the three, Wang Baichuan, was out adventuring at the moment.

    The media, of course, didn¡¯t care, and kept up their relentless badgering, but the Starlight Lake Sect had no intention in budging... so everything was normal.

    Throughout this time, Songmei and Mingqing spent most of their days just... hanging out. Learning some breathing techniques to best intake Qi from the air, working out, reading some books, and enjoying life in general.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    With the two of them, they both had a fair bit of knowledge of what was going on, Mingqing more so than Songmei, but the two of them had listened to their master¡¯s rambling for what felt like hours on end.

    At this point, if Songmei and Mingqing both went through memory loss, the one thing they¡¯d remember was that Xueli despised yet respected the PR department with all her heart.

    ...and that she definitely was ¡®very young¡¯.

    As the days passed, the media, after many, many rounds of badgering managed to get some tidbits of information about the four new disciples. With that, each media agency began to write a storm of articles, each day, there¡¯d be more articles than your thumb had endurance to scroll through about various young prospects!

    One article, written by a famous news reporting company by the Daoist Times, went viral, topping several websites and forums.

    Scrolling through her own terminal while it was in a handheld form, Songmei craned her neck to look at Mingqing. ¡°Daoist Times is that one news reporting website, right?¡±

    Absorbed in a fierce game, her fingers flying across the keyboard at lightning quick speed, Mingqing, without looking up from her own terminal that was in a form similar to a laptop, replied with a short, ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Although Mingqing seemed to be in the middle of the most important online match in the world, a short glance at her screen would reveal that she was just grinding a certain bricklaying game...

    She really needed to catch up! Other players were well-established in this game already, she needed to lay her bricks faster...

    Songmei and Mingqing were living worry-free lives, life was good. Until ¡®school¡¯ started, they could just sit, leaning against the wall that was between the doors to their rooms, staring at their picture-perfect courtyard while lounging around all day.

    Back to the Daoist Times though, Songmei was curious, she had noticed that a certain article had been trending recently in the cultivator-exclusive networks she had gained access to once becoming a cultivator.

    [STARLIGHT LAKE¡¯S NEWEST RISING STARS! GENERATION OF UNPRECEDENTED TALENT?!]

    Snorting at the title, Songmei applauded the Daoist Times, they were amazing at fluffing up these titles...

    Opening the article, she noticed that there were... an amazing number of comments. Moreover, as the Daoist Times had a short episode they¡¯d release everyday about the latest news, the article¡¯s content had an entire episode to itself! The episode being put at the top of the article for easy viewing.

    Songmei was curious, were these just normal human news anchors reporting this stuff?

    Boop.

    [Welcome to the Daoist Times live news reporting broadcast!]

    Songmei¡¯s eyebrows rose, as a large logo flashed across the screen, the smooth voice of a woman rang out, welcoming the viewers. The quality sure was high...

    The screen changed, the logo disappearing as two anchors appeared on screen. Songmei¡¯s jaw also continued to drop, the backdrop was... gorgeous to say the least, it seemed as if the studio was situated at the top of a tall mountain, empty nature behind it, showing flowing rivers, a dense forest, and several beasts roaming in the background.

    Both of the anchors were exceedingly attractive, Songmei in her mind, applauded the Daoist Times, they really knew all the tricks to bring in a large audience.

    Of course, this was after a short... admiration... of the female anchor.

    The male anchor opened up the broadcast, turning towards the other anchor with a smile.

    [Did you know? I recently bought myself a nice bottle of wine!]

    With the male anchor¡¯s words, the female anchor turned towards him as well, striking up a conversation.

    [Oh? Why did you buy yourself more alcohol?]

    [To drown my unending sorrows of course!]

    Songmei coughed, the joke was... bad, to say the least. Songmei swore she heard everyone in the studio have a visceral reaction, she wasn¡¯t surprised though. Mingqing had already told Songmei a little bit about the Daoist times, and their tradition of opening with an atrocious joke apparently was quite famous.

    It was so bad though...

    With the joke over though, and a round of laughter ringing out from her terminal, Songmei focused once more as they dived into reporting.

    [Our dear viewers, we know the cultivation world is vast, full of dangers, full of things to be discovered! But we always need a dose of fresh blood don¡¯t you think? This is going to be the first episode of a four episode dedicated series on information about the new direct disciples of each of the four great sects!]

 23: The Sheer... Sheer And Utter Power Of A Silver-Tongue

    It was cold...

    Lin Songmei pulled her coat a little tighter around herself, pausing her video and squirming like a worm to get closer to Yan Mingqing. Mingqing was still absorbed into her bricklaying game, but Songmei still wanted to be near her, Mingqing was a human heater after all! It¡¯d be a complete waste to not utilize it.

    As for Mingqing, she didn¡¯t mind, she was used to the heat-seeking human worm that was Songmei.

    Laying on the ground, half plastered across Mingqing¡¯s legs, Songmei unpaused her video, continuing to watch the special spotlight episode that the Daoist Times had come out with.

    [As this is the first episode of our four episode mini-series, us hosts will give a brief overview on the structure that will be used.]

    [To begin, we¡¯ll give a brief reminder and overview of the sect for those who haven¡¯t been following the news.]

    It was at this moment that the other anchor interrupted with a joke. [If you haven¡¯t been following the news, in this era? You must¡¯ve just come out of a 150 year secluded cultivation session!]

    Watching the original co-anchor laugh as if her colleague''s joke was the funniest in the world, Songmei felt her heart clenching like a demon that was gripping its most valuable possession. After the joke though, the female anchor continued on with the explanation as if it had never happened.

    [After the brief overview of the sect, we¡¯ll then jump into the new direct disciples taken in by the sect. Including a small blurb written about the disciples background provided by the sect, and a small quote regarding the disciple from each of their masters.]

    [Following this, we¡¯ll be providing a small update on each of the sect¡¯s as a whole. Depending on the sect this might be a new elder, an update on their rising stars, or something else completely. You¡¯ll have to watch to the end to find out!]

    Songmei nodded along, hugging Mingqing¡¯s legs while focusing. Even with the bad jokes, the quality of this show wasn¡¯t bad, they really deserved their position as one of, if not the top cultivator news agencies.

    [Now, let¡¯s begin. The Starlight Lake Sect is one of the four largest sects in the world, being the dominant sect of the Northern Continent.]

    With a beautiful picture of the sect on screen, Songmei admired it, the pictures would change every few seconds as the anchors continued delivering the news. As she watched, a glimmer appeared in Songmei¡¯s eyes, there were pictures from every season! Songmei hadn¡¯t even been there for a month yet, so these pictures were foreign yet charming.

    [The Starlight Lake Sect focuses on water-based cultivation techniques, splitting into two main categories, winter cultivators and summer cultivators. However, as you know these categories mostly refer to how cultivators bring out their unique aspect and understanding of water. Beyond water-based cultivation techniques though, as the hegemonic sect of the Northern Continent, they have a vast library of other cultivation techniques at their disciples¡¯ free-browsing.]

    Songmei wasn¡¯t learning a lot, she already knew all of this, but it didn¡¯t hurt to pay attention. Looking over at Mingqing, Songmei also realized that she had put aside the bricklaying game and was also listening.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Pause.

    ¡°You want me to turn up the volume?¡± Songmei asked, rolling over on Mingqing¡¯s legs to get a better view of her face.

    ¡°No it¡¯s fine,¡± Mingqing reassured, pushing Songmei¡¯s hair out of her face, ¡°You can just watch, I can hear and see just fine no worries. Also feel free to keep commenting about the video, no need to murmur it under your breath either, we can just talk about it while watching, no?¡±

    Songmei gave a nod in response while rolling back to her original position on Mingqing¡¯s legs. She was impressed at Mingqing¡¯s ability to have words continue to flow out of her mouth. It was like a cornucopia! Never-ending...

    Unpause.

    [The direct disciples we¡¯d like to start with are Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, both disciples of Elder Wu Sen, the head of Starlight Lake¡¯s Disciplinary Bureau.]

    With the images of those three being shown on screen, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but comment on them. ¡°They chose a really good picture of Elder Wu Sen and Lu Qiang. It¡¯s a shame the picture of Cai Yufei is... absolutely atrocious.¡±

    Opening her mouth to reply, Mingqing instead gave a nod as the speaking from the video picked up once more.

    [Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei both have... relatively average backgrounds. Lu Qiang is the only child of two cultivators, a normal cultivating family through and through. Cai Yufei on the other hand is the oldest child out of five children in his family, a fairly rich cultivating family.]

    ¡°Remember when he first told us that?¡± Mingqing asked, running her hand through Songmei¡¯s silky silvery-white hair. ¡°It explained so much... like, no wonder that stick got shoved so far up his ass...¡±

    ¡°Truly,¡± Songmei agreed, raising the screen a touch so that Mingqing could have a better view.

    [Elder Wu Sen had a few brief comments about his new direct disciples.]

    The quotes flashing on screen, Songmei read along as the anchors read them outloud for listeners who were listening to the episode as a podcast.

    [Cai Yufei... He¡¯s very disciplined. With his passion for not only improvement but also order, Cai Yufei reminds me of my own younger self. I¡¯ll make sure to support him diligently. Make no mistake, I will ensure that he has fair treatment and gets the resources he needs, matching his drive.]

    [Lu Qiang, on the other hand, is an individual that is a fair bit different. He has a single-minded drive to improve himself while being very kind-hearted and fair. Already, he has reached an unbelievable level of fitness for someone who¡¯s never cultivated. I will make sure to support him diligently as well.

    Songmei didn¡¯t know what to think, the quotes felt a little empty; yet, they were also immensely important.

    ¡°Is Elder Wu Sen¡¯s words that Lu Qiang has a single-minded drive to improve himself just based on the fact that Lu Qiang sucks at school...?¡± Mingqing pondered out loud, tapping Songmei¡¯s head like a desk without even realizing it.

    With the images of Elder Wu Sen along with his two disciples disappearing off the screen, the male anchor continued on, explaining that they¡¯d do some more discussions about the disciples and master after highlighting the other two disciples.

    Shrugging at the reasonable sounding explanation, Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s jaws both dropped as the next set of pictures came on screen.

    Their pictures were fine, Songmei¡¯s was of her in some nice clothes, some light makeup, and her hair done, with Mingqing¡¯s being quite similar.

    But... their master...

    Was that even Liu Xueli?

    It looked so... different, so... youthful.

    Not in a rude way, of course, but still!

    In the picture, Liu Xueli seemed to be a different person, like a battle-hardened cultivator that seemed to give off an untouchable aura, as if invisible energy was cascading in waves out from her. At the same time, her beauty was... aggressive? If that even was a way to describe it, it was just so different from her usual casualness. Her eyes were sharp, her hair was blowing in the wind behind her as a massive icy landscape stretched out behind her.

    ¡°That... That¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I¡¯m in disbelief too...¡±

 24: Fanfiction Writers Have Too Much Imagination...

    The small commotion about the pictures ended after a few moments, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing had known that their master was... ¡®cool and young¡¯... but it was still a surprise. The master they knew was a dorky, sorta old, sorta young, lady who spent all day wearing a tanktop while it was snowing and feeding her koi.

    The female anchor and the male anchor continued on though, transitioning and picking up between each other without a hitch, it was seamless in every aspect. The quality of the Daoist Times kept climbing every time there wasn¡¯t a horrendous joke being said...

    [Our next two disciples are Yan Mingqing and Lin Songmei, both disciples of Elder Liu Xueli, the co-head of Starlight Lake¡¯s Martial Pavilion.]

    [With these two disciples, their backgrounds could not be more different...]

    [I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s heard of one, Yan Mingqing! Yan Mingqing is from the Kunpeng Clan¡¯s main family, her older brother is also a direct disciple in the sect, and she has no other siblings as of now other than him. With her stunning looks and reclusive tendencies, she¡¯s earned the nickname of ¡®Ice Princess¡¯ from a young age, we¡¯ll only be able to see how she develops from here!]

    Songmei looked up at Mingqing, raising an eyebrow, ¡°Reclusive tendencies they said...¡±

    ¡°I... I couldn¡¯t find anyone to talk to who wasn¡¯t annoying or trying to get closer to me because of my family...¡± Mingqing coughed, a tinge of red climbing up onto her cheeks after the laudatory spiel the Daoist Times video had given her. ¡°They really know how to make things sound good though don¡¯t they...¡±

    [The other disciple is named Lin Songmei. Lin Songmei grew up in an orphanage from when she was a baby, her parents are completely unknown. Yet, with enough talent to become a direct disciple of the Starlight Lake Sect, perhaps there¡¯s more to her than we realize! We eagerly await the development of these two disciples. Although coming from a poor background, this is the perfect setup of a brilliant hero story, we¡¯re cheering for Songmei!]

    A tinge of pink appeared on her own cheeks, and Songmei, who hadn¡¯t even dreamed of something like this happening, could now understand Mingqing¡¯s words. They really did know how to kiss up!! It felt nice though...

    The pictures of the three now being replaced with some quotes, the anchors continued on, not making a painful joke in transition to every watcher''s surprise. With a small window in the bottom corner showing their faces, the male anchor and female anchor began to read out Liu Xueli¡¯s quotes.

    [Mingqing... I like her! She¡¯s hard to get close to, she raises a lot of barriers before she opens up, but she¡¯s quite a nice person. Growing up at the top of cultivation society, she¡¯s very well-informed, yet not arrogant. Therefore, she¡¯s very easy to work with, and I look forward to training her. In fact, her talent and work ethic is in no way inferior to her brother¡¯s!]

    [On the other hand, Songmei is very different from Mingqing. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they¡¯re both immensely talented, to an insane level, but Songmei has a very different personality. She¡¯s quite reserved, she doesn¡¯t talk much but likes to ask questions. However, once you get to know her she¡¯s quite friendly! In the end, I¡¯ve been blessed with two talented, kind, and cute disciples! I look forward to supporting them!]

    As the quotes came to an end, Songmei paused the video as fast as she could, rolling over and making eye contact with Mingqing.

    Too different!

    Ignoring the fact that their Master Liu Xueli¡¯s quotes were longer, the content was just... too different from Elder Wu Sen¡¯s!

    ¡°I mean... At least it was nice...¡± Songmei murmured, shrugging a little as Mingqing agreed. Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t mind that it was different, it was still very kind and caused a warm feeling to bubble up in their chests.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Unpause.

    After the introductions and quotes, the Daoist Times show launched into a deeper dive on each of the disciples, giving some theories based on what was said, trying to extrapolate information. One of the only theories that Songmei heard that held any weight was that Mingqing might... be an extrovert? Under all those layers? However, on the show, it was dismissed without much thought.

    If only they knew...

    Then they moved onto giving some other news, detailing the latest updates on some of the young rising stars, especially the sect¡¯s young trio. The show spent more of its time on Ma Sicheng¡¯s new breakthrough into the core formation realm, while giving the other two, Lan Keying and Wang Baichuan just enough time to give some very basic information.

    With that, the episode came to a close, the anchors thanked their viewers, giving brilliant smiles that only raised their attractiveness to another level.

    Daoist Times really knew how to hire good-looking and talented people...

    Songmei closed the video, continuing to splay herself across Mingqing¡¯s legs while scrolling to find the forums that would be discussing this newest episode of the Daoist Times.

    On the other hand, Mingqing, having listened to what she was interested in, went back to grinding the bricklaying game as if there was no tomorrow. Songmei wanted to bet that if Mingqing could spend this type of effort in cultivating later, she¡¯d reach the peak of the world in a mere ten years!

    Too lazy to join the bricklaying game, Songmei found the forum and so, her finger began to scroll.

    Scroll...

    Beyond those who were making their own theories on what their futures would be like and the very sparse critical comments, Songmei was... surprised.

    There were an immense amount of links to fanfiction websites being posted! Just looking at the titles, Songmei could tell that between the 4 new direct disciples and 2 masters, almost every pairing already had a number of fanfics written about them!

    How the hell were people so fast...

    Songmei knew that she hadn¡¯t watched the Daoist Times video on the day that it was released but... still.

    Beyond that, there were also a number of comments that didn¡¯t make Songmei¡¯s jaw drop, but still surprised her to a certain extent. How popular was this sect? How... far did she leap up suddenly in the societal ladder...?

    [Red_Velvet: Lu Qiang is so handsomeeee! He¡¯s my new husband!! Look at his pure smile and bulging muscles!

    Puzzl3r: Steponme Steponme Steponme Steponme Steponme!! Queen Mingqing!! Please step on me, look at me harshly and insult me! Us knights of the ice princess will follow you forever!!

    Sunscreen_Is_My_Lbe: Look at Songmei!! C¡¯mon everyone!!! Let¡¯s form the Songmei fan club!! With her background won¡¯t she get bullied otherwise? We must rally up!! Defend our new idol!!

    Leafgreen: Cai Yufei! Punish us!! No matter how big the stick up your ass, we¡¯ll shove one up ours too!! The Cai Squad has arrived!]

    What... was this...

    Songmei didn''t know how to react, she felt honored but... the cultivation world really was similar to the non-cultivation world in some aspects...

    And now it was to her?? What was she supposed to do... There were even fan groups being formed...

    She just wanted to get a nice house and then live far from any action!! Now she had paparazzi to worry about too?!

    Closing her terminal and shelving those thoughts, Songmei rolled over once more to look at the concentrating Mingqing. ¡°Did you know there¡¯s a ton of fanfiction being written about us?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± Mingqing replied without looking up, her speaking was no longer as verbose, instead now being like short bursts. ¡°I¡¯ve had some since I was young.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei murmured, Mingqing didn¡¯t bat an eyelid at this point with all the fanfic, in this moment, Mingqing was truly the unfazed ice queen. Shaking her head, Songmei sighed while resting her chin on Mingqing¡¯s thigh. ¡°Half of these don¡¯t even work anyway... I¡¯m only interested in girls. What about you all again? It¡¯s ¡®all¡¯ for you and Cai Yufei, and guys for Lu Qiang, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Mingqing answered, her fingers still flying across the keyboard as bricks were continuing to be laid. ¡°The fanfiction writers don¡¯t care, of course. Just don¡¯t mind them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    These writers really were creative...

    Songmei couldn''t help but be impressed...

 25: Dont Cultivators Never Have To Go To School?

    Days passed, the last few weeks of Lin Songmei¡¯s break blew by in a flash. Throughout the break, after her grueling workout schedule, she was starting to see progress. Previously, Songmei was just a sack of bones, but now, some muscles were beginning to show!

    At the same time, over the course of the last bit of break, Songmei grew closer to Yan Mingqing, as the two of them learned some of the basics of cultivation under the tutelage of Liu Xueli. They also had a few sleepovers! It was always fun to tell stories and get to know each other in the middle of the night...

    Today though, today was the day that they had to begin attending classes. Songmei and Mingqing would be taking these classes with the inner disciples accepted this past year, they¡¯d go to the classic classes, literature, math, science, history, among others while also going to cultivation classes.

    Songmei in particular was not happy to go back to school, she didn¡¯t think anyone was...

    Those cultivation novels Songmei had read were lies! If they were true, they could just say ¡°You dare mess with this young master? Asking to eat dog food!¡±

    Bleh.

    Songmei pushed herself out of bed, swinging her legs out from under the covers into the cold, biting air. Stumbling out of bed, Songmei, who had a serious case of bed-hair, made her way to the bathroom, washing her face and freshening up before getting dressed, grabbing a hair-brush in addition to her school bag on her way out.

    Slinging the bag over her shoulder, Songmei patted it a few times as she cracked the door open. Songmei still remembered, Liu Xueli had come back one day carrying two of these bags, saying that they were provided free by the sect, and that she and Mingqing could use it.

    Free stuff! Songmei, without hesitation, took it. Inside the bag were also some notebooks and stationery.

    Patting her bag, Songmei was still happy to have the free book-bag, it was a dark blue color, similar to Mingqing¡¯s hair, emblazoned with the sect¡¯s logo.

    ¡®Damn this place is rich as always though...¡¯

    Songmei¡¯s head turned and looked around, Mingqing was... not out yet.

    8 am...

    There was still some time left before they had to go, so she could wait.

    Sitting down on the edge of the wooden walkway that surrounded the courtyard, Songmei leaned back onto her hands, admiring the courtyard while waiting for Mingqing.

    It must¡¯ve snowed again overnight...

    ¡°Hi, hi, sorry, sorry, it took me a few snoozes before I finally realized that today was the first day of classes,¡± Mingqing apologized as she ran out of the door. ¡°Are you ready to go, Songmei? We can pick up some breakfast on the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready, should we get going now?¡± Songmei yawned, feeling a wave of fatigue rush over herself. There was no way under the four divine beasts that she had slept enough...

    Grabbing Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei walked out towards the school with Mingqing, the two deciding to not disturb their still asleep master as they left.

    -----

    In the classroom.

    Songmei and Mingqing sat in a corner of the classroom near the back, they¡¯d had some interactions with the inner disciples but there was still a bit of... division between the direct and inner disciples.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    The school though, was quite nice. It wasn¡¯t actually a ¡°school¡± it was actually the ¡°Hall of Learning¡± but everyone just called it a school.

    From the outside, it followed the sect¡¯s theme, it was a modern-ish, futuristic-ish building made of wood, the outside seemed to be woven together, with the gaps in the wood being filled in with glass.

    Inside the building though, it was different, instead of wooden and earthy tones, there were lighter, sleeker materials and colors. It was still quite cozy, things were made of this off-white material that wasn¡¯t cold to the touch, the floor was carpet, and there was a warm lighting.

    Moreover... The Hall of Learning wasn¡¯t that big, there was only one class per year, so all the inner and direct disciples who entered the sect in the same year would be in the same class.

    In the said classroom were Mingqing and Songmei. Songmei was sitting there, brushing her hair as she watched people trickle into the classroom. Her hair, which looked white-ish under the current light, was... a touch more neat.

    ¡®At least my hair doesn¡¯t look like I just walked into a tornado.¡¯

    Mingqing on the other hand, had already re-equipped her cold demeanor, creating a sharp contrast between herself and Songmei. Just sitting next to Mingqing, Songmei could feel an aura of coldness, it was as if an empress had descended and was glaring at all her subjects.

    Mingqing really needed to fix her approachability...

    BAM

    With the door being thrown aside, everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the front as Cai Yufei walked in, dragging a still half-asleep Lu Qiang in behind him.

    Murmurs began to break out.

    Songmei suppressed a chuckle, Lu Qiang was... literally trying to escape while half-asleep. If asked, Songmei wouldn¡¯t hesitate to bet, Lu Qiang, without a shadow of a doubt, had no idea what he was doing.

    Man was a serial sleepwalker after all.

    At least he wasn¡¯t sleepwalking right now, just trying to walk his way back into sleep.

    With the last of the students making their way into the classroom though, a middle-aged elder walked in.

    At an average height, he wasn¡¯t especially good-looking. However, although he was middle-aged, he walked with a youthful air around him. His hair was black with a few gray streaks through them, and his hands had clear calluses on them.

    Wearing a casual suit, he stroked his short beard, standing at the front of the classroom facing the students with a warm smile. ¡°My name is Jiang Yonghang, I¡¯ll be your teacher for the next few years, nice to meet you all! I hope we have a pleasant few years together, and I look forward to all of you growing.¡±

    Songmei, having put her brush away, took out some notebooks and a pencil, leaving them on her desk for later while listening to the elder¡¯s words.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you all are aware of it by now,¡± Jiang Yonghang began, turning around and firing up a projection of some slides, ¡°But, the elder in charge of the hall insists that we go over the structure of education, just in case.¡±

    A smile broke out on Songmei''s face as she made a small fist pump under her desk. There weren¡¯t transitions in the slideshow! Thank the heavens, thank the heavenly dao. A true moment of unparalleled luck.

    Moreover, Songmei hadn¡¯t asked around to find out what the school was like, so this slideshow was... actually useful to her.

    ¡°So, as you all know, this is kinda like school. However, I¡¯ll be pointing out several differences in how we¡¯ll be teaching compared to a normal school.¡± Jiang Yonghang explained, facing the students instead of the slideshow.

    Songmei was amazed, this elder not only knew how to make a slideshow that wouldn¡¯t cause cultivation deviation, but also memorized his slides! ... Maybe he should be the sect leader...

    ¡°Today, we¡¯ll just be doing some introductions. Then, we¡¯ll move onto some classes in the morning. Then, during the afternoon, we¡¯ll be doing some cultivation related classes. Depending on the day, the curriculum will be different, so look forward to that.¡± Jiang Yonghang continued, the detailed slides changing behind him as he explained.

    ¡°There will be no tests, so rest assured on that front. However, I will still be giving ungraded assessments to make sure you all are still putting in effort to learn the material.¡± Jiang Yonghang shrugged. ¡°Going back to the schedule, once the afternoon classes are finished, you all will be free around 4-5pm. The afternoon classes I assure you will be more than just theory, there will be plenty of time to get some hands-on practice.¡±

    ¡°And lastly... several times during the school year there will be long breaks. This will allow you to either go out and do some missions from the assignment hall or allow you to focus on your own cultivation.¡±

    Damn... was this even school?

    Songmei didn¡¯t know what to think... This was a lot more lenient than she thought it would be. This was practically just like... have some more knowledge, but make sure you don¡¯t slack off on your cultivation...

 26: Those Inner Disciples Have Some... Extra... XL Egos

    After the murmurs died down, Jiang Yonghang clicked a button, causing the projection of the slides to disappear. Putting down the remote that was controlling the machine that projected the slides, Jiang Yonghang turned towards the classroom, spreading his arms out. ¡°Let¡¯s do some introductions shall we? I can start!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Jiang Yonghang as you all know, I¡¯m an elder part of the Hall of Learning. My hobbies outside of teaching and cultivating are reading and playing video games. Out of everyone in the sect I¡¯m ranked top 10 in our bricklaying game.¡±

    Lin Songmei almost choked on her own spit as she heard the end of that introduction. Gripping onto Yan Mingqing¡¯s shoulder, Songmei steadied herself, clearing her throat.

    Why was that bricklaying game everywhere in the sect??

    With that though, the introductions began. The room itself was a rectangle, but because the seats were arranged in a more sorta half circle, or rounded square, the introductions went clockwise.

    Songmei and Mingqing, who were sitting in a corner, well... a rounded corner going by the shape the desks were in, went not long after the introductions began. As they introduced themselves, a round of murmurs broke out among the 20-25 inner disciples. Songmei had talked to a couple of the inner disciples, but Mingqing in particular hadn¡¯t.

    Mingqing¡¯s ice queen aura really did intimidate the inner disciples though...

    After their introduction though, a similar situation happened when Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei introduced themselves. However, other than that, not much happened during the introductions.

    Songmei did notice that there was a small group of inner disciples that seemed to have some animosity towards the direct disciples though...

    As the introductions finished up and people chatter began to sprout out among the disciples, Jiang Yonghang clapped a few times, silencing the room before beginning the morning lessons.

    Math, History, then Science.

    Each an hour long...

    To Songmei it was... painful to say the least. There wasn¡¯t anything hard, she had already learned a fair bit of what was being taught, but still! Who in the right state of mind would want to start the day doing math!

    Songmei just wanted to do some cultivation... it was so much easier...

    All she had to do was breathe in, breathe out, and circulate the Qi inside of her to open up her meridians step by step, bit by bit.

    The classes went by in a flash though, Songmei took some light notes, and just listened along, spending a fair bit of time daydreaming.

    Overall, first day of classes? They weren¡¯t too bad, not too fast paced, but not too slow-paced either. And, in stark contrast to the school she used to go to, only about an hour of homework.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    It was quite relaxing, in all honesty...

    Everyone went to the canteen, had some lunch, and then returned to the classroom, ready for the afternoon lessons. These were the ones that everyone was excited for! Cultivation! These were the dreams they¡¯d had since childhood!

    When Songmei and Mingqing along with the rest of the class returned to the classroom after eating lunch, Jiang Yonghang was waiting for them, having decided to eat in his classroom.

    ¡°Welcome, welcome, everyone, no need to take your seats, just gather around in the center of the classroom.¡± Jiang Yonghang explained, waving over the students who were walking over to their seats. ¡°We¡¯ll be going to a training field for this next part. I¡¯d like to ask though, just in case, have all of you taken the first step of cultivation already? Can you all see your three dantians?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Yep, was pretty easy.¡±

    ¡°Of course, shit¡¯s easyyyy¡±

    As the direct disciples, Songmei and Mingqing both nodded to show they had taken that step, but decided to stay quiet as the inner disciples began to brag about how long it had taken them to do it.

    Songmei was... surprised to say the least.

    Unlike the normal cultivation realms, where there were several age markers that everyone accepted to represent how talented someone was, to take the first step of cultivation, there weren¡¯t many markers.

    It didn¡¯t take that long after all...

    Yet, listening to the conversations that the inner disciples were having, Songmei reached up, making sure her jaw hadn¡¯t fallen.

    Several of the disciples were bragging to others but... the fastest time that they had mentioned was a couple of days!

    Days...

    ... Maybe she was talented to a certain extent after all...

    Jiang Yonghang though, satisfied that everyone had indeed taken that first step, gathered everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Follow me then, everyone, I¡¯ll guide you all to the training field we¡¯ll be using.¡±

    -------

    The group had made some turns, crossed a bridge onto a new island, filed through some doors, but... after about 5-10 minutes of walking, they had made it!

    The training field wasn¡¯t too big, big enough for everyone to have a comfortable space around them to move. The training field itself was enclosed inside a building, the building was lined with windows though, allowing for a clear view of the outside world. There were several of these buildings all dotted around, free to use by the members of the sect, some were on the floating islands, some were on the ring of mountains that surrounded the floating islands.

    In fact, Songmei and the other direct disciples frequented the one near their residences, going there to workout together.

    Once they had spread out though, Jiang Yonghang walked around, handing everyone a small packet from the pile that he had stored inside his storage ring.

    Songmei flipped through the packet, taking a quick glance through it as the teacher set up the large projector.

    It was... pretty nice.

    It was a brief summary of a martial arts technique, just a simple fist technique. Through the small definitions and pictures provided of a small, fat panda going through the motions, Songmei could tell that it wasn¡¯t too much. The technique was very basic, just allowing one to strengthen their fist with Qi.

    Jiang Yonghang turned on the large projector, making a 3-dimensional projection of the small, fat panda appear in the air above the students. ¡°So... The first few cultivation lessons will be to allow you all to familiarize yourselves with the movement and usage of Qi. Therefore, just... try your best! I¡¯ll be around to help out, but just follow the movements of the little bear and try your best to figure out the technique, that¡¯s... the best way to learn really.¡±

    ¡°Good luck everyone!¡±

    And with that a chorus of ¡°Good luck¡±s rang out, and everyone began to practice, trying their best to learn the technique.

 27: Sometimes, Cultivation Really Does Resemble A Pyramid Scheme...

    Sweat.

    With the warm lights of the training center shining down onto them, the new disciples accepted into the Starlight Lake Sect were training as hard as they could. These disciples were the direct and inner disciples of the sect, and, with the sect being Starlight Lake, these disciples were nothing to frown at.

    Not mentioning the direct disciples, the most talented of the talented, the inner disciples alone were already considered rare, high-end talents that most sects would be honored to have.

    Among the training field though, as the teacher of the class, Jiang Yonghang, looked down at the field from a second floor platform, taking some small notes about his students.

    From above, it was obvious, there was a noticeable difference between the four direct disciples and the rest.

    Lu Qiang, who Jiang Yonghang had noticed struggled a bit to follow the classes, seemed to be a fish in water, a racoon in a trashcan, he was learning it as if he had already learned it once in the past.

    Cai Yufei, although not as naturally talented as these body-only type arts, was also learning at a rapid pace. Jiang Yonghang took a moment, noting down Cai Yufei¡¯s work-ethic, taking special notice to his strict routine.

    Yan Mingqing, who had a background Jiang Yonghang made a separate note of, seemed to be learning at a fast but not ridiculous pace. However, Jiang Yonghang did notice that Yan Mingqing seemed to be very casual, familiar with everything, but just wasn¡¯t interested in the technique, so she wasn''t putting in much effort to learn it quickly...

    The last of the four direct disciples was Lin Songmei. Jiang Yonghang had also made a note of her background, out of the entire class, she had come from the worst circumstances. Because of Songmei¡¯s background, Jiang Yonghang wanted to be there to help out with getting adapted to the cultivation world if Songmei needed it.

    During this training though, Jiang Yonghang noticed that even though Lin Songmei had no martial arts foundation of note, she was still keeping pace with the other direct disciples by only using the pictures in the packet.

    Shifting his attention away from the direct disciples though, Jiang Yonghang, who was looking forward to teaching this promising batch, began taking notes on the inner disciples, most of which he had already gotten to know over the break.

    As Jiang Yonghang was taking notes though, Songmei was... unaware to say the least. Feeling like a lost wanderer stranded in dense fog, Songmei wasn¡¯t paying much attention to her surroundings.

    She had stared at the panda diagram pictures for so long she felt like she could burn a hole through it.

    At least they were cute...

    Going through the motions, Songmei, though confused, was still feeling progress. The end goal for these students was to be able to punch out while expelling a cold mist from their fist, but as of now, she was still at the stage of feeling Qi rush through her arm as she launched a punching motion.

    Furrowing her eyebrows, her lips pressed into a thin line, Songmei ignored the fatigue she was feeling, pushing through pain to learn the technique. Using her shirt to wipe her sweat, Songmei felt a sense of... responsibility. To do well. With all the care that she had gotten after arriving at the sect, although she didn¡¯t have something to really work towards at the moment, she had decided she''d work hard out of gratitude until she found something.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Unknown to Songmei and the rest though, this technique, although innocuous and quite useless outside of being an introductory technique, did its job quite well.

    By mastering the technique, the disciples would gain a better feel for the Qi flowing through their body, understanding the flow and how to direct it more. Moreover, they¡¯d not only learn how to reinforce their body using their Qi, a basic skill that everyone needed, but would also learn how to expel Qi from their bodies. Lastly, this was a good foundational skill that could lead into many better skills if one chose to stay with a weaponless fighting style.

    Songmei reviewed the packet once more, looking up to the panda projection in the center of the training field to fill in the gaps between the pictures.

    Step, step, shift, punch.

    W... wait what?

    Frozen in place, Songmei felt a number of eyes on her as she saw a small frosty mist descend towards the ground after being expelled from her hand.

    Damn...

    Songmei felt like a lost traveler stuck in dense fog who had accidentally found a mountain of gold...

    The inner disciples around her though could only curse in their hearts, was this the feeling of being outclassed in terms of luck??

    However, even with a faint frosty mist being expelled from her hand, Songmei knew she still had a long way to go. The mist she had generated was far too small and was more like someone¡¯s sneeze rather than a true mist. Other than that though, Songmei also felt that the Qi that had rushed through her arm didn¡¯t strengthen her at all, instead just... escaping. Obviously that wasn¡¯t what was supposed to happen.

    Stare at the panda...

    Stareee...

    Alright.

    Step, step, shift, punch.

    Songmei had closed her eyes to concentrate on what was going on inside. Reminding herself that, no, this wasn¡¯t some weird multi-level marketing scheme that promoted spiritualism and alternative medicines, but instead just her focusing on her internal Qi.

    Instead of letting it all just travel out from her arm, Songmei tried her best to let some of it diffuse through her arm while letting the rest follow the same path as last time, being expelled out of punch.

    Whew...

    Songmei moved her arm in a windmill-like rotation, alleviating some of the fatigue in her arm before trying again.

    She felt that her arm was getting stronger but there was now a larger issue...

    She couldn¡¯t get enough Qi flowing in her body!

    The pain of just being bad...

    Songmei knew that this problem would be alleviated through just gathering more Qi in her body or opening some of her meridians, but... that was much easier said than done.

    Stuck in her own thoughts, thinking about how she could address the issue, Songmei was dragged out of her own little world as a commotion broke out on the other side of the training field.

    Jogging over, Songmei was shocked as a small empty circle formed around Lu Qiang.

    In the center of the circle, demonstrating for everyone to see, was Lu Qiang performing the technique. Everytime he punched, Lu Qiang expelled a fair bit of mist, his mist more water-like and less frost-like than Songmei¡¯s. In his own world, dedicated to executing the technique, Songmei also noticed that every time Lu Qiang leapt forward with a punch, the force of it would generate a little bit of wind.

    Not much to take note of, but it was still stronger than what was generated from a normal punch.

    Impressive.

    Songmei didn¡¯t know much, but she still admired Lu Qiang¡¯s achievement.

    All those martial art forms Lu Qiang would do on a whim in the middle of the street really had paid off!

    Studying his form a few more times as Lu Qiang ran through it, Songmei turned back, returning to the area she had been practicing in and focusing once more on learning this technique.

    Why were people referring to it as a fisting technique though...

    Everyone knew what the innuendo was... no need to make it... really.

    Shaking her head, Songmei tuned out the voices of the joking disciples who had then decided to have an impromptu duel, focusing back onto her own technique.

 28: The Grave Mistake Of The Inner Disciples

    Class had finished and Lin Songmei was sitting by the side of the training field, holding some ice against Yan Mingqing¡¯s arm as Mingqing sat there, meditating.

    Well... Class had been done for a while.

    To give some... context though, after class finished and most of the disciples left, there was a small handful that stayed behind to continue practicing. There were the four direct disciples, Lu Qiang staying to help Cai Yufei, and a small group of inner disciples.

    Just earlier, during the lunch break and the walking over to the training field, Songmei had learned a little bit about the dynamics present in the inner disciples and... she kinda felt bad?

    Obviously Mingqing wasn¡¯t someone to ask, although Mingqing had a frightening ability to gather information and make connections, things like this weren¡¯t really her expertise... Everyone would bow their heads and turn away the moment Mingqing began staring at them.

    After asking Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei though, Songmei had learned that a small hierarchy had formed within the inner disciples, a small group at the top. Yet, after classes had started, Songmei, being someone with eyes, noticed that there was some animosity between the direct disciples and this small group.

    She could understand it... it was like winning a war only to watch a third-party walk in and take over everything, and to make it worse, the third-party did it by accident!

    In the end, Songmei didn¡¯t care too much, she was just there to learn in the corner without disturbing anyone. Keeping this mentality, Songmei stayed in her own little area, practicing the technique even after class because... why not?

    She didn¡¯t have anything to do anyway...

    Songmei heard that some inner disciples were going to go watch a movie but that just kinda... seemed like a waste of time...

    Absorbed in her own world, Songmei made quick progress, the technique itself wasn¡¯t hard and the concepts had been explained by her master before. So, Songmei began the arduous process of learning.

    Sweat, exhaustion, pain.

    An hour had passed after class ended. There was still plenty of time before dinner but... Songmei needed a break, she had reached an acceptable level, but she wanted to practice more. Having a more solid foundation would only be helpful after all.

    Songmei also, from the bottom of her heart, didn¡¯t want to disappoint Liu Xueli... Xueli had already given her so much; therefore, she¡¯d do her best to make Xueli proud.

    Sipping some water though, in the midst of her break, Songmei had to put a pause on her plans for more practice as a confrontation broke out between Mingqing and the inner disciples.

    Rushing over, Songmei came to a stop at a distance, she didn¡¯t want to intrude, but she couldn¡¯t just stand there if Mingqing was going to get beat up. As the voices began to get more heated, Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei also came over, standing beside Songmei as they watched.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Tapping her chin, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but wonder... Why were the inner disciples so adamant?

    It was a group of 5, and the gist of it was... training ground area.

    To sum it up, Mingqing didn¡¯t have a specific area she had confined herself in, drifting around and practicing where she had felt like practicing. However, the inner disciples all had marked areas. Then, one of the disciples left her area to go ¡®exchange pointers¡¯ with another inner disciple and Mingqing had moved into it for a while before leaving, and that¡¯s where the conflict began.

    ... It was so... so insignificant...

    This was like fighting about the location to put a garbage can...

    And so, a fight broke out, with the inner disciple who felt wronged challenging Mingqing to a duel. After thrashing the girl in a one-sided fight, Mingqing then got challenged by two others, thrashing them too before the disciples all left.

    That led to the current situation... where Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei went back to practicing, and Mingqing went to the side of the training field to sit down and meditate, using the circulation of Qi to quicken her natural healing process.

    Sitting there with her eyes open, Mingqing stared up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. ¡°Honestly, I really didn¡¯t want to fight them...¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I mean it did kind of backfire on them though.¡± Songmei murmured in response, holding the ice against Mingqing¡¯s arm while Mingqing held some more ice packs against herself. ¡°Nothing was broken, right?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± Mingqing shrugged, letting out a long exhale as she focused on letting her Qi heal her body. ¡°It¡¯s a pain though... My brother warned me that this would happen.¡±

    Shifting the ice she was holding, Songmei raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not your parents?¡±

    ¡°My parents told me it¡¯d be a good test of character...¡± Mingqing shook her head, an edge of derision seeping into her voice. ¡°Anyway, my brother mentioned this, that the inner disciples would be discontent with us... That girl really didn¡¯t care about the training field thing. She was just looking for a reason to spark a fight. If she won, her prestige and fame would¡¯ve gone through the roof.¡±

    Patting Mingqing¡¯s shoulder with her other hand, Songmei let out a sigh of her own. ¡°Yeah, Cai Yufei mentioned this to me earlier while the fights were going on... It seems troublesome though... I¡¯m glad you won.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Mingqing snorted, a small smile blossoming on her face, ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose to just anyone like that.¡±

    Freezing for a second as a pink tinge crept onto her cheeks, Songmei let out a small cough before nodding, agreeing with Mingqing. Mingqing was qualified to say that, after all, she had been raised to become a top-notch cultivator from birth.

    That being said, Songmei wasn¡¯t used to this! Unfair! Where was the extrovert who was grieving over their natural imposing ice queen facade, who laid around all day grinding a bricklaying game! Who replaced Mingqing with this confident, sly lady who wasn¡¯t afraid of getting into a fight!

    Pushing those thoughts aside like how she pushed aside her wrist¡¯s health, Songmei decided to change the topic. ¡°The conflicts aren¡¯t... totally necessary though. I feel like it wouldn¡¯t be a good solution, but as a last resort, you could always just bring up your background. I don¡¯t think anyone in our year has a background like yours...¡±

    ¡°I mean there isn¡¯t.¡± Mingqing laughed, pushing her dark-blue hair out of her face, ¡°I don¡¯t want to bring it up though. It¡¯s troublesome, and it¡¯d make things a lot worse if I lost after bringing up my background. And also... it¡¯s just kinda scummy.¡±

    Putting the bag of ice aside and looking for another bag of ice, Songmei nodded, ¡°That¡¯s certainly true. Also... do you still need ice? It seems like it¡¯s looking better. Though, I can totally get another if you¡¯d like.¡±

    Mingqing fluttered her hand, shaking her head, ¡°there¡¯s no need. I¡¯m healed up enough, I beat them all without much trouble, I¡¯m fine. Want to practice some more together? Sorry for making you sit here and help me instead of letting you practice more.¡±

    With her hands on her legs, Songmei pushed herself up before offering a hand to Mingqing. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s practice together. It¡¯s not a big deal, I was taking a break anyway.¡±

 29: Its... Its Too Early For Commitment!

    Days flew by, and before Lin Songmei realized, a few weeks had passed in a flash. Having settled into a routine, Songmei didn¡¯t mind the passage of time as much, focusing more on schoolwork, cultivation, and just spending time with the people she had become close with.

    Through the few weeks that had gone by, Songmei¡¯s routine wasn¡¯t all that complex...

    It was relaxing to a suspicious point. She was doing work, improving, and learning but still... It kinda felt like there wasn¡¯t much to worry about.

    Damn, privilege was nice. She never had to worry about going hungry again!

    She still hoarded some food under her bed just in case though...

    Moving on from food, Songmei¡¯s routine wasn¡¯t much, she¡¯d wake up early in the morning on the weekdays, go to class, eat lunch, do some guided cultivation training with the others, and then stay in the training field to either meditate or practice techniques until dinner. After dinner, Songmei would do homework in the courtyard with Yan Mingqing, fulfilling their previous little promise with each other.

    After homework? Well... time wouldn¡¯t wait for anyone, so on most days it was more cultivation practice, under the tutelage of Liu Xueli though.

    However, there was still time for fun. Every Friday night, Songmei, Mingqing, and Xueli would gather and spend the night together, playing cards, watching a movie, playing video games, or whatever else they felt like doing.

    Other than that, on the weekend, although most of the time was spent cultivating, Xueli still took her two precious disciples out sometimes.

    Songmei was unaware, but Xueli¡¯s happiness was through the sky with her two disciples! Although Elder Wu Sen, the master of the other two disciples, was satisfied with them, Xueli, hearing the stories about what they did together, would have regurgitated blood!

    The disciples over at Wu Sen¡¯s place were boring! Furthermore, even with their ridiculous training schedule, her disciples had still been cultivating faster!

    Along those lines, today was a big day, it was a Saturday so there weren¡¯t any classes; however, since Songmei and Mingqing had just opened up their first main meridian, it was time for them to begin choosing their primary cultivation art.

    Songmei was... she was apprehensive.

    This was like marriage! This was like choosing a major!

    ... Didn¡¯t the world know that she wasn¡¯t good at committing to things...

    The world waits for no one though...

    So, here Songmei was, sitting on the wooden walkway, admiring the ever-beautiful courtyard in front of her. It was chill though. A few moments prior, Mingqing had cracked the door open to let her know that she was almost done getting ready, so she shouldn¡¯t be waiting for too long.

    Laying back onto the wooden planks, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but think back to the kind-hearted elder who was the librarian of the Divine Repository, although she hadn¡¯t had much time, she¡¯d still sometimes go by and say hi to him.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    The chubby, round old man truly gave off comforting vibes.

    ¡°Helloooo~ from the other side~¡± Mingqing sang as she burst through the door with a smile, grabbing the attention of Songmei who was... as always, laying on the floor. ¡°C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon, get up, let¡¯s get going. It¡¯s going to be exciting~ don''t¡¯ be so apprehensive~¡±

    Getting pulled up onto her feet, Songmei thanked Mingqing before checking her clothes to see if they had folded anywhere. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going then...¡±

    Songmei took Mingqing¡¯s outstretched hand into her own, it was already a habit by now, walking towards Xueli¡¯s courtyard where their master would inevitably be feeding her koi.

    Turn. Turn. Turn.

    Deciding to not walk straight through the courtyard, but instead the wooden walkway that ringed it, Songmei and Mingqing waved towards their master, getting her attention while sitting on the edge of the wooden walkway.

    ¡°How are you two doing?¡± Xueli asked, setting down her koi feed and walking over, ¡°Have you two fully digested your gains from breaking through?¡±

    Giving a nod, Songmei let the talkative Mingqing take the lead, Songmei wasn¡¯t planning on becoming a professional bullshitter like Mingqing anytime soon anyway.

    ¡°It certainly feels different.¡± Mingqing began, reaching out to let Xueli insert some Qi into her arm. ¡°I feel stronger, have more Qi at my disposal, have more mental clarity, and my body feels more pure.¡±

    Giving a nod to show that she agreed with Mingqing, Songmei waited as Xueli finished up her little inspection. After a moment, Xueli began to murmur, ¡°Hmm... Good... you¡¯re looking very good. Solid start for sure. Songmei reach out your hand as well please~¡±

    Reaching out her hand, Songmei felt a little rush of coolness flow into her arm as Xueli did another impromptu inspection.

    ¡°Looks good!¡± Xueli proclaimed with a wide smile, pulling the two up onto their feet and into a hug. ¡°Let¡¯s get going~!¡±

    Used to the hugs, Songmei returned the embrace before the three of them set off towards the Divine repository.

    --------

    A tall building, a blend between a futuristic woven wooden style and a pagoda, the Divine Repository was one of the most famous buildings in the Starlight Lake Sect.

    For one thing, the building itself was famous for its unique architectural style. For other things, it used to be the physical storage place for all the techniques within the sect. However, now it was more a large library, holding media of various kinds along with providing access to the secure database of techniques held within the sect.

    Of course, the most important techniques were still only stored in physical copies...

    Right now, standing in front of the large Divine Repository, a building that had a floating island all to itself, Songmei was still impressed. Songmei had come here many times before, inside the building, there was a large reading area and a front desk where the elder would do his duties.

    Songmei still didn¡¯t know his name though... maybe she¡¯d find out today? ...Hopefully.

    Following along behind Xueli, Songmei and Mingqing made their way in, nodding at the elder before heading to the second floor to a waiting room.

    The room was nice, not too over the top, but not dilapidated either, just... clean and sleek.

    Sitting down, the trio waited for not too long before the door was pushed open once more, revealing the appearance of the chubby, old elder.

    Songmei couldn¡¯t help but relax a little, the elder¡¯s smile was always warm and welcoming. If he was younger by... a lot of years... and was a cute girl, Songmei was sure that he would¡¯ve had a massive dedicated following.

    Walking in, the elder sat down on the couch opposite from Mingqing and Songmei, Xueli having sat on a separate chair on the side.

    ¡°Nice to meet you two, especially you, young Songmei, you come by quite often. My name is Zhang Qiushan, head of the Divine Repository. I¡¯ll be helping you two choose a primary cultivation technique today.¡±

    ... Th... The old guy was the head of the entire Divine Repository??

    Songmei was... stunned...

    ... Dammit why are there important people everywhere... how did she keep running into them?!

 30: Online Dating With Cultivation Techniques

    After recovering from her shock, Lin Songmei proceeded as normal, making some light conversation as everyone got to know each other. With a warm atmosphere permeating the room, Elder Zhang Qiushan brought out a little device.

    The device, resembling a crystal ball, was attached to a sleek, solid black case. Inside the crystal ball, there seemed to be something similar to fog or mist swirling around.

    Other than the crystal ball, Elder Zhang also grabbed two files, copies of Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing¡¯s cultivation test results.

    ¡°I want to say both of these results are very impressive,¡± Elder Zhang murmured with a smile, putting the two files down on the table. ¡°So the procedure isn¡¯t too complicated. As you two have already started to learn how to cultivate, just insert some Qi into the crystal ball and it¡¯ll reveal a... general direction one could say, that you would be suited for in cultivation. Sounds good?¡±

    ¡°¡°Sounds good¡±¡±

    ¡°Alright then, who¡¯d like to go first?¡± Elder Zhang asked, pushing the crystal ball towards Songmei and Mingqing.

    Waving towards Mingqing, Songmei leaned back, sinking into the soft couch as Mingqing leaned forward.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go first, I just... put my hand on the crystal ball, right?¡± Mingqing clarified while reaching out to touch the crystal ball. ¡°Reminds me of the aptitude test.¡±

    Nodding to confirm Mingqing¡¯s earlier question, Elder Zhang chuckled, shrugging as Mingqing began to insert Qi into the crystal ball. ¡°It does seem similar to the aptitude test that¡¯s been introduced in recent years. Sadly, I started cultivating long before the test was introduced.¡±

    As the mist-like substance in the crystal ball began to swirl faster and faster, Mingqing began to make conversation with the Elder. ¡°The new aptitude test was introduced about 80 years ago, so it¡¯s understandable that someone as esteemed as you didn¡¯t use it. What do you think of it though?¡±

    Songmei was impressed! She was just sitting there being a wet noodle, yet Mingqing was showing her pro-ability to talk to important people! You go, Mingqing! Amazing social skills, unparalleled! Heaven shattering young mistress!

    If only those social skills could be used for people other than those who fit the strict criteria of ¡°Will probably never or barely see them again¡± as well as ¡°Much older and much higher in seniority.¡±

    A true shame...

    As the conversation continued though, Songmei sat back up, listening to Elder Zhang¡¯s praises towards the new system as the swirling in the crystal ball slowed down, revealing a microcosm of a starry sky above a tranquil, frozen sea.

    Silence.

    With the room falling silent, everyone paid attention to the stabilizing scene within the crystal ball.

    ¡°I see...¡± Elder Zhang murmured, noting down as many characteristics as he could before giving a small wave to let Mingqing remove her hand from the ball. ¡°You may or may not know this Yan Mingqing, but your brother¡¯s scene was quite different from yours... Interesting indeed.¡±

    Speaking up for the first time in a while, Liu Xueli pointed towards Mingqing¡¯s file that was laid out on the low table between Elder Zhang and the two disciples. ¡°It¡¯s probably because of this isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Sitting there watching Mingqing¡¯s changing expressions, eventually settling back onto the ever-comfortable ice queen expression, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but chuckle inside.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Songmei was just as lost as Mingqing!

    Probably more!

    If Mingqing was like a traveler who had lost their way, Songmei was the dead body on the side of the road that had gotten mauled by hyenas.

    Knowing that it... definitely, no matter what, was not her place to ask, Songmei kept silent and let Mingqing ask the questions about her own situation. ¡°So... I see that you¡¯re pointing to the physique section. What about it? As people part of the direct lineage of the Kunpeng clan... my brother and I both have the Kunpeng Heavenly physique...¡±

    Mingqing had what now?

    Maybe Songmei wasn¡¯t a lucky or talented person... There was Miss ¡°heavenly physique¡± next to her after all...

    Not that she would complain at all, Mingqing was one of her few friends. Moreover, it was always good to have lucky people around you, more luck never hurt anyone.

    Taking over for Elder Zhang, as she was more familiar with Mingqing¡¯s file, Xueli surmised, ¡°You both have the Kunpeng physique, but your brother¡¯s leans towards the Kun, while yours leans towards the Peng. The Kunpeng is made up of two animals after all, so it''s understandable how this happens.¡±

    ¡°I... see,¡± Mingqing murmured before nodding a few times, scooting over to let Songmei touch the crystal ball.

    Boop.

    Poking the crystal ball, Songmei began to channel Qi into the now misty crystal ball.

    Swirl.

    Taking a look at the crystal ball, Songmei made some light conversation until the mist began to settle.

    Songmei hoped, with all her heart, that it didn¡¯t settle into like... the scene of an orphanage or the scene of a garbage dump...

    After a while though, the mist settled, revealing a scene of verdant nature. However, the soaring trees and lumbering animals were all made of iridescent, colorful crystals.

    It was pretty, Songmei would admit that any day... but...

    Isn¡¯t this the sect known for their water related stuff? This... doesn¡¯t seem very water-related.

    That seems a little problematic...

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mingqing¡¯s voice interjected as she patted Songmei¡¯s leg, putting a stop to Songmei¡¯s train of thought.

    Resting her hand against Mingqing¡¯s, Songmei murmured a quiet thank you as Elder Zhang continued, moving onto the next step, pulling out two tablets for the two of them.

    ¡°Alright, that was very good, you two. Thank you for cooperating,¡± Elder Zhang reassured with a gentle, perfect old-man smile, handing two tablets to the two of them. ¡°On these two sheets of paper, I wrote down some important characteristics that I saw. With these characteristics, feel free to look through our catalog of cultivation techniques.¡±

    ¡°Overall,¡± Elder Zhang continued, sliding the two pieces of paper in front of Mingqing and Songmei, ¡°For the both of you, as you are direct disciples, I don¡¯t think you need to cultivate the sect¡¯s main art. It¡¯s been simplified a touch so that people of all talents within the sect can cultivate it. For you, Yan Mingqing, I¡¯d recommend an adjacent art, probably something that blends the stars with ice. While for you, Lin Songmei, I¡¯d recommend looking for the crystal-related arts.¡±

    ¡°Also, don¡¯t forget,¡± Xueli added with a gentle smile, ¡°Both Elder Zhang and I are here to help you two make the decision. No need to drown yourself in it.¡±

    Giving their thanks, Songmei and Mingqing began to browse the catalog, looking for their future marriage partner-... future overarching cultivation art.

    The database was... nice. From the little about tab, Songmei saw that the database was a subset of the database that could be accessed in the lobby of the Divine Repository. Elder Zhang had already filtered it so there were only main cultivation arts and no individual techniques.

    There were... a lot though.

    Filtering by the recommended guidelines that Elder Zhang gave, Songmei still had about 20 cultivation arts to look through.

    ... It kinda felt like online shopping...

    And so... she began to scroll. Clicking on an art would expand it, giving a brief explanation on what it focused on, along with some other key information points on the art itself.

    Elder Zhang even made a short personal comment on each art! Each, and every single one!

    ... How much time did this old man have...

    There must¡¯ve been hundreds, if not thousands of arts in the database!

    Just a second ago, Mingqing let out a long sigh, and looking over, Songmei could see that she had a little over 150 arts to look through!

    Rest in peace...

 31: Rare Moments of Not Third-Wheeling

    Lin Songmei was conflicted. She, without much trouble, managed to narrow it down to a couple of arts, unlike Yan Mingqing who was struggling to say the least.

    The problem was, the arts were too... flowery with their descriptions.

    ¡®Nature¡¯s Proxy, Voice of the Land¡¯

    [Cultivating this art allows you to become one with nature, you¡¯ll hold the power to speak for nature itself. Command nature, and bring nature¡¯s judgment onto your enemies.]

    Songmei was willing to admit that it sounded cool, but it was too vague! It felt like the difficulty of choosing an art went from online shopping to online dating!

    What was this massive difficulty spike for...

    Songmei didn¡¯t plan on choosing the ¡®Nature¡¯s Proxy¡¯ art, though. Although it sounded fancy, Elder Zhang and her master Xueli recommended against it because it had nothing to do with crystals.

    In the end, she was left with one then, an interesting art that had to do with crystals and nature. The art was unique though, it was one that had to be paired with one of its supplementary arts.

    [Supplementary Art List: Tiger, Phoenix, Butterfly, Falcon, Bear, Leopard, Centipede...]

    The list went on forever.

    ¡°How am I supposed to choose one animal from the entire animal kingdom...¡± Songmei murmured to herself, looking over at the list of animals that had been present inside the crystal ball. ¡°Moose...? Huh. Okay, there were butterflies too, also some sparrows.¡±

    Songmei was still thankful though, for sure, without a shadow of a doubt. Even if she was struggling a little with choosing, Mingqing next to her was... suffering.

    Mingqing could only eliminate a couple at a time, as all the arts were really similar. And, to be totally honest, having taken a quick glance earlier, Songmei swore she saw the same art three separate times.

    Patting Mingqing a few times in pity, Songmei turned to Xueli who had moved to sit right next to her. ¡°Do you think it''s okay if I choose this art and pair it with the Butterfly supplementary one? It¡¯d complete the overall art into the Crystalline Butterfly Art.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Xueli murmured, stroking her chin while reading it over, ¡°It looks quite good. I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it. If you choose it though, because it¡¯s a butterfly, I¡¯d recommend you not use the recommended weapon of the spear. Do you like it, though? Does it... speak to you? Does it touch you in a way where you want to constantly learn more of it?¡±

    Unsure, Songmei gave a small ¡°Thank you¡± before leaning back and sinking into the couch, giving it some more thought. She had plenty of time after all, Mingqing still had 60 arts left, and that meant, 59 to eliminate.

    With that, time flew by, morning turned to afternoon, and the afternoon ticked by without the four of them realizing. They had lunch delivered to their room, and ate while continuing their business.

    Around 3pm though, Songmei and Mingqing were both done. Songmei had finished maybe one or two hours ago, having consulted Elder Zhang and Xueli a few times, but decided to wait for Mingqing to finish as well.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°¡°Thank you!¡±¡± Mingqing and Songmei thanked, bowing their heads towards the genial Elder Zhang who had stayed with them the whole time.

    Seeing them off at the door, Elder Zhang waved at them as they walked away, reminding, ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help! Also, don¡¯t fret too much, you can always pivot as long as you¡¯re still opening your meridians! Feel free to come back if you feel like something¡¯s wrong!¡±

    Thanking Elder Zhang once more, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but sigh, maybe... maybe saints were real after all.

    --------

    Leaving the Divine Repository with snow crunching under their feet, Songmei looked back at Xueli who was following behind. ¡°Xueli, am I allowed to tell Mingqing about the art I chose?¡±

    ¡°Sure~¡± Xueli shrugged, ¡°Knock yourself out~ it wouldn¡¯t hurt, you two already know the basics of each other¡¯s arts already after all.¡±

    ¡°Okay, thank you,¡± Songmei nodded, turning back towards Mingqing with a smile, ¡°Alright you heard her, so... you first or me first?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go first?¡± Mingqing shrugged, poking Songmei¡¯s cheek with a small smile and a squint, ¡°I was the one who was the spokesperson all this morning after all, don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice~¡±

    Clutching her chest as Mingqing applied more and more pressure, Songmei turned away with a cough, ¡°I- alright... But still, you¡¯re the extrovert between us, you were the one who volunteered to be Miss Spokesperson!¡±

    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Mingqing laughed, stopping her poke and patting Songmei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I could talk all day, everyday. You¡¯ll never hear me shut up, but still, c¡¯mon, you go first.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± Songmei relented with a chuckle, tapping her chin while remembering the details that she could. ¡°So, I chose an art called the Crystalline Butterfly Art. It¡¯s crystal and nature focused, but the nature part is focused more towards butterflies. You already know that part I think, yeah?¡±

    Getting an ¡°Mhm¡± and nod from Mingqing, Songmei continued, a smile blossoming on her face as her voice got a little louder, ¡°So the art is like butterfly stuff for movement and support, and then crystal stuff for defense and offense. Then overall, my own Qi will be... I don¡¯t know, nature-y. Also, after Elder Zhang and Xueli recommended either the sword or bow, I chose the bow because I would rather use a bow.¡±

    Songmei fell silent after sharing, letting out a small cough in embarrassment. She hadn¡¯t meant to get that excited talking about the art, it was just... she was excited and motivated to learn the art...

    ¡®It¡¯s just that, why does it feel like my reasons are all just, it looked cool, sounded nice, and... that¡¯s it...¡¯

    ¡°What about you, though?¡± Songmei asked, moving on from her own technique with a shrug. ¡°Something about constellations, right?¡±

    Kicking some snow as she walked, Mingqing began her own explanation. ¡°I chose an art called Constellation¡¯s Frozen Ocean. It¡¯s a sword-based art, with a separate sword form for each of the constellations.¡±

    ¡°The frozen ocean part isn¡¯t the real focus in all honesty,¡± Mingqing continued, crossing a bridge with Songmei as they meandered their way back to their residence. ¡°Everything ice and water related is more of a support. The main focus would be the constellations and the stars that make them up.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei murmured, she already knew most of it, but it still made her happy inside to hear it from Mingqing.

    After Mingqing¡¯s explanation though, silence fell once more.

    Without much to say, the two just walked in silence, enjoying each other¡¯s presence. It was a nice day, the sun was in the sky, providing its light and none of its heat.

    Songmei, for one thing, was... happy.

    She had been feeling unmotivated, and still... still sorta did, but it was getting better. She was motivated to improve, to run away from falling back into poverty.

    Well... at this point it was almost becoming running away from mediocrity instead.

    As Songmei fell into her thoughts while walking with Mingqing, holding the other¡¯s hand, their master, Xueli, couldn¡¯t help but feel something germinate in her own heart.

    Different from the normal third-wheeling feeling she felt, Xueli felt a smile blossom on her face as she looked at the far away mountains.

    Letting out a sigh, then a chuckle, Xueli put her hands into her pockets and looked at her two disciples once more as they squeezed each other¡¯s hands, thinking that no one else would notice.

    Being their master really was a nice feeling...

 32: Is It Bad To Have No Other Hobbies?

    Having chosen their arts, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing returned to their residence. It was mid-afternoon, but there were still a fair amount of people walking around, going back to their houses, going to restaurants, going to training fields, or going to the library.

    Back in their residence, by their shared courtyard, Songmei and Mingqing sat there, making some idle conversation while discussing their plans for the rest of the day. Liu Xueli had mentioned that she could bring them to go see a movie, but after perusing the catalog, both Songmei and Mingqing sat there with dead eyes.

    There wasn¡¯t anything interesting.

    It was like choosing between a brick and a block of concrete.

    Songmei wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to do, at first, Xueli had told them that the selection would take the whole day, but after Mingqing¡¯s heroics in eliminating swath after swath of arts, they had managed to finish before the cafeteria started to even prepare dinner.

    ¡°Are you not going to grind your brick-laying game, Mingqing?¡± Songmei asked, rolling over on the wooden walkway, her cheek squished against the ground.

    Kicking her feet up against one of the columns, Mingqing let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve already grinded to a point where I don¡¯t have to do anything for a while, I can let my auto-brick-laying bots do the work.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei murmured, unaware of anything to do with the brick-laying game. At least Mingqing seemed to be having fun. ¡°Do you have any ideas of what you want to do? The only thing that was getting me excited was thinking about going to try and learn a new technique from the art I chose... ¡±

    Sighing, Mingqing stretched out, pushing the tips of her fingers as far as she could. ¡°I was thinking we could go and cultivate with Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei, but they¡¯re also like... focusing while in seclusion. They want to open their first meridian as soon as possible after all. Other than that I was just thinking the same as you.¡±

    ¡°I would go with you to hang out with them, but yeah... I don¡¯t want to disturb them. I feel like Elder Wu would chase us away if we went anywhere close to their residence.¡± Songmei shuddered, remembering the demon-like Elder Wu who handed out disciplinary punishments like they were free meal vouchers.

    It was lucky that Elder Wu liked her and Mingqing.

    For now at least...

    Silence...

    Laying there, Songmei and Mingqing stared at the tree in the center of the courtyard, watching it sway in the gentle wind that blew by.

    ¡°Want to go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... let¡¯s go.¡±

    ---------

    The training field.

    The lights illuminated the large windows that lined the building. They illuminated the balconies made up of rest and viewing areas and the varied training fields for every environment created to cater to every training need.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Under the bright warm lights, Songmei and Mingqing sat on a bench by one of the smaller training fields, pulling up the cultivation manuals on their terminals.

    Opening the manual, Songmei was greeted by a... short list. There wasn¡¯t much to learn at her current level, there was a movement technique and a body strengthening technique.

    Although the body strengthening technique was tempting, she¡¯d need to reinforce her injury-riddled wrists to shoot a bow after all, Songmei felt more inclined to learn the movement technique. She had just spent a couple of days mastering the technique taught in class and... body strengthening was boring...

    There wasn¡¯t anything flashy to it! It was just... feeling stronger.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have interest in feeling like she could crush a brick in her hand, what was the point? She didn¡¯t have any bricks to crush anyway... only homework to do and meridians to open.

    She wasn¡¯t Lu Qiang, she wasn¡¯t part of the ¡®a strong body equals a strong mind¡¯ club...

    Opening the manual for the butterfly movement art, Songmei¡¯s hands came to a stop as she read the manual.

    Raising an eyebrow, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but murmur to herself in disbelief, ¡°You must... move like a butterfly, floating in the wind... what? How...¡±

    ¡°Your feet must flutter, and your steps must be brief... I feel like whoever wrote this had butterflies for brains...¡± Songmei grumbled, skimming over the manual as it continued with its flowery language. Shaking her head, Songmei thanked her lucky stars as she remembered the stories that Elder Zhang told of his youth.

    Thank the heavens that there were pictures, thank the heavens that it wasn¡¯t a vertically written scroll.

    Standing up, Songmei brought her terminal with her, bringing it into the center of the training field. Bending over and stretching her hamstrings, her quads, her calves, and other parts of her legs, Songmei set down her terminal as she got started.

    The overall prerequisite for this basic technique was to have at least one meridian open. This would allow for a smooth enough flow of Qi in the legs to start learning the technique, but from what she gathered on the manual, it wouldn''t show its true effectiveness until many many realms later.

    At least she met the bare minimum, she would take whatever she could get.

    Shuffling her feet around on the ground though while channeling Qi through her legs, Songmei was confused, to say the least. Practicing the movements outlined, she felt more like a limp worm struggling on the ground rather than a fluttering butterfly soaring through the air...

    Unlike the diagrams from the fist technique in class though, the diagrams for the butterfly movement art were at least diagrams of humans. Songmei didn¡¯t know which she preferred, they were both confusing either way and the panda was cuter by a long shot, but... the human going through the movements seemed to be more clear.

    Emphasis on the ¡°seemed¡±...

    Watching the person go through the movements, Songmei watched as they went through it step by step, then, when putting it all together, the person seemed to move like a haze, disappearing from one spot to another.

    Very helpful!

    Super helpful!

    If Songmei was to give it a rating, without a shadow of a doubt, no hesitation, 0/10!!

    Truly ahead of its time!

    In the past, Songmei had seen channels on the streaming site Live that did step by step tutorials on techniques, but... well...

    The channel was only useful to people who practiced those techniques...

    It was run by a fire-cultivator, so, totally unhelpful to Songmei or Mingqing. However, in addition to that, the cultivator didn¡¯t post much. It was similar to the other cultivator-run channels on Live, they¡¯d have some audience of normal people who found the techniques interesting, but it was hard for them to gather much of an audience as very few people would benefit from watching the videos.

    But hey, at least sometimes there¡¯d be videos put out by hunting squads that recorded their adventures...

    That was a whole other weird corner of Live though.

 33: The Unfit Experience: Workout Edition

    Hands on her knees, Lin Songmei stood slouched over in the center of the training field, doing her best to catch her breath.

    Every time.

    Every time she breathed, it felt like a snake made of fire was ripping through her chest.

    Wiping some sweat off her forehead, Songmei pushed herself upright while beginning to walk in slow circles. Unlike Yan Mingqing, who was still practicing the foundational swordsmanship of the constellation sword art, Songmei wanted a break.

    She was sweaty, tired, sore, and just out of shape. Songmei knew this, of course she did, her hobbies were reading and studying, that doesn¡¯t breed fit people, that breeds people who get run over at intersections because they were distracted.

    Good thing she wasn¡¯t ever run over! Hah! Amazing 10/10 luck as always!

    Her breathing slowing down, Songmei stretched her legs a few times, patted her clothes, and re-tied her hair back before looking through the manual one more time.

    At the highest level, the butterfly movement technique should let the user flit around as if they were a butterfly, disappearing and reappearing all around the battlefield. However, at her current level, the technique was a little more crude.

    Songmei¡¯s goal was simple: follow the 5 step ¡®activation¡¯ procedure and be able to do something similar to a short-range teleport. Of course, the technique wasn¡¯t true teleportation, it was just a technique that¡¯d allow the user to increase their speed by a crazy margin.

    The problem that Songmei was running into though, was that she could only get the technique to trigger once every 8-ish times, her steps weren¡¯t precise enough, which was frustrating as... she wasn¡¯t a dancer! She grew up studying! As established earlier!

    Even after the technique triggered though, Songmei would have a hard time coming to a stop. She had already fallen down more times than she could count, Songmei¡¯s legs had scrapes, her knees each became a patchwork of small cuts.

    The scrapes weren¡¯t much of an issue, they¡¯d heal after a few minutes of meditating, but the whole ¡®not being able to stop after using the technique¡¯ issue was important. She didn¡¯t want to throw herself into a wall; she didn¡¯t have aspirations in becoming artwork in the near future.

    A strong first step, a light second step, a weave, and then two steps to ¡®extend the wings of the butterfly¡¯.

    Failure.

    Her legs on fire, Songmei persisted, trying time after time. Prime time for dinner came and went. Both Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t care, the canteen had food until late at night anyway.

    And so, after sending a text to let their master know that they¡¯d be back late, Songmei and Mingqing continued their bone-aching practice.

    As the hours passed and the sun set, Songmei was seeing progress, she could activate the technique almost every other time, and when she activated the technique, and although she wasn''t a balance master, she was able to stay upright.

    Small victories.

    Sitting against the wall taking a break, Songmei raised her water bottle, emptying it once more. Songmei didn¡¯t remember how many times she had emptied it, but it wasn¡¯t that large of a bottle, so she remembered that she had made... too many journeys to refill it.

    Staring off into the distance, admiring the starry night sky that could be seen through the glass ceiling that filled in the holes between the wooden weave-style roof, Songmei let out a long sigh.

    Each twinkle seemed to hold its own little piece of happiness, its own uniqueness.

    It was moments like this, where Songmei found her motivation either soaring, or beginning to wilt.

    These days, she wasn¡¯t using gratitude as her only motivator anymore which was good. Of course, her gratitude towards the sect, her master, and the others around her was motivation to keep pushing, but there was also an... interest, a natural sort of passion towards cultivating.

    The feeling of Qi flowing through the body was... ecstasy. Well, that made it sound a lot better and a lot more addictive than Qi really was, but it got the gist of it. Songmei had begun to chase that feeling of improvement, that feeling of more Qi in her body.

    Beyond these two feelings, Songmei had a touch of anxiety driving her forward. Throughout the past few weeks, through small slips in conversation, she had managed to learn more about the world situation and the common enemies that were faced by the cultivation world.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    She didn¡¯t know anything, Xueli had said it was too early for her to know, and that there wasn¡¯t a point but Songmei still kept it in mind. She didn¡¯t want to have a meteor fall on her head one day. She wanted to be strong enough to at least run away... how could she have her comfortable house otherwise?

    Other than vague enemies though, as ashamed as she was to admit it, Songmei was also... running away in a certain sense, running away from poverty.

    She didn¡¯t want to return to it, never if she could do anything about it.

    That was a great motivator...

    But... At this point, with the sect and everything, it had shifted a touch, bit by bit without her noticing, shifted towards a more... fear of mediocrity.

    Right now though, away from the deep thoughts, Mingqing was also taking a break, most times their breaks didn¡¯t line up but... it was late. Songmei was worn and she could tell Mingqing was too, and although it was fun and she probably could go on, Songmei was ready to go back home...

    It had been hours after all.

    Shelving her thoughts and stretching out her legs as Mingqing walked over, Songmei laughed at the haphazard ponytail that Mingqing tied. ¡°How are you? Was it fun?¡±

    ¡°It was,¡± Mingqing nodded with a languid smile, taking a seat beside Songmei, ¡°You want to go home too?¡±

    ¡°...Yeah...¡± Songmei murmured, a little embarrassed to admit it. Although she put in so many hours of practice during the weekend, she still felt like it wasn¡¯t enough. Songmei¡¯s original goal was to practice until the technique became second nature... but it seemed like she still had a lot of practice ahead of her.

    Rocking back before using the momentum to force herself to her feet, Songmei extended a hand to Mingqing who was drowning herself using her water bottle.

    A click. Flicking her water bottle¡¯s lid back on, Mingqing grabbed Songmei¡¯s hand to pull herself up, keeping hold of it as the two began to walk towards the main entrance area. ¡°We can just talk more on the way home. We can grab some food along the way too~ Anything specific that you¡¯re thinking about getting?¡±

    Songmei tapped her chin, she wasn¡¯t sure what she wanted to get, but maybe... ¡°Soup. Probably just... yeah, probably just soup.¡±

    Squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand like a stress ball, Mingqing pursed her lips while squinting at Songmei. ¡°I¡¯ll flip your bowl of soup upside down and put it on your head like a hat if you get more soup.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± Songmei exhaled, a shudder running down her spine as she imagined the feeling of soup running through her hair. Mingqing would do it, Songmei was sure...

    ¡°I¡¯ll... I¡¯ll think about it some more then,¡± Songmei coughed, feeling her stomach grumble and cry out for food, ¡°Anything you¡¯re thinking about getting?¡±

    ¡°Just a bowl of vegetables, rice, and chicken. I¡¯m in a... chicken type of mood.¡± Mingqing pondered out loud, her words trailing off as she nodded, making a decision in the moment. ¡°I¡¯ve been eating a lot of pork recently, and before that I went through a bit of a beef phase, so now I¡¯m rotating to chicken. It¡¯s more common anyway. Although I do also like lamb and duck, there just aren¡¯t as many dishes with lamb and duck when you compare it to chicken.¡±

    Damn...

    Mingqing¡¯s machine-level of habit tracking with her eating stunned Songmei.

    If only she could hire Mingqing to manage her own life like that...

    At the same time, Songmei raised her eyebrows, nodding along to Mingqing¡¯s little monologue. Mingqing was always talkative, but it went to a whole different level when concerning food. It was like her vocal chords were indestructible!

    If Songmei talked that much she¡¯d probably end up with vocal cord nodules after a couple of days...

    ¡°Anyway, moving on from eating,¡± Mingqing shrugged, finishing up her little monologue about food as they crossed a bridge to get to a small floating island home to the canteen. ¡°How was practicing the technique? Make good progress? Have fun?¡±

    Pushing the door open to the canteen and getting a wave of warm air blasted into her face, Songmei¡¯s face relaxed as she held the door for Mingqing. ¡°It was fun, yeah. The manual used some unbelievably flowery language and some diagrams that could pass for hieroglyphs. Still, even with those, I made a lot of progress. I¡¯m a little disappointed that I didn¡¯t get to my goal, But it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not a big deal. What about you? Also, a rice bowl with beef stew please. Thank you.¡±

    Ordering a plate of breaded chicken to go with a bowl of rice and vegetables herself, Mingqing nodded along as Songmei gave her answer before giving her own answer as the two walked over to a waiting area. ¡°I enjoyed it. The foundations of the constellation sword style aren¡¯t too different from the ones my parents made me practice as a child. I thought it¡¯d be totally different, so the fact it was already half-familiar to me let me make a lot more progress than I¡¯d hoped.¡±

    ¡°Also, on the note of flowery language and hieroglyphs... for SURE, I should¡¯ve taken some lessons to become an archaeologist when I was younger...¡± Mingqing shook her head with a laugh, ¡°In the end though, it was fun... I would say let¡¯s do it again tomorrow, but I think Xueli has some plans.¡±

    Moving forward with Mingqing to pick up their tray of food from the takeout counter, Songmei thanked the lady before walking back towards the doors, leaning their backs against the doors to open them. ¡°I think she wants to take us hiking?¡±

    ¡°Ah... Not hiking again...¡± Mingqing sighed, shaking her head before using her arm to push some hair that got stuck against her mouth away. ¡°We can always practice another time I guess...¡±

    After Mingqing said that, letting out a long sigh while staring off at the sea of stars above-head, the two changed topics, making some random theories on what Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei were doing.

    And... With lamps dotted on each of the islands, bathing each island in a warm glow under the night sky, Songmei walked along with Mingqing back to where they were living, continuing the conversation while admiring the bustling nightlife that took place on the mountains that ringed the lake.

 34: No One Will Notice A Little Hand-Holding, Right?

    Without much fuss, having chosen her cultivation art, Lin Songmei immersed herself into her daily life once more, not paying too much attention to the time passing, not noticing as several weeks passed once more.

    Songmei¡¯s daily life... was boring. It was like watching snow fall, fun in the moment, but still... It was quite mind-numbing after a while.

    Throughout the time period, there were a few notable pieces of news though. The first was that a few days after Songmei and Mingqing chose their arts, Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei managed to open the first of their 12 main meridians as well. With that, they had also already chosen their main cultivation arts.

    A couple of weeks after Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei managed to open the first of their 12 main meridians though, Songmei and Mingqing both managed to open their second, high-fiving and holding a small party with their master Liu Xueli in celebration.

    Fast progress! Enough to make many others throw up blood!

    During this time, Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t do anything that fun, they spent many of their days cultivating, hanging out, and doing homework. Songmei began practicing with a bow, Mingqing continued learning her swordsmanship. Just a routine of day-to-day life that led them to slow, but constant improvement.

    With the bow though, Songmei, seeing quick progress, thanked the heavens; it seemed that opening her meridians helped her with any sort of dexterous actions, letting her learn faster.

    She was still absolute garbage when compared to Mingqing¡¯s sword skills...

    Her bow skills were still... elementary, she could hit a target, but not well. She might¡¯ve had more luck with an auto-aiming bow, but sadly... those weren¡¯t a thing. Just a dream like having wrists that wouldn¡¯t throb after hours of note-taking and homework... working.

    Other than learning to use the bow, class had settled into a routine, the inner disciple and direct disciple conflict was in a bit of a cold war period, with both sides being amiable with each other, but a sense of coldness still separated the two groups. This was only exacerbated with the fact that the direct disciples, having opened their meridians, were scheduled to leave the sect soon.

    Songmei wasn¡¯t too sure on the details of the trip, all Xueli had revealed was that it was going to be after a large event...

    And that event was today.

    Standing on the main island, wearing their formal robes, Songmei stood shoulder to shoulder with Mingqing, their arms behind their back.

    For the inner disciples, this was an optional event to attend, and with the details not being disclosed, most of them decided to go elsewhere. No one wanted to go to a random event on a Saturday.

    With all the elders and direct disciples in the sect standing in the wings of a large paved courtyard, Songmei looked around, scanning the crowd. ¡°Mingqing... Have you seen Xueli?¡±

    ¡°I have not.¡± Mingqing murmured under her breath, a similar tone of worry creeping into her voice. ¡°She did mention that she¡¯d be participating in the event so... she should just not be here yet. Any ideas on the event?¡±

    ¡°Nope...¡± Songmei shook her head, just as baffled as Mingqing was. In fact, none of the disciples and lower elders were aware of the event. The upper elders seemed to be well-informed, but they were tight-lipped. The lower elders seemed to have an idea of the event... but, putting aside the fact they didn¡¯t have any specific details, they were also tight-lipped!

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Did everyone have their lips sewn shut or something??

    Just as Songmei shook her head though, a small commotion rang out as the double doors on one side of the courtyard opened, letting Xueli and Tu Weiping out from within.

    Murmurs began to ring out, whispers rippled through the crowd.

    Xueli, after walking to the center of the courtyard, took a seat on the pavement, her legs crossed as she closed her eyes.

    Tu Weiping on the other hand, as the sect leader, gave Xueli a few encouraging pats and exchanged some words before walking to the nearest wing of the courtyard, the elders shifting a bit to let him have a spot.

    Confused beyond imagination, Songmei stood there, resisting the urge to call out to Xueli. What was she doing over there? This... this wasn¡¯t something bad was it? From her conversations with several elders, they seemed a little nervous, but they said there wasn¡¯t anything to worry about...

    ¡°I... I think I know what this is,¡± Mingqing whispered, nudging Songmei with an elbow, urging her to lean in closer. ¡°Look... the clouds are gathering above too.¡±

    Dark storm clouds.

    Songmei¡¯s eyes widened, it had been an overcast day before this, but now, there were dark storm clouds, billowing in from every direction, congregating above Xueli¡¯s head.

    Could... could it be?

    Her eyes also nailed to the dark storm clouds overhead, Mingqing fell silent, opening her mouth after taking a few moments to think. ¡°This is similar to my brother¡¯s advancement... This might be a heavenly tribulation. I don¡¯t know which realm she¡¯s advancing to though...¡±

    Songmei had read about it in novels before, but... in real life? It was different.

    There was an invisible pressure that weighed down on everyone around. Songmei, looking towards Xueli, could see that her eyebrows furrowed, sweat ran down the side of her head, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.

    Crackle...

    Her eyes snapping up to the clouds once more, Songmei saw that there were yellow, white, and blue electric arcs flashing and jumping between the clouds.

    The pressure increasing, Songmei patted her chest, feeling a weight that restricted her breathing. Beyond the pressure though, there was an invisible majesty in the area, and from what she had read about, this was the Heavenly Dao, descending onto the world to give its test.

    A nudge.

    Songmei, thinking that no one else would notice, grabbed Mingqing¡¯s hand, squeezing the hand for support as a faint tinge of pink climbed onto her cheeks in embarrassment before she focused once more in front of her.

    Silence.

    With the courtyard dead silent, each person craning their neck as their mouths dried, breaths shallow in bated anticipation, lightning began to fall.

    Bolt after bolt.

    The deafening roar of thunder.

    Songmei lost count after the first two seconds, it was as if a multi-colored curtain of lightning had descended.

    Ho... how was anyone supposed to survive this?

    Feeling her hands become clammy, Songmei looked around, getting a little bit of relief from the relaxed expressions on the face of each elder that was watching the scene.

    A large crackle and roar.

    Above the clouds, coiling as it bared its jaws, Songmei looked up to see an electric blue dragon drawing lightning bolts towards it.

    Before long, seeming satisfied after its little charge up, the dragon soared towards Xueli, crashing into the ground with a loud explosion.

    A blast of air blowing her hair back, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened and her jaw slackened as she took a step back to maintain her balance.

    With that... the tribulation continued on.

    The roar of dragons, the cascading bolts of lightning.

    And... the drip of blood.

 35: Different Types Of Food Gifts

    The rain of lightning seemed to have no end.

    Lin Songmei was convinced. If anyone could harness the power of a heavenly tribulation, they could solve energy as a societal issue forever.

    After what seemed to be an eternity, the tribulation let up, the clouds began to dissipate and the bolts of lightning gave way, revealing a... very beat up Liu Xueli.

    Her previous confident demeanor no more, Xueli, still sitting cross-legged on the now shattered pavement, had blood leaking from her mouth and her nose. Her clothes were ripped, but not too ripped, they still covered everything important.

    Songmei fell quiet. Beside her, Yan Mingqing was silent as well, her expression in full-on ice queen mode.

    Watching some elders from the medical department swarm over Xueli like a cloud of worried middle-aged parents, Songmei was happy. It meant... it meant that there wasn¡¯t any danger.

    However, under the care of the medical team, Xueli continued to cough up blood as she was scooped up and put onto a sitting stretcher. Strapped onto the stretcher, Xueli tried to wave the people around her off, but under the orders of the sect leader, Xueli was sent away.

    ¡°Go! Back! Home!¡± Tu Weiping ordered with a hardened expression, his voice overpowering all the other murmurs and whispers that were happening. ¡°Elder Liu, I don¡¯t care if you ¡®are young so it¡¯s fine¡¯ or that you ¡®feel fine¡¯, go home and rest!¡±

    ¡°Sect Leader sure is forceful right now...¡± Mingqing whispered to Songmei, a small laugh escaping her lips, ¡°I would have never thought Sect Leader could be this stern. He¡¯s usually quite the laid-back person... frolics around and watches every movie that sniffs a release.¡±

    Coughing to conceal a laugh, Songmei nodded, craning her neck as she watched Xueli shaking her fist, protesting as she was carried away. ¡°Maybe the Sect Leader has a split personality...¡±

    ¡°Maybe...¡± Mingqing joked with a twinkle in her eye, only to be cut off by Tu Weiping¡¯s announcement and aggressive arm waving.

    ¡°Why are you all still standing around? HAH?! Do you all enjoy staring at shattered pavement? If you enjoy it so much just go look at my destroyed base in the bricklaying game! The event is over! Go home!¡±

    There we go.

    Songmei let out a sigh of relief, the sect leader was back, back to his loud, informal self.

    Good to know that the Sect Leader hadn¡¯t been possessed. Critical information.

    Turning around and shuffling out of the courtyard with the rest of the crowd, Songmei grabbed onto Mingqing¡¯s hand as the two began to walk back home. On the way back, squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei tapped her chin as she stared at the sky that was covered in a layer of white clouds once more. ¡°Do you think we should get something for Xueli?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯d be nice,¡± Mingqing agreed as they weaved through the dispersing crowd. ¡°Any ideas on what to get then? I was thinking maybe some soup, it¡¯s always good to drink something warm on a cold day, especially after something like getting struck by a bazillion bolts of lightning.¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Ahk-¡± Songmei squawked, resembling a chicken as she froze for a second before continuing to walk forward. ¡°I was thinking we could get something like a bag of koi feed... but your idea sounds much better for sure...¡±

    Turning away to hide her laughter, Mingqing pulled Songmei along, crossing a bridge to the island that had the canteen. ¡°It¡¯s fine~ Your idea is great! We can get both for sure, I¡¯m sure Xueli won¡¯t mind either way.¡±

    -----

    Pushing the door open to the residence, Songmei and Mingqing made their way in. Songmei carried a bag of koi feed and Mingqing carried a tray full of food.

    Songmei felt a weird itch in her heart as she walked in, the courtyard lights were all off, the rocking chair empty, and the koi... well the koi were just swimming as always. Songmei flicked on the lights, basking the courtyard and wooden walkway in warm light once more, it was still light outside, it wasn¡¯t even mid-afternoon yet, but it just felt wrong when the lights were off.

    Leading the way as Mingqing¡¯s hands were full, Songmei knocked on the door to Xueli¡¯s private room, asking if they could be let in.

    With an energetic yes, Songmei and Mingqing made their way in, getting greeted by the perpetual disaster that was Xueli¡¯s room.

    ¡°We got you some stuff!¡± Mingqing smiled as they walked over towards Xueli who was sitting in bed reading a book. ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡±

    Watching Mingqing walk in front of her and greet Xueli with beaming enthusiasm, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but admire how much Mingqing had opened up to Xueli.

    The ice queen got replaced by the spring queen!

    ... Songmei was pretty sure that wasn¡¯t how it worked but she¡¯d roll with the analogy...

    As she walked in, Songmei looked over towards Xueli, noticing a few things, even under the dim light.

    Xueli seemed healthy, there was a little bit of color returning to her face, and she was sitting up in bed reading a book. Her short hair seemed to be a little messy, understandable though after she took a shower using lightning for water...

    The main thing was though... Xueli seemed younger!

    ... like... really younger...

    Xueli¡¯s skin was much more supple and smooth, she seemed to have de-aged by... more than a few years. If she stood side-by-side with Songmei and Mingqing, Xueli could probably pass for a true older sister now...

    Deciding not to comment on it though, Songmei set the bag of koi feed down beside Xueli¡¯s bed before massaging her wrist that had become sore once more, ¡°I... uhh... got you some more koi feed, since you were running low last night...¡±

    ¡°And for me, I got you some food!¡± Mingqing added, setting the tray down on Xueli¡¯s lap after Xueli moved the book to her nightstand, ¡°Here¡¯s two different types of soup, a bowl of rice to go with it, and then some steamed buns. Just some light food.¡±

    Xueli put a hand to her chest, wiping a tear from her eye as she picked up the spoon to drink some soup. ¡°Thank you! You two disciples are so wonderful~ Thank you for the concern, but no need to worry about me too much. I¡¯ll be fine after a while of bedrest... my internal state is a mess right now though.¡±

    As her words left her mouth though, Xueli began to cough, picking up a tissue as red flecks began to appear as coughs racked her body.

    ¡°A-... Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Songmei asked, her eyes shaking a little as she watched Xueli cough up everything in her body. Songmei swore she saw half of Xueli¡¯s internal organs along with her soul escaping her mouth just now...

    Her hand waving the two¡¯s worries off and her other hand throwing away the now bloody tissue, Xueli gave a gentle smile while ruffling the hair of her two worried disciples kneeling beside her bed. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, there¡¯s no need to worry about me~ The day I need you two to take care of me will be a sad day indeed, but that day is not today, nor is it in the near future, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow,¡± Xueli murmured, sipping some of the soup and letting out a relaxed sigh, ¡°As promised, now is when you¡¯ll get the details on the journey you two will be taking outside. It¡¯s good timing, since I won¡¯t be able to help you for a while if you stay in the sect, after all.¡±

 36: Karmic Retribution For Being Too Lucky In Life

    Lin Songmei¡¯s mind was blank.

    Was... was this... was this karmic retribution? Was she getting kicked out of the sect?

    Having listened to Liu Xueli¡¯s explanation, Songmei felt like a snail that just had its shell stolen, she lost her home and got robbed!

    What Xueli had explained to her and Yan Mingqing was that they¡¯d be going on a journey outside the sect. They¡¯d still have to read through the class materials, but they¡¯d register with the Cultivator¡¯s Association so that they could take missions through the assignment hall¡¯s online database.

    This database was shared between all the sects, allowing for a cultivator to choose missions based on their cultivation base and area.

    Although the schooling part wasn¡¯t the critical aspect, it wasn¡¯t as if they were going to be tested once they returned, Songmei and Mingqing were still expected to read along and have a decent amount of knowledge when they returned. Enough to make catching up not impossible.

    ¡°The true way to temper yourself is through journeys, experiences, and hardships. None of which you¡¯ll get enough of here.¡± Xueli explained with a gentle smile, ¡°Don''t be too sad, okay? We¡¯ll be able to call and stay in contact, of course. I¡¯ll be here to give you advice whenever you two need it.¡±

    ¡°When will we be setting off?¡± Mingqing asked, her voice quivering a touch, unnoticeable to anyone who didn¡¯t know her well, ¡°I assume we¡¯ll have a few days to prepare, yeah?¡±

    ¡°You will, yes,¡± Xueli nodded, leaning back against her pillow with her eyes closed, ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Don''t worry though, it''s not as if you¡¯ll be going homeless, the sect owns plenty of apartment buildings, and the city that you¡¯ve been dispatched to is one where the sect owns a building.¡±

    ¡°What city are we going to?¡± Songmei inquired while tapping her chin, having taken a seat after realizing this was going to be a long conversation, ¡°Because I¡¯m pretty sure... uhh... as two meridian body cultivators, we won¡¯t be much help anywhere.¡±

    ¡°In this city I think you¡¯ll be quite helpful,¡± Xueli shrugged from her bed, coughing a few times into a fresh white tissue, ¡°This city is out in the country, it¡¯s called Westriver. It¡¯s a smaller city that is surrounded by tranquil wilderness. However, because of the unique Qi there, it¡¯s not suitable for anyone who has already opened all their meridians.¡±

    That sounded like some bullshit reason...

    Songmei had read about this region in the past, it was situated on a plateau high up, so the Qi was rich. However, as the Qi was stubborn...? Or something like that, the Qi was just being annoying, so when someone who had opened their meridians already was cultivating the next step, to take the Qi in and make it their own, the efficiency was so bad they¡¯d want to bury themselves underground.

    Nature was weird, and Qi was weirder.

    Perhaps introducing the Qi there to a good therapist would help it be less stubborn.

    Everyone would benefit from a good therapist after all.

    Songmei herself would probably benefit from a physical therapist in addition to a normal therapist anyway... Her back pain was flaring up these days too...

    After explaining the basic information though, Xueli¡¯s coughing roused Mingqing and Songmei out of their stupor, causing them to fall silent as Xueli began to give a few more warnings. ¡°I won¡¯t be there to protect you two, so you both need to stay safe, got it?¡±

    Nods.

    ¡°Good,¡± Xueli mused, thinking out loud, pondering what else she wanted to warn her two disciples about. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a brief summary, but this is something you two should just know about now that you¡¯re leaving the sect. It shouldn¡¯t be relevant, but it''s still good to know. I bet you already know this Mingqing, but I¡¯ll re-explain it for Songmei.¡±

    ¡°The cultivation world, as you might¡¯ve noticed, is strangely peaceful,¡± Xueli began, her explanation divided by bouts of hellish coughing, ¡°This isn¡¯t because we¡¯re all enlightened or anything. We¡¯re not all that different from the stuff you¡¯d read in novels, but, most of the sects recognize we have a common enemy. Therefore, we keep conflicts between ourselves to a minimum, keeping our strength so that we can repel the demons.¡±

    Songmei had heard about these elusive demons before through Xueli, Mingqing, or other elders¡¯ tongues slipping.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    But before she could ask any questions, Songmei felt a finger against her lips. Xueli, with a small smile, shushed Songmei. ¡°Wait until I¡¯m done, then ask questions, okay? So because of... a number of reasons, we try to keep quiet about the demons, don''t want more people going to their side, don¡¯t want public hysteria if they find out our world is connected to different realms, that type of stuff. The demons, though, have a rift in the center of the central continent to their world. This rift is constantly guarded by experts from a number of clans, and is suppressed year round.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go into too much detail, but you might see some missions regarding these demons in Westriver,¡± Xueli warned with a soft tone, wiping some blood off her mouth with a tissue. ¡°Don¡¯t mine those missions, they¡¯re posted in every region, all the time. However, with you two leaving the sect for a while, it''s important that you two have some baseline knowledge.¡±

    ¡°Beyond the demons, I also want you all to be aware of the other sects.¡± Xueli explained, throwing her now bloodied tissue into the trash can where all the other bloodied tissues were. ¡°Westriver is a unique city, so there will be people from all the biggest sects. Don¡¯t fight them too much, try to make some friends, make some connections. Eventually, when you make your demon hunting squad, these people might be valuable connections, valuable pieces you could convince to join your team. Got it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Xueli.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, of course.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good,¡± Xueli smiled, leaning over to grab another tissue, ¡°You two will do great! Don¡¯t worry about it. Any questions?¡±

    ---------

    Asking a few questions, then talking for a while about some more mundane topics, Songmei, along with Mingqing, left their master, letting her rest as they went to the supply buildings to get some more free handouts from the sect.

    Songmei was ready! Ready to become a shameless gift receiver!

    Scrolling through a list, as she followed Songmei, Mingqing¡¯s eyes were nailed onto her terminal as Songmei guided her across a bridge. ¡°So we need to pack our clothes. I¡¯ll pack my sword since it''s my own. But for you, you can get a bow plus a lot of arrows from the logistics division.¡±

    Nodding as she followed the path with the sign labeled ¡°Logistics¡± Songmei held onto Mingqing¡¯s hand as crossed a number of bridges, coming to a stop in front of a large warehouse-like building.

    The building wasn¡¯t dilapidated or boring like other warehouses though, it had a similar theme to the other buildings in the sect, being a modern structure made of wood. In fact, the building itself wasn¡¯t gargantuan or anything. Because it was situated on one of the larger floating islands, most of the warehouse was actually underground. The items being stored in lockers that could be kept cool away from the sun during the summer.

    The aboveground warehouse wasn¡¯t anything to scoff at though, the back area was a storage area with some more common items that people would often come by to ask for. The front area, on the other hand, was a cozy area built with warm colors and lit by lamplight. The center of the front area was filled with couches while the edges had several desks where someone could talk to a receptionist.

    Coming to a stop outside of the warehouse, Songmei paused for a moment, seeing some familiar figures running over from the bridge that they had just crossed.

    ¡°Wait! A! Second!¡±

    Turning while nudging Mingqing to make her pay attention, Songmei was greeted by the breathless figures of Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang.

    ¡°You two are going on a journey too?¡± Mingqing asked, curious as to why Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei had been sprinting towards them as if their life depended on it.

    Songmei herself swore that she could see their shoes generating sparks with how fast they were running...

    ¡°We are,¡± Cai Yufei answered with a nod, ¡°Our master wanted us to tell you that he¡¯ll be taking you two to the city since Elder Liu is injured right now. We¡¯ll be in the same city by the way! So cheers to seeing each other around!¡±

    ¡°Ahh... I see,¡± Songmei nodded, pushing the door open to enter, holding it open so Mingqing, Lu Qiang, and Cai Yufei could enter behind her. ¡°Thank you in advance then. Are you two here to pick up supplies as well?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Lu Qiang nodded with a grateful smile that could probably make crowds cheer, ¡°Our master also said though that he didn¡¯t want us to work with you all. Said that we should all carve out our own pathways. Meet our own people and stuff...¡±

    With an exasperated sigh, Cai Yufei nodded, waving as the two groups split from each other. ¡°I can see why our master said it... but I''m still bummed. I hope we can still get a meal together every few days though! See you!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes, yes, see you!¡± Songmei stammered, having just processed the barrage of information that Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang delivered.

    ¡°See you as well, bye-bye!¡± Mingqing nodded with a small wave, squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand as the two left. ¡°Well... that answers some of my questions...¡±

    ¡°For sure...¡± Songmei agreed with a small nod as the two walked over to the couch waiting area. ¡°They came and went like the wind...¡±

    ¡°Truly a tornado of chaos,¡± Mingqing chuckled before leaning into Songmei¡¯s ear to whisper, ¡°You saw the tension between the two though, right?¡±

    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t?¡± Songmei laughed as she took a seat on an empty couch, sinking into the cushions, letting out a sigh of relief as she felt the cushions envelop her. ¡°So it¡¯ll just be us though. Just us... huh. Are you excited?¡±

    Sinking into the cushions beside Songmei, Mingqing blew a small raspberry before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Well... I''m not excited but also excited at the same time, I guess... It¡¯s a complicated feeling.¡±

    ¡°I get what you mean... I think...¡± Songmei mumbled, her empty hand finding Mingqing¡¯s once more. ¡°It¡¯ll just be us again though, just like at the aptitude tests.¡±

    ¡°Just like then, for sure...¡± Minqing sighed, a tone of wistfulness in her voice, ¡°Damn how things have changed in the past couple of months though...¡±

 37: Life Of ~Privilege~

    Busy.

    That was the only word that Lin Songmei could use to describe the warehouse.

    There seemed to be constant streams of people going into and going out of the doors, and with three sets of doors, there was a constant busyness to the warehouse.

    Not long after she and Yan Mingqing sat down though, a desk opened up, the receptionist calling out that they were open.

    Pulling herself out of heaven, Songmei, who had almost fallen asleep, stumbled her way towards the desk with Mingqing. ¡°I... I almost fell asleep...¡±

    Songmei yawned, raising a hand to her mouth as her eyes teared up a bit. In the middle of her yawn though, Songmei let out a small yelp as Mingqing pulled her into a hug and supported her. ¡°Here, here, wake up, wake up sleepy-head.¡±

    A pink tinge creeping up on her face, Songmei coughed, unhooking herself as the two arrived in front of the desk. Brushing her hair back as she took a seat in one of the cushioned chairs available, Songmei greeted the receptionist. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Lin Songmei, direct disciple of Elder Liu Xueli. Beside me is Yan Mingqing, a fellow disciple. We¡¯re here to pick up the journey package.¡±

    Nod. Nod.

    The looping motions of the pen.

    ¡°Alright,¡± the receptionist answered with a nod and smile, ¡°I¡¯ve contacted the delivery team, your packages will be at Booth 5, so please go over there to wait. I hope you two enjoy your journey outside the sect!¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Songmei nodded, getting up and leaving, escaping ahead of the amused Mingqing.

    Songmei knew her face was red, it wasn¡¯t her fault that Mingqing surprised her. But still! It was... it was annoying how smug Mingqing was...

    Cough.

    Slowing down for Mingqing, Songmei walked with her until they got to Booth 5, standing in the general vicinity while waiting for their names to be called out.

    Poke.

    Teasing laughter.

    A finger against her cheek, Songmei felt her cheeks heating up again as she crossed her arms and leaned against the railing. ¡°A-Anyway... Isn¡¯t it sad that we¡¯re leaving so early? We¡¯ve barely been at the sect for two months...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡± Mingqing sighed, leaning against the railing beside Songmei as they watched a group of people haul away a large wooden box. ¡°I was texting my brother the other day, and he was surprised to hear we¡¯d be going out. Apparently, the sect usually waits until you¡¯ve been cultivating for six months before sending you out...¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve barely been cultivating for one and a half though,¡± Songmei grumbled, sad to leave the sect and the comfort that it provided. ¡°And since they said we couldn¡¯t come back until we opened all of our main meridians... won¡¯t we be out for a while? Unless something crazy happens, we¡¯ll be out for about a year won''t we?¡±

    ¡°Probably,¡± Mingqing murmured, looking out the window to admire the snow covered floating islands. ¡°But hey, you never know... And also, it¡¯s not the worst for us to go out. It¡¯ll hasten our progress, we need to get stronger after all. It¡¯s not fun being at the bottom of the barrel.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°It really isn¡¯t.¡± Songmei concurred, a feeling of inferiority also still present in her heart after that powerful display.

    Before they could continue their conversation though, and continue to wallow in their circumstances, a voice from behind the counter shouted, ¡°Direct disciples Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing! Two journey packages!¡±

    Walking up to the counter, Songmei and Mingqing gave their thanks before carrying the palm-sized packages back to their home.

    Palm-Sized...

    Why only palm-sized?

    Were they just going to give a little coaster and call it a day?

    Maybe it was just a card loaded with money? Songmei wouldn¡¯t protest that...

    Songmei was expecting something huge though! She had prepared herself and her wrists for a grueling journey back home!

    ¡°Any ideas on what this might be?¡± Songmei asked Mingqing as they both inspected every side, every crease, and every label of the packaging.

    ¡°Nope.¡± Mingqing admitted, not finding any clue on the packaging. ¡°When I asked my brother, he refused to elaborate on any more details too... So I''m just as clueless as you are...¡±

    Great...

    Back to feeling like a lost traveler who somehow got plopped in the middle of a fog bank...

    The packaging too was... simple to an annoying degree. There was just one label on it, an innocuous label saying ¡®First-time Journey package. (Lin Songmei)¡¯

    At least they could just rip it open once they returned home.

    Songmei was ready, she was going to tear this package a new one... she¡¯d eviscerate it so that the trash bin could only mourn for the pieces of packaging...

    Returning to their house, their courtyard, their rooms, after only a few minutes of walking Songmei and Mingqing ripped open their packages, dumping the now-shredded pieces of packaging into the trash can.

    All that they were left with, after destroying the package, was a small, sleek black cube-like case. With a golden clasp on one side, Songmei and Mingqing undid the clasp, opening it up to reveal a white ring patterned with small jade dragons.

    Ring?

    It wasn¡¯t as if Songmei was getting married or anything...

    Taking out the ring, Songmei noticed that inside case there was also a slip of paper, written on it, an expansive list of items.

    At the top of the list though, Songmei noticed that the label was: Items held inside the ring, for disciple use only.

    [Tent x1

    Packing bags x3

    New Terminal x1

    Complimentary toiletries set x1

    Basic bow x1

    Quiver of arrows x10

    ...]

    Seeing the long list, Songmei¡¯s jaw dropped. This... this was a spatial storage ring! The item of legends! And it was given out for free?

    ¡®Damn... maybe marrying rich really should be my number priority...¡¯

    Beyond the ring, Songmei also noticed that even though most of the items in the ring were cheaper, they added up to quite a sum of money. Especially a few items such as the tent and new terminal, both items that were luxurious and expensive...

    The sect is loaded!!

    Absolutely loaded!!

    Songmei had to get stronger faster... or find a golden thigh to hug onto...

    Looking over at the also shocked Mingqing, walked over, ready to compare what she got in her ring with Mingqing¡¯s. Stiffening though, Songmei glanced over Mingqing once more... her... her one friend...

    Mingqing would be a great golden thigh to hug onto!

    ... Songmei just had to make sure to continue being good friends with Mingqing, that wasn¡¯t hard, Mingqing was great! Mingqing was super fun to hang out with!

    Then... it just boiled down to not falling behind Mingqing in terms of cultivation...

    Darn it...

    Coming to a stop beside Mingqing who was glancing over the list of items she got, Songmei tapped her shoulder and put aside those thigh-hugging thoughts, asking if they could compare while draping herself over Mingqing¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°What fancy stuff did you end up getting?¡±

 38: Compared To A Machine, This Guy Is Even More... Machine...

    The day of departure had arrived...

    After spending the night talking to the temporarily bed-ridden Liu Xueli, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing finished up their packing and went to bed, enjoying their beds one last time before they¡¯d be moving again.

    Having packed everything, put it into the space storage ring, and then slipped the ring onto her index finger, Songmei was now waiting on the transportation hub island, the first island she had arrived at a few months ago.

    Compared to back then though, Songmei¡¯s situation was different, she was no longer the impoverished orphan who had no idea what was going on, now she was just an orphan who had no idea what was going on!

    Big difference.

    Standing with Mingqing, Songmei waited for Elder Wu Sen and his two disciples to arrive, using her foot to push around some snow as she waited. ¡°Sleep well, Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mingqing groaned, leaning her head against Songmei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I couldn¡¯t fall asleep to save my own life... I have such a bad headache right now...¡±

    Patting the groggy friend of hers, Songmei exhaled a small white cloud into the cold morning air, looking over Mingqing to see Elder Wu, Lu Qiang, and Cai Yufei. They were... right on time. Down to the half-minute.

    Songmei closed her terminal, it was new, and... alien. Still not used to it and not having spent any time learning about it, Songmei had only transferred the data from her previous one into this one. She was planning on using either the ride over to Westriver or the first few days in Westriver to study the terminal.

    There had to be some rich, fancy function that she didn''t know about.

    Shelving that thought for another time, Songmei gave a light wave to the arriving trio, supporting Mingqing as they got onto the shuttle that¡¯d transport them to the outside of the mountains that ringed the floating islands and lake.

    ¡°Good morning Elder Wu,¡± Songmei greeted with a nod, ¡°Thanks in advance for bringing Mingqing and I to Westriver.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s what I should do.¡± Elder Wu maintained with a stern look, ¡°Elder Liu is injured after all.¡±

    Songmei fell silent, looking towards Mingqing, Lu Qiang, and Cai Yufei for help, only to receive their sighs and shaking heads.

    Elder Wu¡¯s appearance, as always, fit his position as head of the Disciplinary Bureau, his gray hair was combed back and gelled to perfection, not a hair out of place, and his clothes had as many wrinkles as a baby¡¯s bottom... which was none.

    Moreover, his posture was perfect, Songmei had never seen someone with a back as straight as Elder Wu¡¯s, if someone put a straight edge to his back, the straight edge would be the thing that needed to be corrected.

    The party was silent on the shuttle, Songmei looked around while giving Mingqing a light scalp massage. Because this shuttle was a direct line from the floating islands to the transportation hub outside the mountains, there weren¡¯t many disciples. On most of the other shuttles, there¡¯d be a constant number of inner and even outer disciples, but on this shuttle there were just... business people and a handful of people like Songmei who were traveling out of the sect.

    As the shuttle came to a stop though, descending onto the landing platform as its doors slid open without a sound, Songmei made sure Mingqing was still awake, helping her up as they left the shuttle.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Following Elder Wu in silence, the party came to a stop in front of a small boat-like vehicle. A tad bit bigger than Xueli¡¯s jet-like artifact, the boat had a small outside area along with a decent-sized cabin.

    Made with metals, the boat was painted only in grayscale colors, with a few light blue highlights being the only real color on the boat.

    Entering the boat, Elder Wu pointed to the main area furnished with couches and low tables. ¡°You four can stay there, feel free to relax. I¡¯ll be in the captain¡¯s cabin focusing on steering.¡±

    Elder Wu followed that statement up with a mechanical perfect 180 turn, leaving the four direct disciples to spread out over the couches.

    ¡°Your... Your master really is something.¡± Songmei murmured as she watched the shrinking back of Elder Wu, ¡°I can see how Cai Yufei would do just fine with Elder Wu... but how are you surviving Lu Qiang?¡±

    Shrugging as he laid down onto a couch, Lu Qiang fidgeted with a pen that he pulled out of his own space storage ring, ¡°He¡¯s not too strict with us so it''s fine. And he isn¡¯t a stickler for results, more for effort. And... although I¡¯m not the best at things like academics, I put in effort.¡±

    ¡°Ahh... I see, that makes sense, I¡¯m glad he likes you,¡± Songmei smiled in relief, turning to look at Cai Yufei, who...

    Well.

    He did take a seat on one of the couches, but as always, he sat straight up, back not against the backrest, hands on his knees, legs together.

    Honestly, Songmei wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Cai Yufei went into the Disciplinary Bureau one day... he could replace his master. The way Cai Yufei sat was... perfect, so perfect that it could be displayed in a store¡¯s window.

    Feeling the boat-like vehicle lift off the ground and soar into the sky, Songmei patted Mingqing who was laying in her lap, continuing the scalp massage from earlier. ¡°I wonder why Elder Wu goes to the steering room though...¡±

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Cai Yufei pondered, drumming his fingers against his legs. ¡°Elder Wu has always gone into a steering room whenever he takes Lu Qiang or me anywhere.¡±

    That¡¯s strange...

    Having only taken Xueli¡¯s personal jet¨Clike, artifact vehicle, Songmei remembered that Xueli would always collapse onto one of the couches, spending the journey napping or chatting with her and Mingqing.

    She never did any steering...

    At most, Xueli did some fancy hand-motions...

    Explaining how Xueli steered her artifact vehicle, Songmei¡¯s description confused Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei even further, with Cai Yufei further detailing, ¡°We actually went and looked around the first time Elder Wu brought us both out of the sect. We were curious about the steering mechanism and stuff, and seeing us peer through the window into his captain¡¯s cabin, Elder Wu let us in and then explained it all step by step...¡±

    Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed hearing Cai Yufei¡¯s anecdote, did Xueli have some secret attendant that steered the plane for her? Or was her artifact different from Elder Wu¡¯s?

    Moving on from the topic though, the three direct disciples, everyone except for Mingqing who was nursing a headache, decided to talk about what they were planning on doing in the upcoming journey.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have an apartment, Lu Qiang and I chose to share one, I¡¯m assuming you two did as well?¡± Lu Qiang asked, having just compared the different items they all got in their spatial storage rings.

    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be sharing,¡± Songmei answered with a light nod, now just patting Mingqing as Mingqing hovered between being awake and asleep. ¡°They also encouraged us to do a lot of quests of different types to gain a vast breadth of experiences... Apparently it¡¯ll make cultivation progress faster, yeah?¡±

    Still sitting in picture-perfect posture, Cai Yufei recalled, ¡°You¡¯re right about that, in order to increase your Shen at the fastest possible pace, you should go through adversity. Lu Qiang and I are planning on completing more collection, exploration, or other more mundane helping tasks while waiting for our cultivation base to improve and our fighting skills to become more stream-lined. After that we¡¯ll focus mostly on hunting.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei hummed, she had to admit, she didn''t discuss any sort of plan with Mingqing, she had planned to do it in the morning but Mingqing was... not very functional.

    With that though, they continued the conversation, talking for the couple of hours it took to reach Westriver, the isolated city on a plateau.

 39: The City So Brilliantly Named

    The ¡®plane¡¯ landed after a few hours in the air. By that time, Yan Mingqing had managed to recover from her headache, returning to her usual bubbly, talkative self.

    Well, that was Lin Songmei¡¯s impression of the normal Mingqing, she was pretty sure that the vast majority of the sect would still fall out of their chairs seeing Mingqing be this extroverted...

    As they disembarked the flying boat and walked through the transportation hub in Westriver, the group of five walked in silence, Elder Wu Sen being a bastion of firmness and boringness as always.

    However, walking through the hub, Songmei had a clear view of Westriver through the clear windows that lined the walls.

    From what Songmei had read, Westriver was a vast, large-sized city, a lone city atop a vast plateau covered in nature. Westriver¡¯s population was a blend of normal people and cultivators, but due to the unique nature of Qi on the plateau, there were only a handful of cultivators who had stayed after opening all their meridians.

    The city looked... normal, there were tall buildings, sports fields, schools, and everything else someone might look for in a city...

    Running through the middle of the city was a vast river though, and since this river ran through the west side of the plateau it was named... Westriver, and since the city was built around it and was the only city on the plateau it was named... Westriver.

    The naming in the area needed some help.

    With two sides of the city on either side of the river, Songmei had read that in the past there were conflicts between the northside and southside. But, with the advent of ~technology~ they built a floating island above the river, creating a central district. A district that also hosted a web of bridges to the north and the south.

    That¡¯s where Songmei was now, making her way out of the gargantuan transportation hub.

    Damn this city for being so popular...

    As one of the most unique places in the world because of its Qi, allowing for the speedy cultivation of cultivators who hadn¡¯t opened their meridians, Westriver hosted a myriad of young disciples from many sects...

    ¡°Alright.¡± Elder Wu began, disturbing the silence as he came to a stop as they passed through the arch that was the transportation hub¡¯s main entrance. ¡°You all are... smart individuals, I trust you can make your way to the apartment building that the Starlight Lake Sect owns. Once you¡¯re there, the receptionists should help you out and refer you to your rooms. Sound good?¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes sir!¡±¡±

    Looking over at Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei who had replied without hesitation, Songmei raised an eyebrow. What was Elder Wu making them do? Was this the army?

    Giving their affirmations that they would be able to make it to the apartment building as well, Songmei and Mingqing fell quiet as Elder Wu gave them a few last reminders.

    ¡°Work hard, follow the rules, stay healthy, and enjoy yourselves. Make sure to stay in contact with your master, and keep us updated on your progress. Although we won¡¯t be here, we can still help.¡± Elder Wu summed up, keeping it concise, ¡°And treat everyone with respect. You will definitely run into the younger generation of disciples from many other sects, especially the other three great sects. This is a great place to build connections and foster friendships. Remember that there are many greater common enemies we have, so don¡¯t get into unnecessary conflicts.¡±

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Moreover, although you all are 1 or 2 meridian body cultivators, there are people all the way up to 20 meridian cultivators here, and although you all have improved a lot with fighting, getting a decent handle on your fighting styles and passing the beginner stages, don¡¯t be too arrogant; but also no need to think that this is a mind-boggling, life-threatening trial. If you¡¯re civilized, you¡¯ll be given civilized treatment. So... there¡¯s not too much pressure. Live life. Have fun. Cultivate.¡±

    His mouth snapping shut, Elder Wu gave one last nod before turning on his heel, making a perfect 180 degree turn as he walked back into the transportation hub.

    Songmei¡¯s mouth opened and closed a few times, she wanted to say thank you, but Elder Wu walked so damn fast, he was practically gone already!

    She really wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if Elder Wu was a robot... on that note, even Cai Yufei could be a robot...

    ¡°Well...¡± Mingqing interrupted the silence, watching Cai Yufei¡¯s fingers blaze across his terminal¡¯s keyboard, typing with enough energy to almost be considered religious fervor. ¡°What are you two¡¯s plans? Songmei and I are going to go to the apartment building first and check out our room.¡±

    Lu Qiang turned, looking towards Cai Yufei to see if he had an answer.

    Pause.

    A gentle smile on his face, Lu Qiang apologized, ¡°I think we¡¯ll go get lunch first, then we¡¯ll head to the apartments, so you two can go ahead first. It¡¯ll be a while before Cai Yufei finishes his analysis of every restaurant in the city...¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Mingqing nodded, looking over at Cai Yufei whose eyes were jumping from side to side, reading review after review. ¡°But hey, send me some good ones sometime, alright? Cai Yufei¡¯s good at finding restaurants. Then Songmei and I can save some time.¡±

    ¡°For sure!¡± Lu Qiang exclaimed, flexing his arms, ¡°I¡¯ll also send you the best training places! Running trails, gyms, training fields, pull-up bars in parks, I¡¯ll have it all!¡±

    ¡°I... yeah... yeah, thank you Lu Qiang,¡± Mingqing murmured with a small smile, shaking her head in amusement. ¡°Well, see you around, have a nice meal!¡±

    Walking away from the duo, Songmei pulled her coat around herself, blowing her breath into her hands. ¡°Gyms huh? We might need to use one... or a training field?¡±

    ¡°We probably won''t have to use it too often,¡± Mingqing shrugged, pulling up the map on her terminal, ¡°There¡¯s plenty of free space outside the city we can use, after all.¡±

    That was true...

    If observed from above, although Westriver was a sprawling metropolis, it was the only city on a gargantuan plateau. One that was also covered in nature, a stark contrast from the other barren plateaus.

    It was an interesting fact that Songmei had learned in school. Because of the inherent danger of various beasts and fauna, civilization grew to favor mega cities. Large cities that served as hubs of populations. Although not non-existent, it was rare to find a small town or barren village.

    It was fancy stuff really, Songmei had considered taking a class that really dived deep into those matters, but had decided to take a different pottery class instead...

    Walking along the sidewalk though, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but notice that it was more barren than she had expected. It seemed most people were working or training.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re feeling better, Mingqing,¡± Songmei broke the silence, squeezing her hand as Mingqing referred to her map once more. ¡°Thanks for doing the navigation.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Mingqing laughed, hearing the laziness that had creeped into Songmei¡¯s voice, ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do, you gave me an hour-long scalp massage today already too. So it balances out!¡±

    ¡°Thennn...¡± Songmei began as they made a turn and Mingqing pointed out that the apartment building was just at the end of the street, ¡°Can you talk to the receptionist~?¡±

    ¡°Only if you let me choose where we eat lunch and dinner.¡± Mingqing teased back, seeing Songmei give her best begging expression.

    ¡°Dammit, fine,¡± Songmei sighed, knowing that she was going to have to pay a price at about that level. ¡°Choose some good places, okay?¡±

    ¡°I will~¡±

 40: Elevator Music That Needs More Than Just Moral Support

    Elevator music...

    How was it still bad in the cultivation world?

    The audio quality sounded like the speakers were being blown out every three seconds and the ¡®smooth¡¯ saxophone sounded more like.... Sounded more like a dead fish being dragged over jagged rocks.

    Putting aside the elevator music that needed more than just moral support, Lin Songmei leaned against the wall of the glass elevator as it ascended towards one of the higher floors.

    At least the receptionist had been welcoming, she had managed to sort everything out in only a few minutes, giving their terminals access to their rooms along with an access pendant.

    So fancy!

    The orphanage the Songmei used to stay at was probably a century behind this place! They still used keys and number pads!

    Living in the future, truly...

    Well, living in privilege might be a more accurate way to put it.

    The apartment building was, in Songmei¡¯s eyes, the epitome of privilege. It was... U shaped? The main building had what Songmei felt was ten floors? But with a courtyard, or small park depending on how it was defined, in the center of the roof, and another ten stories worth of building surrounding it, the building seemed like a U when viewed from the front.

    Privilege!

    Songmei had lucked out too! The apartment she was sharing with Yan Mingqing was on the corner of the building, the 19th and 20th floors. According to the receptionist, although all the apartments were all of similar-ish quality, the direct disciples did get better apartments.

    As all the apartments from Floor 15 onwards were two story apartments, the elevator ascended, smooth as a gentle stream, coming to a stop, its glass doors sliding open to the hallway of the 19th floor.

    The hallway was nice, it wasn¡¯t much to write home about, not that Songmei really had someone or somewhere to write home to other than her master Liu Xueli.

    Well, she could write to the orphanage but that¡¯d be weird... the head lady pretty much shooed her away and didn¡¯t want to hear from her again.

    Reading the sign posted on the wall of the hallway, Songmei called out to Mingqing who had gone to read the other sign, ¡°We need to go this way, to the right, our apartment¡¯s over here.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, thanks,¡± Mingqing murmured, joining Songmei as the two walked down the hall, looking for the farthest door at the end. ¡°Are you excited? The receptionist said that we came just in time. That this was the best apartment and had just been sitting there empty for a few months after the last owners returned to the sect.¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± Songmei agreed with a smile, coming to a stop before the last door, checking its number to make sure it was the correct room. ¡°There¡¯s so much Starlight Lake stuff everywhere though! I saw a gift shop down there on the first floor. They were selling bags, hats... everything! Even the plaque here, the one that says the room number, has a little Starlight Lake emblem on it.¡±

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°True...¡±

    With that, Songmei pushed the door open, letting Mingqing in before closing the door, pushing her silver-white hair back before it got caught.

    The door closing behind her with a click, Songmei saw that the apartment... was nice, really nice. The far wall being a wall of windows, it let beams of golden sunlight into the apartment, illuminating the kitchen and the living room on the first floor. The kitchen, though constructed well, was still bare-bones, most disciples staying here would get takeout, eat in restaurants, or eat in the wilderness after all.

    On the other hand, the living room was furnished well, couches, cushions, tables, rugs, a nice view, it had it all.

    Taking off her shoes in the doorway, Songmei walked further into the apartment, chasing behind Mingqing who had already disappeared upstairs while Songmei was gawking at the first floor.

    Making her way upstairs, Songmei explored the second floor before freezing as she opened the door to the last room.

    Beautiful...

    Upstairs, although it wasn¡¯t much, had two bedrooms, two closets and a bathroom, the second to the bathroom already downstairs.

    However, that wasn¡¯t what grabbed Songmei¡¯s attention. As Songmei entered the last room she hadn¡¯t looked at yet, the second bedroom that was in the corner of the apartment, with two walls of windows facing the bed, she had frozen because of Mingqing.

    Girl was pretty! Pretty as hell! She panicked after seeing a hot person!!

    The sunlight had illuminated her usually dark-blue hair, brightening it to make it seem a much lighter shade of blue. Beyond that, with the beams of sunlight passing by Mingqing as she turned when Songmei entered, Mingqing¡¯s golden, ruby-flecked eyes seemed much more pretty than usual too...

    Dammit...

    Closing the door, Songmei leaned against the wall just next to the door, calming her heart as her face went red.

    She wasn¡¯t used to seeing Mingqing like that...

    Unbeknownst to Songmei though, Mingqing, after seeing Songmei burst through the door and then close it again, was now resting her forehead against the window.

    A pink tinge on her cheeks as she pressed her fingertips against the cooling glass, Mingqing let out a long sigh, calming her own racing heart.

    In that last moment, where an uncountable number of emotions flitted across Songmei¡¯s usually stoic face, Mingqing had been stunned for a second, not processing anything as Songmei¡¯s hair seemed to glitter under the sunlight, her usual dull gray¨Cish eyes seemed... so silver and bright for just a moment...

    Inhale...

    ...

    Exhale...

    ...

    A few minutes passed as the two lovebir-... no... the two platonic best friends sorted out their feelings, with each person calming their hearts and pushing their thoughts aside.

    Mingqing, having gathered herself, went and pushed the door open, poking her head out, inviting Songmei in to take a look at the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s really nice.¡± Mingqing murmured, hoping that her awkwardness wouldn¡¯t be noticed by Songmei. ¡°A large bed, some cute lamps, nightstands, and large windows.¡±

    ¡°I-It is... yeah,¡± Songmei agreed, walking over to the window and staring out at the sprawling view of the central district while hoping that her awkwardness wouldn¡¯t be noticed by Mingqing.

    An awkward pause falling between them, Mingqing flailed for a second, searching her pockets before pulling out a half-wrinkled note. ¡°So... so uhh... when I first came in here, this was taped onto the window...¡±

    Climbing over the bed to make her way back to Mingqing who was standing by the door, Songmei sat on the edge of the bed asking, ¡°That¡¯s... cool, that¡¯s fancy, what does it say?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Mingqing began, trailing off after a word, taking a breath to gather her thoughts before continuing, ¡°Just that the sunset will come through this window, and that it''s a really nice view... so... uhm... want to watch it together tonight?¡±

 41: Sharing A Bed Together (Platonically)

    Sunlight.

    Having forgotten to draw the curtains the night before, both Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing were woken up at the crack of dawn by the light that flooded into their room.

    The two, contrary to the two bedrooms in the apartment, had ended up just sleeping in the same bed. After watching the sunset, the two had cozied up, video calling their master before watching a TV show together.

    Dozing off in bed while watching the show, the two woke up the next morning a little surprised, but happy, to see each other.

    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Songmei yawned, using her hand to cover her mouth as she sat at the edge of the bed, ¡°Also, did you turn off the TV last night? I... I feel like I fell asleep first...¡±

    Energetic, Mingqing, who had already finished changing out of her sleep wear, was pulling her hair into a half-up ponytail, ¡°I did sleep well! I slept so well for no reason, I have no clue how. Also, yeah, you fell asleep in the middle of episode 15, so I turned it off there. We can pick up in the same place that we left off next time.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, okay, thank you,¡± Songmei murmured, leaning over and falling back onto the blankets. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get upppp... but I should...¡±

    Her hair tied, Mingqing looked over at Songmei¡¯s disheveled, still half-asleep appearance, deciding to help out the blob that seemed to be falling back asleep.

    ¡°Up, up,¡± Mingqing coaxed, pulling Songmei up before handing the cup of water on the nightstand to her and grabbing a hair brush. ¡°How does your hair get so messy after every night you go to bed?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t knowwww...¡± Songmei lamented as she sipped the water with as much gusto as a wet sheet of paper, ¡°What do we do today? We trained all day yesterday, so... do we do that again? I really... don¡¯t want to...¡±

    Also unenthused about the prospect of training all day, Mingqing paused her brushing for a moment to let Songmei get some clothes she had put out the night before. ¡°We could register with the Assignment Hall and begin some assignments if we wanted. Want to do that instead?¡±

    Nod.

    Nod, nod.

    Changing while Mingqing continued to brush her hair, Songmei, who no longer really felt any shame about changing in front of Mingqing after having done it several times, gazed out the window, seeing the streams of people weaving through the crowd to begin their day. ¡°What do we need to do for that? I think just uhm... register, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Mingqing nodded, having finished brushing Songmei¡¯s hair, patting her shoulder and head a few times to let her know that she was done, ¡°I can do that right now if you want while you change. That sound good?¡±

    ¡°I... hmm...¡± Songmei murmured, pausing for a moment while in the middle of pulling on a shirt. She didn¡¯t mind if Mingqing did it, but was still hesitant. Wouldn''t it be good to be there while it was done just in case she needed to in the future?

    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a portion where you need to actually call and do the confirmation by talking to someone. I can do it here with you watching if you want.¡± Mingqing explained, seeing Songmei pause and fall into thought.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Talking to someone?

    That she didn¡¯t know?

    This early??

    ¡°Ah... you do it, yeah, mhm, I trust you completely,¡± Songmei nodded with fervor, continuing to put on the shirt as if nothing happened.

    Smiling, her eyes bending into amused crescents, Mingqing nodded, curtsying with an exaggerated flourish, ¡°Your attendant will get on it then~¡±

    Laughing as she heard Songmei¡¯s angry shouting about how she wasn¡¯t an attendant, Mingqing left the room, closing the door behind her without a sound and pulling up the application form. ¡°Hm, hmmm... just basic information...¡±

    ¡°My master... Old... lad... y... wait, wait, Elder Liu Xueli... there we go.¡±

    ¡°My name is... Yan Mingqing...¡±

    ¡°Age... 16... Only a few more months until 17.¡±

    ¡°Birthday, April 8th.¡±

    Typing her information into the terminal, Mingqing filled out her personal details before going back into the room. ¡°Songmei~ I need you to fill out some stuff. Also, stop pausing your dressing every time I start talking, you can keep moving! Don¡¯t just stand there with a shirt half over your head.¡±

    Catching the terminal that was tossed over by Mingqing, Songmei sat down on the edge of the bed once more, beginning to fill out the additional member page that Mingqing had opened.

    ¡°Master... senior... citize... ahhh... Elder Liu Xueli. There we go... how could I make such a mistake? They¡¯re so far apart.¡±

    ¡°Name, Lin Songmei.¡±

    ¡°Age, 16, birthday, November 27th...¡±

    Continuing on, Songmei continued to fill in her information, like main technique, and main weapon of choice, just stuff that¡¯d help with categorization.

    Why was it so long though?

    Songmei felt like filling in something like her main weapon of choice was fine, and which sect she was in was also important. But like... was it really necessary to even have questions asking what someone¡¯s username was in the bricklaying game?

    Like, it was totally optional, and Songmei just left it blank. She also saw that they had included it so people could... ¡°connect more easily with others.¡±

    But was it reallyyyyyy that necessary?

    Maybe the bricklaying game was super fun? Ground-breaking, even?

    That was a bad pun...

    Handing the terminal back to Mingqing, Songmei went to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her teeth while Mingqing called the Assignment Hall to confirm things.

    Having a friend who was willing to talk to people was nice.

    Even if they scared a lot of people...

    But hey! Mingqing was good at talking to people she¡¯d probably never see again...

    Mingqing could fake it for like... five minutes...

    Walking out of the bathroom feeling more awake and freshened up, Songmei returned to the bedroom, sitting down in a chair as Mingqing wrapped up her call.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done,¡± Mingqing laughed, letting out a long sigh of relief as she shrunk her terminal back to a bracelet on her wrist, ¡°Want to go get breakfast? I¡¯ll tell you about what they said on the way down.¡±

    Pushing herself up out of the chair she had just sat down in, Songmei nodded while following Mingqing out the door of the bedroom.

    That chair was so comfortable...

    Her bottom felt so empty... and so lonely now...

    She had sat down for barely two minutes!!

    This was daylight burglary, she lost her soulmate just now!

    In the elevator once more though, Mingqing leaned back against the glass. ¡°So... they approved everything, there weren¡¯t any problems with it. They also gave us both access to the Assignment Hall¡¯s online mission board.¡±

    ¡°From it we can just choose a mission, the board can also be filtered to be region specific so no need to worry about that,¡± Mingqing explained as the elevator came to a stop, the doors slid open without a sound.

    ¡°They also gave us our first, just trial mission.¡± Mingqing continued, causing Songmei to perk up a little more. ¡°Just a ¡°go out and vanquish some local beasts¡± mission. There are some specific targets, beasts that have been noted to be invasive and harmful to the environment.¡±

 42: Cultivators? No, Body Builders.

    Full from a hearty breakfast consisting of water, some soup, then some more water, Lin Songmei joined Yan Mingqing as they made their way out. Crossing some of the bridges from the floating central district down to the northside of the city, the two exited through the large gates that marked the entrance of Westriver.

    Wilderness...

    A beaten dirt path stretching out in front of them, Songmei and Mingqing were... unsure of what to do next. Outside the tall walls and heavy gates of Westriver, civilization hadn¡¯t stretched too far.

    It was like going from the modern age to the stone age over the course of 10 steps.

    Not at all in a good direction! Into the direction of having no toilets!

    With their weapons, camping tools, supplies, and most other possessions in their spatial storage rings, Songmei and Mingqing walked down the path, discussing what to do next while taking a look at their surroundings.

    Although it was winter, because Westriver was on a plateau near the bottom edge of the northern continent, the climate was quite temperate, it was chilly, but there wasn¡¯t snow, and the trees all still had leaves on them.

    Around Songmei and Mingqing, there were... a lot of trees. Without much undergrowth, it was still easy to traverse, the main trail having carved a straight line through the trees. Moreover, with the unique Qi of the plateau, the monsters were weak, only the strongest of them having moved past the lowest stage, and those monsters were stagnant, having reached the peak of their strength.

    Equipped with a bow, quiver, and dagger, Songmei kept herself alert while scanning the wilderness, trying to take in as many details as she could. So far, Songmei hadn¡¯t seen many animals, she had seen some rabbits¡ªthat were wayyy too big to be normal rabbits¡ªand some two-headed, two-tailed lizards.

    ¡°What are we even doing...¡± Mingqing murmured out loud, her hand on the sword by her side. ¡°Our mission is to just kill some animals, some of the harmful ones.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know... we¡¯re just wandering around for now,¡± Songmei sighed, lamenting the... emptiness, and strange silence that was this wilderness. ¡°They said some of the ones to look out for are the overgrown vulture, the twin-shelled snail, and the land crab.¡±

    ¡°Those are some boring names,¡± Mingqing shook her head, an unimpressed look on her face, ¡°Who even named these? I know they¡¯re the most basic of spiritual beasts, beasts that have barely been strengthened by Qi, but... c¡¯mon, give them better names.¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Songmei nodded, scanning the sky for any signs of... any birds. The area seemed devoid of any avian life, strange, as avian life was usually everywhere.

    Something was up with the forest...

    Songmei had, after racking her brain for the past few moments, put a finger onto the problem. There weren¡¯t... many sounds in general. There weren¡¯t any birds, chirping and flying around, there weren¡¯t any roars of beasts, hunting for their prey, any mating calls of animals, there weren¡¯t any insects... doing their insect things.

    Songmei hated insects, despised them with all her heart.

    Growing up in the ¡°Government Funded Home For Those Without Homes¡±, bugs were... a sad fact of life. Moving every year as she went up an age group, Songmei had lived in... guess what, 16 homes!

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Each of them weren¡¯t dilapidated to the point that bugs would be crawling across the floor every moment of the day, but there would still be bugs showing up every few nights, forcing Songmei to grab a tissue and fight for her life.

    Telling Mingqing about her thoughts, Songmei found that Mingqing had just been thinking the same too.

    It was uncanny.

    Seeing a rabbit run by in the forest beside the path, Songmei and Mingqing sighed, realizing that they couldn¡¯t just kill it and call it a day, even if it seemed savage.

    It had bloodshot red eyes and was frothing at the mouth for heaven¡¯s sake!!

    Wasn¡¯t that like... sign of a not super survivable disease 101?

    -----------

    Wandering for another 15 minutes down the path that seemed to stretch on forever, Songmei and Mingqing were considering splitting off from the worn route to find their own way through the forest and look for something... anything at all.

    At least in this area there were more sounds of nature.

    Hearing the sounds of shouts up ahead though, Songmei and Mingqing looked at each other, pausing for a second.

    ¡°Go?¡± Mingqing asked, her hand already on the handle of her sword.

    ¡°... Sure...¡± Songmei sighed. She really wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk to anyone that she didn¡¯t know, but... it would be good to help.

    Running along the path before splitting from the path and running into the forest towards the sounds of confrontation, Songmei and Mingqing came to a stop at the edge of a small clearing.

    Out of breath, after sprinting over to the clearing, Songmei who had managed to beat Mingqing by a small margin held out her hand, telling Mingqing to stop.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to help...¡± Songmei murmured, watching the scene of carnage unfold in front of them.

    ¡°Yeah... I think we¡¯re not really needed.¡± Mingqing agreed with a sigh, her hand falling back to her side, keeping her sword in her sheath.

    With thousand yard stares, Songmei and Mingqing watched, as a single vulture got... slaughtered, by a group of five disciples.

    Wearing normal clothes, the disciples all seemed older than Songmei and Mingqing by a fair amount. Maybe one or two years?

    At a glance, Songmei could see that each one of the five disciples were wearing a bright, neon, absolutely shining, reflective orange armband, signifying that they were all direct disciples of the Flame Ocean Palace, a second-tier sect on the northern continent.

    Looking at the bright orange armband that seemed to flash every time it was hit by the sun, Songmei thanked the heavens once more, rubbing the small, dark-blue bracelet she had that represented her status as a direct disciple of Starlight Lake.

    ¡°They all remind me of Lu Qiang...¡± Songmei whispered into Mingqing¡¯s ear, watching the five disciples. Out of the five of them, two used their fists only, two used a sword only, and there was one, who... used a literal war hammer!!

    What was the point of a five person party if EVERYONE needs to be kissing the opponent¡¯s ass in order to do damage??

    That just seemed inefficient...

    Songmei could really relate to Liu Xueli¡¯s derision towards the recent trend of everyone only focusing on individual strength...

    Though, Xueli couldn¡¯t say too much... she was a martial artist who only used body techniques either, having never touched a weapon in her life. Somehow, she still had a vast amount of knowledge on every single weapon though, maybe it came from... combat experience? From her totally not long life.

    Turning to leave as the vulture fell to the ground with a shriek, gushing blood from an uncountable number of cuts and... crushed parts, Songmei and Mingqing were stopped after one of the disciples called out.

    ¡°Hey!! What are you two doing around here? Are you trying to steal our kill or something???¡±

    WHAM.

    Songmei froze, turning after hearing one of the disciples get slammed into the ground.

    ¡°Hey, girls, want to hang around us? We¡¯re strong, so you¡¯ll be safe with us!¡±

    Songmei couldn¡¯t help but let out a long sigh in unison with Mingqing...

    ... Ew...

 43: Crustacean Lookinâ€™ Ass...

    Breathless.

    Not in the good way of course, in the ¡°just sprinted for ten minutes¡± way...

    After realizing that the five disciples from Flame Ocean Palace were in fact... serious, about their advances towards her and Yan Mingqing, Lin Songmei joined Mingqing in... running away, as far and as fast as possible, from the now angry disciples.

    Leaning against a tree, having bolted in a random direction, Songmei closed her eyes, catching her breath as Mingqing stood beside her, a stream of expletives under her breath as she steadied her breathing as well.

    What had happened was... sad? Cliche?

    Songmei and Mingqing had just turned them down, albeit without many pleasantries, before rousing the anger out of the disciples. Then, with one of them still face planted in the dirt, Songmei and Mingqing ran as the other four chased them.

    It was... very lucky that they were in the forest, otherwise, Songmei would¡¯ve probably been caught like a housecat trying to run from a tiger.

    It wouldn''t have been pretty...

    While running, because the four disciples somehow still held onto hope, Songmei had even managed to gather some information about them, that they were the ¡®proud disciples of the Third Elder¡¯, and that they had already opened between 8-11 of their main meridians.

    Of course, this was... a little sad considering they were all a couple of years older than Songmei and Mingqing, but good for them. They¡¯re trying their best. It also meant that there was no way in heaven or hell that Songmei or Mingqing could fight them though if a direct confrontation occurred.

    Brushing her silver-ish hair out of her face, Songmei pushed herself back up off the tree, stretching a bit as Mingqing waited for her. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    ¡°Looking at this online map I have, we ran quite a distance in the southeastern direction, making us farther from the path that runs in a straight line towards the east.¡± Mingqing informed, looking at a small map on her terminal. ¡°Let¡¯s get going though, I saw a hunting target a little further from here.¡±

    ¡°Okey~¡± Songmei sang, unslinging her bow while following behind Mingqing, ¡°What do we do about those people though? They seemed dead set on at least getting to know us...¡±

    Although she didn¡¯t dwell on it too much, it seemed like it really was going to be a problem if this type of stuff kept happening...

    Songmei didn¡¯t know how to respond, what was she supposed to do??

    When she was a broke-as-pavement orphan, no one hit on her, who¡¯d want to go out with someone who looked like they participated in malnourishment as a hobby...

    Now that she¡¯d been hit on a few times, though, it... just wasn¡¯t fun. Of course, she didn¡¯t mind as much when it was people she found attractive but even then it was troublesome...

    Moreover, in these situations, even Mingqing¡¯s ice queen ¡°leave me alone or I¡¯ll smack you hard enough to let you ascend¡± face didn¡¯t work! There were too many people who were into it!

    Trudging through the forest, Songmei let out a long sigh before getting reassured by Mingqing, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, just... focus on other things. No one likes getting hit on to that degree. And from those disciples'' actions, you can tell that no one is hitting on them... We can just ignore them and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    Damn.

    Mingqing really just did that...

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Rest in peace Flame Ocean Palace...

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet plenty more people... people who aren¡¯t uhhh, you know, thinking with their pants,¡± Mingqing murmured, coming to a stop behind a tree as a land crab came into view, a dead rabbit eviscerated between its pincers. ¡°Anyhow... shh...¡±

    Rustle.

    WHAM.

    The other pincer slammed together loud enough to generate wind and Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s eyes widened, their pupils dilating a bit as they watched the crab CRUSH another rabbit, its pincers now each holding a lifeless rabbit.

    Watching blood pool around the crab as the rabbits¡¯ heads hung, swinging, lifeless and empty in the air.

    Songmei swore that the only thing keeping the head attached to the rabbit was its unresolved grievances...

    Inhale.

    Exhale.

    Songmei could do this, she had learnt new techniques and was equipped to deal with it.

    Inhale.

    ¡®Calm down Songmei... calm down.¡¯

    Exhale.

    Taking an arrow out of her quiver, Songmei raised her bow, pulling the arrow back.

    Stretch.

    Using a longbow, Songmei planted her feet, rolling her shoulders a few times before settling in, aiming to get a good first shot at least and give Mingqing and herself an advantage.

    Her hand clenched, arm shaking to an imperceptible degree, Songmei felt the Qi rushing through her arm and into the arrow.

    Crack... crack.

    The small cracking sounds continued, loud enough for only her and Mingqing to hear, Songmei looked down for a second, checking to see that the arrowhead had been covered in a thin layer of iridescent crystal.

    It was good that this crab was the weakest of the weak, even if it didn¡¯t seem so.

    Release.

    Her arrow cutting through the air, Songmei, taking another arrow out of her quiver, watched as the arrow pierced through the eye of the crab, causing the entire eye to be covered in a thin layer of crystal.

    Swish. Swish.

    Letting loose arrow after arrow now that the crab began to chatter and dash towards her and Mingqing, Songmei backed away through the forest, sending another few arrows towards the crab.

    The plan was simple, Mingqing would kite it, leading it around since the pincers were too dangerous in close combat while Songmei shot at it from afar. At the same time, Songmei would use her butterfly movement technique to stay far away from it whenever it neared her.

    Keeping her sword in its sheath to not dull its edge, Mingqing just wacked the crab when she could, grabbing its anger while Songmei ran through her arrows like it was water.

    Crash. Trees were toppled. Dirt was overturned. Rocks were crushed.

    The crab was rampaging, one of its two eyes blinded and covered in a strange substance, it ran around chasing the stupid, weird, annoying human that was wacking it with a blunt object.

    Another arrow bouncing off of the crab¡¯s shell, Songmei came to a stop, changing her quiver for another full one in her spatial storage ring.

    ¡°Piece of... crustacean.¡±

    Pushing Qi into this arrow, Songmei let it loose, watching it fly past Mingqing and stab clean into the crab, eliciting another angry chatter and more rampaging.

    --------

    15 minutes had passed.

    The crab was still rampaging. Even though it was riddled with arrows, resembling a crystal-shelled porcupine more than a crab, it seemed to have an unwavering life force. Not relenting in its chase at all, still full power even after plowing through tree after tree.

    Mingqing seemed tired, Songmei could see the sweat running down her face, as the intervals between strikes grew longer.

    Songmei was also suffering a bit herself.

    Her arm shaking, muscles literally self-combusting, wrist throbbing, Songmei pushed on, letting loose another arrow, this one a little off target, only grazing one of the legs.

    Swish.

    Another arrow.

    This one, slamming through the crab¡¯s other eye and encasing it in crystal too, seemed to have more of an effect.

    Staggering for a moment, the crab resumed its chase after a brief pause, sparking hope in both Songmei and Mingqing.

    They had a chance!!

    It wasn¡¯t hopeless...

    This crab wasn¡¯t immortal after all...

    And so, Songmei and Mingqing pushed on, kiting and shooting arrows into the crab, wearing it down until it collapsed onto the ground.

    It didn¡¯t even look like a crab anymore, it just looked like a hunk of crystal...

    Tenacious crustacean lookin¡¯ ass...

 44: The Lychee Jelly Murderer

    Arrow. Arrow. Arrow...

    ... Arrow...

    Picking up arrow after arrow off the ground, Lin Songmei let out a long sigh, bending over once more to pick up yet another arrow off the ground.

    Is this what housewives felt like?

    Filling up a quiver and switching it for another empty one, Songmei continued to pick up the reusable arrows while Yan Mingqing worked on breaking the crystal shell that they had... generously gifted to the crab.

    ¡°I¡¯m doneeee~¡± Songmei cheered, stretching her arms to the sky after picking up the last arrow. ¡°How are things going over there, Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... fine!¡± Mingqing grunted, smacking the crab again and causing a large crack on its shell, ¡°Just a... few more pieces.¡±

    Jogging over to help, Songmei watched as Mingqing brought her sheathed sword down onto the crab, cracking another piece of the crystalline encasing off. ¡°I... hmm...¡±

    Songmei paused, standing still beside Mingqing as she brought her sword down again. There... There wasn''t much that she could do... It wasn¡¯t as if she could smack it with her hand or anything, and her dagger for sure wasn¡¯t going to do much.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just let you handle it,¡± Songmei murmured, seeing that there weren¡¯t many pieces left, a couple more strikes would do it in.

    --------

    Finished with the crab, its corpse now stored in Mingqing¡¯s spatial storage ring, Songmei and Mingqing left the area, following the map on the terminal to return to the beaten path. From the trodden path, they could then easily return to the city.

    The magic of... civilization!

    Roads!

    Who would¡¯ve thought that roads could be so miraculous.

    ¡°We¡¯re not too far from the path,¡± Mingqing informed, closing the map to walk beside Songmei. ¡°We are pretty far from the city though, so it¡¯ll be a pretty long walk back.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡± Songmei lamented, tired and worn from all the walking and fighting. ¡°I wish they had shuttles here...¡±

    ¡°Me too,¡± Mingqing sighed, pulling out a small snack bar from her spatial storage ring. ¡°You want a bite? I was just going to snack until we got back to the city. Even if it''s going to be almost 3 pm by the time we get back, we can eat a small lunch around then.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, okay. That sounds good,¡± Songmei smiled, leaning over and pushing her hair back to take a bite from Mingqing¡¯s chocolate flavored snack bar. ¡°We can choose from Food Reviewer Cai Yufei¡¯s hand curated list!¡±

    Snorting and suppressing a laugh, Mingqing raised an eyebrow, sarcasm dripping in her voice as she teased. ¡°We can¡¯t make fun of Food Reviewer Cai! Don¡¯t you know how much time he spent going through every food review in the city? Time really... well-spent.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Their banter continuing, the two made their way back to the path, weaving through the trees, stepping over roots, and referring back to their map to not lose their way.

    The crunch of the dry, worn dirt path under their shoes once more, Songmei and Mingqing high-fived, following the long path that stretched out in front of them.

    ¡°Walking in a straight line... I can do that,¡± Songmei murmured, her voice dripping with lethargy as she held hands with Mingqing, moving forward down the path. ¡°There are a few people in front of us by the way, Mingqing.¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± Mingqing gave a nod, her usual energetic voice also quite worn after all hunting, running, and meandering through the forest they had done. ¡°The path is... straight, Songmei. How am I not going to see them...¡±

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re experiencing a sudden bout of blindness, I don¡¯t know...¡± Shrugged Songmei, squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand in her own. ¡°Someone¡¯s walking over to us and waving though...¡±

    Honestly, at this point, Songmei didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone...

    However, at this point, she was fine with anything, as long as it wasn¡¯t another person coming to hit on her or Mingqing.

    As the person came closer though, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened. She recognized him.

    Han Youhong.

    He was one of the two direct disciples taken in by the top sect of the Eastern Continent, the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadows!

    Well, the situation in the Eastern Continent was... unique. There were actually two hegemonic sects, however, the two sects had decided to fuse into one, each retaining their autonomy to a certain extent, but forming one upper echelon.

    The two sects that combined?

    The Pavilion of Radiant Light and the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadows.

    Although in official terms the two sects were the same, they functioned more like two independent sects; you''d enter the sect, officially titled the Pavilion of Radiant Shadows, then get sorted into either the Radiant Light side or the Extinguishing Shadows side.

    From there it was pretty much two separate sects...

    The Radiant Light side was a very Yang-focused sect, many times their cultivating arts were related to the sun or other sources of Yang.

    On the other hand, the Extinguishing Shadows side was a very Yin-focused sect, cultivating in arts related to the moon or other sources of Yin.

    By combining, the sects managed to become a complete entity that actually surpassed the two sects individually.

    A sort of 2 + 2 = 5 situation...

    Even having read about it, Songmei was still confused, but it worked out? And... she didn¡¯t live on the Eastern Continent, so it didn¡¯t affect her too much.

    Now, however, Han Youhong, newest direct disciple of the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadows was uhh... approaching her and Mingqing?

    With black hair that wasn¡¯t too long, it was long enough to cover his eyes if he put his hair in front of his face, and piercing red eyes, one would think that Han Youhong would be scary.

    The constant stream of jelly entering his mouth kinda... dissipated the image though.

    Bored, with his two chain blades slung on his back, Han Youhong gave a casual wave to Songmei and Mingqing. ¡°What¡¯s up, Starlighters?¡±

    Squish.

    There went another Lychee Jelly...

    ¡°Nothing... much?¡± Mingqing answered, her face cold as the frozen tundra.

    ¡°Well, I was alone, just walking back to town after hunting, so I thought I¡¯d come say hi,¡± Han Youhong shrugged, nodding towards his two chainblades that had just been cleaned of blood. ¡°Care if I join you? Eating jelly alone on a path is much more depressing than eating jelly when walking with others.¡±

    ¡°Sure...?¡± Agreed Songmei with a cautious murmur. ¡°I mean... feel free? I don¡¯t see why not...¡±

    ¡°Cool beans,¡± Han Youhong answered, pulling out another pack of jelly from his spatial storage ring, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me then. I¡¯ll just be eating my jelly.¡±

    Squish...

    ...

    Squish...

    Songmei was already mourning for all the jelly in Han Youhong¡¯s spatial storage ring...

 45: Accidental Extra Credit... Well... More Rewards At Least

    Han Youhong was cool.

    Lin Songmei found him easy to talk to, and by some sheer miracle, Han Youhong had managed to make even Yan Mingqing open up.

    Because they had discovered a shared love of food, Mingqing was now more loquacious than those children who wouldn¡¯t shut up about their grand future destiny as a cultivator.

    ¡°¡­ so for the steamed bun store, it¡¯s one which street again? You also mentioned a street stand that sells good lamb skewers? Could you actually just send me the location of both of those?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, sure, lemme just transfer the info to your terminal. The lamb stand moves though, so it might not be there right now.¡±

    Squish.

    Songmei, who was just staying quiet, raised her eyebrows at yet another small lychee jelly disappearing into Han Youhong¡¯s mouth.

    It was like a black hole¡­ While talking to her and Mingqing, Han Youhong hands had been supplying a continuous cascade of jelly into his mouth.

    Crazy.

    Songmei had probably only eaten one of those in her life, and that was during a special event at the orphanage¡­

    Anyhow, Songmei had learned that Han Youhong had grown up in a pretty well-off family, not quite in the same circle as Mingqing, but still up there. To Songmei, it was all the same, they were both just super super rich people.

    Coming up to the city though, Mingqing and Songmei bade farewell to Han Youhong, promising to work together sometime.

    ¡°Was it fun getting to know Han Youhong?¡± Songmei asked, holding hands with Mingqing once more, lacing her fingers and giving a squeeze.

    ¡°It was¡­ I guess?¡± Mingqing shrugged, tapping her chin with her other hand while returning the squeeze. ¡°I¡¯ve met him once or twice when we were children, but never talked to him back then. Honestly though, I was more excited for the food information than actually getting to know him¡­¡±

    Huh.

    Songmei didn¡¯t really know what to say to that¡­ Mingqing was a big foodie in the end after all¡­

    Walking through the northside gate of Westeiver, the two continued talking, crossing a bridge back to the floating central district.

    ¡°What do we even do now¡­¡± Songmei mused, looking around as they walked through the sliding doors to the apartment building.

    It was already around 3:00 pm after all. They could go eat a¡­ really late lunch, or they could do something else. Cultivate? Read class materials?

    When talking to Liu Xueli last night, other than being worried for her after watching her cough up some more blood, Songmei had asked about what they should do.

    The answer?

    Really vague¡­

    Xueli had told them to train up and cultivate a lot, but there wasn¡¯t much urgency¡­

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    In the end, growing up in a peaceful era was both a disadvantage and an advantage at the same time.

    Beyond training, Xueli had also advised the two of them, Songmei herself and Mingqing, to go on a longer mission. The plateau was massive and the city didn¡¯t take up much space, so even though so many generations of disciples had gone through the area, there were still unexplored parts.

    Also, Xueli had just thrown out, at the VERY END of the call, that it seemed like conflict was rising again. That a couple of the demon nobles and their pillars had descended.

    One would think¡­ one would think that this sort of thing wouldn¡¯t just be said with total casualness at the end of a call¡­

    Songmei, hearing that, almost wanted to begin coughing up blood like Xueli¡­

    Boop.

    ¡°Hello there, Songmei,¡± Mingqing murmured with a small smile, leaning forward and staring straight at Songmei. ¡°You here? You got stuck in your thoughts again.¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m here,¡± Songmei coughed, her mouth opening and closing a number of times as she backed away from Mingqing in a panic.

    Pinching Songmei¡¯s nose with a teasing smile, Mingqing explained, ¡°Well, I was just telling you about how we need to submit this carcass before we can actually do anything else. The assignment hall has a little branch in almost every city, this one included.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ okay,¡± Songmei nodded, following Mingqing as they walked past the receptionist, past the gift shop full of Starlight Lake merch, and into the mini assignment hall outpost.

    With a small desk, a receptionist, a couple of hi-tech mission kiosks, and an aged leather couch, the assignment ¡°hall¡± wasn¡¯t much.

    As some older disciples walked out as the two of them entered, giving them a nod as they passed, Songmei and Mingqing wandered in. walking up to the front desk to hand in their mission.

    ¡°Lin Songmei.¡±

    ¡°Yan Mingqing.¡±

    Giving their names, the two disciples stood there, an awkward pause descending as the receptionist typed their names into a database, finding which mission they had taken.

    ¡°Basic hunting mission: one intrusive species?¡± The receptionist asked, their eyes still glued to the mission info, ¡°Please present either proof of the kill or the entire body. If it''s the entire body, we can process it for you.¡±

    Raising her arm up above the large empty dumping area, an area about the size of a large bed, Mingqing let the land crab¡¯s body fall out of her spatial storage ring, ¡°Is this alright?¡±

    ¡°I-... I-It is!¡± The receptionist gasped, inspecting it over with a handheld device. ¡°You two... do you realize what you¡¯ve killed? This is a five meridian land crab...¡±

    Silence.

    ¡°¡°Oh.¡±¡±

    Really????

    Songmei wanted to cry, they had spent so much effort to hunt that thing!! She was under the impression this was the weakest variant...

    No wonder that stupid crustacean could plow through trees like it was her master going through koi feed...

    Moving away from the crab, the receptionist waved Songmei and Mingqing back over to the main desk, explaining, ¡°The usual reward is a body cleansing pill, with an efficiency of around 30%. However, because you two hunted a monster that was more than two levels above yourselves, you¡¯ll instead both be given a pill with an efficiency of 50%.¡±

    R-... R-Rich!

    That¡¯s all Songmei could think...

    Every moment where the Starlight Lake could drop tons of money and resources for disciples like her... she felt another pang of motivation.

    Songmei swore, she¡¯d never, never slack off and fall back into poverty.

    ¡°Additionally,¡± the receptionist continued, pulling out a small package from under the desk, ¡°In today¡¯s delivery of goods, there was also a package addressed to you two from your master, Liu Xueli. Inside are two more body cleansing pills, one for each of you. So once you go back to your room, take a look.¡±

    R... R...

    Deep breaths Songmei...

    Rich!!!

    Putting a hand to her chest, Songmei shook her head, dispelling her fears about poverty and leaving them to be thought about for late-night Songmei and dying-from-training Songmei.

    One thank you to the receptionist later, Mingqing and Songmei made their way back into the glass elevator, leaning back against the walls as it ascended upwards with a smooth glide.

 46: Time To Take Some PILLS! (In A Good Way)

    Back in their room, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing sat down on their... shared bed? They really hadn¡¯t discussed it, so for now... they¡¯d just continue to sleep in the same bed.

    Ripping open the packaging from their master, Mingqing was greeted with two pills encased in similar packaging to the pills they received from the assignment hall. The pills were a dull white-ish color, nothing too special to look at, and it was inside of a small recyclable wrapper.

    Songmei, holding the two pills in her hand, couldn¡¯t help but compare them to candy...

    They were packaged like candy and even... even kinda looked like candy.

    Also in the package though, was a letter, not handwritten because... why, but it had a nice message on it.

    ¡°Want me to read it out loud? Might as well, right?¡± Mingqing asked, looking inside the packaging to see that there wasn¡¯t a second copy in it, then, looking up with a smug expression, ¡°I¡¯ve always had to practice things like public speaking or reading out loud since I was young, so I got this!¡±

    Not really in a position to say no, Songmei gave a small wave to let Mingqing read, she was curious about Mingqing¡¯s out loud reading skills anyway.

    [Dear my two lovely disciples,

    ... I forgot to give you two these pills when you left.

    So here they are now! I hope you enjoy them, these are both 75% efficacy body cleansing pills.

    You two might be wondering, well... I don¡¯t think Mingqing would wonder as much, but these body cleansing pills are critical at this stage.

    When opening your twenty meridians, twelve main and eight extraordinary, you¡¯re considered a body cultivator. At this point, you¡¯re trying to really purify your body and set up a foundation blah blah you know this stuff.

    So body cleansing pills are especially useful at this stage!

    Also, the effect of these pills will also happen somewhat every time you open one of the 8 extraordinary meridians... so look forward to that.

    Also again, I¡¯d recommend taking these pills either while sitting on a towel, or maybe sitting in the bathroom shower area? Or the bath area? I¡¯m not sure which you two have.

    It¡¯d be such a shame to do it on your beds, I saw from last night¡¯s call that you two have such pure white sheets, don¡¯t ruin them! Take care of your belongings!

    Anyhow, just hold the pills in your mouth, letting them dissolve like a candy, and circulate your Qi while you do it. It probably won¡¯t help you immediately open another meridian, but it will certainly aid in progress towards the next meridian.

    Bye-bye~ Take care my lovely disciples~

    Liu Xueli

    Co-Head of the Martial Pavilion in the Starlight Lake Sect]

    Mingqing¡¯s reading skills really were... quite good.

    Songmei didn¡¯t know how to feel about the whole ¡°my lovely disciples¡± part though. It made her feel warm and fuzzy, but also... cringe a little inside.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°So... We follow the advice, right?¡± Songmei mused, fidgeting with the two pills in her hand. ¡°Also, do we like... take the pills one at a time or both at the same time? I don¡¯t think Xueli expected us to have another pill to take too.¡±

    Mingqing, being the beacon of knowledge she was as usual, answered, ¡°Take them one at a time, order doesn¡¯t matter. So... I mean there¡¯s only one shower, bath area, but I think it''s big enough that we can both sit in it together.¡±

    Pushing herself off the bed and stretching, Songmei grabbed her two pills. ¡°Let¡¯s go then~ wohoo! Cultivation~, my only hobby these days~¡±

    ----------

    Sat in the showering area, Songmei crossed her legs, unwrapping the first piece of can... no, the first body cleansing pill.

    Having unwrapped the 50% efficacy pill first, it being the one that was laying on top, Songmei held it in her mouth, closing her eyes and beginning to circulate her Qi.

    Inhale.

    Exhale.

    In... and out.

    It was a weird feeling.

    Songmei wouldn¡¯t say that it hurt... but it wasn¡¯t... wasn¡¯t comfortable.

    As she circulated her Qi with the pill in her mouth, she first felt a rush of coolness spreading through her body every time she breathed. That part was comfortable. It was like washing the insides of her body, as gruesome as that sounded, the coolness really was... it was so comfortable!

    However, at the same time, as she felt the coolness rush through her body starting from her mouth where the pill was every time she breathed, Songmei also felt like she was sweating, from every pore of her body.

    That part wasn¡¯t very nice.

    Sweating already wasn¡¯t the best, but now, it felt like there was something... leaving, oozing out of her body from every pore.

    Doing the laundry was going to be hell...

    Pushing on though, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed for a second before she remembered to relax them once more.

    Inhaleeeeee.

    Exhaleeeeee.

    Ignore the weird sweating...

    Just concentrate on letting the Qi circulate through the body as if it was the lychee jelly entering Han Youhong¡¯s mouth, smooth as melted butter.

    As the clock in the main room ticked on, as the sun dipped in the sky, Songmei and Mingqing concentrated on absorbing the pills, lunch having become a distant thought that occupied no part of their minds.

    Done with the first pill after what felt like an eternity, Songmei let out a long exhale, unwrapping the second pill before diving back into absorbing its effects. Similar to the first pill, the second pill also caused a coolness to rush through her body starting from her mouth every time she breathed. At the same time though, with this second pill and its 75% efficacy rate, the weird... uncomfortable sweating feeling continued.

    Songmei hated this feeling, it felt... felt... so...

    It felt so ew, that¡¯s all she could call it...

    In a certain sense, to Songmei, it was similar to being sick and sweating so much even when she already had 2 blankets over her. Then again, she never had proper blankets until she got to the sect...

    Clearing her mind, Songmei focused back on her Qi, letting it circulate through her body as the body cleansing pill did its work.

    Inhale.

    Exhale.

    In the bathroom, one that, luckily, had no windows, Songmei was unaware of the passage of time. However, as she finished up, the last of the pill in her mouth dissolving, Songmei observed the changes in her body.

    There wasn¡¯t too much of note, just that her body felt more... pure. Internally, there wasn¡¯t much. Her Qi circulation had become a lot more smooth, not only in the areas where she hadn¡¯t opened her meridians, but the places she had already opened as well.

    Opening her eyes though, Songmei rolled her neck a few times, feeling it crack as she pushed herself up with difficulty as her joints all screamed in annoyance.

    ¡®Maybe this is what Xueli feels like...¡¯

    Looking down as she felt her stomach grumble, Songmei realized... she couldn¡¯t go eat.

    There was a layer of... black... mud-like grime that was caked on all her skin.

    Shower it is then.

 47: Why The Hell Is Someone Flying A Trashcan

    With Yan Mingqing finishing not long after her, Lin Songmei waited until she left the shower area before beginning her shower.

    In the shower, Songmei moved as if there was an incoming typhoon, Mingqing was waiting for her turn after all.

    Coming out of the shower after drying herself and letting Mingqing in, Songmei inspected herself in the mirror, because who knows, what if she de-aged into a child?

    She didn¡¯t.

    That was good at least.

    Unlike what happened to Xueli, who seemed to have gotten a fair bit younger, the only visual difference that Songmei could see was that her skin seemed nicer. More supple and smooth with a lot less blemishes.

    Damn, no wonder all the cultivators she saw were hot¡­

    Getting dressed, Songmei sat down, splaying out on a cushioned chair while waiting for Mingqing to come out.

    Judging from the time, once Mingqing came out from her shower, it¡¯d be about time to go to dinner, so that seemed like a good plan. Songmei¡¯s stomach was already grumbling just thinking about it...

    What soup could she get...

    Sitting by the window in a cushioned seat on the first floor of the apartment, splayed out like a dead fish, Songmei yawned, zoning out as she stared out the window while waiting for Mingqing to finish up.

    With the muted sound of the shower running in the background, the afternoon sun shining through the window, and the movie of life playing out on the distant streets below her, Songmei¡¯s eyes glazed over.

    Songmei didn¡¯t mind this life. For one thing it was... comfortable. Way more comfortable than her previous life where she toiled everyday in hopes of a better future.

    This... this kinda was that better future.

    Beyond that though, she had met so many cool people, made some amazing meaningful connections.

    All she had to do was continue to put in the work cultivating.

    Oh frick.

    Also reading class materials...

    Coughing, Songmei swore to herself that she¡¯d read a bit later tonight.

    Yet, swearing her productivity under her breath, unknown to Songmei at the time, her motivation would be blown away just as her quiet words were as she made her small declaration.

    Funny how that happens...

    Scrunching up further, like a shrimp laying on a chair, Songmei¡¯s legs dangled over one of the armrests as she zoned out once more, thinking about her future plans and potential dinner places.

    At the same time, deciding to work a bit, Songmei focused on circulating a little more Qi, more than the usual background amount every cultivator did even when they weren¡¯t paying attention.

    Vehicles...

    The transportation hub in full view from where she was sitting, Songmei spent some time bored, counting how many different types of vehicles she could see landing and leaving from the hub. Forming two streams of toy-like vehicles rising and falling out of the sky.

    Jets... Cars... Boats... Rugs... Pods

    There was everything...

    Songmei swore she even saw a washing machine...

    Crazy stuff as always.

    Growing up, she had never seen anything remotely like this, the city she grew up in was... uninspired, the wall between the cultivators and common people firm and dividing, not that there were any cultivators in the city really.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Her city was... weird.

    Looking back, it seemed to have been a little bit in the past.

    Although, sure, technology was there, vehicles flying at various heights going to work blah blah, multi-level hubs for multi-level operations blah blah, there was a certain... age to it.

    The technology was there as mentioned, rare, expensive infrastructure that most cities will have one or two sections of, but everything else seemed old fashioned.

    School was... the literal worst, they were living what felt like 50 years in the past.

    It was... sort of understandable though, her principal, the third son of a pretty prestigious academic family, had been the principal of the school for apparently 120 years. He wasn¡¯t a cultivator of course, otherwise he¡¯d be... cultivating, but he had eaten life prolonging medicine.

    This was one of the key things that allowed for the peaceful, yet sorta separate coexistence of the cultivation and non-cultivation societies. The cultivation world, although having people of most professions, focused more on their individual skills: their cultivation, their alchemy, their blacksmithing, their... ability to write horrendous jokes while working at the Daoist Times, that type of stuff.

    On the other hand, the non-cultivation society focused a lot on... technological advancement, and other stuff. However, with the intricacies of the Dao, the medicine industry... kinda fell flat.

    Well it never even got off the ground in the first place.

    How was it going to compete with the miracle pills produced by the cultivation world?

    The simple answer was, they don¡¯t.

    Growing up, even Songmei, the orphan who probably ate dirt more times than she should have, had access to the most basic fever-alleviating pills when she got really sick.

    But the good stuff, the ~good~ stuff that Songmei had read about was things that... she didn¡¯t think science could ever beat.

    Life extending pills! You could live for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years if you were rich enough!

    Body purification pills! The beauty industry? Go cry in a hole!! You can¡¯t do anything against this!

    Brain enhancing pills! Need a temporary boost to thinking speed? The cultivation world has got you covered.

    ...

    ¡®Was that a literal trash can flying out of the transportation hub?¡¯

    Songmei didn¡¯t even know what to think anymore...

    Going back to zoning out, thinking about the TV show she had been watching, Songmei lost track of time, circulating her Qi without much else to do.

    Shower...

    Was still going.

    Songmei hoped Mingqing didn¡¯t slip in the shower or anything...

    Her hair was longer than Songmei¡¯s by just a touch though....

    She sure missed Mingqing though... what was this feeling that irked her, that rummaged around, poked her and bothered her whenever Mingqing wasn¡¯t nearby? What... was this?

    Without having had many friends in the past, what... What were these types of feelings? Was this just how you felt around friends normally? It didn¡¯t feel like that though... it deserved more thought but that was for... in-bed at night Songmei.

    ...

    A stabbing sensation.

    Bolting upright, Songmei paused for a second, before rubbing her eyes.

    Pause.

    Qi stopped.

    Pause.

    Rub, rub... rub, rub, rub.

    Her eyes were probably a lot more red now... but... what?

    For a split second, Songmei had felt like two fiery needles had stabbed into her eyes, yet just as fast, the sensation had disappeared.

    What?

    Looking around, everything... seemed to be the same...

    Weird...

    If not for the fact that it would¡¯ve been weird to hallucinate the feeling of immense pain in her eyes, Songmei would¡¯ve thought that she hallucinated it...

    Hell, even if it was weird to hallucinate it, Songmei still felt like probably hallucinated it...

    Rub... rub, rub.

    A light press against her eyes with both her palms.

    Okay... her eyes were still there.

    And... Everything seemed to be fine.

    Thinking that... something, something had to be up that she didn¡¯t know about, Songmei returned to her thoughts, deciding to just go back to keeping her eyes peeled for any more interesting vehicles that left the transportation hub.

    Lotta jets... not a lot of washing machines.

    Lotta cars and boats... not a lot of bikes or trash cans.

    Amusing herself with the transportation hub and its endless stream of interesting vehicles to look at, Songmei passed the time. Like, even the jets, cars, boats were interesting in their designs, there was ancient style, modern style, futuristic style, industrial style, and you probably need to go to the repair shop style...

    With that, Songmei waited for just a little while longer before Mingqing came downstairs ready to go, her hair up in a half-up, clothes all fresh, and skin... very nice, similar to Songmei¡¯s...

    Body cleansing pills really were great for skincare...

    And Mingqing sure was attractive dammit.

 48: Attaching Like A Magnet To A Fridge

    It was dark outside.

    The sky was clear, the moon was out, and the city had its usual nightlife hum.

    Sitting cross-legged on her bed next to a dead-asleep Yan Mingqing, Lin Songmei circulated her Qi, letting it run through her body as she pushed towards opening her third meridian.

    Feeling it permeate her body, filling yet circulating while trying to open the meridian up, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed a touch as she focused.

    Even now, she wasn¡¯t sure exactly what to do when cultivating, she just used¡­ feeling. Well, that¡¯s what the general advice towards cultivating was, guide the Qi where your body wants it to go.

    That didn¡¯t mean she understood it though.

    With the moonlight leaking into the dark room, its silvery beams casting shadows across the room, illuminating Songmei¡¯s silvery-white hair, she sat there, focused on the situation inside her body.

    The sound of her slow breaths filling the room, Songmei pressed on, cultivating deep into the night.

    She was... so close.

    She felt like she had a delicious meal right in front of her, yet every time she went to go eat, it disappeared like a mirage, appearing once more in front of her once she backed off.

    Focusing back on cultivating, Songmei kept at it, unaware of the passage of time as she opened her third meridian bit by bit, blocked bit by blocked bit, forcing the Qi through with enough force to open the meridian, but not enough force to damage it.

    The perfect balance.

    Inhale...

    And in that moment, a rush of Qi flooded her body as she felt the Qi circulation through her body smoothen by a drastic amount.

    Exhale...

    Her eyes fluttering open, Songmei sat there, blinking a few times to reorient herself.

    It was... night. Obviously, anyone with eyes could figure that out, but looking at a small digital clock on the wall, Songmei could see that it was... 4 a.m.

    Tomorrow was going to be hell.

    Other than her upcoming sleep deprivation¨Cfilled day though, Songmei had just come back from a longer, two week mission with Mingqing after taking their body cleansing pills. A mission in which they had discovered some suspicious plants, sending them to the assignment hall to let them be examined.

    After doing that, Mingqing had broken through and opened her third meridian earlier in the day and was sleeping right now, splayed out like a dead log under the covers while Songmei cultivated beside her.

    What... else?

    Songmei¡¯s mind was foggy, she had already spent an unreasonable amount of hours awake. Sure, circulating Qi helped mitigate not sleeping a lot, but it was still comfortable and good to sleep a few hours. Even more, she had just spent a few days getting the worst sleep possible.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    How was someone supposed to sleep well when one person had to keep watch, in case a literal CRAB came by and crushed them in their sleep, or a massive vulture came by and plucked them like weeds.

    Crustacean looking ass....

    Rubbing her eyes, Songmei leaned over to her nightstand, grabbing the tall glass of water that she had put there before, taking slow sips while stretching a little. The stretches, consisting of neck rolling and some weird arm stuff that she had seen other people do before, probably didn¡¯t do much, but it made Songmei feel a little less stiff... so that was a plus.

    And since she was already sitting cross-legged on the bed and in her sleepwear, Songmei didn¡¯t bother getting up to stretch her legs. Instead, leaning over to put her now half-full cup on the nightstand, Songmei just collapsed backward, falling onto the soft covers of the bed, worming herself underneath them.

    Giving Plum, who was sitting beside her pillow, a few gentle pats, Songmei rolled over, wrapping herself around the nearest warm thing and falling so deep into sleep that it could be compared to a random teenage girl falling in love with their favorite celebrity.

    ----------

    Sunshine.

    Cracking her eyes open just past dawn, Mingqing tried to push herself up, falling back onto the bed once she realized that she had a Songmei-sized attachment wrapped around her.

    With Songmei blissfully lost in the dreamland, Mingqing chuckled a bit, pinching Songmei¡¯s nose for a second before peeling her off and sitting up with a yawn. Checking her terminal after yawning, Mingqing scrolled through, rubbing her eyes to wake herself up as she checked the messages she missed over the course of last night.

    [Notifications:

    The brick production in your castle has increased by 5%! Open the game now to further bolster your brick production!

    Limited time offer! Claim your FREE extra bricklayer today by referring a friend to the game!]

    Her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes squinting, Mingqing sighed, clearing all the notifications in her inbox related to bricks.

    She didn¡¯t need to read that right now, she was already in a good place, her rank was stable in the top 200 worldwide, and she didn¡¯t have an urge to keep grinding to further push her rank up for now.

    Scrolling through her other notifications, Mingqing pushed her messy, dark-blue hair out of her face, lamenting the fact that she couldn¡¯t just tie it right after waking up.

    ¡°News... news... Sect announcement from sect master...¡±

    Murmuring the titles out loud under her breath, Mingqing left most of the articles for future-Mingqing to take care of, her finger only stopping once she saw a notification in bright red letters that started with ¡°URGENT¡±.

    Opening up the message, Mingqing read through it, her eyes widening once she finished.

    She and Songmei had received a direct mission from the assignment hall...

    [Dear Direct Disciples Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing,

    Thank you for turning in the suspicious plants you found during the previous mission.

    Due to your proactive efforts, we¡¯ve managed to analyze this potentially hazardous plant early in its development cycle.

    From our analysis, we¡¯ve gathered that this plant has several harmful effects towards the ecosystem surrounding the city of Westriver. Once fully matured, this plant, in fact, acts like a drug, giving off alluring scents to nearby wildlife, pushing them to eat this flora even if they wouldn¡¯t otherwise.

    By eating this flora, the spiritual beasts of the plateau will lose their minds, going on mindless rampages. At the same time however, they will also gain a boost in their spirituality, allowing even those at the peak of the plateau¡¯s ecosystem to ascend further in strength.

    Because of this, the assignment hall will be assigning all disciples currently residing in Westriver an emergency mission to investigate the origin of these plants along with a mission to clear out as many of these plants as possible.

    Once more of the sect¡¯s experts clear up, higher-ups will be sent to fully eradicate the issue. Therefore, focus on investigating the cause and the original landing point of this plant.

    Sincerely,

    The Assignment Hall]

    It seemed like they had work to do...

    Sighing, Mingqing leaned over, beginning to try and nudge Songmei awake. ¡°Sorry... I know you haven''t slept much, but we need to get going today actually...¡±

 49: Brain_Loading.exe...

    Lin Songmei wanted to go back to sleep. Looking at the time, she had slept for less than three hours.

    Why...

    Songmei had taken naps longer than that!! The only explanation that Songmei could think of was that the world was against her...

    Despite her complaints, with her hair brushed and her clothes changed, Songmei stumbled along, following Yan Mingqing while gripping her hand as if her life depended on it. If she let go of Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei was about... 99.98% sure that she¡¯d either get lost or just lay on the ground and fall asleep right then and there.

    Unbeknownst to Songmei though, while sitting there half-asleep, waiting for Mingqing to brush her hair, had had some makeup put on by a careful Mingqing.

    After all, to Mingqing, it was such a shame! Songmei was already so pretty, (and also maybe Mingqing¡¯s type) but she never wore makeup! Mingqing would wear some if she woke up early enough, but Songmei never did...

    Songmei, of course, was still trudging along behind Mingqing towards the breakfast hall without a hint in the world that she had sparkly eyelids, too tired to even feel the makeup

    ¡°Did you read the message while I brushed your hair, Songmei?¡± Mingqing asked, guiding Songmei through the double doors of the breakfast hall. ¡°It wasn¡¯t too long, but the contents of it are important. Also, beyond that, I also messaged Xueli, asking about it. However, all I got was a picture of her trash can filled with bloody tissues captioned, ¡®You got this! Overcome this challenge on your own! It¡¯s a good growth experience!¡¯¡±

    ¡°H... huh?¡± Songmei gawked as she stared off into the space in front of herself, her brain taking a minute to process the wall of words that Mingqing had just thrown at her.

    Loading...

    ¡°Oh... oh! Yeah, I read the thing...¡± Nodded Songmei, blinking herself a little more awake as she got into the soup line with Mingqing behind her. ¡°Yeah... Oh... I hope Xueli is feeling okay...¡±

    Her brain working at maximum capacity, clear to anyone who looked, Songmei¡¯s eyes glazed over as she her brain chugged along, trying its best to come up with cohesive thoughts that didn¡¯t consist of ¡°bed,¡± ¡°want to go to bed,¡± or ¡°sleeping more would be nice.¡±

    Letting Mingqing pilot her to the soup line, having not thought of a single soup that existed while giving a blank stare to the menu, Songmei stood there, copying the soup that Mingqing ordered before following Mingqing to a table.

    ¡°Ohh yeah... thank you for taking care of me this morning,¡± Songmei expressed with a tired smile after having blinked herself half-awake. Though Songmei wouldn¡¯t hesitate to admit, the soup¡¯s aroma had also helped to wake her body up.

    ¡°No worries,¡± Mingqing shrugged, taking a sip of the light soup that she had ordered. ¡°We¡¯re close so it''s fine, and just think of it as repayment for the time I had a really bad headache.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... but... but...¡± Songmei trailed off, her brain already almost at max capacity trying to keep her hair out of her soup while drinking it. ¡°Even if it was a lot more than usual this morning... I feel like you do it every morning...¡±

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Sipping her soup with an amused expression, Mingqing held it together, resisting the urge to mention the makeup and how it made Songmei¡¯s apologetic expression that much cuter. ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it~ It¡¯s not a big deal, and half-asleep you is always amusing to be around.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡±

    -----------

    Awake and out of the apartment building that the Starlight Lake Sect owned, Songmei made her way across one of the bridges from the floating Central District to the Northside, hand in hand with Mingqing.

    ¡°Do we want anyone to join us?¡± Songmei asked, reviewing the mission information the assignment hall had sent once more now that she was awake. ¡°Are we allowed to have anyone join us? We should, right? It uh... it is kinda an emergency, after all.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re allowed to have people join us,¡± Mingqing explained, pointing to a certain section in the mission information. ¡°The problem is we don¡¯t really have anyone to join up with. I asked Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang, but uhh... Well, they were out of the city on a different mission, when they got the emergency mission. Also, I got a strongly worded message from Cai Yufei about how this is a great time to temper ourselves, and that we shouldn¡¯t be seeking help. Therefore, he and Lu Qiang will embark on the mission alone.¡±

    Giggling a bit before coughing and composing herself, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but chuckle under her breath imagining Cai Yufei¡¯s righteous fervor as he typed the message.

    Laughing along with Songmei, Mingqing, knowing what Songmei was laughing about added, ¡°It was SO LONG too! The thing stretched on for four pages! By the end, I was pondering all my life choices, and whether or not I had spent the last ten years of my life correctly...¡±

    ¡°Maybe Cai Yufei has some talent in terms of writing then,¡± Songmei pondered out loud as she passed through the tall gates that marked the edge of the city. ¡°If cultivating doesn¡¯t work out, maybe he could go into writing prose or something...¡±

    ¡°For sure...¡± Mingqing agreed, letting out a sigh as she was greeted with the monotonous trail once more.

    Songmei, letting out a similar sigh under her breath, began the trek forward towards the area that they had found the plants in their previous mission.

    It was going to be long...

    Just thinking about it made Songmei lament her future.

    They could run, of course, but it was a journey that¡¯d take a couple of days at walking speed, so running, although faster, would tire them out to a needless degree. Also, while running, with unchanging scenery in front and behind them, the mental fatigue was no joke...

    It was... so boring.

    Green trees that swayed in the wind, flanking a well-worn dirt trail that stretched on for what seemed like forever. Also, in Songmei¡¯s mind, the casual description of a ¡°well-worn¡± dirt trail felt... felt like such a trivialization.

    The trail was more than well-worn, it looked like people had been using it for the past two thousand years, and in all honesty, Songmei would believe it if someone said it really had been used for that long.

    From their last mission though, Songmei and Mingqing had found out that after walking for more than a day, the trail would split off every once and a while. Because this trail stretched on in an almost straight line towards the north of the plateau, there were other paths, shorter ones towards the west, and very... very long ones that traveled east.

    They still had a long way to walk though...

    Time to pull up some random verbal games that they could play to pass the time...

    For heaven¡¯s sake though, the city of Westriver needed to make some shuttles! Were the funds being embezzled??

    Songmei wanted to go and beat up whoever was in charge of transportation. They had such a nice transportation hub, yet they couldn¡¯t afford even a single, dinky little shuttle for these paths??

    Horrendous.

 50: Those Jellies Need Their Own Graveyard...

    Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing walked along the path... hanging out.

    There wasn¡¯t too much to do. Sure, they both circulated their Qi to the best of their abilities while walking, doing a fair bit of training while talking, but... beyond that... nothing. They couldn¡¯t practice techniques, they couldn¡¯t explore the city of Westriver, they couldn¡¯t do actual bonding activities.

    Just... hiking. On almost flat ground.

    Looking in front and behind them, Songmei and Mingqing saw that there were a few groups within eyesight range. With only a few in front of them, there wasn¡¯t much to speak about concerning that direction.

    However, behind them were... a lot of people. Songmei and Mingqing had passed a few groups, but more than that, there were tons of groups on this small path.

    From what Songmei had gathered after walking past a few of the groups, the Starlight Lake Sect had shared the information, pushing the other sects to also issue an emergency mission.

    Impressive...

    Songmei was always impressed with the efficiency, power, and influence that her sect had... It just never registered during the day to day, but when looking during the most random times, the Sect would remind her of its incomparable majesty.

    That... sounded like lauding praise, but it got the idea across well enough.

    ¡°So... what now? We finished another article of ¡®most random questions¡¯¡± Songmei murmured, craning her neck to peek at the terminal that Mingqing was holding.

    ¡°Honestly... I don¡¯t know.¡± Mingqing sighed, shrugging. Even her, in a rare event that could be counted on one hand, had run out of things to talk about. With all the time they had spent walking these past few days, they had already talked about everything they had done in the past while having tangents about the most random things.

    In fact, on the way back to the city the day before, they had somehow had an entire discussion about flower colors for almost half an hour...

    Still, in the defense of their exhaustive conversations, Songmei did talk about some productivie topics with Mingqing. One of the important conversations that Songmei could remember was their conversation regarding the future of their little Assignment Hall, Mission-completing group.

    ------

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering,¡± Mingqing changed the topic, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun as the small outline of Westriver appeared over the horizon. ¡°Once we open all of our meridians, we can technically create our own hunting squad, right?¡±

    Her legs on fire from all the running she had done today to kill monsters, Songmei nodded, plodding along the path with Mingqing half a step in front of her. ¡°We do, yeah. Xueli mentioned it.¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°So, yeah. During one of my conversations with my brother, while he was visiting home after having entered the core formation realm, he mentioned how it really doesn¡¯t matter until you¡¯re into the middle stages of cultivation.¡± Mingqing began, lowering the volume of the song playing so that she didn¡¯t have to stress her throat too much. ¡°He said it was good to think about. Apparently, he said he had waited too long to make connections, so he was having trouble finding members to join his team...¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t...?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I know right now he¡¯s part of the 4th ranked hunting squad in terms of popularity, but... I don¡¯t know, he¡¯s crazy like that.¡± Mingqing shrugged her shoulders with a helpless sigh. ¡°So I was just thinking, who do I need for my hunting squad in the future... I was thinking you¡¯d probably join, yeah?¡±

    Nod, nod.

    Songmei was too tired to talk. She might as well let Mingqing do the talking...

    ¡°So then what else do we need? There¡¯s more to think about other than just combat roles too...¡± Mingqing explained, massaging her eyebrows. ¡°For combat alone, even if we have us two, we probably want another front-attacking focused person like me, we probably want a defensive focused front-line or two, another back-line support like you... and so on and so on. It doesn¡¯t have to be perfect, of course, but that¡¯s a general structure.¡±

    ¡°Then, we need a like... a cook, a blacksmith, a tailor, whatever whatever... but some auxiliary things and jobs.¡±

    Raising her eyebrows, Songmei patted Mingqing a few times who had worn herself out a bit with that little monologue. Mingqing... she really had spent a lot of time worrying about this, even if she didn¡¯t show it on the surface.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have to worry about family pressure like Mingqing had to at all, which seemed to be a little bit of a blessing in disguise...

    ------

    Crunch.

    Having put on some songs, Songmei only heard the continuous crunching of dirt during the small pause between songs at this point. A welcome relief if anyone were to ask her.

    With the sun high in the sky now though, Songmei and Mingqing, after checking the time and seeing that it was a little over half an hour past noon, were considering if and where they wanted to stop to have lunch.

    One positive was that their walking pace was fast, which had allowed them to pull away from the crowd behind them and even pass some of the small groups walking in front of them. That made it so they didn¡¯t have to worry about falling behind a mosh pit¡¯s worth of people if they stopped for 15 minutes or so to eat a quick meal.

    Walking along though, Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t see any nice area to take a break...

    Crunch. Snap.

    With the sound of branches breaking, Songmei and Mingqing froze. Songmei¡¯s hands went to the bow on her back and Mingqing¡¯s hand went to the sword always by her waist.

    Squish.

    ¡°Oh hey, what¡¯s up?¡± Han Youhong asked with a relaxed expression while murdering some more lychee jelly, walking out from the forest that flanked the path as he pushed the low hanging branches out of his face. ¡°I thought I heard someone out here, turns out it was you two, want to travel together?¡±

    ¡°S-Sure...¡± Songmei answered, still startled from Han Youhong¡¯s random appearance.

    And... And more than that, Songmei found it hard to get used to Han Youhong¡¯s perpetual casualness. The man was more stable than a literal mountain, there could be an earthquake where a building fell onto him, then collapsed him into a sinkhole that plunged him into a deep lake that was filled with poisonous insects or something and... he¡¯d probably be chill about it!

    He¡¯d probably just eat some jelly...

    Thinking of Han Youhong¡¯s jelly once more, Songmei pressed her hands together, giving a small prayer towards its doomed future.

 51: Is It Possible To Rent Out A Stadium? For These Self-Intros?

    Silence. An awkward silence.

    With a parody song about the ever popular bricklaying game that Lin Songmei still had no idea about playing in the background, the trio walked in an awkward silence that no one knew how to break.

    Flapping his hand while inhaling another lychee jelly with the other, Han Youhong waved his hand in dismissal towards Yan Mingqing and Lin Songmei. ¡°C¡¯mon, just like... talk as if I¡¯m not here. I¡¯m air, I¡¯m air. I¡¯m just here to eat my jelly. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±

    Squish.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have the heart to say it but... it was a little hard to pretend that Han Youhong was air. For one, he was the direct disciple of Extinguishing Shadow, as somewhat of a ¡°rival¡± Songmei had to pay at least a little attention to not embarrass herself. For another, and in Songmei¡¯s opinion, more importantly, Han Youhong provided a constant stream of jelly murdering sounds...

    Squish.

    There it was... another jelly¡¯s life gone.

    Walking in another lull of silence for a little while longer, Songmei broke the stillness, turning towards Han Youhong. ¡°Are you uh... doing the emergency mission sent out by your sect? Wait, did your sect release a mission...?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, my sect released a mission too,¡± Han Youhong answered while pulling out another jelly out of his spatial ring¡¯s seemingly inexhaustible supply. ¡°I was in the area doing a different mission. So once I completed that this morning, I kinda started walking towards the area. That¡¯s how I bumped into you two.¡±

    ¡°I... see.¡± Songmei murmured with a nod, falling silent, unsure on what to say next.

    Awkward! Songmei felt like slamming her face into a tree!

    Using Mingqing as a physical shield after that awkward exchange, Songmei along with the other two walked in silence for a little while longer.

    Songmei hoped, her heart almost bursting from the amount she was doing, that Mingqing would think of something to talk about and start to carry the conversation...

    As if the heaven¡¯s had smiled upon her, Mingqing broke the silence, facing towards Han Youhong with a relaxed smile. ¡°I know this is like... very awkward. Like beyond awkward. But it seems like at least for a little bit we¡¯ll be carrying out this mission together. We can decide if we want to stick together for the longer-term of the mission later, but for now, let¡¯s introduce ourselves. It¡¯ll break up the silence and, honestly, it¡¯s safer if we all have a general idea of what everyone is capable of.¡±

    Amazing!

    Mingqing was amazing!!

    Songmei wanted to pull out pom-poms and start cheering!

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Too bad she didn¡¯t have any pom-poms... perhaps that was an idea for a future purchase.

    Starting the introductions off upon seeing that Han Youhong was busy pulling jelly out of his spatial ring and Songmei was using her as protection, Mingqing spun around, walking backwards in front of the other two.

    ¡°I¡¯m Yan Mingqing! Direct disciple of Starlight Lake. I cultivate a sword art that focuses on ice and constellations. I won¡¯t talk about my background since both of you already know and there¡¯s no need for me to flex my ego anymore.¡±

    Doing a flourishing bow while returning to her place between Songmei and Han Youhong, Mingqing shrugged, motioning that either Songmei or Han Youhong should go next.

    Songmei, though, was so proud! She was almost tearing up!

    Mingqing... she had managed to really put down her guard!

    The ice queen! She had truly melted, this was cause for immense celebration!!

    Well... probably only for them two for now. Having bumped into Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang a while back, Songmei noticed how the ice queen mask had begun to refreeze around them. Mingqing had been less talkative and more... cool.

    Pun intended of course... hehe.

    Coughing, Songmei pulled herself out of her thoughts, moving forward to introduce herself seeing that Han Youhong had dropped some of his jellies and was in a better position to just listen and pick up jellies rather than talk.

    Giving a very light bow that had much less flourish to it, Songmei began her introduction. ¡°I¡¯m Lin Songmei, also a direct disciple of Starlight Lake. Mingqing and I share a master so that¡¯s how we got close... uhh... outside of all the money and stuff given to me by the sect I¡¯m poor as the dirt we¡¯re walking on though, and have no notable background. I just grew up in one of the Government Funded Public Home For Those Without Homes. Also, I cultivate a bow and movement focused art that uses butterflies and crystals. However, later on I should learn more support techniques.¡±

    Out of words and breath after giving that short introduction, Songmei stood there unsure what to do for another two seconds before returning to her spot with a quiet, ¡°Yeah and that¡¯s it...¡±

    Getting a pat on the back from Mingqing for a job well done, Songmei, who was shaking her head out of embarrassment, nodded and whispered a small, grateful, ¡°Thank you¡± while waiting for Han Youhong.

    ¡°Okay... that¡¯s all twenty-seven of them that fell to the ground...¡± Han Youhong muttered, nodding while standing up again. ¡°Your two introductions were very nice by the way. Thank you.¡±

    Squish.

    Spinning on his heel, Han Youhong followed suit, giving a bow with enough flourish to fill an entire stadium.

    ¡°I¡¯m Han Youhong, direct disciple of the Extinguishing Shadow Sect. I have no other senior sisters or brothers under my master though. Hmm... I cultivate an assassination style cultivation art. That¡¯s why I have two chain blades strapped to my back. My art really focuses on the moon and the stars. Though, unlike Yan Mingqing here who focuses on constellations, I focus on the concept of a falling star.¡±

    Furrowing her eyebrows and tilting her head in confusion, Songmei raised her hand a touch before remembering that she wasn¡¯t in school anymore, and asked, ¡°Concept of a falling star?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it sounds fancy, but it''s not that cool,¡± Han Youhong flapped his hand, shrugging while eating another lychee jelly. ¡°Just like... imagine a shooting star, but like... falling on your head. So the mantra we use is like, ¡®Strike! Heavy like a falling star! Gone like a flash in the sky!¡¯¡±

    Getting a whistle from Mingqing and an impressed ¡°woah¡± from Songmei, Han Youhong, who had gotten animated for a second shouting that mantra, continued his introduction. ¡°I¡¯m from a family of esteemed cultivators, not as esteemed as the ~young mistress~ over here, but still fancy enough, I guess.¡±

    Seeing that Han Youhong didn¡¯t specify, Songmei didn¡¯t ask who his parents were, instead trying to think of a different question...

    ¡°So uhh... Why are you addicted to lychee jelly...?¡±

 52: The Classic Ice Breaker: What Motivates You?

    To sum up Han Youhong¡¯s roundabout explanation, he ate a lot of jelly because it tasted good and because food was the love of his life.

    Lin Songmei didn¡¯t really have much to say to that.

    Well, personally, Songmei wasn''t much of a food person. She¡¯d grown up eating... not a lot of varied and amazing tasting food, but she was used to just... eating light meals and drinking soup. So even now with the option to eat heavier she didn¡¯t...

    Now ... the awkward silence returned.

    Only a half silence though... There was conversation, but it was light and not very substantial.

    However, since the last time they had talked had been dominated by conversations involving food, it was only now that the two parties were getting to know each other. Because of that, Songmei listened in as Mingqing asked Han Youhong questions about himself.

    While listening, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. Well, she was, of course, totally fine with letting Mingqing do the talking and asking, it was just that... All the questions were like interview questions.

    ¡°So what would you say motivates you, Han Youhong?¡± Mingqing asked, pressing her hands together with a pensive look. ¡°What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses as a cultivator?¡±

    Songmei d-d... didn¡¯t even know the answers to the questions if they were directed towards herself!

    Maybe it was better that Songmei had already gotten to know Mingqing from a random chance encounter...

    Luck! As always! The best and most useful skill!

    Tapping his chin while eating some jelly, Han Youhong¡¯s red eyes remained bright and unfazed. It seemed like he actually knew the answers to those questions...

    ¡°I¡¯d say that... uh... for my primary motivation... hmm,¡± Han Youhong pondered out loud as he tried to find a way to articulate his thoughts. ¡°I have a younger sister. So one reason is because I want to set a good example for her. Another is that... I just like cultivating. I don¡¯t have any hobbies really, I just find cultivating very enjoyable, so I spend all my free time doing it.¡±

    Discarding his emptied lychee jelly cups back into his spatial storage rings, Han Youhong continued, his hands still in constant motion, opening lychee jelly after lychee jelly. ¡°Of course, I have some... Just a little family pressure. However, it doesn¡¯t affect me too much, I do pretty well, and cultivation isn¡¯t something I might blank on in a specific moment like I can with school knowledge.¡±

    Songmei raised her eyebrows, letting out an impressed chuckle under her breath while nodding her head.

    Han Youhong had his shit together!!

    Much more so than Songmei...

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Her motivation was just... return the favor that the sect gave her, keep up with Mingqing, don¡¯t become poor again, and get a big house! But then here was Han ¡°I cultivate for personal passion and to be a good role-model for my younger sister¡± Youhong.

    ¡°Anyway, onto the second question,¡± Han Youhong continued with a small smile, chuckling at Mingqing and Songmei¡¯s impressed expressions. ¡°My weaknesses are... I don¡¯t have much of a burning drive, so I''m just... kinda chill about everything. I also find it hard to really talk much. Makes people think I hate them when I just don¡¯t know what to say. My red eyes don¡¯t help with that either. My strengths, though, are... I have a decent motivation, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll suddenly disappear. I¡¯m also pretty talented so that¡¯s cool.¡±

    Squish.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I also know where all the good restaurants are wherever I go.¡± Han Youhong nodded with a confident laugh. ¡°Sixth sense I¡¯ve trained over the years.¡±

    Pausing for a second to eat another lychee jelly¡ªsquish¡ªHan Youhong gestured towards Mingqing and Songmei. ¡°So how about you two? I¡¯ve talked long enough, let me eat my jelly while I listen to you guys.¡±

    Gesture, gesture.

    With a very, very ¡°gentle¡± hand motion, Songmei, as someone filled with the utmost amount of grace and politeness, allowed Mingqing to go ahead and introduce herself first.

    It was the least that Songmei could do, she, of course, as such a graceful, polite person, would always let others speak first. No personal motive at all!

    ¡°For me,¡± Mingqing shrugged, her hand touching the hilt of her well-worn sword, ¡°There¡¯s not much. My main motivation has always been to reach the top; half out of personal drive, half out of spite. As probably everyone in the whole world knows, my parents are spartan as hell. My brother is nice though. So I want to reach the top, preferably higher than them, just so I can tell them how they¡¯re wrong. For example- this sword?¡± Mingqing presented, pulling the sword out of the scabbard and holding it in her hands to show Songmei and Han Youhong. ¡°I¡¯ve had this since I was four. My parents made me tie the blue ribbon at the end of the handle myself...¡±

    Pausing for a second seeing Songmei and Han Youhong¡¯s half-worried, half-shocked expressions, Mingqing waved her hands with a reassuring laugh. ¡°Even if they are spartan in terms of cultivation, outside of it our relationship is... decent enough. So we kinda just dance around talking about cultivation at home.¡±

    Squinting, Songmei poked Mingqing¡¯s nose while making sure not to get stabbed by Mingqing¡¯s sword. ¡°Take care of yourself...¡±

    A brief pause fell on the group after Songmei¡¯s finger missed Mingqing¡¯s nose and instead poked her cheek though. Watching Songmei lower her hand in embarrassment, Mingqing laughed, booping Songmei¡¯s nose while sheathing her sword and increasing her walking pace back to normal once more.

    ¡°Anyhow, for the second question. I¡¯m good at like... swordplay, and that¡¯s about it. I¡¯m weak at everything else, I don''t know jack shit about alchemy, blacksmithing, cooking, or anything. I¡¯m also a lazy ass who doesn¡¯t want to learn any of that either... I¡¯ll just cultivate a ton and like... contribute to the team by being strong.¡± Mingqing nodded with a satisfied smile, getting two dead fish stares in reply after mentioning how she was a lazy ass who didn¡¯t want to learn anything else.

    Songmei wanted to retort to the same thing twice...

    For one thing! You can¡¯t just call yourself a lazy ass! You have to do like... a better weakness in situations like these! You have to like... Humble brag... Though, the honesty was nice.

    Second! Mingqing? Lazy ass?

    Does not... does not compute.

    If anyone was a lazy ass, Songmei didn¡¯t think it was Mingqing...

    Maybe it was her, maybe it was their master Liu Xueli, but it definitely wasn¡¯t Mingqing!

    ...

    It was probably Xueli...

    Songmei felt like she didn¡¯t do much but feed her koi...

    Maybe that was her way of cultivating?

    Who knows...

 53: The Weird Potential Stimulating Plant Drugs That Make You Poo...

    After two days of walking, including the day that they left Westriver, it was now the third day of their emergency mission. Having split off the main path earlier, Lin Songmei was now striding through the forest along with Han Youhong and Yan Mingqing, nearing the area where the plants had been found.

    Songmei, though, was... bored.

    The initial burst of energy and motivation she had for this ¡°emergency¡± mission had begun to fade. Somehow, after walking for two and a half days, she... she felt a little dull towards it!

    Who would¡¯ve thought...

    They had gotten back to the city after three days of walking and a little running. Then, while anticipating a week or so of break, had instead been sent right back out!

    At this rate, Songmei had almost spent the last week straight walking...

    Painful.

    It was good exercise though, walking from almost the moment she woke up to the moment they set up camp for the night. That, added with the garbage-tasting rations that they were eating, made it so Songmei was getting into shape!

    Wohooo!

    Well, it wasn¡¯t like she was fat beforehand... She was skin and bones. Now, she could be skin, bones, and some muscle!

    Squish.

    Turning towards Han Youhong, who she had gotten closer to over the past couple of days, Songmei could see the brightness in his red eyes... dulling. ¡°You uhh... you okay, Han Youhong?¡±

    Squish.

    ¡°No...¡± Han Youhong murmured, an air of despair leaking out of his mouth as he trudged on. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to eat... good, good food in a while...¡±

    Squish.

    Songmei gave Han Youhong a few shoulder pats, reassuring him that he¡¯d be able to get some soon... probably. They still had to walk back to Westriver again, though.

    Stroking her chin, imagining the beautiful sight of one day having her own personal transportation vehicle like her master, Liu Xueli or Elder Wu Sen...

    ¡®Add that to the list of future purchases... that and a big house...¡¯

    In the distance, peeking out from behind a tree bordering a clearing, Songmei could see a hint of red.

    That was the plant, that was it.

    That was it!!!

    The thing they had walked for so many days for...

    ¡°It¡¯s there!¡± Songmei cheered, running forward, vitality filling her body once more as she pulled Mingqing along by the hand. ¡°It¡¯s this stuff!¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°This stuff?¡± Han Youhong asked, a little out of breath after chasing Songmei who had run off without a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°It looks... innocuous.¡±

    With her knees on the ground, Mingqing motioned for Han Youhong to kneel down as well to take a closer look. Sitting on the ground as well, Songmei watched as Mingqing dug the plant out of the ground by the roots.

    This plant that Songmei had run over to was only one of many that dotted a decent sized clearing in the middle of the forest. With the trees that represented the far side of the clearing in view and not over the horizon, the clearing wasn¡¯t too big. Walking across the whole thing would take less than fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on one¡¯s walking speed.

    In fact, this was the same clearing that Songmei and Mingqing had stumbled upon last time. By putting a little marker on their terminals they had managed to come back without much trouble, just... a lot of walking.

    ¡°The plant itself, as you can see,¡± Mingqing explained to a curious Han Youhong, ¡°Isn¡¯t much. It has a green stem, stalk, I don¡¯t know the terminology. However, to really identify these plants, you have to look at their leaves. Here look at this one.¡±

    Handing the plant over to Han Youhong who accepted it with an awkward half-stretched reach, Mingqing continued. ¡°So from the midrib of the leaf, the middle part here that kinda looks like the spine of the leaf, you can see red. Then, it spreads through the vein-like structures in the leaf. The edges of the leaves are all red too for some reason...¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Han Youhong mused, looking the plant over from all angles. ¡°I read over the message that my sect sent. Eating these plants makes the animals go berserk, huh, interesting...¡±

    Sitting down beside the two, putting on some gloves and pulling out some handheld gardening tools, Songmei joined in, adding, ¡°Well, Mingqing didn¡¯t think much of it. We submitted this plant as part of a bundle with a lot of other plants in a mission to collect plants from this area. Apparently though, this plant has an... interesting reproduction style.¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why... ¡®interesting¡¯? Interesting as in weird or interesting as in cool?¡± Han Youhong asked, raising an eyebrow in bemusement, getting out some gardening tools of his own.

    ¡°Well, from the file that our sect sent us, maybe yours sent it to you too,¡± Mingqing began, only to get a short ¡°I don¡¯t check my terminal¡± from Han Youhong before continuing, ¡°Well, from the file, it told us that the way this plant like... does its thing is it gives off really sexy, alluring smells, attracting all the beasts. Then once the beasts eat it, the plant forcibly stimulates their potential, raising their strength at the cost of all their sanity, allowing them to rampage around and eat other animals. By eating other animals they can then poop a lot. Then, the plant, with its seeds now all in the animal''s poop, gets spread around...¡±

    ¡°I-...¡± Freezing with a confused look on his face, Han Youhong turned his head around a few times looking at the plants that dotted the clearing. ¡°I... what? What??¡±

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Sonmgei nodded with a resigned murmur, ¡°These plants somehow did the evolutionary roulette and... yeah. Got to this.¡±

    Scooting a little further from Songmei and Mingqing to begin to dig up a plant, Han Youhong furrowed his eyebrows with an exasperated sigh. ¡°I kinda want to read that file now. Like... what? I know nature is weird, and they probably have some spiritually strengthened seeds but... what?? How... like... what?¡±

    With a chuckle escaping her mouth in agreement with Han Youhong, Mingqing shook her head with a laugh. ¡°We don¡¯t know either... Nobody really knows. The plant was discovered in the central continent where things are weird. That also means that it''s invasive when discovered in any part of the world that isn¡¯t the central continent.¡±

    ¡°That... that¡¯s suspicious then,¡± Han Youhong acknowledged with a squint as he pulled the plant out of the ground, depositing it in his spatial ring. ¡°Is it invasive here naturally or like... someone planted it?¡±

    ¡°Well... that¡¯s what we¡¯re kinda here to find out isn¡¯t it?¡± Mingqing laughed, pulling up the mission info for Han Youhong to read once more, ¡°¡®investigate¡¯ they say, but yeah... we kinda gotta figure that out, while also pulling out these plants when we can. So let¡¯s just pull out plants for a while more to rest our legs before beginning our... ¡®investigation¡¯ sounds good?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Songmei murmured with a laugh after Mingqing emphasized ¡°investigation¡± over and over. Songmei didn¡¯t mind a break to just dig up some plants, farmer simulator!

    Maybe that would be the next big game after the bricklaying game...

 54: Instant Noodles, The Best Ration

    Digging up plant after plant until it was around dinner time, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong all gathered back around in a part of the clearing that was now devoid of the red-leafed invasive flora.

    Gathered in a circle, Songmei and the others began to set up camp. Songmei and Mingqing pulled out their shared tent, and Han Youhong brought his personal one, and all three of them worked together to set up a bit of a small hangout area between their tents.

    Some outdoor cushions, some heat lamps, some normal lamps. Everything that they might want while hanging out.

    Plopping onto one of the cushions, leaning back and letting out a long sigh, Songmei looked up to Mingqing who was standing above her. ¡°We didn¡¯t end up doing any investigating today... We all just dug up a bunch of plants. Luckily our storage rings are big, but what if we have to bring back other stuff later on?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... It should be fine,¡± Mingqing mused, crouching down on the ground right behind Songmei and staring down at her from above with a smile, ¡°The investigation won¡¯t be a quick process anyway, so starting twelve hours later isn¡¯t too big of a deal. And, we can always just find a way to get rid of the excess plants we find~¡±

    ¡°I guess...¡± Songmei agreed, reaching up and pinching Mingqing¡¯s nose.

    ¡°C¡¯mon... again?¡± Han Youhong interjected, having walked out of his tent, his arms laden with food. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for dinner? Not now, you two lovebird... I mean... best friends don¡¯t need to do that, right now...¡±

    Turning away and taking a seat while Songmei and Mingqing both extricated themselves, Han Youhong couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath. ¡°I literally don¡¯t feel love or sexual urges, and yet... I still feel like a third-wheel around these two... Hot damn.¡±

    Not hearing the details of Han Youhong¡¯s muttering, Songmei assumed it was him professing his ever-lasting love for lychee jelly as always while pulling out some food from her spatial storage ring.

    There was... a decent amount in there. She had a few meals that she could cook, but... it was a real pain to pull out her cooking set, then pull out ingredients, so for most days she just went by on rations.

    The ¡°Add some water, instant [blank]¡± series of food was great...

    Instant noodles... instant soup...

    Like... What else did she need?

    Nutrition and balance??

    Pfft...

    ... She really needed to get some fruits and vegetables the next time she returned to Westriver.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Han Youhong changed the topic, munching on some snacks while waving his hand. ¡°Is there anything of note we found today while digging our plants? I know we only dug for a couple of hours but... yeah.¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Pouring hot water into her food, Mingqing waited a moment, looking around only to be greeted by silence.

    ¡°... Fine, I¡¯ll start talking...¡± Mingqing shook her head, letting out a chuckle seeing the immediate brightening that Han Youhong and Songmei¡¯s faces underwent. ¡°I think there¡¯s not much to note. I found... a lot of plants. As we all did. There weren¡¯t any traces really of tampering around here, it seems like it naturally spread in this area due to the animals pooping. Did you two find anything different?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Han Youhong shook his head. His hands, moving faster now than any other time in the day, shoveling a constant stream of freeze-dried fruit into his mouth. ¡°Just dug a buncha dirt. It was greaaaat~ I loved it... Luckily the roots weren¡¯t deep, the problem was that I couldn¡¯t eat while digging.¡±

    ¡°Must¡¯ve really hurt you, huh.¡± Mingqing mused, seeing that, for once, Han Youhong wasn¡¯t eating his normal lychee jelly. ¡°Is it because of the digging that you¡¯re not eating jelly, or because it''s meal time? Though, in the past, even during meals, half of it would be a lychee product... Anyway, Songmei?¡±

    ¡°Not much for me...¡± Songmei shrugged, eating her instant noodles. ¡°The problem is, we can¡¯t really find where it was first introduced. These plants like... spread through where animals poop, and that¡¯s really random.¡±

    ¡°True, true,¡± Mingqing agreed while Han Youhong nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll see, I guess. It¡¯s tough...¡±

    Falling into silence for a bit as everyone ate their food, enjoying the surprising goodness that was ration meals.

    Songmei had to say, they weren¡¯t bad. In the past, because they were cheap, she had bought a few to be midnight snacks while she was up late studying for tests. However, back then, they were like a rare treat, like... going out to eat at a fancy restaurant.

    It was... an investment to open up those packages...

    But now, she had them piled up in her spatial storage ring like they were worthless bricks waiting to be laid...

    Songmei shook her head, swallowing her mouthful of noodles. She would never complain about the taste of food, not even these. She still remembered the first time she bought about twenty of these once she got her spatial storage ring...

    She was over the moon!!

    Songmei had almost ascended right then and there...

    It still warmed her heart just to look at them...

    Slurp...

    Even if it was... probably unhealthy, the hot water that had become a broth-like existence tasted not bad too.

    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Han Youhong disturbed the silence, having finished devouring his food, his rocket-like eating pace firm as always. ¡°What happens if we eat the plant? Does the same thing happen to us?¡±

    ¡°I mean... I¡¯d assume so,¡± Songmei murmured, seeing that Han Youhong had pulled out one of the plants and was eyeing it with a... suspicious glint in his eye. ¡°There are differences between us, the spiritual beasts, and normal animals that roam around. But still, I don''t think it¡¯d end well.¡±

    ¡°Probably not...¡± Han Youhong agreed, sighing as he continued to look over it. ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Shaking her head, not even looking up from her own food, Mingqing put an end to Han Youhong¡¯s thoughts. ¡°You probably wouldn¡¯t do so great. Because even though we aren¡¯t crazy attracted to the plant because of its smell that we can¡¯t smell, the part that forcibly stimulates potential probably works on us...¡±

    ¡°Oh... damn.¡± Han Youhong remembered, putting away the plant without another thought. ¡°I forgot about the whole ¡°forcibly stimulate your potential and make your mind stop working¡± part... ¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Mingqing agreed, cleaning up her trash now that she had finished her food. ¡°Though... sadly, the forcibly stimulating potential part is probably being misused somewhere, right now...¡±

    A bit of a heavy atmosphere descended onto the group, and with it, there was a short pause before Songmei could only nod and say, ¡°Yeah...¡±

    That was stuff that... wasn¡¯t nice to think about.

 55: In The End, Best Investigation Ability Is Just Luck

    Ouch.

    Rubbing her lower back as she felt a twinge of pain run up her spine, Songmei remembered the awful night''s sleep she had gotten.

    After eating, she, along with Han Youhong and Yan Mingqing, had hung out for a bit, talking, joking, doing whatever. After a while Han Youhong went back to his tent, wanting to go get some snacks that he had dumped there when a spiritual beast had passed by.

    ¡°Passed by.¡±

    That was putting it... lightly, in Songmei¡¯s opinion.

    A large... very large, could see the top of its shell over the trees large, land crab had appeared.

    It was a behemoth of a beast. Just watching it from a distance had caused Songmei and the others to hold their breaths, fearing to make any movement, sound, or general disturbance to warrant its attention.

    They were separated by the entire clearing for heaven¡¯s sake!

    It didn¡¯t make sense for them to be this afraid...

    Well it kinda did but still!

    Having been lured over by the scent of the plants in the clearing, the crab came by, guzzling itself on plant after plant. Its two large pincers, in certain regards, were similar to Han Youhong¡¯s hands, forming a constant conveyor belt to the crab¡¯s mouth.

    Gouging itself like a child left alone in a candy store, the crab had sat there, eating and eating for 10 minutes, a period of time that had felt like several years to Songmei, Mingqing, and Han Youhong.

    With the ground shaking as it left, Songmei and the others had all let out a long sigh.

    Anyhow, then the crab had been brutalized by another passing behemoth blah blah, small stuff, then, scared to the point where they had almost soiled their clothing with... ¡°personal excrement¡± Songmei, Mingqing, and Han Youhong had picked up their asses to dig out more plants.

    If anything, it was a ¡°life-enriching¡± experience to watch a snail wipe the floor with a crab though... The snail even used spiritual techniques!

    Now, waking up after a night¡¯s worth of literal dog-poo sleep though, Songmei had gained a newfound appreciation for the Sect. Sleeping like this just reminded her of her bed in the orphanage...

    Songmei didn¡¯t know if that spoke more towards how bad she slept last night or how bad the bed in the orphanage was. Maybe both? Who knows.

    ¡°Find anything?¡± Songmei asked, using one of her hands to block her eyes from the sun. ¡°I¡¯d come join you but... there¡¯s not much room.¡±

    In front of Songmei were Mingqing and Han Youhong, two people who definitely knew what they were doing more than her. As of now, they were looking at a uh... hole in a tree for some reason.

    They had already been investigating for some time, about an hour and a half had passed without many results.

    At least, in Songmei¡¯s eyes. According to the two expert investigators, they had found some good clues that had led them to their current area.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have any knowledge on this type of stuff... Growing up, she never took a class called ¡°How to investigate if terrorists planted a drug on your plateau.¡± Massive oversight to be honest, how could she forget to take that class?

    ¡°We haven¡¯t found anything!¡± Han Youhong yelled back, pointing towards another nearby tree. ¡°Go take a look at that one and yell out everything you see!¡±

    Ah... hmm?

    ...

    Walking over, Songmei didn¡¯t see much...

    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of moss!¡± Songmei called out, starting out with the obvious. After all, who knew if that¡¯s what they were looking for?

    Laughing while continuing to observe her own tree with Han Youhong, Mingqing chortled with a wry smile. ¡°Of course there¡¯s moss! We¡¯re in a forest, Songmei! This area in particular is also home to a lot of moss!¡±

    Oh...

    Well she didn¡¯t know that...

    ¡®I guess ¡®having moss¡¯ isn¡¯t what they¡¯re looking for¡­¡¯

    Deciding not to call out that the tree was made out of wood and also had a hole in it, Songmei looked around it some more.

    Tree...

    Wow.

    Nodding with a thoughtful expression, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but observe that this tree was... very... very tree-like!

    ... She was gonna be honest, she had no clue what to look for.

    Hmmm... Hmmm....

    Songmei was sure, she was NAILING the look though! She had the thoughtful, pensive look, the deep and mournful stare. The slow gait, reminiscent of a lost traveler stalking through the fog, hoping not to get caught by a murderer.

    Cloth.

    That... wasn¡¯t normal.

    Bending down, Songmei pulled a glove out of her spatial storage ring, putting it on before pushing the dirt aside.

    Careful not to touch it, for fear of contamination, Songmei looked at it after moving aside some of the dirt.

    Well, it said uhh...

    ¡°Seed bag¡±

    That seemed... very suspicious.

    Even her, with her zero knowledge on investigation, could figure that out.

    It was like writing ¡°SUSPICIOUS EVIDENCE¡± on something!

    Other than ¡°Seed bag¡± there were also some characters in some... weird code that probably represented some numbers?

    ¡°Mingqingggggg! Han Youhongggggg!!¡± Songmei called out, her brain having reached the end of its thinking path. ¡°I found something super-duper ultra-mega giga important-looking!!!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Mingqing shouted back with enough confusion in her voice to substitute a math classroom. ¡°Explain more, but we¡¯re coming!¡±

    ¡°It says SEED BAG on it!¡± Songmei shouted at the top of her voice, eliciting a pair of excited looks and increased running speed.

    Running over, Mingqing slung her arm over Songmei¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Amazing! Absolutely wonderful!!¡±

    At the same time though, Songmei also couldn¡¯t help but overhear Han Youhong murmuring about how nice it must¡¯ve been to be a lucky person, and how it¡¯s always the lucky people not the hardworking people who make the big final step...

    Songmei wondered if Han Youhong knew that he too... was very lucky.

    Dude was born into wealth! Dude was in the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadow! Direct! Disciple!!

    Dude also somehow... uh... had a weird, mysterious supplier of lychee jelly...

    Ignoring his murmurings though, Songmei shifted out of the way as Han Youhong and Mingqing got a closer look.

    ¡°Good find...¡± Han Youhong nodded, pulling out a small clear bag to store the seed bag in. ¡°I think this helps the investigation a lot. So... What now though?¡±

    ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± Songmei asked with a befuddled expression, ¡°I literally just wander around behind you two being moral support.¡±

    ¡°Well... uhh...¡± Han Youhong shrugged, taking off his gloves and wiping some sweat off his brow. ¡°I was mostly asking Mingqing, but honestly? It¡¯s good to ask a luck-sack like you too. You never know, maybe we¡¯ll accidentally stumble upon the enemy''s secret hideout or something.¡±

    ¡°I... I see... good... motto... I guess?¡±

    Songmei didn¡¯t really know how to interpret Han Youhong¡¯s life lesson...

    It seemed legit from a certain point of view though?

 56: Its Always Nice To Hold Hands With Your Friends...

    Mentally, the next few days were a blur.

    After finding the seed bag and reporting their investigation results, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong were dragged into a bit of a metaphorical vortex. They were asked to send in their sealed up seed bag via a drone, continue their investigation, and keep their guard up now that a third party had been confirmed.

    Physically though, the next few days were... boring as hell.

    Although it sounded like they were in the midst of an action-packed sequence, the reality was that they still spent their days... the same.

    Journeying farther away from Westriver and deeper in the plateau, an activity that sounded enriching and gripping, Songmei and the others spent most of their days... walking.

    Songmei was getting good practice with her bow though! She¡¯d shoot ahead of where she was walking, then, as she walked by, she¡¯d collect the arrow!

    Amazing efficiency if anyone were to ask her.

    As of now though, not much was happening. The three of them had run into a few other groups also investigating, but their conversations were brief before they headed their separate ways. From these... tense talks, it seemed as if the potential rewards that the Starlight Lake and other sects had created was quite alluring.

    Songmei didn¡¯t have a clue what the rewards were though. Mingqing, who actually looked, had said they weren¡¯t much, so Songmei didn¡¯t bother looking. However, their status as direct disciples seemed to have drawn a lot of eyes and ire towards them already...

    Luckily the three of them had already journeyed deep into the plateau, ahead of most of the other groups.

    Blerg...

    Songmei¡¯s legs were tired...

    Pulling an arrow she had shot earlier out of a tree, Songmei turned back towards Mingqing, asking, ¡°We¡¯re getting close to the part marked out on the map, right?¡±

    ¡°The red part?¡± Mingqing asked without looking up, a map pulled up on her terminal as she navigated for the group.

    ¡°Yeah, the red part. What is it? A ravine?¡± Songmei nodded, peering over Mingqing¡¯s shoulder to take a look at the map as well. ¡°Oh damn, we are close. How come we haven¡¯t seen it yet, then?¡±

    ¡°Becaus-¡±

    ¡°Before you say, ¡®Because it¡¯s a ravine, ya dumbass¡¯¡± Songmei interjected, shushing Mingqing with a finger to the lips. ¡°I¡¯m saying it because like... isn¡¯t there supposed to be a drastic change in terrain once we¡¯re near it?¡±

    Songmei was justified in asking this! She swore...

    For context, this was something Songmei hadn¡¯t known about for too long either... It was honestly fairly well-hidden, but... the plateau wasn¡¯t... wasn¡¯t exactly a plateau anymore.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    A few decades prior¡ªwhich was quite recent in cultivation terms¡ªtwo arrogant... ¡°Poo heads¡± to be a little more appropriate, had passed by while fighting. These two experts, having originally been best friends, had gotten into a fight because the first found out the second was sleeping with his crush.

    It was weird...

    Anyhow, these two, both near the peak of cultivation, had gone around fighting; fighting from the Central Continent, over the ocean, and ending up at this plateau that was in the southernmost province of the Northern Continent.

    Well, they had punched a super massive crater into the center of the plateau, then also created a series of jagged ravines that scarred the landscape.

    Honestly, didn¡¯t they have any shame?

    ¡°So... yeah, where¡¯s the changed landscape? We¡¯re still walking on flat ground...¡± Songmei reiterated, pointing to the ground that was... very flat.

    ¡°Hmm... you raise a good point,¡± Mingqing murmured, realization and thus, confusion dawning on her face. ¡°Any ideas Han Youhong... Han Youhong?¡±

    Looking over to where Han Youhong should¡¯ve been, Songmei and Mingqing were now greeted with... an empty lychee jelly case.

    ¡°D-Did Han Youhong eat so much lychee jelly that he finally became one?!¡± Songmei mourned with an over the top dramatic wail, falling to her knees and cradling the container before standing back up. ¡°Okay, actually though. Where is he... and... where are we?¡±

    Shwing.

    Silver light gleamed for a second as sunlight reflected off of Mingqing¡¯s sword while it was being drawn.

    The blue cloth ribbon at the end of her sword swaying in the wind, Mingqing¡¯s back went against Songmei¡¯s as they stood there for a second, surveying their surroundings to make sure there wasn¡¯t any danger.

    ¡°It seems... we¡¯re... fine?¡± Songmei murmured, her hair blowing in the wind as she looked around. ¡°Something¡¯s up though...¡±

    Using her butterfly movement technique, a technique she had mastered after many hours of grueling sweat and tears, Songmei¡¯s image seemed to flit around, appearing here and there as she took a closer look at her surroundings.

    ¡°I think we¡¯re fine... yeah.¡± Mingqing agreed, nodding as her sword lowered a few degrees. ¡°So what... What the hell has happened? We¡¯re definitely not where the map says we are.¡±

    ¡°Well, the vast majority of technology, including our terminals, are powered by Qi...¡± Songmei shrugged, returning to Mingqing¡¯s side. ¡°So it¡¯s not hard to mess with them is it?¡±

    ¡°No it''s not,¡± Mingqing shook her head, closing the map displayed on her terminal for the time being. ¡°When I was young, I even took a class where we learned how these sorts of devices worked. We even learned how to jumble them...¡±

    ¡°So... what now?¡± Songmei murmured, looking around, admiring the scenery that was surrounding them. ¡°My first guess, based solely off of random cultivation novels I¡¯ve read as a child, is that we¡¯re trapped in some illusory realm. You probably know a little more though, so any ideas?¡±

    ¡°Not really...¡± Mingqing shook her head, offering a hand to Songmei to hold now that they had confirmed they weren¡¯t in any immediate danger. ¡°I mean there are other possibilities, like a pocket dimension, a teleportation back to an area we were in previously, or a teleportation to somewhere completely different, but those are... less likely.¡±

    Songmei took Mingqing¡¯s hand, of course. Why wouldn¡¯t she?

    It was always nice to hold hands with your friends after all...

    Squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand as they paused their walking to talk through the situation a little first, Songmei draped herself over Mingqing¡¯s back, resting her chin against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. ¡°So like... why less likely?¡±

    Patting the brand-new, top of the line, newly released, Songmei-sized, ultra deluxe Songmei attachment that she had just gotten after sheathing her sword, Mingqing explained, ¡°Well... it¡¯s a few things. The biggest thing would be money. It¡¯s much easier to just set up an illusionary trap compared to something like a long-range teleport. Plus, it''s much easier to conceal, and the characteristics of an illusory realm match our current situation more...¡±

    ¡°I see... Thank you Mingqing-pedia,¡± Songmei thanked, squeezing the hand that she was still holding. ¡°So... what do we have to do to get out of here?¡±

 57: It Should Be Illegal To Be Hot AND Cool

    ¡°We have to find the weak point,¡± Yan Mingqing explained with a light shrug, looking around. ¡°Well, the more accurate description is a ¡®Qi node¡¯ but it''s pretty much just a weak point.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Lin Songmei murmured, looking around the illusory realm for a... weak point.

    There wasn¡¯t any.

    Well, Songmei didn¡¯t see any. For one thing it probably would¡¯ve defeated the purpose if it was out in the open, but it didn¡¯t hurt to look around...

    ¡°I¡¯m assuming it''s pretty easy to destroy once you find it, yeah?¡± Songmei asked, unslinging her bow. ¡°So what if I just shoot randomly? I¡¯m assuming it''s small though, so the chances I hit the spot are slim.¡±

    ¡°Slim beyond imagination,¡± Mingqing sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. ¡°If we were just stronger we could just break this directly, instead we¡¯ll just have to settle. Give me a moment.¡±

    Watching Mingqing close her eyes and concentrate, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Mingqing meant by ¡°we¡¯ll just have to settle.¡±

    Settle for what??

    However, being a cultivator that was... competent, Songmei noticed that Mingqing wasn¡¯t just standing there with her eyes closed doing nothing. Songmei could feel Mingqing¡¯s Qi spreading through the area. It had a distinct... coldness to it. After cultivating beside Mingqing all this time, Songmei could recognize the feeling without even blinking, it was like second-nature!

    Deciding to just wait though, as it would only make it more difficult if she was also probing the area with her Qi, Songmei sat down, staring up into the sky while waiting.

    Knowing Mingqing, it wouldn¡¯t take long anyway.

    Hum, Hum...

    From what she had heard from Xueli and Mingqing, Songmei had found out her own Qi was apparently... very... nature-like. A rarity in the Starlight Lake Sect that, for the most part, practiced water and star-like arts.

    Before Songmei could take her train of thought further though, Mingqing¡¯s eyes fluttered open as she pulled out her sword.

    ¡°You were wondering what I meant by settle, right?¡± Mingqing teased, seeing Songmei sitting on the ground with a confused look.

    ¡°I was confused, yeah...¡± Songmei nodded, shifting her sitting position to sit cross-legged. ¡°Also, confused on why you pulled out your sword...¡±

    Mingqing couldn¡¯t have already found it could she?

    Songmei was pretty sure it would¡¯ve taken Mingqing at least ten minutes...

    Shutting her mouth though, Songmei watched on, her eyes widening as Mingqing let out a reassuring laugh, a faint mist that seemed to twinkle gathering around her sword. ¡°Constellation Sword Art... The First Star of the Ram.¡±

    Walking forward to a nearby tree, Mingqing looked back towards Songmei with a lighthearted smile as her golden eyes turned to crescents. ¡°I meant that we¡¯d have to settle for... this.¡±

    Stabbing her sword deep into the tree as a gust of wind picked up and blew by, Mingqing grinned towards Songmei as the world flickered around them before beginning to shatter like glass.

    Stunned, Songmei¡¯s head swiveled in every direction with a wonder-filled smile on her face, watching the illusory realm crumple around them.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Songmei was... glad that she was sitting.

    Leaning back onto her hands, Songmei turned away, hiding the pink tinge that had creeped up on her face as her legs melted like jelly.

    Mingqing wasn¡¯t supposed to be hot AND confident...

    ¡®It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine...¡¯

    Taking a few deep breaths to gather herself, Songmei pushed herself up as the illusory realm finished falling apart around them, the shards of the world tumbling to the ground like a sad child¡¯s dream.

    ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± Han Youhong called out without looking up from his terminal. ¡°I was so bored while waiting that I started playing the bricklaying game...¡±

    ¡°Have you been waiting long?¡± Songmei asked, trying to make her mind change its focus.

    ...

    It wasn¡¯t working.

    Damn Mingqing was hot sometimes... Well, maybe not only sometimes.

    ARGH.

    It all started after that one time in their apartment when they first got to Westriver...

    Why? Why... Why??

    ... Mingqing¡¯s golden eyes were really nice though...

    ¡°Not too long, twenty minutes maybe?¡± Han Youhong shrugged, interrupting Songmei¡¯s train of thought while closing the game, having wrapped up the orders for his brick-making factories. ¡°It¡¯s chill, I kinda just stumbled my way out of it without even noticing...¡±

    ¡°Ahhh...¡± Songmei murmured, nodding along, very much so processing everything that Han Youhong was saying with 100% clarity.

    ¡°Shall we get going then?¡± Mingqing asked, offering a hand to Songmei who was still on the ground. ¡°And you okay? You seem a little out of it...¡±

    Grabbing Mingqing¡¯s hand and pulling herself up, Songmei blinked a few times, reorienting herself. ¡°Y-Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m fine. Totally fine.¡±

    Han Youhong, standing there with a dead-stare, shook his head, letting out a small sigh under his breath while pulling out some more lychee jelly. Songmei was... not fine, anyone with a functional pair of eyes could tell what was going on in her head. The only issue was that the only person without a functional pair of eyes seemed to be... Mingqing.

    ¡®Maybe Mingqing¡¯s just distracted by how much she thinks Songmei is cute or hot or whatever goes on in these two lovebirds'' brains...¡¯

    Meanwhile, congratulating herself in her mind on how well she did to hide her thoughts and how fast she recovered, Songmei continued to walk along, holding Mingqing¡¯s hand as usual. ¡°So just a little more and we¡¯ll be at the first ravine?¡±

    ¡°Just a bit more, yeah,¡± Mingqing confirmed, having pulled up a map on her terminal once more. ¡°I know we¡¯ve both seen pictures, but I¡¯ve heard that in person, the ravine looks much more impressive.¡±

    ¡°It does,¡± Han Youhong acknowledged, another lychee jelly disappearing into his mouth. ¡°I came into this area a while back through a different route that didn¡¯t pass by the... spread-through-excrement drug plants. So... look forward to it, it¡¯s probably just past the trees up ahead.¡±

    Pushing forward with a little more excitement after Han Youhong had said that, the group quickened their pace a touch, pushing through the branches and leaves, passing through to a... ledge.

    Not a dangerous, sheer drop one that was one step past where the trees ended, to Songmei¡¯s relief.

    The ravine though, was... crazy.

    Songmei, of course, already knew what the ravine looked like, she wasn¡¯t dumb, she looked at pictures after she was curious.

    But in person... It was... crazy.

    From the pictures, there was already a sort of... grandiosity to it. A ravine that stretched in both directions as far as the eye could see. A deep scar in the ground, a relic from a past battle.

    The ravine was wide, it was deep, it was... menacing. It was every word that Songmei could think of.

    On a more humorous note though, it was a little like the earth was spreading its buttcheeks....

    From the ledge where they were, Songmei and the others could see the bottom; it was... very far. However, it wasn¡¯t too cramped and had a path carved out.

    That was... the actual way to traverse this area too.

    There weren¡¯t many good options of going up and down the ravine though, the only real option that Songmei and others had was to... jump.

    Another problem then arose, though. The walls of this ravine were uhmm...

    How to describe it...

    Rough.

    Rough like ¡°if it was horizontal people would suspect something because why the frick was it so spiky to an unnatural degree???¡±

    So, therefore, here the three of them were, all kinda just... sitting, chilling for a bit as they admired the view in a warm silence.

 58: Exploring A Ravine Seems LIke Its Just Asking For Trouble

    Lin Songmei wanted to know why they were exploring this area.

    Well, she knew that this area had been labeled ¡°high-risk¡± and been red-flagged for having a lot of potential in being used for nefarious purposes... but...

    It SUCKED having to go down the ravine walls.

    Here she was, after having walked another two hours to get to a marked out area where one could climb up or down... and there wasn¡¯t a fancy futuristic elevator, not even a dinky wooden lift!

    So now, Songmei was grappling down the side of the ravine wall. Of course, Songmei had no clue at all how to do this, she grew up broke as the walls she was climbing down right now!

    She had gotten a short run-down from Han Youhong and Yan Mingqing before pretty much being chucked off the side. Though, in all honesty, she wondered if she could survive just... jumping. It was a long fall, but... she was strong, yeah!

    As everyone knew, three meridian body cultivators were the peak of strength, so maybe Songmei could do some cliff jumping?

    ... probably not.

    It was good that her three meridian strength was good enough to let her pick up the motions quite fast and not get her hands wrecked with rope burns. Though, this was all aided by the fact she was going down, not up, and the fact she had gardening gloves on...

    ¡°I¡¯m down!¡± Songmei called out, a gleeful smile on her face as she felt her feet land onto the firm ground instead of a hard rock. ¡°Where are you... two...¡±

    Trailing off near the end of her sentence as she looked around, Songmei realized that Han Youhong and Mingqing were already there. Chilling. Playing their bricklaying game together.

    Uncool...

    ¡°Anyway...¡± Songmei coughed, clearing her throat and walking over to the two professional rock climbers. ¡°Where to now? Do we just kinda... walk around?¡±

    ¡°I mean... yeah,¡± Han Youhong sighed, closing his terminal and the bricklaying game along with it. ¡°Sadly, that¡¯s kinda what we¡¯re gonna have to do since we don¡¯t have any leads. As a general direction though, we can just kinda make our way towards the center of this area. Towards the crater site.¡±

    ¡°Cool, cool, sounds good.¡± Songmei nodded, following along like a good duckling. Mingqing and Han Youhong were the investigation professionals, after all. She could just... hang out, and then help out where she could.

    Walking through the ravine though, its narrow path dotted with murky puddles, Songmei realized...

    Investigating this area was gonna be... very not fun, to put it in nice terms.

    The ravine was... a ravine, if anyone hadn¡¯t realized yet. Because of that though, while walking through the twisting web-like cracks, they wouldn¡¯t be able to do any investigation on the parts that... weren¡¯t ravine.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Another thing was that, of course, they had no leads. They were walking around blind, literally and metaphorically, for all they knew, the ¡°suspicious¡± bad guys who have a weird supply of poop-go-crazy drug plants might not even be in the area, and with the jagged, twisting walls that seemed to lean over her like judging giants, Songmei also felt a touch of unsettledness.

    They could be looking forever through this place!

    Their target could be a crack in the rock wall too... blending in better than Liu Xueli at seniors¡¯ bingo night...

    Coughing, experiencing what felt like karmic retribution after thinking that thought, Songmei took a few deep breaths, clearing her mind as she observed the area. As an archer, she was used to reinforcing her eyes with Qi, so... maybe she¡¯d see something, just like last time.

    Pure luck wasn¡¯t something she wanted to rely on though. It wasn¡¯t very... reliable one could say. It was like a gambler relying on getting a pay raise to pay back their gambing debts, in character, but also highly irresponsible nonetheless.

    Just like her!

    Deciding to make a little idle conversation, Songmei turned towards Han Youhong while lacing her fingers with Mingqing. ¡°So... tell us a little more about the other disciples who got into your sect. That¡¯s kinda what we were talking about before getting sucked into the illusory realm.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeahhh,¡± Han Youhong laughed, pausing his lychee jelly eating for a second while laughing. ¡°I barely started and then it was just WHAM into a realm alone...¡±

    Snorting in amusement at Han Youhong¡¯s description and aggressive hand motions, Mingqing looked over, a light of curiosity about Han Youhong¡¯s disciple-mates also clear in her eyes.

    ¡°Well,¡± Han Youhong shrugged, nonchalant about revealing the information. He deemed it fine, the three of them were all close anyway, and the two ¡°platonic best friends¡± didn¡¯t have malicious intentions. ¡°As you know, even though there are two parts, the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadow and the Pavilion of Radiant Light, there were only 3 direct disciples who entered the sect as a whole. Two to Extinguishing Shadow and one to Radiant Light.¡±

    ¡°Interesting...¡± Songmei murmured under her breath, just loud enough to be heard by the random puddle she stepped in. Well, Songmei had known that a lot of people had entered Starlight Lake that year but... still, it was good to get some reference points from other sects.

    ¡°So, obviously, I¡¯m one of the people who entered Extinguishing Shadow,¡± Han Youhong explained, the lychee jelly conveyor belt starting up again. ¡°The other one who entered Extinguishing Shadow is uhh... I don¡¯t know... She¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t really talk to her. She¡¯s very aggressive...¡±

    Seeing Songmei and Mingqing both perk up a bit once he said that, Han Youhong sighed, massaging his eyebrows. ¡°Not in that way... she¡¯s aggressive, in like a ... climbing the social ladder way. She wasn¡¯t born into the best circumstances. Well, still better than yours, Songmei, but yeah... She really wants to find a rich person to marry...¡±

    Wilting like a pair of flowers, Songmei and Mingqing both let out an in sync ¡°Oh...¡± before motioning for Han Youhong to continue.

    With these two acting in unison, Han Youhong couldn¡¯t help but feel like a third-wheel once more...

    He didn¡¯t even feel romantic or sexual feelings!

    How was this possible...

    ¡°The other guy¡¯s also... interesting.¡± Han Youhong began, a hesitant pause entering his voice every few words. ¡°He¡¯s... interesting, yeah.¡±

    Seeing the confused looks on Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s faces, Han Youhong explained, ¡°He¡¯s an extreme Yang Cultivator, born with the rare Absolute Yang Body. Do you know him, Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I do, who wouldn¡¯t? He was a total character at those social gatherings when we were younger.¡± Mingqing sighed, massaging her eyebrows as well while chuckling. ¡°He even fits the image perfectly. He¡¯s got Amber eyes, blond hair, and enough size to put anyone else to shame.¡±

    ¡°Size?¡± Songmei asked, ¡°In which way? Height or muscles?¡±

    ¡°¡°Both.¡±¡±

 59: When Your Competitors Seemâ€¦ Too Good

    ¡°His name is Wang Taigang,¡± Han Youhong explained to the now mystified Lin Songmei. ¡°He¡¯s the new golden boy of the Pavilion of Radiant Light... literally. He has a technique where his body transforms into a gold-like color.¡±

    Songmei... kinda wanted to meet this Wang Taigang now...

    She was just worried that he¡¯d be arrogant... or maybe think too much with his lower body.

    ¡°Is he a nice person?¡± Songmei asked, deciding to just ask some more questions as there wasn¡¯t anything else interesting around.

    There were just a ton of rock walls. They could probably open a quarry with how many there were...

    Too bad they were all worthless rocks though...

    ¡°He¡¯s actually really nice,¡± Mingqing laughed, her gait light as she walked along hand in hand with Songmei. ¡°At least, he treated me very well when we were younger. He¡¯s a very bright and cheery person. Had a super bright smile and stuff. Though... I have heard he treats dudes differently. But uhh... didn¡¯t have friends growing up really so uhh... yeah, not sure.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Han Youhong tapped his chin, pensive as he pondered out loud, lychee jelly still entering his mouth like an industrial production line. ¡°He treated me fine? The only time I got to interact with him was at the large parties hosted by famous families like Mingqing¡¯s. His social status was honestly closer to Mingqing¡¯s than mine. He came from a pretty famous line of Yin and Yang cultivators.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡± Songmei murmured, nodding along.

    This was interesting!! It was like listening to gossip! Well... it was gossip! And it was gossip about important people that she should know about! So it was a win-win!

    ¡°However, I don¡¯t know if you felt this too,¡± Han Youhong turned towards Mingqing who tilted her head and replied with a questioning hum. ¡°I kinda felt like he was a little... two-dimensional. He was too bright, you know? Dude smiled a little too much. So underneath all that Yang, under all that brightness and glory, he might be a different person...¡±

    Damn... this was deep. Songmei never noticed stuff like this... She was just like, can they talk to me? Are they nice people who don¡¯t hate me? LET¡¯S GO! BESTIES!

    Maybe Han Youhong could be a psychiatrist...

    Just as Songmei thought that though, Han Youhong followed it up with a ¡°Or maybe I was just depressed and edgy during those times. I was kinda emo back then...¡±

    ¡°R... really?¡± Mingqing questioned with an expression that really just seemed to say ¡°bruh¡± before turning her attention back to keeping an eye on the monotonous walls. ¡°I think I get where you¡¯re coming from though. Like from a glance it''s pretty easy to see where I''m motivated from and where my flaws are from and blah blah that type of stuff.¡±

    ¡°I... hmm...¡± Han Youhong began, falling silent after raising a finger and thinking for a moment. ¡°You know what, I feel like this isn¡¯t really a place where I can comment... Songmei, do you have anything to say?¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°No... not really.¡± Songmei shook her head. She wasn¡¯t gonna say anything...

    Well, for one thing, she didn¡¯t really have much to say, sure she knew what motivated and drove Mingqing, but there wasn¡¯t a point in saying it out loud, anyone could tell after all. But for another thing...

    Mingqing was... Mingqing. They might be friends but they weren¡¯t the friends who knew each other since birth! Mingqing was still pretty much cultivation royalty or cultivation high-aristocracy depending on one¡¯s interpretation!

    And Songmei was dirt on the ground in both the cultivation AND non-cultivation world...

    ¡°L-Let¡¯s just move on...¡± Songmei broke the moment of silence, waving away the two sets of eyes that had settled onto her. ¡°So we might run into both of your sect mates?¡±

    ¡°We might, yeah...¡± Han Youhong nodded with a shrug, eating a lychee jelly while having its wrapper disappear into his spatial storage ring. ¡°We¡¯re all under different masters. So we all decided to form our own teams.¡±

    ¡°Sooo... they probably have teams then, yeah?¡± Mingqing chuckled, poking fun at Han Youhong who just glared back while eviscerating another jelly and all its future bloodlines.

    ¡°Probably...¡± Han Youhong relented, looking around and scanning the... very gray, very boring rock walls that surrounded them. ¡°¡®Wants to marry a rich person¡¯ girl probably has a party or at least another person around her. Someone she probably wants to latch onto. Yang boy also has a group too for sure. He¡¯s sociable like that. I, on the other hand, was perfectly fine being alone, I was content. But I ended up running into you two, and you two are chill, so I stick around.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re honored,¡± Mingqing laughed, doing a flourishing bow.

    Nodding in agreement, Songmei gave a double-thumbs up and a smile to show her affirmation before the group fell into silence once more.

    It was really, really boring in the ravine. They just walked, and walked, and walked!

    And there was barely a change in scenery! It was like... woah, the wall of the corner up there where we¡¯ll have to make a left turn is kindaaaa closer!

    Woahhh.

    So far too, they hadn¡¯t seen any other groups either. Back in the forest and clearing, the three of them would run into groups every which while. But now? It was... silent. Their voices echoed through the ravine, their footsteps crunched against the dirt and rocks while also splashing the puddles.

    There was plant-life though, which was a big plus in Songmei¡¯s book. She was one of those weirdos who could enjoy staring at nature all day. Kinda had to as that was her best entertainment growing up sometimes...

    In the cracks between rocks, Songmei could see some small ferns growing, some small bushes.

    She was pretty sure that¡¯s what it was called...

    She never really had an interest in plants, in the libraries growing up, she always picked out books that were narrative... And sadly, no one wrote books about the amazing fern and how it overcame all its obstacles to defeat the big bad gardener.

    Other than ferns and bushes, Songmei also saw a few mushrooms? She also swore a little ways back that she had seen one that had a little bit of natural luminescence, so that was interesting. Highlight of this ravine hike so far.

    This ravine wasn¡¯t isolated though, it was connected to a number of others, all forming a web of cracks in the earth, aftermaths of the large fight that had taken place. In the center of this web was a massive crater, the main area they needed to investigate.

    Fancy stuff...

    To put it in other words though, they had been charged with getting to the center of a labyrinth of ravines to check out a potentially super duper ultra mega hazardous crater site...

    Not as fancy stuff...

    Shrugging her shoulders, Songmei squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand one more time. It was going to be fine, she was confident they¡¯d be able to survive and escape if need be.

 60: Bricklaying Sequel???

    The ravine was the most uninteresting place Lin Songmei had gone to in her whole life. Given, she hadn¡¯t been to a lot of places, there was school where she suffered, the orphanage where she suffered, the library she frequented as a child, the orphanage she lived in as a child, and the sect.

    But really, this place was really a take a picture and leave type of place... The ravines, although nice, beautiful, stunning, sublime even, were boring past their initial ¡°WOW¡± factor. Sure, it was amazing the first time Songmei looked at it, the spiky walls that were like the maw of a gargantuan being as it cracked open its mighty gullet, ready to swallow the sun.

    Once down there though, Songmei realized the truth of it all. It was just wading through dark corridors with tall walls. These dark pathways also, to the annoyance of literally everyone everywhere, had what could be considered enough puddles to be used in a puddle-making game... maybe a sequel to bricklaying?

    Songmei swore, if the water from here was all drained, or evaporated somehow, not only would this place be more structurally stable, but the agriculture industry would be given a new lease on life!

    There wouldn¡¯t be a thing called ¡°the water bill¡± anymore!

    Other than that though, not much had happened after they had descended into the ravine. The three of them had walked around, made some verbal observations of their surroundings¡ªthe majority of which was actually random conversation though¡ªand walked around some more.

    Well... one thing of sheer coincidence happened, though.

    After Han Youhong had finished talking about Mr. Sunboy Wang Taigang, they rounded a corner, changing from one ravine to another that would lead further inward. As Yan Mingqing, who was taking on the position of rearguard, rounded the corner, they ran into Han Youhong¡¯s disciple-mate coming from a different fork.

    Not Mr. Sunny though... sadly...

    What had transpired after was what could only be called an awkward conversation. Very awkward. Painfully so.

    It had begun with a brief hello from both Han Youhong and the opposing party, who Songmei now knew was Liu Liping.

    Liu Liping was surrounded by a posse of FIVE people! FIVE! It was pretty much her harem. From what Songmei could tell, they were either inner disciples of the larger sects or direct disciples of some of the second-tier sects.

    From what Mingqing then whispered into Songmei¡¯s ear, Songmei learned that this posse was actually all rich and famous young masters and mistresses who just... didn¡¯t quite have enough talent to make it to the top...

    Anyhow, that conversation had less life to it than the puddles they were stepping through all day, pushing it to end after a few minutes.

    ¡°How did you convince them to go back?¡± Songmei asked, looking at the shrinking figures of the party of 6. ¡°I know it would¡¯ve been awkward since we¡¯re traveling in the same direction and the path is narrow, but it isn¡¯t like we couldn¡¯t have done it...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m magical, that¡¯s why,¡± Han Youhong laughed, eating some of his lychee jelly. ¡°In actuality, she just left without me saying anything.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Interesting...¡± Mingqing murmured, shrugging her shoulders, her face still frozen from that interaction.

    It was frozen stiff!! Songmei had turned to look at Mingqing in the middle of the conversation and... and... it was like the TUNDRA!

    The smile was gone! The eyes weren¡¯t bright! Mingqing¡¯s eyes had settled into a natural glare that told you to kneel and kiss her feet!

    And with her crossing her arms and shifting onto one leg, she looked a little like a model... n-no... no.... wait. Not that way... in a uhh... like... like a powerful pose...

    Coughing and clearing her thoughts, getting two sets of concerned gazes gathering towards her, Songmei waved the two of them off. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! No need to worry.¡±

    Her eyes flickering around, her brain spinning faster than it had ever before, Songmei searched for a conversation topic. ¡°So... so... s-so... uh... You all saw the thing, right?¡±

    ¡°What thing?¡± Mingqing asked, quirking an eyebrow as her expression began to melt the further they walked from the retreating group. ¡°¡®Saw the thing¡¯ isn¡¯t very specific, Songmei...¡±

    ¡°The rankings?¡± Han Youhong asked, pulling them up on his terminal. ¡°This is the only thing I could really think of...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the rankings! What do you two think of it?¡± Songmei nodded, letting out a sigh of relief now that the topic had been shifted. She could just sit back now and let the other two talk, she wasn¡¯t good enough at this conversation thing...

    ¡°Hmmm...¡± Han Youhong murmured out loud as he thought, stroking his chin and eating some lychee jelly. ¡°Well it''s based on contribution points by party. So... I¡¯m a little conflicted. On the one hand, this does increase the risk for us and the chances of getting sabotaged quite a bit. On the other hand... I really like how my name is at the top now that I¡¯m in a squad with you two.¡±

    Snorting with a bright laugh, Mingqing nodded, pointing to Han Youhong. ¡°I¡¯ll give you credit on the name part. It is very nice. Also, the leaderboards do spur a sense of competition in a certain sense so that¡¯s good. And... we do have a pretty commanding lead as we were the first ones to discover the plants.¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Songmei nodded, pulling up the leaderboard on her terminal to look at it herself. One of the great things about these fancy terminals was that she could use them anywhere there was Qi! Which was... everywhere!

    Songmei had heard ancient devices used waves on the EM spectrum to communicate and... damn, that sounded unreliable at times...

    Sounded like something her orphanage would have...

    The leaderboard though, as of now, was pretty fancy, she could tell it wasn¡¯t put together in the best way and was a rush job, but it worked.

    [--- Leaderboard ---

    (Based on contribution points. Contribution points are awarded by contributing to the extermination or investigation of the harmful flora invading Westriver.)

    <ol>

    <li> 1168 Points, Members: Han Youhong/Lin Songmei/Yan Mingqing (party of three) [Collapse?]</li>

    <li> 547 Points, Members: [Expand?]</li>

    <li> 520 Points, Members: [Expand?]</li>

    </ol>

    ...

    Your ranking:

    <ol>

    <li> 1168 Points]</li>

    </ol>

    ¡°Contribution points are awarded by contributing,¡± Songmei read aloud to herself under her breath. Who would¡¯ve thought?

    This was some HIGHLY informative, critical information here.

    It was quite nice seeing her name at the top though.

    To sum it up in a concise manner though, now the contribution was public! So they¡¯d actually have to do some more work. As of now, there were two ways to get more contribution points: dig up plants or find plants.

    Obviously, from the fact she was walking in a RAVINE, the plan wasn¡¯t to dig up plants. Getting contribution points from that was painful too. It was like 10 for one point or something? Based on size too? She wasn¡¯t sure...

    Anyhow, maybe they¡¯d find some fancy-pants secret laboratory or something...

    Well, before that... getting to the crater.

 61: Who Does School Readings Anyway?

    It was raining. An absolute barrage of water dumping down from the sky and onto the area around them. Because of this rainstorm though, something that was honestly a rarity in this area, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong were now taking shelter in a cave.

    Caves were... easily found in this area.

    For the most part they were just alcoves, small areas that had been worn into the ravine¡¯s walls. But others were larger caves that stretched further into the ground either upwards or downwards.

    As of now, Songmei was in a cave that stretched further upwards, as... it wouldn¡¯t be very smart to go into one that stretched into the earth. Water... water flows downward if one didn¡¯t know...

    Sitting against the ground and hugging her knees, Songmei leaned against Mingqing who was sitting next to her as the two looked out of the opening of the cave.

    Lines of white that came down from the sky, drop after drop, an unending shower as small impacts were made against the ground. As streams of water flowed between the rocks, small lizards and insects moved towards shelter as the plants were drowned under the deluge.

    ¡°How are you doing this fine... evening?¡± Songmei asked Mingqing while checking the weather. ¡°By the way, it says that the rainstorm is going to last through the night so... I guess we should settle down here.¡±

    ¡°Seems like we¡¯ll have to, yeah...¡± Mingqing murmured, leaning her head against Songmei¡¯s while offering her hand to Songmei. ¡°So we¡¯ll have to pause for today... it is around dinner time... so... sleeping early tonight, I guess? We could chat with Xueli later if we wanted, just for a little while. We could also do our readings for school.¡±

    Readings for school.

    Th... That was something Songmei had disregarded for a while. Sure, she had done some, a couple here and there. Did a few while on the long walks to and from Westriver, did a few on their off days they spent resting at the city... but...

    She was behind, that was for sure.

    ¡°Y-Yeah... probably the readings. I¡¯ve definitely not done enough of them,¡± Songmei confessed, taking Mingqing¡¯s hand and giving it a squeeze. ¡°How many have you do-¡±

    ¡°How did you two intertwine yourselves so fast?¡± Han Youhong interrupted, his voice shattering the little world Songmei and Mingqing had built around themselves. ¡°I only left for a few minutes to go check out the cave. There¡¯s a level area up ahead where we can set up camp. But what would you two have done if I had run back screaming and crying with a horde of insects buzzing behind me?¡±

    ¡°Uhh... probably died.¡± Songmei nodded, with a self-assured smile as Mingqing murmured in agreement. ¡°Or run out of the cave screaming and crying with you.¡±

    ¡°Probably the same for me,¡± Mingqing laughed, her face having the same annoying look on it that Songmei had, a look that just seemed to say ¡®What¡¯s your comeback now?¡¯

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ...

    A sigh.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Han Youhong continued, pulling out some lychee jelly to assuage his newfound stress. ¡°We can just... sit around and talk, I guess. Do you two have any plans?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Songmei lamented with a long sigh, one about as long as the one Han Youhong just did. ¡°I have to catch up on readings from my sect¡¯s Hall of Learning...¡±

    ¡°Oh damn, you have one of those too?¡± Han Youhong raised an eyebrow, chuckling to find out this was a shared hell between disciples of all sects. ¡°I mean I should¡¯ve known that but still. I just sleep through all my classes and don¡¯t do the readings. If you two are planning on doing them though... maybe I¡¯ll do them for once.¡±

    ¡°Alright! Join us, join us!¡± Mingqing cheered, moving a bit so they could all sit in a half circle on the inclined path that this section of the cave was. ¡°There¡¯s not much light coming in from outside anymore since the sun is setting so uhh... I can pull out a lamp if you two want?¡±

    Getting a ¡°yes please¡± and ¡°that¡¯d be great, thanks,¡± Mingqing pulled out a qi-powered lamp she had from her spatial ring, setting it against the ground. ¡°See, the fancy thing about this lamp is that I can do this!¡±

    Saying that, Mingqing demonstrated the various features of the lamp, which included different light settings, a small pike on the bottom of the lamp that could allow it to be put on uneven terrain, some hooks so it could be hung, among other features.

    ¡°Why do you just have a multi-terrain lamp lying around in your spatial storage ring, Mingqing?¡± Han Youhong asked with a... pondering... expression, as he ate a piece of lychee jelly.

    ¡°Because... why not?¡± Mingqing gestured as she sat down once more after piking the lamp into the ground. ¡°It¡¯s always good to be prepared, and since my family sent me a bunch of random ass Qi artifacts, I might as well bring them along. They could be useful! Like this one!¡±

    ¡°... Sure... I see.¡± Han Youhong nodded, shrugging before pulling out some of his reading. ¡°Anyhow, I guess... we read? How about we read for a bit first, then set up our tents and have dinner. Then decide if we want to hang out or read more?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Mingqing agreed, looking over to Songmei who let out an ¡°mhm.¡±

    With that, the three of them sat there, falling into silence with the sounds of pouring rain filling their ears as they read their sect readings.

    History, science, math, language? Songmei had it all! There were even theory articles about cultivation that their teacher Jiang Yonghang had sent them. They were super dense texts too! From the little blurbs that Jiang Yonghang had sent, Songmei had found out that, luckily, they didn¡¯t need to take notes...

    That was good.

    Reading her messages on her terminal while checking which of the articles to read though, Songmei also saw a message from Liu Xueli, it seemed that the inner disciples had left for Westriver.

    Though... the time... wasn¡¯t to be trusted.

    Xueli had mentioned that she had just found out about it through Jiang Yonghang while out on a daily walk. However... because of this, the inner disciples could¡¯ve left anywhere between a few weeks ago, or a few minutes ago... or not at all yet.

    On another note though, Xueli taking daily walks was the most old lady thing ever!

    Songmei knew that ¡°it was for recuperating¡± purposes, but it still seemed... like...

    C¡¯mon.

    Someone had to let Xueli know that she was an old lady one day or another...

    Sure, she could probably pass for Songmei or Mingqing¡¯s older sister looks-wise, but even if a blind person took a look at Xueli¡¯s daily life, they¡¯d be able to see that she was an old lady...

    Readings!

    Can¡¯t get distracted now...

    Shelving her thoughts about her totally super young, full of youth, paragon of the new generation, master Xueli, Songmei pulled out some articles, diving down into reading about... math.

    Exhilarating.

 62: The Classic Way To Bond Is Through Almost Dying

    That night, Lin Songmei didn¡¯t sleep well. In fact, Yan Mingqing and Han Youhong didn¡¯t sleep well either. Contrary to popular belief, the trio¡¯s insomnia was not because of a collective nightmare after doing their schools¡¯ reading, nor was it a group asphyxiation from spending the night in a cave; they had Qi-powered air filtration systems with them.

    The real reason they didn¡¯t sleep well was because, in the middle of the night, as the rain storm pounded the earth, there was a rockslide. A ROCKSLIDE.

    C¡¯mon... How bad could their luck get?

    Because of the rockslide, Songmei and the others had been awake since three-ish in the morning, maybe closer to 3:30, but she wasn¡¯t sure. She hadn¡¯t had time to check the clock when she was startled awake by the rockslide.

    The three of them had been fairly lucky too though, the rockslide hadn¡¯t collapsed the cave that they were in, even though both sides of the ravine came crashing down.

    Now that, having made it to the top of the rubble pile, Songmei, Mingqing, and Han Youhong were sitting on some rocks as they watched the sun come up, its golden rays shooting over the horizon as it bathed the world in light and warmth once more.

    The rain had abated too, so... it was picturesque in a certain sense.

    Well, having blown a path through the rubbled to get back to the surface, Songmei, Mingqing, and Han Youhong were all drenched in both the rain and their sweat.

    They had made it to morning!

    Her arms on her legs as she sat on a rock, Songmei stared up at the rising sun with a small smile as she looked towards the ravine ahead and behind them.

    From what she could see, the rockslide that had tumbled in their area of the ravine hadn¡¯t been an isolated accident. All around them, as far as her eye could see, was rockslide after rockslide.

    ¡°This... doesn¡¯t seem normal.¡± Songmei voiced out to the two others, her lips dry and cracked, her voice hoarse after shouting over the rain throughout the night, even her wrist was starting to throb again!

    She was honestly regretting the fact that she didn¡¯t talk that much...

    After a night of shouting and working together to not be buried under rocks, Mingqing¡¯s voice was still in tip top shape, perfectly fine, factory new, could-probably-go-sing-in-an-opera fine.

    Han Youhong, who talked more than Songmei but less than Mingqing, was... fittingly, between the two of them in terms of voice health. His voice was getting raw, but it wasn¡¯t hoarse like Songmei¡¯s was.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    All three of them though looked like a mess. That was comforting. They could live the crusty life together!

    ¡°It... does. It does seem a little suspicious.¡± Mingqing murmured, her hair in a messy ponytail instead of her usual neat half-up hairstyle. ¡°For one, I know it was a rare rainstorm... but to cause this many landslides? That¡¯s... a little far fetched. Also, I¡¯m not an expert in landslides or anything... but i¡¯m not sure, maybe it was the long period of drought that destabilized the ravine walls? Or was it all a cover as a group wanted to seal off the area...¡±

    ¡°You speak a lot of facts, but... girl, my throat hurts just listening to you speak so much.¡± Han Youhong retorted, eating a jelly to assuage not only his complaining stomach but also his mind.

    That was another thing though, after going through this ¡°trial¡± with Han Youhong and Mingqing, Songmei felt she had gotten closer to the two of them, to the point where... she honestly started calling Han Youhong just... Youhong.

    It¡¯d be a slow transition probably but... who knows.

    Han Youhong also seemed to be closer to Songmei and Mingqing, he seemed to be opening up a little. No longer was he as cool, calm, and collected. His red eyes were curved to crescents more often and his voice had more emotion seeped into it.

    ¡°Well, sucks to suck,¡± Mingqing laughed, sticking her tongue out towards Han Youhong. ¡°You two don¡¯t use your voices enough, so that¡¯s your own fault. Even though I didn¡¯t talk to a lot of people growing up, I still used my voice plenty by talking to myself in the mirror!¡±

    Giving Mingqing a look, Han Youhong opened and closed his mouth a few times after Mingqing said that, leaning over and giving her some pats. ¡°I... see. You really had some uh... good dedication.¡±

    Songmei, feeling the same as Han Youhong, also leaned over, giving Mingqing a few pats on the shoulder.

    ¡°Anyhow, what are we gonna do next?¡± Mingqing sighed, moving Han Youhong¡¯s hand off of her, then pausing for a moment before letting Songmei continue her patting, getting a laugh and a quiet ¡°Damn love bir... I mean... ¡®best friends¡¯¡± from Han Youhong.

    ¡°I think we just uhh... continue making our way to the crater, yeah?¡± Mingqing proposed, seeing that both Han Youhong and Songmei weren¡¯t super inclined to speak, ¡°I feel like this event only bolsters the feeling that something¡¯s up there. One of the sect¡¯s should also send a drone to get an overhead scan too, so that¡¯ll help. Sadly, those things are expensive and require a lot of trouble with the bureaucracy just to get out of the warehouse.¡±

    Songmei¡¯s throat was throbbing just listening to this extensive spiel by Mingqing. How did she even know all of this anyway? Songmei had also read the message from the sect about the drone, but how did Mingqing know about the bureaucracy part?

    Must be the ¡°connections.¡±

    ¡°I think traveling towards the crater would do well for us...¡± Songmei nodded, piping up seeing that Han Youhong had motioned towards her. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous, especially if we keep in mind we¡¯re investigating, not exterminating.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan!¡± Han Youhong clapped, ignoring the fact that in the middle of plan his voice had seemed to age by an entire lifespan.

    Pushing herself off the rock, Songmei stretched a bit, turning a blind eye to her joints and muscles that were screaming in pain to her after a night''s work, circulating her Qi a little faster to accelerate her natural healing process faster.

    The magic of cultivation, YEAH!

    Their progress slowed, as they now had to make their way across uneven rocks that were the new ground, Songmei, Mingqing, and Han Youhong pushed on, following their now... not super great map on their terminals, making their way towards the central crater.

    It seemed like there was a long journey ahead of them, one about as long as the bricklaying games user list.

 63: The Alien Language That Is Gaming

    A few days had passed.  Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong¡¯s journey had continued, though their progress had slowed to a crawl.

    Compared to the previous ravine system, battles were now more commonplace. Bugs. Wolves. Birds. If it was an animal that lived in the area, it was now roaming, trying to find a new home after the terrain had been shifted.

    Having made decent progress, Songmei and the others were now nearing the crater. The crater itself was massive, in certain regards, it was larger than what would be considered a ¡°crater¡± but, being left from the impacts from a battle, this large barren area was considered such.

    Had the rockslide not happened, they would¡¯ve arrived by now, but... that was all just a what if.

    Now though, after having gone through battle after battle, the three of them were now sitting in a loose circle, taking a mid-afternoon break to eat some snacks before setting off again.

    Several things had changed though over the course of the past few days, everyone had made progress on cultivating and everyone had solidified or learnt new techniques.

    Songmei, after spending these past few days fighting on only rough terrain, had brought her butterfly steps movement technique to a new level, being able to use it with just a thought. Moreover, she could use it in conjunction with her body enhancement technique, ¡°Crystal¡¯s Strengthening.¡±

    Though Crystal¡¯s Strengthening wasn¡¯t top tier in terms of Qi efficiency, it had good synergistic effects with other techniques Songmei would learn down the road, as it converted part of her Qi to having a more Crystalline attribute.

    Useful, useful stuff really.

    Other than that, Songmei had also improved her shooting skills by a fair margin, nothing helped make Songmei get better at shooting than a wolf¡¯s breath bearing down onto her neck. Also, remember the random technique she had used against the massive-ass LAND crab?

    She had managed to improve it too!! It was called the ¡°Arrow of Crystallization¡± and Songmei had cut down the time needed to charge it up from 5-7 seconds all the way down to 1-2 seconds. It still meant that Songmei wouldn¡¯t be able to use it often in battle, but it was a good thing to open a battle with.

    And the last thing, the development that had allowed her to improve at such a breakneck speed, was the fact that she had opened up her fourth main meridian!

    Well... there also had been a sort of discomfort with her eyes, it was like something was behind or in her eyes, but that was something that Songmei could ignore.

    For the others, they had also made several improvements. Starting with Mingqing, Songmei had managed to beat out Mingqing in opening her fourth meridian by a day or two, depending on how one wanted to count it.

    On the other hand though, being their main vanguard, Mingqing had gotten a lot of action the past few days. She had managed to master the foundational swordsmanship of her Constellation Sword Art, then also mastered the first form of the art, the Ram.

    Of course, that was ¡°mastered¡± in the same way Songmei had mastered her arts, mastered them for now. When they cultivated to a higher level and had more Qi, they¡¯d be able to take their techniques to another level.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Other than mastering the 6 stars of the Ram, Mingqing had also begun to make strides in fighting while having her body enhancement technique active. Which was useful when fighting for obvious reasons: being stronger and faster.

    Lastly, there was Youhong. Honestly, he didn¡¯t share much about his techniques. The main thing that his techniques revolved around was the moon. However, Songmei didn¡¯t know too much about the details.

    Also, because he used chain blades, his techniques were... hard to decipher.

    As of now though, Songmei had figured out, from asking and observing Youhong, that he had a couple of Qi-using moves right now. There was ¡°Descent of the New Moon¡± and also ¡°Glory of the Full Moon,¡± both moves that sounded fancy, but... well... Songmei never reallyyyy could identify them.

    They did both make the enemies die pretty quickly though.

    Youhong would use it and then ¡°Oh no!¡± the enemy¡¯s head would fall off. Truly assassin-like.

    Other than his techniques though, Youhong had also shared that he was a half-step away from opening his fourth meridian. Or in other words, he was at the peak of the third main meridian, and was at the cusp of breaking through.

    It was good to know!

    The three of them had also worked on teamwork, something that was... pretty critical.

    Songmei didn¡¯t want to put an arrow in the back of Mingqing or Youhong¡¯s head during battle after all. She also didn¡¯t want to hear ¡°Descent of the New Moon!¡± before having her head on the ground all of a sudden... Nor did she want to hear ¡°6th star of the ram¡± and then have a sword appear through her chest.

    All of these were... not ideal outcomes.

    Sitting around in their little circle though, Songmei ate some snacks while listening to Mingqing and Youhong talk about... whatever.

    Honestly, it was kinda the norm by now. Mingqing would lead the conversation, talking for the most part while Youhong commented here and there, contributing his bit. All the while, Songmei would kinda just be there listening along, and maybeeeee make a comment here or there.

    Right now, Mingqing and Youhong were just talking about the bricklaying game, something that was completely alien to Songmei. She never played games and this just wasn¡¯t something she was well-versed or interested in.

    ¡°So, as you know, the tier-8, max upgrades, triple prestige, mark IV excavator with a double speed boost and inventory expansion is the best idle material collector. However, I honestly don¡¯t prefer it because of its high maintenance costs.¡± Mingqing explained to a nodding Youhong as he continued to inhale his lychee jelly. ¡°Because of that, I decided instead to invest more of my points into the virtual technology branch to unlock advanced AI.¡±

    Pointing to a small picture of the skill tree in the bricklaying game, Mingqing shrugged, pointing to a specific nodule. ¡°Then, with the self-maintenance skill, the cost of my excavators is massively lower, far outweighing the fact that I have to use a tier-7, max upgrades, triple prestige mark III excavator.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Youhong nodded, a thoughtful look on his face as he inspected the pictures that Mingqing had saved of her profit-margins. ¡°That is a much more efficient way moneywise. Then you can also expand your business faster, yeah? The only drawback is that you don¡¯t get as much material.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, that is a pretty major drawback,¡± Mingqing shrugged, ¡°it¡¯s okay though, since I''m just expanding the scope of my operations for now. It helps with catching up to those much higher on the leaderboards. Then, I can also transition into the ideal setup later without much sacrifice.¡±

    Hearing Youhong murmur ¡°Interesting...¡± over and over during Mingqing¡¯s explanation, Songmei, who knew pretty much nothing and could understand pretty much nothing, just... let them be.

    They were having fun, so that was good! She¡¯d be content just... hanging out. From what she had learned from Mingqing, the game was constantly being updated, and new strategies were always being discovered because of the intricacies with the game.

    Whoever was making this game honestly, they were selfless!

 64: Wolf Breath Smells ... Unsurprisingly Bad

    With their break over, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong were back on the road. They were close, unless there was another rockslide or something, they¡¯d be able to make it to the edge of the crater by dinner time.

    Rubbing her eyes, Songmei scanned the area, keeping alert as long howls echoed through the area. ¡°Mingqing, Youhong, you two see anything?¡±

    ¡°No...¡± Mingqing shook her head, unsheathing her sword as her head swiveled around, waiting for the inevitable attack.

    Pulling her bow off her back, Songmei stood between Mingqing and Youhong as they made slow progress through the area. Luckily, this area was more flat and untouched compared to most others. As they neared the crater, areas that had been hit with a rockslide lessened. Because of that, more and more often, Songmei and the others were walking through the familiar ravine scenery.

    A piercing howl.

    As if it was a trigger, howl after howl broke out as wolves began to show themselves. Each of the wolves had crazed eyes, swollen muscles, and were frothing at the mouth.

    Honestly? They didn¡¯t look like they were doing too good, and from past experience, Songmei could tell these wolves had already eaten the drug-like plant. She wasn¡¯t sure though, it seemed they also had some other disease going on though too at the same time. The drug-like plant wouldn¡¯t cause any frothing at the mouth...

    It seemed these wolves were just unlucky and got hit with two bad draws of luck in a row.

    Notching an arrow into her bow, Songmei charged it up, letting it fly as the battle commenced.

    With her arrow finding its mark in one of the wolves mouths, Songmei circulated her Qi as fast as she could, activating her Butterfly Step and her Crystalline Strengthening technique in tandem.

    Meanwhile, as the battle began, a faint star-like mist gathered around Mingqing¡¯s blade, showing its horrifying cutting power as Mingqing tore through wolf after wolf.

    They were lucky, these were just small fry in big numbers. This was much easier than a single big monster that had its strength raised to an unreasonable degree.

    The battle now though, was what could only be described as organized chaos. Wolves surged in like waves, all coming towards Mingqing who was tearing through them, forming a bit of a corpse pile around her.

    As Mingqing drew the aggression from most of the wolves, Songmei flitted around the battlefield behind Mingqing, providing her support, incapacitating or killing as many wolves as she could. Youhong, on the other hand, was like a specter, also disappearing and reappearing like the wind, killing the strongest wolves in a few clean strikes.

    Songmei¡¯s hands moved without stopping as she let arrow after arrow fly. Arrow into an eye. A leg. A mouth. A body.

    For the most part, when she used her Arrow of Crystallization, Songmei didn¡¯t have to pay anymore attention to that wolf. If it hit their eye, they¡¯d be visually incapacitated. They wouldn¡¯t be seeing out of one eye, instead seeing out of two, but one through a wonky crystal lens. If she hit their leg or body, they¡¯d be physically incapacitated. If she hit their mouth, they¡¯d suddenly not be able to breathe, which wasn¡¯t conducive to staying alive.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    For the most part though, she had to settle for normal arrows. She couldn¡¯t always spare a few seconds to infuse an arrow with Qi...

    It was good that she could at least shoot them with much more strength now, though.

    Thwang.

    Letting loose another arrow and piercing a wolf¡¯s eye, Songmei backed off before Mingqing¡¯s sword flew in, beheading it in one clean strike.

    Step. Step. Step.

    Leaping back into a more open area of the battlefield that the wolves hadn¡¯t filled yet, Songmei pulled out another quiver of arrows, switching it with her empty quiver before beginning to shoot once more.

    -------

    The battle ended after a few action-filled, blood-filled minutes. They¡¯d managed to kill around 30-40 wolves, and hadn¡¯t sustained any injuries of their own. Overall, a good success!

    Blinking a few times now that the discomfort in her eyes had gotten a little worse, Songmei rubbed it a few times before meeting back up with Mingqing and Youhong. Watching the two wipe the blood off their blades, Songmei let out a long sigh before bending down and beginning to salvage the arrows that she could.

    Every battle...

    At this rate, before she even finished opening her meridians, she¡¯d have permanent back pain and walk around looking like a shrimp...

    ¡°Are you feeling alright, Songmei?¡± Mingqing called out, watching Songmei rub her eyes with a scowl on her face. ¡°Is the weird feeling worse?¡±

    Blink. Blink.

    Ignoring the discomfort and going back to picking up her arrows, Songmei waved Mingqing off. ¡°It¡¯s a little worse, but I¡¯m fine!¡±

    At this point, it seemed like it was getting a little worse every time she used her Qi, but after a while of not using her Qi, the discomfort would lessen once more. Of course, she couldn¡¯t just stop using Qi, she had to cultivate, and even if she did stop, it¡¯d come back the moment she started using Qi again...

    Songmei was pretty sure it wasn¡¯t anything to worry about though... They had asked both Xueli and Youhong¡¯s master. Both had said that, although they didn¡¯t know what it was and would have to see it in person to really know, they both said it wasn¡¯t something like a Qi parasite or cultivation deviation.

    That was reassuring to hear... Songmei didn¡¯t want to have an immense cultivation deviation and then have her head explode or her eyes go blind because of some accident...

    Picking up the last of the arrows, Songmei returned to where Youhong and Mingqing were waiting, giving Mingqing a hug and latching onto her like a backpack while murmuring. ¡°I¡¯m done getting my daily dose of back pain~ How are you doing though?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing okay,¡± Mingqing murmured back in reply, picking Songmei up piggyback style before patting and running her hand through her hair while beginning to walk forward. ¡°Little worried about you though...¡±

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be...¡± Songmei whispered back, resting her head against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Xueli said it¡¯d be fine... she also said she¡¯d volunteer to join the extermination team so that she could come by and take a look...¡±

    ¡°Well, I still want to worry,¡± Mingqing laughed, pinching Songmei¡¯s cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m chilling, hanging out. Living life with a new backpack.¡±

    As the two lovebirds... no, ¡°platonic best friends¡± piggy backed and walked off, Youhong was left there, looking around as he watched Mingqing and Songmei whisper sweet nothings to each other.

    ¡°Really?¡± Youhong muttered to himself with an exasperated laugh. ¡°That fast? The battle ended like 2-3 minutes ago and you two are already saddled up together and... damn.¡±

    Following along the two after slinging his two chainblades onto his back, Youhong pulled out some lychee jelly, unwrapping it with much more care than usual. ¡°At least I have you, the love of my life...¡±

 65: When Did Drugs Have Evolutions...

    Lin Songmei was worn. After walking for another forty five minutes, she, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong had made it to the crater¡¯s edge. At this point, the ravine¡¯s walls had sloped down from either side, making it so there were no longer towering walls on either side, instead just... low walls. Around this crater too, a number of these paths would be found, all being different ways one could traverse the ravines to get to the crater.

    What greeted them though was... not a big empty crater. With their jaws all hanging open, Songmei and the others stood at the edge of the crater, keeping their distance due to a mix of apprehension and fear.

    What lay before them was a strange sight, and that was putting it lightly.

    With spiraling roots and contorting tendrils, the plant-life formed a pulsating web that stretched across the ground, converging in a large bulb that sat in the distance, beating like a heart. Feeling waves of Qi wash over them every time the bulb expanded then contracted, Songmei rubbed her eyes, feeling the discomfort grow worse.

    ¡°What... the hell, is that thing?¡± Youhong cursed under his breath, gawking at the unfamiliar organism that was in front of them. ¡°Is it alive? Like... animal alive? Or plant alive? What is this... being?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure either...¡± Mingqing murmured, taking a half-step back. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty obvious why we didn¡¯t hear about this thing though...¡±

    Songmei, even without Mingqing naming it, knew what she was referring to. Near the base of the bulb, whatever it was, were two ruined drones, sparking as they lay on the ground, broken and snapped to pieces.

    ¡°So... I¡¯m assuming we¡¯re not going to camp near that thing.¡± Songmei asked, also taking a half-step back as the bulb¡¯s tendrils contorted a little more, extending its ¡°web¡± further.

    ¡°Hell no. No way I¡¯m letting my lychee jelly near that thing.¡± Youhong agreed, spinning on his heel and marching back towards where they came. ¡°Let¡¯s just uhh... hike a little higher, and camp on some high ground. We can one, keep an eye on it, and two... uhh... not become one of the drones.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like an AMAZING, GENIUS plan, Youhong! Well thought out to an unbelievable degree!¡± Mingqing agreed, following Youhong up the slope that was the ravine wall.

    Songmei too, agreed with all her heart, and followed the two while pulling out her terminal. She wanted to tell Xueli about her eyes and also give an update on this whole ¡°found a potentially very super duper ultra problematic hazardous plant¡± thing.

    Debating whether she should call or just send a message, Songmei deliberated for a bit until they came to a stop part way up the slope, taking a seat on a rock after seeing Mingqing and Youhong do so as well.

    ¡°So... I¡¯m going to be contacting Mingqing and I¡¯s master, Xueli.¡± Songmei explained, motioning towards her terminal. ¡°Youhong, you should probably contact yours too...¡±

    ¡°Alright, I can do that, no problem.¡± Youhong nodded, kicking back on the rock and pulling out his own terminal while snacking on some lychee jelly. ¡°I feel so much better now that we¡¯re far from that plant thing.¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°You can say that again...¡± Mingqing sighed, looking over towards the plant that was sitting in the center of the crater, hanging out and... bulbing... as a plant does...

    Looking over towards Songmei though, Mingqing changed rocks, sitting back down beside Songmei and wrapping an arm around her. ¡°You okay? I see you¡¯re doing that blinking thing more now. Is it worse now because of the Qi waves?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Songmei whispered back before forcing a nonchalant shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad... you don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    ¡°Sure...¡± Mingqing squinted, giving a doubtful nod before booping Songmei¡¯s nose. ¡°I¡¯ll be here for you, okay?¡±

    Leaning into Mingqing and her arm hug, Songmei murmured a small thank you before continuing to type on her terminal. [Dearest Master, Elder Liu Xueli... Is the most esteemed master available for a visual communication call in the immediate future?]

    Sending it off with a satisfied smile, Songmei turned towards Mingqing after hearing a snort and a suppressed laugh escaping from her mouth. ¡°What? I just kinda... kinda felt like using very formal language...¡±

    ¡°I know, I know... nothing wrong with that.¡± Mingqing laughed, ¡°I do it too. It¡¯s amusing to see Xueli¡¯s reaction.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Songmei nodded, opening her mouth to continue just as Xueli replied. Closing her mouth, Songmei read the message to herself. [Dearest disciple, Lin Songmei. Your most esteemed master is indeed available for a ¡°visual communication call¡± in the immediate future. Just call you two rascals, I already told you two that you can call anytime.]

    ...

    Laughter.

    Breaking out into laughter, Songmei clung onto Mingqing who was also doubled over, struggling to breathe over all the laughter.

    Deep breaths. Inhale... Exhale... It wasn¡¯t good to laugh at senior citizens, they had to respect the elderly...

    After catching her breath and steeling her expression, Songmei pressed the call button, holding it up between her and Mingqing.

    Ring... Ring...

    Picking up after only two rings, Mingqing and Songmei were greeted with the smiling face of Xueli, who, seeing Mingqing and Songmei¡¯s smiling faces, broke out into laughter. ¡°I knew it was you two. You¡¯re practically a package deal! When have I had calls with you two alone when I hadn¡¯t outright asked for it?¡±

    ¡°Never~¡± Songmei laughed, pulling Mingqing closer to her until their cheeks were squished together. ¡°We¡¯re conjoined, always together! Super duper best friends!¡±

    ¡°You two really are...¡± Xueli shook her head, a small chuckle escaping under her breath as she stared off out her window. ¡°So why do you two want to talk? Any developments? Usually you could just report it to the assignment hall...¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Mingqing began, once again fulfilling her role as the spokesperson, ¡°there are two main things really. Songmei has a personal update, so she can start. But afterward, we want to tell you about this... pretty urgent thing.¡±

    Marveling at Mingqing¡¯s amazing ability to guide the conversation while also allowing her to talk less, Songmei shrugged while pointing to her dull-gray eyes. ¡°They just... feel... they just... feel a lot worse. Same place in the eyes, but the area we¡¯re in right now has really dense Qi rolling over us in waves... That¡¯s about it for me though.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Xueli mused, her eyebrows furrowing a touch as a worried light surfaced in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the medicine people about it again... I¡¯ll be leaving soon to come over there though. Once I get there, I should be able to give a definitive answer. What¡¯s with the area you¡¯re in though? Shouldn¡¯t you be near the crater? You should be careful though, since all the reconnaissance we¡¯ve sent to the area has provided... useless results.¡±

    ¡°Well... about that...¡± Songmei explained with an awkward cough, looking towards Mingqing. ¡°Well yeah, just take a look for yourself.¡±

 66: Is It Possible to Get Stockholm Syndrome For A Plant?

    After showing Liu Xueli, Lin Songmei expected her to have a more... visceral reaction. Sure, she was surprised, but it didn¡¯t last long. Moments after turning the camera, Xueli¡¯s joking expression disappeared as she scrutinized the landscape in front of her.

    ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t go near it.¡± Xueli began, tapping her chin as a light of recognition flickered behind her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this before. It¡¯s an offshoot species of the drug-plant. It¡¯s found on the central continent just like the drug-plant. Well, I should call it by its commonly used name, Red-Edged Swamp Leaf, but that¡¯s... a mouthful. Anyway, yeah, stay away, this one¡¯s strategy is luring the animals that have eaten the smaller plant, then wrapping around those animals and draining their Qi before eventually blooming. For you all, it doesn¡¯t pose a threat, but be careful of the beasts it lures.¡±

    Opening her mouth to continue, Xueli paused, deciding against sharing more. ¡°Well, this pushes the deployment of the extermination team, so I¡¯ll be there soon. No need to worry. Just a lot of... ew bureaucracy in the way. I could wipe them out all by myself but nooo... they want to assemble a strikeforce from a number of different sects.¡±

    A laugh escaping under her breath after hearing Xueli ridicule the circular bureaucratic processes once more, Yan Mingqing shrugged, pointing to the small trash can in the corner of the screen behind Xueli. ¡°Master, you¡¯re still not at full strength, so it''s not good to push yourself. Maybe it''s a good thing to have some more support.¡±

    ¡°Eh,¡± Xueli waved her hand before snapping her fingers and making the trash can disappear. ¡°You two haven¡¯t seen your master in action yet! Even if I was on the brink of death I could still take care of this! They¡¯ll just be useful for cleaning up the smaller plants dotted around the plateau.¡±

    Watching Xueli fall silent, then nod a few times with a confident smile, Songmei was... unsure what to say. She wanted to believe in Xueli... but what if this was just like Xueli bragging about her card game skills... Songmei had already learnt the hard way that Xueli¡¯s card skills were worse than Yan Mingqing¡¯s ability to appear warm and friendly to those she hadn¡¯t met before.

    With Mingqing continuing the conversation though, Songmei once more, thanked Mingqing¡¯s endless extrovert energy, listening along as the topic shifted to just catching up.

    ----------

    The ¡°visual communication call¡± ended after 10 minutes or so, with Xueli apologizing as she had a meeting to attend. Songmei and Mingqing, now technically with nothing to do, lowered the terminal, a little listless while just sitting there on the rock.

    Leaning her head against Songmei¡¯s, Mingqing offered a hand. ¡°What now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... not sure.¡± Songmei murmured, looking over towards Han Youhong who was still engaged in a serious conversation with his master. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to just stick in the area. So we can¡¯t go anywhere. But there¡¯s also nothing to do here...¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Mingqing agreed, letting out a long sigh as the fatigue of the last few weeks began to catch up to her. ¡°I honestly miss that little apartment... That soft bed.¡±

    Songmei missed that apartment too! It was so cute and cozy... Also, Plum was still there, sitting on the bed all alone...

    Sitting on the rock together though, Songmei just took a moment to take in the scene in front of her. There wasn¡¯t much else to do anyway.

    With wind blowing her and Mingqing¡¯s hair, forming a bit of a whitish, silverish, blue hair cloud behind them, Songmei was perched on top of one of the many large rocks that dotted this slope. Before them stretched out a massive crater ringed by a web of ravines. This crater, though, was filled with... life.

    A large bulb in the center of the crater, propped up by tendrils, thick trunk-like, vine-like growths, beat like a large heart as the roots spread out from below it, forming a web-like net that blanketed the crater itself. Being a mass of green, gray, and brown all flecked and decorated with red, this offshoot species of the Red-Edged Swamp Leaf plant was... honestly pretty nice to look at.

    If only it didn¡¯t make her eyes hurt.

    The discomfort having stopped growing, now instead just settled at a solid constant OW level. Solid. Really Solid, yep.

    Just what Songmei wanted.

    Of course, the plant being nice to look at was also hurt by the fact that it probably was pretty dangerous and like... shouldn¡¯t be kept alive. But hey, that was for the Northern Continent, the Central Continent was weird, everything was crazy there. There were demons, other worlds, constant battles... and... apparently poop-reproducing drug plants.

    The bulb itself, although Songmei thought of it as a bulb... wasn¡¯t reallyyyy a bulb in the end. It was more of a bud shape, and probably served more of a bud function too. Made up of green leaves, and who would¡¯ve guessed, that were red along the veins and edge of the leaf, the inside of the bud was a glowing... something. A bright ocher color, the inside bulb glowed through the leaves, growing in brightness, size, and every other metric as time went on.

    Other than the weird plant that had taken over the crater, the sky was blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds as wind blew past them.

    It was a nice scene to just sit there and take in...

    Especially while leaning against Mingqing.

    Maybe it was weird, but Songmei hoped that she and Mingqing could be friends forever. She hoped that they could be best friends forever... She didn¡¯t really know, she had been thinking about stuff, but that was HARD while on the road.

    Mingqing was just cool... Songmei wanted to be around her all the time... and also hug her all the time... and also yeah... Songmei felt warm and safe around her...

    Maybe there was a little more to these feelings than she thought.

    Pushing that thought aside though, Songmei shook her head a few times, clearing her mind. ¡®Of course, no idea if Mingqing even feels the same way so... yeah.¡¯

    Songmei knew that Mingqing, though good at appearing tough, had her own troubles, so Songmei didn¡¯t want to bother her too much with these vague feelings of ¡®I want to be friends yes, woahhh, revolutionary I hope we can be the best of friends...¡¯

    A long sigh escaping her lips, Songmei squeezed the hand she was holding, getting a ¡°Yes, Songmei?¡± from Mingqing.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing. I just... felt like giving your hand a squeeze.¡±

 67: Sun Boy and His ~Sunny~ Smile

    Lin Songmei zoned out as she sat there, leaning against Yan Mingqing and just staring off into nature. It was pretty, and as a bonus, zoning out, her eyes bothered her less like this.

    Losing track of time, Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s little world they had enveloped themselves in was shattered as Han Youhong¡¯s black hair and red eyes appeared from the top of their vision. Having leaned over while standing on the rock behind them, Youhong disturbed the two¡¯s little... cuddle session, with an apologetic smile. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up. I just finished talking with my master, Xiao Feng. So I just wanted to update you two on what he said...¡±

    ¡°Huh? ... Oh... oh! Yeah! Sounds good.¡± Mingqing agreed, snapping out of her thoughts and processing Youhong¡¯s words. ¡°Your master¡¯s cool, we talked to him before, yeah...? That casual guy who was laying in bed while you called him?¡±

    Songmei remembered that too, she and Mingqing had talked to Youhong¡¯s master a few times and... he was a pretty cool guy. He seemed young and was... pretty young looking too? She wasn¡¯t sure. Maybe it was like Xueli? Then again, Songmei didn¡¯t know how old Xueli was...

    To describe Youhong¡¯s master, all Songmei could say was that he was kinda like an older brother? Or like a casual upperclassman? He was very relaxed and wasn¡¯t an elder who had a stick up his ass like Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei¡¯s master.

    On that note though, Songmei looked up, tilting her head a touch. ¡°Sorry if this is rude, so feel free not to answer, but do you know how old your master is? He seemed really young when we talked to him...¡±

    Frozen for a moment before processing Songmei¡¯s question, Youhong chuckled, shrugging while pulling out a lychee jelly from his spatial ring. ¡°I have no clue. I never asked so I don¡¯t know. Or I asked and he never answered. I don¡¯t really remember.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei murmured, shrugging as well. ¡°Our master¡¯s the same. You remember her, right? She refuses to tell us her age, though from what we¡¯ve heard, she¡¯s actually really young for her realm. She just has the most old lady hobbies ever...¡±

    ¡°YEAH!¡± Mingqing exclaimed, nodding along before adding, ¡°She enjoys sitting in her rocking chair reading the newspaper and feeding her koi. It feels... weird too. At first when I met her, she was cool, young, hip, and collected. But now... she kinda flip flops between being the lazy older sister who¡¯s a slob, or the granny who showers you with gifts...¡±

    Snorting, Youhong shook his head before giving a small smile. ¡°Well, I wanted to share that my master told me to contact the other Pavilion of Radiant Shadow disciples. He said to have them meet up here and sit tight. Apparently, there isn¡¯t much of a point in exploring this area anymore. That means you should probably do that too with your disciple mates.¡±

    ¡°Ahh,¡± Mingqing thanked, pulling out her terminal to check the reported locations of the other disciples in Starlight Lake. ¡°Huh, it seems that most of them went to other areas, like combing through the forest, or checking the outskirts of the city, or following the West River itself. The closest ones are some seniors who are investigating an area of the forest outside the ravine system so... no point in really calling them.¡±

    ¡°Cool, cool.¡± Youhong replied, checking his own terminal as well. ¡°Damn. It seems like the seniors in my sect who were investigating this area left a few days ago too. It''s just Wang Taigang and Liu Liping here.¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Who are those two again?¡± Mingqing leaned over, taking a look at Youhong¡¯s terminal as he showed her and Songmei. ¡°Sun boy and uh... the girl?¡±

    Those were some vague labels...

    Songmei knew who Mingqing was referring to, but still! Labeling someone as ¡°the girl¡± was about as vague as labeling Westriver as ¡°the city.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... Sun boy and the girl. For sure,¡± Youhong nodded with an exasperated smile and laugh as he messaged them. ¡°They¡¯re the two other direct disciples that entered Radiant Shadow this year.¡±

    Ahhh, yeah! That¡¯s what Songmei thought! Look at her go, having an impeccable memory. She could remember two important disciples from another sect that she was supposed to remember!

    Swoosh. Swoosh.

    The notifications on Youhong¡¯s terminal being unsilenced, Songmei was pulled out of her thoughts as Youhong¡¯s terminal let out a swoosh sound every time he sent a message.

    ¡°Oops. Sorry, flicked a setting.¡± Youhong apologized after getting a pair of raised eyebrows from Songmei and Mingqing. ¡°Anyway, they both said they were on their way. ¡®Sun boy¡¯ or otherwise known by his less common name, Wang Taigang, is pretty close. The rest of his party is undecided on whether they¡¯re coming.¡±

    Wang Taigang was close! That meant she¡¯d get to meet the rumored smiley-boy soon!

    Turning towards Mingqing and giving her a high-five, Songmei turned back towards Youhong asking, ¡°Why is the rest of the party undecided, though? Did the sun boy explain?¡±

    ¡°Nah... probably something to do with the fact that his party is full of big ego muscle bros.¡± Youhong answered, nonchalant in slapping a label onto Wang Taigang¡¯s party. ¡°Sun boy over here is prettyyy popular. So, some of the other dudes from other sects formed a party with him. A couple of them are from the big sect in the south. Not sure who. I was gone by then. But others are from lower-tier sects.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s just egos clashing?¡± Mingqing asked, raising an eyebrow, a touch of distaste creeping into her voice as her lips pursed. ¡°That¡¯s never fun... I assume the lower-tier sect disciples are just going to follow either the disciples from the south or sun boy...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll still be a fair amount of people no matter what.¡± Youhong sighed, sitting down on the rock beside them. ¡°Wang Taigang, from what I heard, assembled a team of like... fifteen people.¡±

    Holy... That¡¯s a ton of people! More than a ton!! That was a whole sports team... Songmei was impressed. She could never deal with that many people. Youhong could probably never either. Well maybe Youhong would be able too if it was like... a business meeting regarding the future of lychee jelly. Mingqing would be able to, but it¡¯d be a miracle if she could lower her ice mask around that many people...

    ¡®I guess we¡¯ll just have to wait to see the amazingness of the sun boy then...¡¯

    ----------

    Nearing dinner time...

    Having set up camp on the slope, there were still some level parts to it after all, Songmei and the others were just hanging out, playing some cards on a rock after setting up a Qi machine to block the majority of the wind.

    A buzz from Youhong¡¯s terminal signified the arrival of Wang Taigang.

    His blond hair windswept, golden like the sun he was standing under, Wang Taigang¡¯s amber eyes seemed to convey a sort of... majesty. All the way from the bottom of the slope. Songmei could feel a sort of vastness behind him as he walked up the hill with a number of other disciples in tow.

    Of course, that could be because of his muscular frame... Dude was tall, not overly tall, but Songmei could tell from here. Dude was also muscular, Songmei could probably tell that if she was on the same continent as him.

    A bright smile on his face that seemed to wash away one¡¯s worries towards the world, Wang Taigang made his way up.

 68: Gym Bro Partner Yoga

    Wang Taigang made quick progress up the hill, fitting for someone who looked like he went to the gym 14 times a week... Once at the small flat area Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Han Youhong had set up camp though, he unloaded a pile of camping supplies on the other side before walking over and greeting them.

    ¡°Nice to see you again, Youhong!¡± Wang Taigang laughed, offering a firm handshake that Youhong returned with a reluctant smile. ¡°How you doin? It¡¯s been a few weeks since we last talked!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... doing okay. How are you?¡± Youhong sighed, his energy disappearing just as fast as his lychee jellies.

    Songmei couldn¡¯t help but agree with Youhong though... For context, this level area was halfway up the slope that became the tall walls of the ravine. Wang Taigang, even after walking up this far, wasn¡¯t winded at all! In fact, he looked better!! He looked like he was full of energy, beaming even with the small bit of sweat that could be seen on his forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing GREAT! Thank you for asking! Today¡¯s a wonderful day to be out and about! I enjoy these wilderness missions every time!¡± Wang Taigang exclaimed while spreading his arms out and pointing to the natural scenery that stretched out before them. ¡°Anyway, nice checking in, we can catch up more later! I just want to go greet your new party mates, so be back in a sec!¡±

    Looking over towards Mingqing who had stopped leaning against her, Songmei suppressed a ¡°hot damn¡± before turning back towards Wang Taigang who was walking towards them with a wide smile.

    Mingqing¡¯s face was frozen! Like... ice cold, absolute zero TUNDRA! The literal complete opposite from sunboy here...

    As he neared, Songmei also realized how... built, Wang Taigang was. Wang Taigang was probably a full head taller than her, and maybe half a head taller than Mingqing? Mingqing and Youhong were about the same height, maybe Youhong a little taller so... Wow, Wang Taigang was tall.

    To sum it up really, Mingqing was tall for a girl, Youhong was average for a boy, Songmei was average for a girl, and Wang Taigang was tall for a boy.

    At least it wasn¡¯t some crazy, super exaggerated height difference.

    Shaking Wang Taigang¡¯s outstretched hand, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows creased a touch as she had to exert strength just to not have her hand crushed. Thank the heavens she had managed to open her fourth meridian a while back, coming in clutch now... ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Lin Songmei.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you too, I¡¯m Wang Taigang, nice to meet you!¡± Wang Taigang chuckled with an emphatic nod. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, amazing cultivation speed! Very few in history could match up to you!¡±

    ¡°I-... t-thank you... I¡¯m... I¡¯m honored.¡± Songmei stammered, giving a few nods before choking out ¡°Y-You¡¯re amazing too, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you,¡± with an awkward smile.

    ¡°Thank you, absolute pleasure to meet you,¡± Wang Taigang assured, giving one last firm shake before walking over to Mingqing.

    With Wang Taigang walking away, Songmei had an epiphany... well for one, all the other muscle gym bros that Wang Taigang had brought with him were all finding excuses to not come over and greet them. Some were setting up tents, some were making a fireplace, some were even doing partner yoga as a ¡°cooldown¡± from their ¡°strenuous¡± hike.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    But... was it because of Mingqing?

    Songmei watched as several of them whispered, glanced, and pointed towards Mingqing, fear clear in their eyes.

    She could understand why they felt like that though... Mingqing had a high status, was in a top sect, and seemed like she¡¯d rip anyone who misspoke to her apart...

    Turning to watch Mingqing and Wang Taigang meet... or reunite? Songmei noticed the... awkward... atmosphere between the two.

    In all honesty, for how much Yang cultivation and sun stuff that Wang Taigang did, Songmei still didn¡¯t think that he could melt Mingqing¡¯s frozen tundra. At least for now... Especially not with this many other people around.

    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you again,¡± Wang Taigang greeted with a light bow, before offering a handshake that Mingqing took. ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since we¡¯ve last met, but glad to see you¡¯re well!¡±

    ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s good to see you too.¡± Mingqing nodded, her sentences freezing over and dying moments after she began them. Even now, sitting a decent distance from Mingqing after Mingqing had moved, Songmei could feel the chill.

    With the conversation fizzling and dying after a few moments, Songmei watched as the two gave each other a nod before Wang Taigang left once more, going back to exchange a few more words with Youhong before returning to the area of the cleaning where he had decided to set up camp.

    --------

    Over on the other side of the flat area of the slope, the clearing, there were 7 other disciples, all direct disciples of other sects, second tier sects that were scattered across the four continents. Of course, second tier sects were still beyond respectable, revered even in certain areas. After all, sects were generally organized into 5 different tiers based on their size, so the second tier was still leagues above what the general public even saw...

    Songmei for one, growing up, never in her wildest dreams would¡¯ve thought of going to these sects! She was planning on going to a local sect if she could. Scrape by, make a decent living going to a small city-sized sect.

    These 7 other disciples, though, ranged in height and in looks, but had one thing in common: massive muscles!

    As of now, each of them had a mix of apprehension and longing on their faces. It was understandable, if she was in their position, Songmei would also be soiling her pants like a small child...

    Faced with disciples of two continent level hegemonic sects, of course they¡¯d have some jealousy, wishing that they could be one of them. But more so, they... probably felt a touch of fear as they felt the golden eyes of Mingqing pierce into them from afar, as if bringing an invisible judgment onto them.

    ¡°Damn... she¡¯s pretty though, bro.¡±

    ¡°She is, she is...¡±

    ¡°I mean, some people are into that... but not me... the other girl is more my type. What¡¯s her name? Lin Songmei? She seems like... she seems like she¡¯d be really nice to you and treat you well...¡±

    ¡°For sure... did you hear, though? There are rumors that all four of them broke through and opened their fourth meridian.¡±

    ¡°Holy heavens... amazing bro...¡±

    ¡°I barely even opened my third...¡±

    ¡°Third already? I¡¯m still on the cusp of the third, peak second meridian gang, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... and the rumor is that Lin Songmei opened her meridian the first out of everyone over there!¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡±

    ¡°Damn...¡±

    Songmei didn¡¯t have the faintest idea about these murmurs or these rumors. If she had to guess, she would¡¯ve guessed that these disciples were just whispering to each other about their newest protein shake or how they could execute partner yoga better...

    But unbeknownst to Songmei, the origin of these rumors lay in Xueli. Xueli had gone around bragging about her beloved and treasured disciples. Because of that, through the web of elders, the news had spread, making its way onto the internet.

    Fancy stuff really.

    Songmei would¡¯ve known about this if she read those gossip sites... but... what was the point in that?

    She never even knew about those sites growing up anyway, they were just a waste of time...

 69: Scientific Studies, Well Known For Easy Readability

    Wang Taigang was a cool person, from the short amount of time he¡¯d been around, Lin Songmei had managed to gather that without much effort. He navigated social situations like a fish in water, bringing up connections, making funny jokes, among other things. Overall, he could just do... social things, much better than Songmei ever could.

    Like, even now, he had managed to rally all the people he had brought up the slope with him to do an impromptu workout session. Upper body, lower body, conditioning, the whole package!

    Because of that, Songmei was now sitting on her little rock, watching these 8 shirtless dudes all run up and down the hill drenched in sweat.

    If she liked boys, this probably would¡¯ve been a great sight, who knows though, that was for a parallel universe Songmei.

    Other than the sight of shirtless disciples running up and down the slope, a sight that honestly wasn¡¯t the most appealing, there was still the ever present bulb plant thing in the crater.

    It was just... hanging out. Doing its little pulsating thing and giving off Qi waves that seemed to be growing in strength as time went by.

    Of course, this wasn¡¯t... good, by any means. From what Songmei had heard from Youhong and Xueli, this meant the plant was maturing and getting closer to blossoming, which anyone with a brain could probably realize wasn¡¯t good.

    As a bonus, it also was making Songmei¡¯s eyes hurt more... which wasn¡¯t good.

    ¡°How are you doing?¡± Mingqing¡¯s voice interrupted, pulling Songmei out of her thoughts. ¡°Sorry I¡¯ve kinda clamped up... It¡¯s hard to talk with so many unfamiliar people.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Songmei reassured with a smile, patting the area of rock next to her to let Mingqing sit. ¡°I¡¯m doing pretty well, in all honesty, a little bored too. But it kinda feels like the calm before a storm. How are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... okay.¡± Mingqing nodded, staring off into the distance, her eyebrows creasing as her eyes fell onto the area where the plant was. ¡°Tired.¡±

    Pulling Mingqing into a hug, Songmei gave her a few pats, melting the icy glare Mingqing had by a touch before Youhong walked over. ¡°Hey, hey, Youhong! How are you?¡±

    ¡°Fine...¡± Youhong sighed, a similar air of depression and lethargy around him. ¡°Too many people, and too many dudes who don¡¯t know what upper body wear is.¡±

    Pulling out a lychee jelly to assuage his stresses like an alcoholic would with their whisky, Youhong shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s true, I''ve probably spent more time wearing a shirt today than all of them combined.¡±

    Squish.

    Giving a short prayer to the lychee jelly that was disappearing into Youhong¡¯s mouth, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but agree. She never quite understood why people would just take off their shirt while exercising...

    Silence. A comfortable silence.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Watching a few of the faster runners finish their slope workout and begin to do some bodyweight training, Songmei broke the silence while looking back towards the crater. ¡°So... about the plant. It¡¯s definitely maturing, right? Did your master Xiao Feng say anything about it, Youhong?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Youhong mused, pulling out another lychee jelly and murdering it with a practiced effeciency. ¡°He pretty much raised his eyebrows and was like, ¡®you definitely don¡¯t want to be around in the area then.¡¯ Though, for more detail uhh... I can send you a research article if you want that discusses the blossom effects of this plant.¡±

    ¡°Sure, send it over.¡± Songmei nodded, she didn¡¯t mind doing some reading, especially reading that wasn¡¯t the stuff she should be doing for the hall of learning.

    Bzzt. A notification signaling that Youhong had sent something over, Songmei clicked it open, blinking a few times at the dense text that now covered her terminal¡¯s screen.

    ... Damn that was dense. It was like a word soup, like the instant soup that she ate so often...

    Expanding the screen it is.

    Furrowing her eyebrows and leaning against Mingqing while immersing herself in the article.

    [... When blossoming, the first sign is a massive spike in Qi energy levels... below is a graph of our data collected using our Qi measuring machines. The graph is a function of Qi over time.]

    Scrolling down, Songmei did in fact see a graph... and it did in fact show a function of Qi over time... Amazing! This graph kinda showed a general slow increase in Qi emitted, sort of rising and falling mirroring the wave-like pulses the plant was giving off. However, in the section that had the time of blossoming, there was a HUGE, ABSOLUTELY GARGANTUAN, spike in Qi.

    [As can be seen in the graph, there was a massive spike in Qi before the levels plummeted back to what they were before. During this period, from our observations, the large bud in the center of the plant web opened up into a large flower. This flower, bearing a striking resemblance to the red-edged swamp leaf, released a number of seeds into the sky while also spreading a chemical stimulus that caused all beasts in the surrounding to experience a total loss of reasoning.]

    Huh.

    That¡¯s not good.

    That really wasn¡¯t good.

    Maybe... maybe it wasn¡¯t the best idea to be hanging out in this area. To set up camp and hang out within... within, honestly, a very loud shout¡¯s distance of the plant...

    Reading on, Songmei also saw that the plant, if not contained properly, would spread very quickly. So... that wasn''t good either. Also, prolonged time spent in the area of blooming would also wear down the minds of human cultivators too, causing them to eventually also lose their sense of reasoning.

    Big yikes.

    Very big yikes.

    Was it time to reconsider some life choices?

    Songmei wasn¡¯t sure... Xueli had mentioned that they should be fine, and the bureaucrats that were making this strike team had requested the disciples to just stay put to minimize the variables... so...

    Why was everything so complicated?

    Well the bureaucrats¡¯ reasoning was sorta sound

    There was also... less danger if they didn¡¯t move? If they chose to move they¡¯d have to reenter the ravines and now that they couldn¡¯t retreat, there was more danger... blah blah, more ¡®natural¡¯ rockslides.

    Other than that, there were also reports of increased numbers of roaming animals that had gone a little... cuckoo to say the least. It seemed that there were some areas of plants that had been totally missed, and now more and more animals were suffering the consequences.

    Songmei had even read in the latest Daoist Times article that this could be considered one of the largest ecological disasters of the past decade...

    Eugh...

    Too complicated.

    At least for now she could just snuggle up in Mingqing¡¯s arms and forget about everything that was going on.

 70: Sometimes, You Cant Even Vibe Without Harming Others

    After Wang Taigang¡¯s arrival, things were peaceful, and not much happened for the next few days. Sure, there were some notable things, such as the arrival of Han Youhong¡¯s other disciple mate, Liu Liping, and her group along with everyone relocating their campsite, but otherwise? Peaceful.

    Lin Songmei found the days to be quite nice. After a productive group discussion where everyone was like ¡°we probably should move before we die,¡± they decided to move!

    For context, this happened before Liu Liping and her group arrived, so it was just her, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and the rest of Wang Taigang¡¯s little posse. They all made the decision, then packed up, and moved to the actual top of the slope plus a little further. This area once more was also flat, but also had a nearby lift station. Of course, because they were in the literal middle of nowhere, it was unmanned, but in an emergency, they could figure out the buttons and get into the ravine to begin running away.

    Prettyyyy cool to say the least.

    At least Songmei felt it was pretty cool. She liked not being within the instant killzone of a weird plant thing.

    Other than moving, because again, there was nothing to do in the middle of nowhere, Songmei spent most of her days just doing some light working out or general skill training. Bow practice? Butterfly footwork practice? Crystalline arrow practice? Body strengthening practice? If you could name it, Songmei had done it.

    Mingqing joined her too, they trained together in a bit of a practice field that everyone had agreed upon. Though... unlike usual, Mingqing these past few days had been Miss Ice Queen all day long. Well, maybe this was the usual, but Songmei wasn¡¯t used to seeing it. Songmei was used to the animated, talkative Mingqing.

    All of this only caused Songmei to think ¡®I hope Mingqing is doing okay¡¯ a lot more than usual...

    The only time that Mingqing had really opened up or melted was at night... The times when Songmei herself was the only other person around. During those times they could still talk for hours on end like usual, leaning against each other while staring off at the stars through the little see-through sections of their tent.

    Other than that though, Songmei had also begun to spend a lot of time just laying down. Her eyes bugged her most of the time, and laying down was a nice respite from that. So, because there wasn¡¯t anything to do, when she wasn¡¯t doing some training, most time was either spent laying down with her eyes closed, or laying down while ¡®reading¡¯ the materials she had to read for the sect¡¯s classes.

    As of now though, with the sun hanging in the sky doing its thing as always, it was morning. Songmei and Mingqing, having just finished running up the slope for a workout, were now just standing at the top of the slope doing some... observing.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look good.¡±

    ¡°Totally looks absolutely horrid.¡±

    Standing beside each other, Songmei and Mingqing agreed with each other as they stared at the plant that was just vibing in the middle of the crater.

    It was not good for them though, the plant just vibing kinda meant the endangerment of their lives.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°What did Xueli say last night about the strikeforce-whatever team after I fell asleep?¡± Songmei asked, crossing her arms and squinting at the plant, as if hoping that her disapproval of the plant would slow down its maturing process.

    Copying Songmei, Mingqing also struck a disapproving pose, shaking her head while letting out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Well, Xueli said that the bureaucrats in charge decided that the strikeforce should meet up in a different city before all coming to Westriver together.¡±

    ¡°That sounds about as smart as a piece of lychee jelly asking to take refuge in Youhong¡¯s spatial storage ring.¡± Songmei mused, raising an eyebrow in confusion. ¡°That means the soonest they¡¯ll be able to arrive is tomorrow, right?¡±

    ¡°Xueli said it¡¯s more likely that they¡¯ll arrive tomorrow afternoon or the morning the day after. She then cussed out the bureaucrats because they planned a PR conference and some team building exercises...¡± Mingqing shook her head, raising a hand above her eyes to shade her eyes to get a better look at the plant. ¡°Definitely doesn¡¯t look like the plant will last until then, though.¡±

    ¡°It looks like it could blossom, like, in a few hours.¡± Songmei sighed, rubbing her eyes and turning away. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna go stretch and then lay down for a bit until lunch. You want to come stretch with me?¡±

    ¡°Sure...¡± Mingqing murmured, turning and walking back towards the area they had set up camp with a slight crease in her eyebrows and a light of worry surfacing in her eyes.

    Walking for about ten minutes back to camp, what greeted the two was a pretty barebones sight. There wasn¡¯t even a communal area set up. Beside everyone¡¯s tents were opened bags, ready to be stuffed with collapsed tents at any time before being sent into storage rings.

    Even the training area, which usually would be marked out with small poles in a larger campsite like this, was only marked out with a crude little trench that had been created by a few people using their feet as a shovel.

    Nodding towards Wang Taigang and Youhong as they made their way back to the tent, Songmei and Mingqing entered their tent, clearing out a little bit of space before beginning to stretch.

    Stretching was important. Songmei had begun to live by that fact. These days, she could drop into the splits anytime, front splits, side splits, whatever.

    Still though, after working out, stretching was always an adventure of just pulling apart one¡¯s muscles. Songmei swore too, whoever came up with Downward Dog was a sadistic little-

    It was HELL!

    Doing Downward Dog was a workout in itself! Shoulders, biceps, core, everything! Wholebody experience!

    Even afterward, her wrists would be screaming out in pain afterward, complaining that Songmei had overused them and voided the warranty she had.

    Ugh.

    Songmei wished she could always just do the stretch that consisted of laying on the ground like a starfish that had lost its home.

    ¡°How do you tolerate stretching Mingqing?¡± Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask for the probably millionth time. ¡°How are you able to subject yourself to stretching five times a day¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Habit pounded into me since I was young, I guess,¡± Mingqing confessed, falling into a graceful transition between forms.

    Sexy-

    HACK- COUGH-

    Graceful... that was the word Songmei was looking for... for sure, for sure. Didn¡¯t know where that other one had come from.

    Making some more light conversation though, the two stretched and made some jokes before Songmei laid down and Mingqing went to... Well Songmei didn¡¯t know... Mingqing for sure wasn¡¯t gonna socialize with other people.

    Songmei just asked Mingqing to wake her up for lunch and then let her go, there wasn¡¯t any point in prying into every action Mingqing filled her life with after all.

    It seemed, honestly, this day would be alright. Of course, there was the looming danger, but there was the strike team that would arrive... eventually.

    Everything would be okay.

    But then, at half past two in the afternoon, the plant bloomed.

 71: Bureaucrats Perpetual Wisdom

    With the plant blooming, the effects were all of the ones that Lin Songmei and the others had expected... and a little more. Of course, blah blah, the bud of the plant opens up, so pretty wohoo, you go girl, blossoming during these trying times...

    They had bigger problems though. Much... bigger problems.

    For one, there was a chaotic brawl happening in the crater, as if every spiritual beast in the area decided that they¡¯d host the next ¡®battle beasts¡¯ episode in the middle of the crater. Songmei and the others didn¡¯t even have time to look at this probably once in a lifetime situation. Crazy beasts the size of small houses being tossed around as if they were candy as a pile of corpses formed as every beast fought to establish dominance.

    Other than that, there were a bunch of seed clumps falling from the sky, which, not only was a PR nightmare in the making for those brick-for-brains bureaucrats, but also meant that Songmei and the others now had to make sure they didn¡¯t... didn¡¯t eat any fist sized seeds floating down from the sky.

    Lucky they were fist sized, if they were normal seed sized, Songmei and the others might¡¯ve just been better off laying down and waiting for their deaths to just come to them.

    Other than those two, Songmei had heard there were a lot of other things going on... emphasis on heard.

    Songmei couldn¡¯t open her eyes right now. Negligible problem in all honesty, just a skill issue on her part.

    Rewinding a bit, Songmei had been doing fine, she had just been laying down nursing the growing discomfort behind her eyes when the Qi in the area spiked. And it spiked hard. Like a professional volleyball player¡¯s hardest hit.

    Curling up into a ball and clutching her eyes, Songmei had let out a scream that had caused Mingqing to come running as what felt like two blazing hot needles were pressed into her eyes.

    ¡°A-Are you, okay?¡± Mingqing had whispered to Songmei after the pain had begun to subside after a minute of tortuous burning that had caused Songmei to scream until her voice went hoarse.

    With tears running down her face, Songmei had cracked her eyes open, glancing at the world with a newfound... utter bewilderment. The world... was no longer normal?

    Songmei was in too much pain to understand, closing her eyes before reaching out to accept Mingqing¡¯s hug. ¡°Everything looks different. Everything looks wrong. You look like a bunch of streams. Your face is barely even visible anymore. The world looks too saturated to be real. What¡¯s going on? Mingqing... help...¡±

    Pulling Songmei close to her, Mingqing suppressed the surprise and worry in her own voice while comforting the now tear-stricken Songmei. ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay... I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but the plant just bloomed. So... I need to start packing up, okay? Just sit tight, I¡¯ll be right here.¡±

    ¡°Okay... yeah... you... you do that... Sorry I can¡¯t help...¡±

    ¡°Just sit tight, packing up is mostly a one person job, anyway,¡± Mingqing reassured with a soft pat, standing up and bolting out of the tent, collapsing it down while making sure she didn¡¯t collapse Songmei into the tent as well.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Mingqing¡¯s hands shook as she packed up the tent, storing it into the prepackaged bags before shoving it into her spatial storage ring. Her breathing shallow, Mingqing calmed herself down breath by breath.

    It was just... a little... surprising.

    Songmei¡¯s usually gray irises were... not gray. They were a rich amethyst, cracked, but like gemstones.

    It didn''t take someone with a big brain to realize that wasn¡¯t normal, in fact, the plant that just bloomed in the crater could probably also realize it. Furthermore, the fact that Songmei was seeing the world differently along with experiencing a lot of eye pain was... really honestly, just problematic.

    Hoisting Songmei onto her back piggyback style, Mingqing soothed the crying girl with quiet murmurs as they made their way to the lift. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay Songmei...¡±

    ¡°Mhm... Sorry...¡± Songmei apologized, giving Mingqing a squeeze as tears began to dampen the area between the base of Mingqing¡¯s neck and her shoulder. ¡°Sorry to make you do so much...¡±

    ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± Mingqing sputtered, shaking her head while leaning her head against Songmei¡¯s, ¡°You¡¯re fine. I know your stubborn brain likes to think that I¡¯m always just giving to you and you¡¯re not helping, but you do so much. You summarize and explain all the readings to me, you train with me, you even listen to me every night bitch about my parents and random other people I¡¯ve met throughout my life.¡±

    ¡°But still...¡± Songmei began, before opening and closing her mouth a few times. ¡°Fine... Let¡¯s just concentrate on not dying for now...¡±

    ¡°Smart, I whole-heartedly agree with the ¡®not dying¡¯ plan.¡± Mingqing laughed, running across the crude training area that everyone had marked out towards the unmanned lift that the group had found earlier. ¡°Everything will be okay, if you just tell yourself that enough times, you¡¯ll manifest it.¡±

    ¡°That... doesn¡¯t seem right, but I¡¯ll believe you, everything will be okay. Everything will be okay!¡± Songmei proclaimed, her voice somehow both cracking as much as a puberty-riddled teen and a being as hoarse as a elderly citizen who had lived for the past 700 years.

    Getting a laugh from Mingqing and a ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Songmei cracked her eyes open to see where they were before... immediately regretting her decision and suffering the consequences.

    The world didn¡¯t look normal. Some reason, Songmei could see little wisps in the air, little streams of... something. Beyond that, the color of everything was weird, too saturated, as if someone had gone through and moved the saturation bar so far that it had broken through the upper limit and come back around to the other side...

    To reward her efforts of opening her eyes, Songmei received another bout of immense pain to her eyes, pushing another fresh stream of tears out of them.

    Inhale... Exhale...

    ¡®Don¡¯t cry Songmei... you¡¯re a big girl, don¡¯t cry. At least if you¡¯re going to cry, make it about something fancy, like love...¡¯

    Deep breaths. Everything was going to be okay, just like Mingqing said...

    ... Deep breaths. Mingqing was here. Everything was okay when Mingqing was around...

    Already in a piggyback position, Songmei gave Mingqing another little squeeze before changing the topic to dispel the thoughts that were swirling in her head. ¡°Where are the others? And also... erm... What¡¯s the situation right now?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be honest, the situation is prettyyyy bad.¡± Mingiqng laughed, sliding into the lift where Youhong had been waiting. ¡°Youhong¡¯s here by the way, so that¡¯s one of the others. The rest have already taken the lift down. So.... yeah. I¡¯ll update you once we get to the ravine. I can tell you, just from above, there are a buttload of monsters surging through the ravine, so we¡¯re going to have a great time getting out of here.¡±

    ¡°... fun... sounds like a blast...¡± Songmei murmured, getting a pair of ¡°Totally!¡±¡¯s from Youhong and Mingqing.

    Deep breaths.

    Inhale...

    Exhale...

    Mingqing was here. Everything was okay when Mingqing was around...

 72: Crisis: The Best Time For Self-Introspection

    Feeling the lift jerk to a start and begin to descend, a quiet hum filling the air, Lin Songmei rested her head against Yan Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. With her eyes closed, Songmei didn¡¯t have the faintest clue on what the interior of the lift looked like. She could open her eyes if she wanted, but for the time being, that just wasn¡¯t on her list of priorities.

    Her eyes already hurt enough, and with the stinging tears forcing themselves out, no need to subject them to more suffering.

    Songmei did know that Han Youhong was also on the lift... somewhere. In front? To the side? Behind? Songmei didn¡¯t have a clue, yet again. Eyes were important.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s up, Youhong?¡± Mingqing asked, doing a bit of a squat to reposition Songmei who was on her back. ¡°Are we all splitting up? Or...?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Youhong sighed, with Songmei hearing the distinct crinkle of the lychee jelly packaging. ¡°It seems we''ll probably be splitting up though.¡±

    A ¡°Hm?¡± escaped Songmei¡¯s mouth while Mingqing asked, ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± As the crinkle of another lychee jelly package rang out through the lift, Youhong lamented, ¡°Wang Taigang messaged me while I was waiting for you two. He said that Liu Liping left with all the other disciples. He said he was waiting though.¡±

    Ding.

    A static burst followed by a clear elevator ding that seemed to be right out of the movies rang out, interrupting any future conversation. Honestly? It sounded like it was just like the ones from the movies. Even Songmei, who had only seen the cheesy, really-cheap movies on whole-orphanage movie nights recognized it.

    How old was this lift anyway?

    The doors inching open with enough creaking to pass for Songmei¡¯s back, the three of them exited into a small alcove carved out in the side of the ravine.

    Wind. After the doors had opened, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but notice that fact. There was so much of it too. Rushing past her face, Songmei could hear faint... and not so faint, rumbling footsteps of what she assumed were spiritual beasts along with the rushing wind that blazed past her face.

    ¡°Wang Taigang!¡± Youhong yelled out, his voice floating its way over the wind, riding it like the waves of a rough ocean. ¡°Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Over here!¡± Wang Taigang shouted back, making his way towards the trio of them. ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here. We have two choices.¡±

    Taking a few deep breaths as he tried to calm his breathing down, Wang Taigang paused for a moment, and unknown to Songmei, he gave a quiet nod and glance towards Songmei¡¯s closed eyes, only continuing after Youhong and Mingqing gave reassuring nods of their heads. ¡°Our two choices really are to try and catch up with Liu Liping and the others. They¡¯re a group of like what, fifteen? They¡¯re pretty safe even with the chaos.¡±

    ¡°And if we join them, our group will be a little less than twenty?¡± Youhong asked before raising an eyebrow. ¡°There¡¯s gotta be a reason there¡¯s a choice other than that though.¡±

    ¡°Well, while I was waiting for you all,¡± Wang Taigang explained, pointing to the bracelet on his wrist that was his terminal in compressed form. ¡°My master contacted me. He said that if we split off, we probably shouldn¡¯t use the same trail. He said something about Qi residue and scent drawing over the wild beasts, but it was so windy I couldn¡¯t hear him that well.¡±

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°So, he urged you not to follow them and join up?¡± Mingqing summarized, shifting a bit so Songmei wouldn¡¯t slip off of her. Songmei, of course, had murmured earlier that Mingqing could put her down if she wanted, but Mingqing had just replied with a ¡°Nah. You¡¯re nice to carry.¡±

    ... That had made Songmei blush a little but that was unimportant. Ahem.

    Focusing back on the conversation, Songmei listened as Wang Taigang confessed, ¡°Yeah, pretty much. So, our other choice now is to find another way out of the ravine.¡±

    With a pause, Wang Taigang then added, ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have to get out of the ravine, we just have to survive long enough until the strike team comes, but the best way to do that is to travel outwards from the crater, so pretty much just leaving.¡±

    Picturing Wang Taigang with a sheepish smile and a shrug as he said that, Songmei nodded along, pretending that she was following the conversation in every aspect and not just laying there basking in the warmness that radiated off of Mingqing.

    Mingqing really was warm though.

    Having zoned out at this point and gone back to just being a sack of potatoes that Mingqing was carrying, Songmei didn¡¯t notice until they started moving, leaving the covered, not-getting-battered-by-wind area that they were in.

    Wind was refreshing, when it wasn¡¯t at the level of a HURRICANE. Well maybe it wasn¡¯t at the level of a hurricane, but Songmei felt like at any moment she could take flight.

    ¡®...Gotta hug Mingqing a little harder.¡¯

    Out in the wind now, Songmei and the others made, to what Songmei felt, slow progress. She didn¡¯t know. The whole eyes closed thing didn¡¯t really help with judging how fast she was moving.

    She did try opening them once, only to yelp an ¡°Ow shi-¡± before clamping her mouth shut as a fresh stream of tears ran down from both of her eyes.

    Getting a few soft whispers of reassurance from Mingqing, Songmei laid her head back down, listening as Mingqing began to describe what was going on around them in a quiet voice, one almost drowned out by the wind that only Songmei and her could hear.

    ¡°So, the overall problem is that we have to move pretty stealthily.¡± Mingqing began, her footsteps coming to a halt. ¡°There are a lot of spiritual beasts rushing towards the crater site, all of them with their sense of reasoning gone. Because of that, we¡¯re taking one of the higher but more jagged and narrow paths. Even then too, we¡¯re still pausing every once and a while just in case when one of the taller ones passes by.¡±

    ¡°How tall are the taller ones?¡± Songmei whispered back into Mingqing¡¯s ear. From what Songmei could remember, they couldn¡¯t be that tall, after all, the ravine was pretty narrow, right?

    If only she could, like, look around right now.

    Laughing as she heard Songmei¡¯s little murmurs under her breath about seeing, Mingqing once agian repositioned Songmei so she wouldn¡¯t fall off. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll keep you safe. Don¡¯t worry. And for your question, the tall ones are actually... pretty tall. A few of the wider ones are just going crazy and dragging their body through the rock itself, like the crab that passed by a few turns ago. That¡¯s another reason why we¡¯re pausing.¡±

    Squeezing Mingqing in a hug, Songmei listened in as Mingqing continued, making a few jokes and talking about how later, they¡¯d be staying in a cave that Wang Taigang had marked on his terminal while exploring way back before they had met up.

    ... Mingqing was really nice...

    Songmei didn¡¯t even know what feeling was in her heart, but it felt so warm, it felt so... so fuzzy.

    Wiping a tear, Songmei rested her chin back onto Mingqing¡¯s shoulder, giving her a small cheer of encouragement.

    Cracking her eyes open and glancing at Mingqing, who didn¡¯t quite look like her right now, Songmei resisted the pain for a moment and... tried to look past all the weird swirls.

    Blurry.

    Closing her eyes once more as her eyes welled up and feeling some tears spill down her face, Songmei murmured a quiet ¡°thank you¡±, giving Mingqing a quiet squeeze.

    Maybe... maybe that feeling was love.

 73: Running... Towards Them... At The Speed Of Very Fast

    Liu Xueli felt like blowing the conference hall up right then and there. Sitting there with her arms crossed, legs crossed, and her best Mingqing ice queen impression, Xueli sat there, waiting for the stupid, brick-for-brains bureaucrats to finish their excuses.

    It had brought an utter silence across the room when a reporter had burst into the conference hall, shouting that the plant had bloomed ahead of the expected time.

    The bureaucrats had all frozen up, rushing up to the podium to make a neutral political statement about how they ¡°didn¡¯t expect this¡± and ¡°took full responsibility (but not really because it wasn¡¯t actually their fault).¡±

    While as of now they were going on and on about their ¡°lack of responsibility¡± and how they¡¯ll ¡°ensure the situation is resolved with the utmost care and urgency.¡±

    Xueli wanted to chuck those bureaucrats right out the ornate glass windows that lined the hall. If they were so urgent, let the group of people assembled for the strikeforce get going already!

    Even more, as her hands clenched the bottom of the button up shirt she was wearing under the loose coat draped over her shoulders, Xueli looked around and saw that... instead of creased foreheads in worry or clenched jaws, all there were cultivators looking around with an awkward look.

    Xueli knew that look. Xueli knew it like the back of her hand, maybe more, maybe like the front of her hand. She had grown up seeing it time after time. That was a look of ¡°oh shit, I look bad now that the situation has gone south, I originally only signed up for this because I thought it¡¯d be a smooth expedition where I could get some easy credit and fame.¡±

    The only other person who had even a remote sense of urgency was Elder Xiao Feng, the elder of the new traveling companion of Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing that Xueli had heard about for the past few weeks.

    Well... she knew Xiao Feng from the past, but that was unimportant business.

    ...

    At least they were wrapping up now. With the clapping and flashing lights settling after a few moments, Xueli got up from her chair as soon as she noticed people beginning to shift in their seats getting ready to leave the conference hall.

    She had places to be. Places that weren¡¯t full of plebeian brick-brained fools.

    Autumn leaves, shadows, misty rain, roaring dragons.

    Each elder disappearing from the hall one by one with their own unique movement technique, Xueli disappeared as well in a small shower of snowflakes, reappearing outside where her jet was waiting for her.

    Rushing up the steps, taking two at a time, Xueli paused for a moment before calling out to Xiao Feng who was also sprinting towards his own vehicle. ¡°Just get on mine! It¡¯s faster. Hurry over here, you big buffoon!¡±

    A wave, then another but more exasperated wave later, Xueli ran into the jet, retracting the small ramp and just leaving the door open for Xiao Feng.

    Hearing Xiao Feng enter the jet, Xueli channeled her Qi through to the jet, pushing it to liftoff, and begin to accelerate into the distance.

    -------

    Pouring Qi into the jet as if she was dumping koi feed into her pond, Xueli watched as the scenery became a blur.

    ¡°Where are they right now?¡± Xiao Feng asked, taking a seat on one of the couches, pressing his hands together as he stared out the window.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°I have no clue.¡± Xueli sighed, massaging her eyes as she supported her elbows on her knees. ¡°Can you try and call the disciples to find where they are right now? I¡¯ll focus on just getting us there as fast as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    Hearing Xiao Feng¡¯s affirmation, Xueli crossed her legs, tossing the coat she had draped over her shoulders to the side and focusing on circulating her Qi. Her breathing settling and her heart rate slowing, Xueli¡¯s Qi recovery rate skyrocketed as the temperature around her began to drop.

    ¡®Almost there.¡¯

    A mental map of the route she needed to take burnt into her mind, Xueli pushed her senses through the jet, getting a rough estimate of where they were,

    ¡®Fifteen more minutes... Just hold out for fifteen more minutes and your master will be there.¡¯

    Xueli relaxed her fists, directing more and more of her Qi into the Qi-artifact vehicle, pushing it beyond its normal cruising speed. It was a workout in itself, Xueli felt as if there was a drain attached to her Qi reservoirs, the Qi disappearing just as fast, or even faster than she could recover it.

    It was fine though, having been in the ¡°late¡± realms for the past oh... fair amount of years, Xueli had enough Qi to spare.

    And so, fifteen minutes passed in the jet without much of note. Xiao Feng contacted Han Youhong and found where they were, updating her while also sharing that Songmei was experiencing some eye troubles.

    Having been the bearer of bad news, Xiao Feng expected Xueli¡¯s top to be blown off. Xiao Feng expected her to cuss out the bureaucrats until their ears fell off all the way from their conference hall. Yet, contrary to his expectations, Xueli¡¯s mouth remained sealed.

    Nodding and giving Xueli credit for improving, Xiao Feng looked out the window, leaning back into the couch.

    As he tried to see what the scenery was outside though, Xiao Feng felt himself get pressed back into his seat for a moment as the jet accelerated further, going beyond the recommended cruising speeds... by a lot.

    This, for sure, was going to leave damage on the jet... nothing that couldn¡¯t be solved with money though, and honestly? From what Xiao Feng remembered, Xueli had enough of that lying around...

    She didn¡¯t spend on anything other than koi feed and her disciples after all.

    -----

    Contrary to the morning, the sky was now overcast and cloudy. As if the world wanted to mirror the grave events taking place, the clouds had swooped in without a moment''s notice. Along with it, the plateau of Westriver was going through a catastrophe.

    Across the plateau, sparked by the one main bud, offshoots of the Red-Edged Swamp Leaf all bloomed, sending seed clumps into the air. With it, spiritual beasts across the entire plateau began to suffer from its effects.

    A rise in their innate realm. A rise in their strength. With it though, wild rampages that were tearing through the natural systems of the plateau.

    Although there was only one city on the plateau, the metropolis of Westriver, the city was bracing for impact. Cultivators throughout the area had been called back, ready to defend the city as the futuristic weapons were raised, the gates locked, and the walls strengthened.

    Four disciples were now making slow progress out of ground zero, the crater where the bud had bloomed and where there was now a brawl fest that could put any other monster-fighting movie to shame.

    Taking a break in a small alcove in the side of the ravine wall, the four of them laid against the ravine wall, ignoring the spikes that jutted into their backs while guzzling down some water.

    They weren¡¯t in good shape. Mingqing had sweat running down her forehead after carrying Songmei the long distance. Youhong was physically worn but also had yelled his voice hoarse talking to not only his master but being the in-betweener for Wang Taigang and Mingqing. Wang Taigang, on the other hand, though doing better than the rest physically, was still covered in sweat and feeling the burn of lactic acid in his body after acting as the path-finder for the past... what... few hours?

    And lastly, there was Songmei who couldn¡¯t open her eyes. Though she felt like she could¡¯ve walked and everything, Mingqing had stopped her.

    Good decision.

    Very good decision.

    Pale-faced and looking gaunt, Songmei¡¯s condition had gotten worse as her eyes began to burn through all her Qi, inching her closer and closer to Qi exhaustion.

    She didn¡¯t know how to stop it either, the other three had tried to help, but nothing Songmei could do could stop it. All it did was make her eyes hurt more, or make them burn through it faster.

    It was at that moment though, with the four of them sipping their water and resting, that a golden jet pierced through the clouds, ripping them apart as it blazed through the air towards the area.

 74: Sometimes Youll Never Live Down A Shameful Past

    Liu Xueli¡¯s jet decelerated at a speed visible to the human eye. Visible to snail eyes too. Going from a breakneck speed that tore through the clouds, revealing the sun for a brief moment, the jet came to a stop midair.

    Hovering midair, the door of the jet opened as Xiao Feng and Xueli flew out, blanketing the area in a thin layer of Qi as the jet flew off to land itself somewhere safer.

    ¡°Over there,¡± Xiao Feng called out to Xueli, pointing to a far off ravine where he sensed the four disciples resting. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Her lips pressed in a thin line, Xueli retracted all her Qi, flying over and descending, keeping a hand on the coat that was fluttering around her shoulders as Xiao Feng followed behind her.

    ¡°Are you all okay?¡± Xueli called out, sending a blast of frozen air towards a beast that had lunged towards her, freezing it in place before it collapsed to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the situation, anything that needs to be addressed immediately?¡±

    ¡°Just Songmei!¡± Mingqing answered, flinching a second as Xueli and Xiao Feng appeared in front of all four of them. ¡°O-Oh... Hi, yeah... uh.¡±

    Giving Mingqing a few pats on the head, Xueli waved her hand towards all four of the disciples in front of her. ¡°Just sit back down, you four, there¡¯s no need to get up and greet us. There are more critical matters at hand. Xiao Feng, you take care of the Pavilion disciples, I¡¯ll take care of my two.¡±

    Blasting another rampaging spiritual beast that was minding its own rampage in the distance, Xueli bent down into a squat in front of Songmei and Mingqing. ¡°Everything okay? I can see you¡¯re suffering a little bit Songmei, want to show me what¡¯s bothering you?¡±

    With a long sigh escaping her mouth, Songmei cracked her eyes open, staring at Xueli in front of her who... of course, didn¡¯t quite look like Xueli.

    Instead of the normal kind face that seemed deceptively young, all Songmei could see was a blinding pillar of... something. Songmei could make out that Xueli was wearing some dress pants, a button up shirt, and had a coat draped over her shoulders, but couldn¡¯t... couldn¡¯t really see Xueli herself.

    Xueli really looked like a comic book character, like a being of pure energy.

    Maybe... maybe this was like... the energy of age or something...

    ¡°So... uh... yeah, lotta pain...¡± Songmei confessed, closing her eyes once more and leaning back against the rock wall. ¡°Mingqing also told me my eyes look different. Apparently purple?¡±

    ¡°Yes... very purple indeed.¡± Xueli agreed, falling silent as she mulled over some thoughts. ¡°Mingqing might not know of her, because she disappeared before you two were even born, but very reminiscent of a lady I used to look up to back in the day.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I have her eyes or something?¡± Songmei asked, tapping her chin, pondering outloud with a total lack of urgency now that Xueli had arrived. ¡°What did her eyes do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have her eyes,¡± Xueli shook her head, reaching forward and feeling Songmei¡¯s face. ¡°Though she cultivated something sort of similar to you, it was crystal-related, her eyes were very famous. And they had a very different power from what you¡¯re describing. Yet, your eyes are very similar in terms of looks.¡±

    Pausing for a second, Xueli tilted her head before furrowing her eyebrows. ¡°Come over here Mingqing, I have something for you to do. You cultivate ice, can you make a small ice sculpture in your hand?¡±

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Ah? Huh? Wait, yes, one sec.¡± Mingqing nodded, having been just sitting there listening along to not disturb the examination that Xueli was conducting. Taking a second, Mingqing formed a small ice butterfly in her hand before offering it to Xueli. ¡°You need this?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, thank you,¡± Xueli smiled, putting it on her palm and raising it in front of Songmei¡¯s face. ¡°Songmei, could you open your eyes?¡±

    Blinking her eyes open for a second, Songmei¡¯s eyes squinted as tears welled up in them. ¡°I... I can see a butterfly. Though your hand makes it hard to see since it''s so bright...¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Xueli sighed, crushing the butterfly and letting the Qi dissipate. ¡°I think what you¡¯re seeing is Qi. A little problematic that you can¡¯t control it at all though... I¡¯ll put a seal on your eyes for now, report it to the elders and see if we can find someone to help you with that.¡±

    ¡°G-Got it...¡± Songmei stammered, not processing half of Xueli¡¯s words and just deciding she¡¯d ask Mingqing about it later. ¡°Go... go ahead?¡±

    ¡°No need to even ask,¡± Xueli laughed, pressing her palms against Songmei¡¯s eyes.

    One... Two... Three...

    Counting off the seconds in her mind, Songmei felt an icy-cold coolness rush through her eyes and into the rest of her body as the remaining Qi in her body slowed to a near halt. A few deep breaths later, Songmei then felt her eyes cool down, the pain receding like the ocean¡¯s tide.

    ¡°Hmm... I think you should be good now?¡± Xueli mused, lifting her hands off of Songmei¡¯s eyes as two faint blue runes faded from existence. ¡°Try looking around, let me know if I need to continue a little longer and put more Qi into it.¡±

    Her eyes fluttering open, Songmei¡¯s eyes darted around as her head began to swivel, taking in the sights around her.

    ¡°I... I can see again,¡± Songmei cried out, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes as they faded from a rich crystal-like amethyst back to their dull gray. ¡°T-... t-... t-thank you...¡±

    With Mingqing also giving her most heartfelt thanks, her voice more shaky and relieved than Xueli ever thought it could get, Xueli reached over, ruffling both Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s what I should do, I¡¯m your master. If I don¡¯t, who would?¡±

    Getting a pair of ¡°That¡¯s true¡±¡¯s from Mingqing and Songmei, Xueli laughed, a smug smile surfacing on her face as she turned towards where Xiao Feng, Youhong, and Wang Taigang were sitting. ¡°Xiao Feng ya bum, can you bring your two disciples over here?¡±

    ¡°Uh... Xueli...¡± Mingqing asked, her hand intertwined with Songmei¡¯s once more now, ¡°Is it okay that you treat the Elder of another sect like that? The Pavilion of Radiant Shadows no less...¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Xiao Feng answered, having overheard the question as he shook his head with an exasperated smile, ¡°At this point it''s fine.¡±

    ¡°Of course it''s fine!¡± Xueli grinned, suppressing her laughter as she looked away. ¡°It¡¯s a long story... well not so long.¡±

    Seeing the expectant expressions plastered across the four disciples in front of her and the long sigh that was escaping Xiao Feng¡¯s face, Xueli couldn¡¯t help but double over laughing once more.

    ¡°Well, it all started back when I just became an elder, like... first assignment as an elder. My assignment was to be security for a tournament that was being held between the big sects.¡± Xueli began, looking away as her face contorted, trying not to burst out laughing. ¡°At the time too, there was a really good coffee shop, and I¡¯d frequent it everyday while not on my shifts.¡±

    Motioning as if she was drinking a cup of coffee, Xueli continued on, with Xiao Feng clutching his face and letting out a low groan. ¡°Well, there was this STAR disciple of the Pavilion, and he started to talk to me every day. Then, on the last day of the tournament, before the final match, the most publicized match every year, he confessed to me!¡±

    Unable to hold it in any longer, Xueli doubled over laughing, wiping a tear from her eye. ¡°That bozo was Xiao Feng!¡±

    Making a flourishing hand motion, Xueli pointed to Xiao Feng who was now groaning loud enough to pass for having a knife in his side. ¡°He went on to win though, so good for him.¡±

    ¡°How was I supposed to know you were that much older than me, and an elder no less...¡± Xiao Feng shook his head, clearing his throat as if nothing happened. ¡°Anyway...¡±

    ¡°You were supposed to tell by the fact I had a nametag on me that said ¡®security personnel,¡¯ Xiao Feng...¡± Xueli retorted, pressing a finger against Xiao Feng¡¯s chest. ¡°Anyway, yeah, continue.¡±

    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Xiao Feng emphasized, moving on without even a cough to acknowledge Xueli¡¯s words, ¡°It seems for now you all are safe. Therefore, Xueli and I are going to uhh... go do some gardening.¡±

 75: Old People Are Always The Strong Ones...

    Watching Xiao Feng and Liu Xueli jump into the air and fly off after proclaiming that the disciples should ¡°watch and learn,¡± Lin Songmei and the others stood there slack-jawed. Not for the fact that they were flying, that was... normal enough. At a high enough cultivation level, everyone could fly.

    It was that story!

    ¡°So,¡± Wang Taigang broke the silence, an awkward cough escaping his mouth. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I can comment, but entertaining story I guess.¡±

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t realize my master was that young.¡± Han Youhong murmured, stroking his chin.

    ¡°... I didn¡¯t realize my master was that old.¡± Yan Mingqing added, stroking her own chin.

    ¡°I mean, if anyone was going to be deceptively old, it¡¯s going to be Xueli,¡± Songmei confessed, scaling the rock a touch so that they could get a clear line of sight to the crater.

    Following Songmei up onto the rock with Wang Taigang and Youhong behind her, Mingqing pulled herself onto the rock. ¡°That¡¯s true, our master¡¯s habits are... elderly to say the least.¡±

    Without much to say while having a sense of weariness permeate their bones, the four disciples sat down, all just taking in the view in front of them, watching the blood fest that was happening in the crater.

    Along with the blood fest, although there wasn¡¯t a constant stream of spiritual beasts rushing in to continually join, there was still a trickle. A mega-sized crab, a pack of wolves with a few too many legs or few too many bulging muscle groups.

    ¡°W-Wait a second,¡± Youhong broke the silence, the jelly in his hand only half-eaten. ¡°You all saw that, right?¡±

    ¡°If you mean Elder Xiao Feng just getting tossed like a ragdoll by Xueli, then yes,¡± Mingqing answered, her own eyes widening as she watched Xiao Feng calmly pull out his terminal.

    Songmei wasn¡¯t sure what Xiao Feng was doing, but from what she could tell, he was just filming. He looked like that one person in school who always filmed the fights, hunched back, swiveling body, hood on, the whole package. Judging from his posture too, it was going to be a level negative one camera stability recording too...

    With that, Xueli was the center of attention, and it was as if the whole world was looking at her. Qi waves began to emanate from her body, lifting her hair a touch as the fighting in the crater slowed, the beasts in the crater seemingly using the last of whatever reasoning they had to look up to a being that was so much higher than them.

    Feeling Qi waves wash over her, waves that were magnitudes higher and more dense than those of the plants, Songmei touched her eyes a few times. A sigh escaping her mouth as her shoulders relaxed once more, Songmei continued watching, looking around just in case to make sure her eyes were feeling fine.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Crazy stuff,¡± Songmei whispered after leaning over to Mingqing¡¯s ear. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll ever get to that level one day?¡±

    ¡°I believe in us,¡± Mingqing sighed, a similar level of amazement seeping into her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to eventually?¡±

    The Qi waves lessening, Songmei and the others watched as the clouds overhead thickened, darkened, and began to snow. Feeling a wind blow by them, stripping the trees in the ravine of any leaves they might¡¯ve been holding onto, Songmei pulled a coat out of her spatial storage ring, wrapping it around herself with as much gusto as she could.

    Watching the world freeze, Songmei¡¯s jaw fell a touch as she watched Xueli gather Qi in her leg. With her leg having reached a star-density level of Qi, Xueli did a couple of flips before shooting towards the ground, landing an axe kick in the epicenter of the crater.

    Rumbling.

    It was at that moment that Songmei realized... Xueli was... Xueli was no joke.

    Pulverized. That¡¯s the only word that would fit. That was literally it.

    Every beast was frozen, encased in a block of ice as snow began to gather over their now sculpture-like bodies. At the same time, the ground caved in a touch, with Xueli creating a weblike system of cracks across the crater, only for it to be frozen over and encased in ice.

    With the crater now resembling a tundra, a frozen wasteland where nothing survived, Songmei and the other¡¯s all felt their jaw drop as a wave of freezing air washed over them. Even Wang Taigang, who had been fine earlier, pulled out a coat as fast as he could as he circulated his Qi to turn his body into a furnace.

    There had been maybe a hundred? Two hundred? Beasts fighting in that crater.

    Now though, there was a solid ZERO, only Xueli standing there, the coat draped over her button up shirt fluttering in the wind. The impact site where she had landed was a mess, the beasts that had been there, were now... not there.

    Instead there was a lot of dead beast meat.

    Wonder how that got there.

    Her eyes wide, Songmei made eye contact with Mingqing, swearing in her mind that they¡¯d lay off on the old jokes for a bit. They didn¡¯t want to get axe kicked by Xueli, that sounded like a horrible way to go.

    It wasn¡¯t even like she¡¯d get to see her family in heaven!! Songmei would straight up be obliterated! Soul and all!

    Watching Xueli fly back with her hype man, Xiao Feng, in tow, Songmei, Mingqing, Youhong, and Wang Taigang all clambered up, bowing over and over and thanking Xueli for her work.

    Giving a flourishing bow, Xueli laughed, scratching the back of her head, ¡°That should be good enough for a re-debut into the public eye, right? I¡¯ve been a little low-key lately. Gotta have a little flair as the head of the Martial Pavilion, after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s plenty of flair,¡± Xiao Feng chuckled, sending the video to Xueli, ¡°You can post it, I have no interest in getting caught in all the interviews you¡¯re going to start getting again.¡±

    ¡°You sure?¡± Xueli asked before turning back towards the disciples and stopping their bowing, ¡°Xiao Feng, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d enjoy it! Though, you¡¯re quite popular on your own these days aren¡¯t you? Any girls or boys you¡¯re interested in~?¡±

    ¡°Nope. None. My heart is dead. Cold as the tundra you just made.¡± Xiao Feng sighed, changing the topic. ¡°Youhong, Wang Taigang, Lin Songmei, and Yan Mingqing, you four don¡¯t know it, but this lady here is popular, so don''t mess with her. Ridiculously popular. Top celebrity vibes really...¡±

    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Yessir!¡±¡±¡±¡±

 76: The Sweet, Sweet Taste of Winning After Doing Nothing

    Sinking into the couch on Liu Xueli¡¯s jet, Lin Songmei felt a little like a slug. In the end, she didn¡¯t really have to do too much... she just had to survive until the strikeforce team arrived.

    It felt a little anticlimactic.

    Well, she wasn¡¯t going to complain, this was a nice advantage of cultivating in the modern era. If this was a few hundred years ago, she¡¯d have just suffered and died. She wouldn¡¯t have had any knowledge of the plant, probably ate it, then died. Or, she would¡¯ve realized the plant was bad, stayed too close to the big plant, then died. Or would¡¯ve gotten run over by the rushing beasts after the plant had bloomed, then died.

    Maybe having more security wasn¡¯t too bad...

    On the jet, Songmei and the others watched as Qi-artifact vehicle after vehicle appeared. There was a bathtub, some jets, some boats, some pods, some cars, the whole set. After they had arrived though, Xueli had left her own jet that was now just hovering in midair.

    And that was what Songmei and Mingqing watched while being huddled together, their faces pressed against the window.

    Hovering in midair, a single person facing a little over twenty vehicles, Xueli stood there with her hands behind her back, waiting as each person got out of their vehicles. Some reporters¡¯ vehicles also appeared from the clouds, stopping behind the twenty elders who had also arrived late. Waving her hand and sending a small Qi wave over, Xueli stood there, stone-faced, spreading her Qi out and layering the air in a dense cloud.

    ¡°You all are late.¡± Xueli began once all the elders and reporters had left their vehicles, enhancing her voice with Qi so that everyone, even Songmei and Mingqing, could hear it. With each ¡°late¡± person looking like they had just been served a plate full of excrement, Xueli turned and pointed towards the now tundra-fied crater. ¡°As you can see, I already solved the most imminent issue.¡±

    Seeing the reporters¡¯ cameras begin to flash, Xueli let out a long sigh, turning away and waving her hand. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your problem now, you all can do the clean up, so have fun with that. I¡¯m going to go spend some time with my disciples.¡±

    Pausing half way back to her jet, Xueli looked back over her shoulder with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll post a video of it later. I¡¯m back bitches.¡±

    With a collective ¡°ohhhh¡± sounding out through the cabin of the jet, everyone broke out into laughter as Xueli entered.

    ¡°You were so cool!!¡± Songmei exclaimed as Xueli walked over to them with her arms out wide as if saying, ¡®Hey hey? What¡¯d you two think?¡¯

    ¡°Very amazing show of style,¡± Mingqing nodded with a laugh, watching as Xueli¡¯s face lit up after the two bits of praise.

    ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± Xueli bowed with a flourish, ¡°Couldn¡¯t have done it without you all.¡±

    Songmei was pretty sure, like ninety-five percent sure, Xueli could have done it without them... but still, it was nice to have that little warm feeling in her chest too.

    Sitting back down onto the couches as Xueli accelerated her jet once more, Songmei and the others all decided to eat some snacks, a late-afternoon snack, sponsored by Youhong¡¯s spatial storage ring.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan moving forward?¡± Xiao Feng broke the silence, unwrapping the lychee jelly in his hands. ¡°I have some, but what are all of yours?¡±

    Back on her duty of steering the jet while being splayed out on the couch, Xueli tossed her already empty lychee jelly container into the air. ¡°I¡¯m just going to hang out in the city for a bit. I think I¡¯ll have to do a couple interviews...? I gotta talk to the city leader too, gotta make him block off the outside temporarily while we do clean up.¡±

    A little depressed over the fact that some of his lychee jelly had been extorted from him, Youhong murmured, ¡°Cultivate... and buy lychee jelly.¡±

    ¡°Cultivate as well.¡± Wang Taigang shrugged, a little unsure of what to really say, being the only one who didn¡¯t have their master present.

    ¡°Cultivatee~¡± Songmei called out from the ground behind one of the couches.

    ¡°Cultivate too.¡± Mingqing agreed, her face beginning to freeze over a little more now that they were just sitting around with two relatively unfamiliar people.

    ¡°Very informative plans,¡± Xueli chuckled with an inaudible murmur of ¡°Youngsters these days...¡±

    Storing the empty lychee jelly container into her spatial storage ring, Xueli looked over some of the messages in her terminal. ¡°Okay, I just got sent some updates. All disciples currently outside Westriver are going to be called back, and the city is going to be locking down its gates for the foreseeable future while the ecosystem reorganizes itself.¡±

    Giving her terminal to Xiao Feng to pass it around, Xueli laid back down onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. ¡°Therefore, for the time being, you¡¯re all going to have to take quests from inside the city. Luckily the city is big, but it¡¯ll still feel a little crowded, so be proactive, you all.¡±

    A wave of ¡°got it¡¯s¡± replying to Xueli¡¯s advice, the room fell back into a quiet atmosphere as everyone did their own thing, passing the time until the jet got back to Westriver.

    ----------

    Flying over the city, Songmei, having gotten up off the bed, was now just staring out the window while leaning against Mingqing.

    They were almost back, they had already flown over the river and were now just... nearing the transportation hub. Unlike last time though, there was a massive amount of traffic. From what Songmei could see too, it could mostly be categorized into three groups. There were the normal... whatevers, people leaving too and from Westriver, taking their own personal vehicles or taking paid transport. Then, there was a mass influx of reporters, Songmei, over the course of two minutes, managed to count at least fifteen different media reporting companies.

    The last group was the most interesting, they were all transport vehicles.

    From what Songmei could tell, they weren¡¯t sect transport vehicles either, they were all business transport vehicles.

    It seemed some business planned on capitalizing on the increased manpower that was going to be available.

    White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise.

    Songmei could see the emblems of the four business tycoons present, so it seemed like either the news had leaked already or they had some inside connections.

    Poking Mingqing, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°Have you met the four big business tycoons before?¡±

    ¡°I have,¡± Mingqing nodded, her eyes also glued to the stream of vehicles that passed by them as they waited in line to land in the transportation hub. ¡°They¡¯re all pretty nice. Surprising considering how long they¡¯ve been alive...¡±

    Pausing for a moment, Mingqing shrugged, ¡°White Tiger is probably the best with kids, he¡¯s just pretty warm. I¡¯ve heard he has a dark side to him though.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fancy,¡± Songmei murmured, watching them descend a touch while moving forward in line. ¡°They¡¯ll probably have to do a press talk or something based on how much stuff they¡¯re moving into the city...¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mingqing mused, leaning against Songmei before changing the topic and making some idle conversation.

 77: Cuddling (End of Volume 1)

    Returning to Westriver, Lin Songmei didn¡¯t have too much to do. She had agreed with Yan Mingqing to take the next few days to recharge, to hangout, and to not take any assignments. After living in the wilderness for a few weeks, they both had almost started crying when they returned to their apartment and laid back down in the actual bed they shared.

    Moreover, she had missed Plum...

    Patting Plum and checking him over to make sure nothing had happened to him, Songmei had to pause to wipe a few tears before setting him back down.

    It wasn¡¯t her fault. It was the first time since she had been five that she had ever been away from Plum that long!

    Having already watched the sunset together while just lazing around in bed, Songmei and Mingqing were now cuddled together under the blankets with a screen sitting between them, waiting for Liu Xueli¡¯s press conference to start.

    Of course, laying together in the same bed while cuddling was... a little awkward. Songmei didn¡¯t know how to approach it anymore!

    Like... L-Like... she was pretty sure she had a crush on Mingqing...

    But Mingqing still did it as if it was natural!! What was it? Did Mingqing like her back? Or was it just normal friend stuff...

    Songmei wished she could just ask, but that was never something you could ask without applying a permanent change to the friendship. Either positive or negative.

    Eugh. Why was everything so difficult...

    It¡¯s okay!

    Songmei had decided, she¡¯d just cuddle like usual. It was nice anyway, so if she just pretended all was normal, then it was all normal because the world totally worked like that. Of course.

    The scene shifted and Songmei perked up from the embrace she had settled into with Mingqing. The transition screen slid off to the side, revealing Xueli, dressed in the same outfit as before, but now having fixed her hair and makeup a bit.

    Xueli, honestly, seemed to not care too much. Songmei, after knowing Xueli for a while, could kinda tell, there wasn¡¯t that playfulness or cheeriness that seemed to accompany Xueli. Instead, Xueli felt a little detached, as if she would much rather be elsewhere, somewhere like her koi pond.

    ¡°Did you see the threads earlier on the Starlight Lake¡¯s Disciple forums?¡± Songmei asked, looking over Mingqing while laying back down now that Xueli had appeared.

    ¡°I did, they were crazyyy,¡± Mingqing nodded, her eyebrows rising a bit as she recalled what she had seen. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize there were so many devout fans of Xueli in the sect. I was also reading on the public forums, ones that can be accessed by any cultivator, and it was just as crazy...¡±

    Songmei hadn¡¯t read too much on the public forums, so she couldn¡¯t say much about it. But from what she had seen, Songmei was still stunned! Because Xueli had already posted Xiao Feng¡¯s recording about the fight, Songmei had seen link after link posted to edits people had made of it! Each of them had music, dramatic cuts, zooms, and whatever else people did!

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Surprisingly too, even with Xiao Feng¡¯s garbage recording position, the recording of Xueli¡¯s fight had been... so smooth! Smooth like Youhong eating his lychee jelly.

    Other than edits of her newest exploits, Songmei had found out that Xueli really was a celebrity. A big shot!!

    There were fanclubs! Like, huge established ones that dwarfed the random small communities that had been formed back when she had gotten into Starlight Lake. Beyond those, Songmei had also seen a crazy amount of just... thirst comments?

    Just to list a few notable ones, Songmei had, of course, seen the classics of ¡°Sit on me¡± and ¡°Step on me¡± and a few too many people calling Xueli a synonym of dearest mother. But as Songmei scrolled, it was as if the people on the forums had gotten more and more unhinged...

    Scrolling down, Songmei had seen ¡°Omg Xueli¡¯s backkkk, I grew up following her exploits!! Who did she beat up this time?! I bet they deserved it!!¡± The comment continued on its little euphoric spiel, but Songmei didn¡¯t care too much.

    If she was a betting person or had tons of spare money, she¡¯d say that this person was still young... even if they had ¡°grown up following Xueli¡¯s exploits.¡±

    Songmei had also seen a few sob stories, some heart wrenching stories about how Xueli saved their town, or how Xueli had changed their life. But what made Songmei close the forums was when they started getting real, real inappropriate.

    After seeing two posts in a row flagged as ¡°Explicit¡± Songmei had clicked on them just out of curiosity. What greeted her? Scarring material...

    Songmei never again wanted to read fanfiction about Xueil, especially since she knew how Xueli was not in fact the uh... persona... that was presented in the fanfiction.

    It was also twenty-thousand words!!! Where the hell were people finding the time to write these??

    Dispelling those thoughts with a shudder, Songmei pulled the blankets over her just a little more as Xueli began to extoll her future plans.

    [I plan on staying in the city for at least the next few days. As you all know, my lovely disciples are in the city right now, training to open their meridians. In fact, I¡¯m quite excited since, you know, they¡¯re quite crazy in terms of cultivation speed. Faster than me! They¡¯re already close to opening their fifth meridian, and how long has it been? A few months? We¡¯re coming up on half a year, so, impressive stuff.]

    Squinting a touch, Songmei and Mingqing looked at each other with an exasperated chuckle and unison head shake.

    What the hell was Xueli even talking about? The reporter had asked about Xueli¡¯s plans? How did they come up? And why was Xueli praising them like they were her grandchild-... children?

    [Anyway, I¡¯ll also be here to supervise the clean-up operation during its opening stages. Afterward, I¡¯ll be handing it over to Xiao Feng. He¡¯s capable and I¡¯ve known him for a while, so I¡¯ve designated him to be in charge of the task force once I leave.]

    ¡°Known for a while¡±

    Snorting, Songmei swore she could hear Xiao Feng in the distance groaning, even if he wasn¡¯t in Westriver right now.

    As the night deepened though, Songmei and Mingqing laid there, enjoying each other¡¯s warmth as they watched Xueli¡¯s press conference. Xueli hadn¡¯t really mentioned anything they hadn¡¯t heard earlier, but it was still interesting.

    Late in the conference, Songmei herself and Mingqing had begun to come up more often, along with... weird questions prying into Xueli¡¯s personal life.

    Laughing and snorting at the unusual questions that had come up, Songmei and Mingqing had decided to turn it off after a question about a past incident fifty years ago had come up.

    Why was Xueli still there anyway?

    Cuddling up, Songmei had wrapped herself around Mingqing under the covers while Mingqing did the same. Then, because it was still sorta early in the night, they decided to just put on a TV show, watching it until they fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms.

    Tomorrow, tomorrow was going to be better, less stressful and less action-packed.

    The near future seemed like they could relax for a while. Enough to just concentrate on cultivating and not concentrate on getting stomped by a crab bigger than a building...

    [~End Of Volume 1~]

 78: The Classic Religious Deity To Business Tycoon Transition

    A dim room. Although only filled with a few vanities stripped clean of their mirrors and lights sitting around, the room was immaculate. The floors were spotless and the lights, warm, yet not overpowering. Along one wall, was a gargantuan window, floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Through the window were towering skyscrapers, flying vehicles, and the dozens of small dots of light that peeked through window after window.

    Standing around in a loose circle were four figures, sipping champagne, each of the figures had an imposing majesty to them, an air that filled the room with their presence.

    ¡°How many years has it been since we last gathered?¡±

    ¡°Two maybe?¡±

    ¡°Two years, seventy-eight days.¡±

    ¡°Twenty-five years and you being a nerd still hasn¡¯t changed...¡±

    The figures, shrouded under the dim light, were four of the most powerful figures in the world.

    The White Tiger of the West. The Black Tortoise of the North. The Vermillion Bird of the South. The Azure Dragon of the East.

    Having been around since... forever. Even before the concept of a city, these four were at the peak of the world. They had transitioned from pure spiritual beasts, to figures worshiped in religion, to their current status, ultra-powerful business tycoons.

    Each of them, having made an agreement many thousands of years past, decided to each go into a different area of business. The Black Tortoise had gone into agriculture and material extraction, the White Tiger into manufacturing, construction, and processing, the Vermillion Bird into entertainment, retailers, banking, and the Azure Dragon into research, education, and consulting.

    Overall, they covered the four broader sectors of the economies, each becoming the Deity that sat above the rest.

    As of now though, the four of them were waiting, they had all decided to come back together and hold a press conference, addressing the catastrophe that had gone down just outside of Westriver and how they were going to address it.

    Black Tortoise, dressed in a clean jet-black suit as his long black hair ran down his back, leaned against an empty makeup desk with his hands in his pockets. ¡°White, you¡¯re still wearing that flamboyant fur coat?¡±

    Sitting in a chair with his arms spread over the adjacent armrests, White Tiger craned his head back with a lopsided grin. ¡°Of course! I¡¯ve worn this snow-white fur coat for the past century, and don¡¯t you think it goes so well with my gold-lined white suit? I¡¯ve dressed almost as formal as you! If you¡¯re going to criticize anyone, criticize Vermillion!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve given up on her.¡± Black surmised, turning away and staring back off into the distance.

    Pouring herself another glass of champagne, Vermillion Bird shook her head with a small smile. Having chosen to wear a red dress with matching heels, accented by a pair of silver earrings, necklace, and anklet, she didn¡¯t care. She had already dressed up as much as she could! She had spent so long, too, finding this dress that matched her hair perfectly!

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Haters gonna hate.

    Staying silent through the little exchange between White Tiger and Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon swirled the champagne in her glass with a pensive stare, checking her watch every few moments. She didn¡¯t enjoy dressing formally, well, none of them did, but because of the circumstances, she had chosen to wear a flowing blue dress paired with some golden jewelry.

    ¡°Thirty seconds.¡± Azure announced, the second hand on her watch ticking away as the world seemed to grind by in an excruciating drag.

    ¡°Why do we even do press conferences?¡± White pushed himself off from his chair, pulling out a hand mirror and comb from the inside of his coat pocket, fixing up some hair as Vermillion got up beside him, fixing her hair as well.

    ¡°Because they want to hear from us.¡± Black mused, fixing his sleeves before walking over to the door, pulling it open and leading the way. ¡°Time to just amaze them then.¡±

    Their footsteps echoing down the dim hall, the four of them steeled their postures as the hallway became brighter and brighter the further they made their way down.

    Walking through the door carved from exquisite darkwood at the end of the hallway, Black waved his hand and took a seat as camera flashes began to fill all four of their visions.

    With a thoughtful smile on his face that conveyed the stability he represented, Black sipped some of the champagne that had been provided at the press conference table as the others settled into their seats.

    The Tortoise, the Tiger, the Bird, and the Dragon, in that order.

    A hushed silence falling onto the crowd of reporters, time seemed to freeze for a second before White Tiger broke the silence with a lackadaisical laugh. ¡°Why so serious? C¡¯mon, let¡¯s just get the questions started, you already know we¡¯re all amping up our operations in Westriver along with whatever else we¡¯ve all been up to recently.¡±

    With a standing microphone near the reporters, a queue formed with the first reporter gathering herself before asking, ¡°S-So... Ahem, so, this is the first public appearance you all have had together in the past decade, how does it feel being back again together?¡±

    ¡°Kinda shit.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± ¡°Fine enough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s chill, it¡¯s chill.¡±

    As the reporter froze after getting four distinct answers, she cleared her throat, deciding to just ask a single person at a time. ¡°So how do you feel, Azure Dragon of the East?¡±

    Clearing her throat and taking a sip of champagne while gathering her thoughts, Azure swirled the champagne a bit before leaning forward into the microphone. ¡°It¡¯s fine enough. I don¡¯t really have any thoughts, ten years isn¡¯t a lot of time anyway. We¡¯ve also met a few times on our own outside of the public eye so... who cares.¡±

    Going down the line, the reporter got similar answers from each of the other three. There wasn¡¯t much to say, the four of them really just... didn¡¯t care. To them, ten years was more or less just a drop in the bucket.

    ¡°As the key supplier of raw goods,¡± Black began, his rich baritone voice ringing out as he answered the next question about what his specific plans were. ¡°I¡¯ll be partnering with the buffo... I mean White Tiger over here as he specializes in manufacturing. We¡¯ll be working together to maintain a smooth inflow and stock of goods for the citizens of Westriver now that the outside-of-the-city portion of the economy has to be shut down for a while.¡±

    Following the wave signaling that he could pick up the conversation, White continued with a grin that was somehow both mischievous and reassuring. ¡°Yeah, yeah, we¡¯ll be partnering together to really help out. We¡¯ll also be rolling out some additional initiatives- experimenting you could say. Some innovative strategies we want to try out and see if they can be applied on a larger scale. Fancy stuff really, look forward to it.¡±

    And with that, the interview continued going into detail about all their business plans before reporters started asking more about their personal lives, all questions expertly dodged by the four celebrities.

 79: Knowing The Hidden Knowledge Is Always The Best

    The night had passed and Lin Songmei¡¯s body was finally no longer screaming at her. She felt refreshed, she felt... alive! Well, that wasn¡¯t surprising, sleeping in an actual bed seemed to help out with the whole ¡°not having a body that felt fifty years older than it actually was.¡±

    After waking up in an... awkward position. Songmei had managed to keep a level head as she untangled herself. It had just been a little disorienting to wake up in Mingqing¡¯s embrace...

    Having gotten ready together, both deciding to put on some light makeup and dress a little nicer, the two of them had descended the elevator, going to get some late breakfast.

    ¡°The screens are only playing two things...¡± Mingqing murmured, her eyes scanning the screens that were hung on the walls. ¡°It¡¯s just the two important press conferences from last night.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... Now that you mention it, it¡¯s just Xueli¡¯s and the four cardinal spiritual beasts¡¯ conferences.¡± Songmei confessed, looking around the room as well, trying to find a screen that wasn¡¯t playing one of those.

    Last night, after they had fallen asleep, sometime during Xueli¡¯s press conference, Songmei and Mingqing had missed the interview of the four holy beasts. These were rare events too! The last one had happened, what... ten years ago?

    Songmei remembered that even back at the orphanage, it had been a special event too! The staff had let everyone come down to the main dining hall, wheeled out an ancient television before playing the conference!

    Songmei hadn¡¯t understood a single word of it, she had been six after all, but it had been a good experience... It was entertaining just to see their faces.

    And now, looking at the replay of the press conference, those four important figures... hadn¡¯t changed at all. If they had changed into the outfits Songmei remembered from a decade ago, she swore she wouldn¡¯t be able to tell them apart. They looked like they were frozen in time!

    ¡°You¡¯ve met all four of them, right?¡± Songmei looked up at Mingqing, who was currently picking apart a croissant. ¡°I mean it¡¯s fine if you haven''t too, I just asked because I feel like you mentioned it yesterday.¡±

    ¡°I have, yeah,¡± Mingqing nodded, stroking her chin while putting down her now eviscerated croissant. ¡°They¡¯re... interesting people, I guess? My parents had a meeting with them, so I met them In the hall. I was really young at the time though... maybe seven?¡±

    ¡°Anything you remember about them?¡± Songmei sipped her soup, giving a quiet prayer for the croissant that was not being mutilated once more by Mingqing. ¡°I went through a phase where I followed Vermillion Bird when I was younger, but there was like... Nothing about her.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! They¡¯re really secretive with their personal lives,¡± Mingqing agreed, eating her croissant piece by piece. ¡°I do remember though, when I ran into them in the hall, I was with my brother. Black Tortoise and Azure Dragon are the more level-headed ones, but they¡¯re also like... a little worse with children. White Tiger and Vermillion Bird were more energetic and also the ones that played with me a little.¡±

    Nodding while taking an extended sip from her soup bowl. Songmei sat there, keeping the soup bowl to her lips while buying herself time.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    What was she supposed to say now?? She had run out of things to say... and she needed something stat to keep this conversation going. This was a bigger issue than the potential consequences of Youhong running out of lychee jelly.

    ¡°... Fancy...¡± Songmei answered with a murmur, having drained the entirety of her soup bowl. ¡°I mean... that¡¯s pretty cool to know I guess? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever come into contact with them so it doesn¡¯t matter too much...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re in a crazy different world from us,¡± Mingqing shrugged, eating her croissant piece by mutilated piece. ¡°Want to discuss a little about our plans moving forward then?¡±

    Giving an ¡°mhm¡± and a nod, Songmei leaned over, pulling a napkin out of the napkin holder present on their table. ¡°You want to draw this time?¡±

    ¡°Hm... sure. Just a warning though, I can¡¯t draw even if my life is on the line,¡± Mingqing confessed, taking the napkin and pulling out a pen from her spatial storage ring. ¡°So I¡¯ll just draw a rough sketch of the three districts first.¡±

    Her tongue peeking through her lips, Mingqing sketched Westriver from a bird¡¯s eye view. A central district flanked by two vast wings that were the northern and southern district.

    ¡°So we¡¯re in central,¡± Mingqing began, putting a little circle of where they ¡®were,¡¯ a little like a You Are Here dot. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of different things we could do I guess...¡±

    Looking at the sketch, Songmei didn¡¯t really know where to go from here. They could... train? That was their plan for the next few days. Songmei¡¯s goal was to open up her fifth meridian, but that was just... the fifth one. She still had another fifteen to go.

    ¡°We¡¯re confined to the city for the next while, so... we just need to find stuff to do in the city, obviously, but which district do you want to focus on?¡± Songmei murmured, her finger tapping the side of the bowl as she thought out loud. ¡°We¡¯ll also get the rewards from the investigation mission we took on. We were also like... first, so we¡¯ll be drowning in resources for a while.¡±

    ¡°Totally, totally,¡± Mingqing chuckled, adding a little bullet point to the side to note that. ¡°Lots... of... riches.¡±

    Finishing her little bullet point, Mingqing tapped her chin. ¡°So, the city¡¯s going to be a little chaotic for a bit... I mean it¡¯s literally plastered on every screen in this cafeteria. That means... good? Bad? I don¡¯t know... how does it really affect us? Does it at all?¡±

    ¡°It means we have to be more aware of hierarchical stuff and not getting caught in a turf war,¡± Songmei mused, a small smile breaking onto her face. This was her specialty! For once, she could teach Mingqing something! No longer did she have to be the one always being confused!!

    This was her reckoning! Songmei couldn¡¯t help but feel the smile on her face widen while beginning to explain to Mingqing how they should think about it.

    Well, of course, it still was a problem to like...

    You know...

    Get caught in a turf war...

    Hopefully that didn¡¯t happen.

    Anyhow, they should be fine for the most part? It wasn¡¯t like the city was full of crazy cultivators twenty stages above them or anything. This place was practically a beginner city!

    The only kinda worrying thing though was that Songmei did see a fair amount of groups that roamed the city. And more than a few of their markings.

    At one point, reading online about Westriver while they were hiking, Songmei had seen that there were mentions about the turf wars. It was apparently fine in the central district, because of the presence of the big sects, but in the northern and southern districts...

    Well, a particular article had summed it up as ¡°Try mixing a dumpster fire with a small tornado, then fill it with bricks, but the bricks are also all chipped to be as rough and sharp as possible.¡±

    That was a rich description, and Songmei had given a like to the article, but then clicking the ¡°expand¡± button, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened as the writer went on to rant about how that literally happened to them and they were writing this article from their bed after getting eighteen lacerations to the body...

    Worrying stuff.

 80: Flashy, Sparkly, Glittery Makeup

    After having spent way too much time in the breakfast hall, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing had been kicked out by a ¡°gentle¡± clean-up person.

    ... Was that what they were called?

    Anyhow, now armed with their very expertly, drawn napkin, they were ready to kick some ass!

    Songmei was sure, she knew, from the bottom of her feet to the tips of her hair, that this napkin was world class! If someone followed this napkin, they could probably become a 5 billion meridian cultivator in a few days!

    Well that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but still, that was the idea. Their napkin kicked ass!

    That was until a gust of wind blew by...

    Because of that, now, instead of having a kickass napkin, they instead saw a little white square fluttering away in the wind. It was far out of reach, that was for sure. It was now just... living its best life, making new friends with the birds that were flying nearby in the sky.

    ¡°So... Do you want to go and finish that show we were watching first?¡± Songmei asked, lacing her fingers into Mingqing¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s our break day after all...¡±

    ¡°Of course! Hell yeah! What else are we going to do? You¡¯re not Cai Yufei, and I¡¯m not Cai Yufei. We are NOT going to be training todayyy~¡± Mingqing sang with a laugh. ¡°Maybe some Qi circulation at most.¡±

    High-fiving Mingqing with her other hand, Songmei pondered, ¡°Do you even know where those two are? We haven¡¯t seen them for a while...¡±

    ¡°I heard that they got back wayy late last night.¡± Mingqing shrugged, walking along with Songmei back to the elevator so that they could return to their room. ¡°Well, ¡®heard that¡¯ more means ¡®I saw them.¡¯ But yeah, kinda felt bad for them, but it¡¯s chill. They¡¯re probably still passed out.¡±

    ¡°How¡¯d you even see them?¡± Songmei asked, tilting her head. Songmei herself didn¡¯t remember... anything. She just remembered falling asleep in bed and then just waking up the next morning...

    In Mingqing¡¯s arms of course. That was critical information that Songmei had burnt into her memory.

    ¡°I got up after you fell asleep,¡± Mingqing explained, pushing the up arrow to call the elevator. ¡°I went downstairs to get some water, and while getting some water, I heard some... explicit cussing from outside the door.¡±

    Stepping through the doors of the elevator, Mingqing offered for Songmei to push the floor button before continuing, ¡°So I just peeked through the peephole, and... there Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei were, stumbling down the hall.¡±

    ¡°Cussing?¡± Songmei asked, raising her eyebrows as disbelief coated her voice. ¡°The fact that either of them have the capability to even cuss...¡±

    ¡°I know right??¡± Mingqing shook her head with a similar eyebrow raise. ¡°Crazy stuff. But yeah, it was Cai Yufei cussing up a storm...¡±

    Songmei didn¡¯t even know what to say to that...

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Well, everyone was bound to change once they got here at Westriver. She herself had changed a fair amount... maybe?

    Anyhow, Songmei still had what... probably a year in Westriver, there¡¯s still plenty of time to change and develop!

    Stumbling through their doorway, Songmei and Mingqing made their way back upstairs, retreating into their beds as if it was the middle of winter.

    It was pretty much the middle of spring though.

    ¡°I just realized there was practically no point in us actually dressing up...¡± Songmei murmured, taking off the outfit she had chosen after 15 minutes of painstaking deliberation, and putting her sleepwear back on as she climbed into bed. ¡°Like, I don¡¯t even think I¡¯ll be going outside again today.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Mingqing shrugged, changing as well. ¡°I can go out if we want to buy some food or something, or we can just have some delivery.¡±

    ¡°I mean... those delivery robots are soooo cute...¡± Songmei gushed, flopping back onto the bed like a brick. ¡°They¡¯re made like little bees and just... ahhhhh they¡¯re so cuteeeee, they even do the little twirl here once you get your food...¡±

    Shaking her head with a laugh while also climbing into bed, Mingqing wiggled up close to Songmei, wrapping her arms around her. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone have such a visceral reaction while gushing about the bee-like delivery drones before...¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re cute, they deserve it,¡± Songmei nodded, her eyes hardening as she clenched her fist. ¡°It¡¯s of critical importance that they get shown the love they deserve, okay?¡±

    Doing a laugh-exhale combination thing, Mingqing began pulling up the TV show that they were watching while Songmei cuddled up near her.

    They were what... 5 seasons in now?

    That meant they only had another 15 seasons to go!!

    That was pretty good progress, in all honesty. Each episode was an hour long, and then each season had 24 episodes.

    It was... long.

    It was about cultivation though, so it was understandable, a cultivation comedy sitcom. Allowed for the continued prolongation of the content.

    Mingqing herself had looked it up and found out the first season had come out over 50 years ago! Luckily all the actors were actual cultivators, and another season was in the works, so... Songmei and her would have a lot of content to make their way through.

    Cuddled up in bed, Songmei and Mingqing started their episode. ¡°Anything you¡¯re looking forward to Songmei? Any continuing plot lines?¡±

    Craning her neck to look at Mingqing, Songmei pursed her lips as her brain slowly inched along, remembering what happened last time. ¡°I mean... obviously I want to know what happens next, they found out that the father was actually like... funding the secret organization. So I''m excited to see them go fold the secret organization like a paper crane...¡±

    ¡°True true...¡±

    ¡°The thing is, I also have to like... make sure to not fall asleep, which is hard. This show is really easy to fall asleep to. Especially while watching it in bed like this...¡± Songmei sighed, her head flopping back onto Mingqing¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°You can fall asleep if you want, I¡¯ll wake you up for lunch if you want?¡± Mingqing offered, raising an eyebrow.

    ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t fall asleep with makeup on...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true...¡± Mingqing mused, nodding along. Songmei did have a point with that, it wasn¡¯t good to fall asleep with makeup on. On the other hand, Songmei seemed to have not realized, or did realize but was too lazy, but she could just take off her makeup...

    Of course, Mingqing wasn¡¯t going to be the one to bring this up. She enjoyed admiring Songmei with makeup on...

    Girl was wayyy prettier than she realized after all...

    That was something Mingqing had known from day one of talking to Songmei, and she wasn¡¯t about to just... tell her now. Otherwise, knowing Songmei, she¡¯d get all embarrassed and not wear makeup again...

    This, along with that one time Mingqing had put makeup on Songmei while Songmei was passed out on her feet were memories Mingqing was going to burn into her mind.

    They were important after all, very important, items of the utmost priority!

 81: Ultra-Deluxe, Mega-Plush Cushions

    A little later, back downstairs in their cozy apartment after their bedroom had gotten too hot, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing splayed out across the couches in the living room. Songmei, having drunk a little too much soup, kept her back against the couch, maintaining a decent enough posture as Mingqing starfished out, her head somehow lower than every other part of her body.

    Sinking into her thoughts, Songmei wasn¡¯t sure what to do next. Sure, they had mentioned they wanted to watch the show while curling up in bed, but now that they were downstairs, all previous motivation was gone. They had already watched half an episode and... it just wasn¡¯t right. The room was hot, and she just wasn¡¯t in the mood.

    Songmei wished life could be simple, but not boring. It had only been... what, a day? And she was already feeling a little empty. What was she doing? It wasn¡¯t as if she ever had hobbies. Her hobby had been studying so that she could do well in school. Now, with a strange shift in life, she wasn¡¯t in school. So her hobby was cultivating?

    That didn¡¯t sound right... but it was kinda true?

    It was time for one of these huh? Time for an existential crisis...

    Sinking a little lower into the ultra-deluxe, super soft, plush cushions (they probably weren¡¯t that, but compared to what she was used to in the orphanage, that¡¯s what they felt like), Songmei took a moment to categorize everything.

    She was a part of Starlight Lake. Still an orphan though. Cool. Liu Xueli was her master. Basic of the basics.

    She cultivated the Crystalline Butterfly Art, she currently had opened four of her meridians, but could probably open the fifth without too much time.

    It was what... March 29th? That meant, first of all, Mingqing¡¯s birthday was in a little over a week¡ªthe 8th of April¡ªbut also that they were about to really get into the spring rainy season. Songmei had pounded that date into her head, she swore she wouldn¡¯t forget to get a present for Mingqing either.

    What else, what else?

    She had Plum, safe and sound on her bed. That was good to remember...

    World events time. Well, there was normal society, chugging along nicely. At least, that¡¯s what Songmei assumed. She had stopped following the news, all the drama paled in comparison to the cultivation news anyway. Who wanted to learn about this government bill about whether or not so and so could have a term extension, when she could hear about the scintillating drama of the demon expedition team returning from the central continent?

    On the note of the central continent too, there were the demons. Just from Xueli and her less than firm jaw, Songmei had learned that things were heating up. Conflicts were breaking out, but still no casualties. Plus, there hadn¡¯t been the descension of any more demon pillars, they were at a solid... five maybe? Songmei didn¡¯t know, that was a guess. All she knew was that it was a small fraction, and that though the situation was tense, it was pretty stable.

    Now... hmm... Techniques maybe? There was her body strengthening technique, her Crystalline arrows, and her Butterfly Steps. The three techniques she really knew.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    There wasn''t much else. Sinking even further into the cushions, now resembling a bit of a scrunched up marshmallow, Songmei stared off into the distance, admiring the high ceiling above her.

    She was pretty sure Mingqing had just dozed off... or was she in the bathroom?

    She was glad that Mingqing was around, Songmei wouldn¡¯t have dared go alone through the neighborhoods that she and Mingqing had gone through to leave Westriver. Through their arching pathways, neon lights, and just... grimy atmosphere, Songmei was reminded a little too much of the rough neighborhoods that the orphanage was in.

    She was still probably more well equipped to deal with the upcoming challenges in the neighborhoods rather than their outside expedition, so that was a big plus. They were going to be quarantined in the city while the bureaucrats cleaned up the outside wilderness for the next few months, exterminating every last plant.

    That meant... high society? And low society...

    The assignment hall was about to get rammed with disciples. Absolutely ravaged.

    Marinating in her thoughts more than a hunk of meat before a house party, Songmei¡¯s mind drifted¡ªthere were the kings and queens of the districts, that was something to remember and look into. She had heard that there were currently seven, each holding a title named after the seven deadly sins.

    From the brief reading Songmei had done, she had found that online, there were... mixed opinions on them. It seemed some were better than others, some were more temperate, some were more ruthless.

    But with that thought, Songmei was hit by the post-soup food coma train, getting whisked off to dreamland.

    -------

    Flushhhhhh.

    Washing her hands, checking her makeup, and fixing her outfit, Mingqing walked out of the bathroom after drying her hands, only to be greeted by a fast asleep Songmei, scrunched up like a shrimp.

    Easing Songmei out the suboptimal, primed-for-permanent-neck-damage position, Mingqing sat down beside her, pulling out her terminal. Might as well do some reading, so, random gossip sites, here she came!

    Pausing for a moment, her finger right about to open the gossip site, Mingqing sighed, deciding to instead open up her reading for the Hall of Learning.

    She really needed to get that done...

    Somehow, Songmei had already completed the majority of it with her fabled, ¡°read while walking¡± technique...

    How Songmei could pull it off was a mystery, and it baffled Mingqing. The terrain wasn¡¯t smooth, there were jagged areas, muddy patches, protruding roots, and more. But, because of that, Songmei was now way ahead of Mingqing. Moreover, Mingqing was also feeling a little bit of that itch, that itch to be productive.

    Sure, the TV show was great, sleeping all day was even better, especially since they had an actual bed now. But also, the unproductivity was killing her. She had grown up being trained, and now... she could just not?

    Might as well do a little bit of learning. The reading was interesting enough as it was. Mingqing had a huge chunk of history to get through, and that was basically gossip... but historical... so just gossip.

    It was great to learn about Guan Yu, Strummer of Stars, and how he turned into Guan Yu, the Star Shatterer, and ended his life being Guan Yu, Sky¡¯s Abomination.

    Crazy stuff... and surprisingly enough, a lot of weird small drama. Like, being unsatisfied with being golden boy, and deciding to ¡°try a demonic technique because why not.¡±

    Kinda stupid, but still, GREAT to read about!

    So... one day wouldn¡¯t be that bad. One day? Just to cuddle with Songmei and read? That¡¯d be fine...

    She¡¯d make a trip to the training field tomorrow...

    Staring out the window, Mingqing cuddled up with Songmei a little more, leaning her head against Songmei¡¯s shoulder as she slept.

    ¡®Oh, gotta pull the blanket over us too...¡¯

 82: Temporary Drastic Personality Changes

    Waking up in Yan Mingqing¡¯s arms... again, Lin Songmei let out a groggy yawn as she blinked her eyes open.

    Where was she? Who was she? What time was it?

    The sun was still up, so that was a good sign. Though, it was weird how she kept waking up in Mingqing¡¯s arms. Looking up at Mingqing¡¯s amused expression, Songmei squinted a bit before asking, ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°Around one, it¡¯s not that late,¡± Mingqing chuckled, suppressing the urge to break out into more laughter while watching Songmei look around with pure bewilderment and fog in her eyes. ¡°I was thinking about just eating light for lunch, do you have any thoughts? Or is it still too early?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry, but I¡¯ll eat some snacks,¡± Songmei nodded, sitting up with a touch of reluctance. It was nice laying in Mingqing¡¯s lap after all. ¡°I¡¯m in the mood for something a little more... savory.¡±

    ¡°I mean... when are you not?¡± Mingqing shrugged, sitting up, closing her terminal and her now-finished reading homework. ¡°I¡¯m the one with the sweet tooth, the sugar addict, and you¡¯re the salt maniac.¡±

    ¡°True, true, speaking truth as always,¡± Songmei murmured, reaching up and freezing just before she could rub her eyes. ¡°Ah... shi... f... makeup.¡±

    Lowering her hand and sitting there in silence, Songmei pursed her lips, falling back onto the cushions and looking over at Mingqing. ¡°What were you doing while I was sleeping?¡±

    ¡°I was just reading and catching up on the homework you blazed through.¡± Mingqing confessed, sinking back onto the couch next to Songmei, only now having a few inches of separation so that conversation was possible. ¡°Oh yeah, also, I got an invitation from Youhong and Wang Taigang inviting us out to dinner. I mean you probably got it too, but you were just asleep.¡±

    Raising her eyebrows, Songmei rolled over and grabbed her terminal off the table that she had plopped it on earlier. ¡°Was it just a message? Or did they do it more formally?¡±

    ¡°Just a message. I don¡¯t think anyone could get Youhong to send a formal message, not even with a crate of lychee jelly,¡± Mingqing mused, sinking a little further into the soft cushions. ¡°Maybe four crates would do it though...¡±

    ¡°Honestly, probably three would be enough,¡± Songmei shook her head, pulling up the message.

    [Dear Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing,]

    [I¡¯d like to formally invite you to a]

    [Anyway, what¡¯s up]

    [Wang Taigang and I are going out for dinner. We made a reservation already, but the restaurant allows for reservation expansions]

    ¡°He really just gave up halfway through, didn¡¯t he?¡± Songmei muttered, scrolling through Mingqing¡¯s replies asking where, and also that she¡¯d have to ask Songmei before she could give a definite answer. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m willing to go, sounds like it¡¯ll be fun. Also I¡¯m too lazy to order food, so I¡¯m just gonna go get some snacks out of the cupboard right now, want something?¡±

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    Looking up while typing out her reply to Youhong¡¯s message, Mingqing pondered, ¡°Just give me a back of gummies. I¡¯m in the mood for those sour gummy worms.¡±

    ¡°Okay~ One sec, one sec.¡±

    ------------

    Sunset.

    Changed out of their casual clothes, Songmei and Mingqing were in slightly more formal wear, ready for dinner at the half-upscale restaurant.

    With sloping roofs and warm lighting¡ªthe floating balls of fire could be thanked for that¡ªthe steak restaurant was in a quiet bustle of activity. Servers seemed to glide around, sweeping dirty plates off of the tables and replacing them with plates laden with delectable, mouth-watering dishes.

    Still in the Central district, this restaurant had a prime location. Its outside dining area, a patio in the back, gave a brilliant view over the edge of the floating island onto the city below. Rushing waters, a mix between brown, blue, and green, flowed and created a constant curtain down below, dotted with small boats traveling from the North to the South.

    Above with the boats were a few long thin lines¡ªbridges that spanned the wide river. Yet, along the coasts were the industrialized skylines of the North and South side. Soaring skyscrapers, flying vehicles, crowded alleys, dark corners, upscale stores, all dotted with bright lights, filled with the life that snaked through each corner of the city.

    Looking around, Songmei and Mingqing paused for a second. ¡°Do you know where the other two are, Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°Not a clue,¡± Mingqing answered, keeping her hand interlaced with Songmei¡¯s, ¡°I don¡¯t know if we¡¯re here too early or if they¡¯ve already sat down. You want to message them real quick?¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± nodded Songmei, unlacing her fingers with a faint frown creeping up on her face. ¡°Where... are... you all. Sent.¡±

    An immediate reply.

    Flinching a bit from the immediate buzz, Songmei shook her head and read it over once more, ¡°Behind. What?¡±

    With a spin, Mingqing rotated on her heel, freezing as she suppressed a bout of laughter. What greeted her?

    Stacked on top of each other were Youhong and Wang Taigang¡ªYouhong on top of Wang Taigang¡¯s shoulders. Supporting Youhong, Wang Taigang a faint bead of sweat was visible on his forehead, along with a slight crease in the formal wear he had on.

    Youhong, on the other hand, looked like he had just come from a disco. With tacky hot-pink plastic sunglasses on, Youhong waved at the pair of them with one hand, a double XL lychee jelly in the other hand.

    ¡°Is... is that just a bowl of lychee jelly?¡± Songmei coughed, in disbelief seeing Youhong¡¯s... miraculous transition. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him have this much energy before. Is... Is this the right person?¡±

    ¡°WHATTTT IS UP?!¡± Youhong shouted, piercing the quiet atmosphere with an uncharacteristic outburst. ¡°WHAT¡¯S FIRE, WHAT¡¯S POPPING?¡±

    Looking at each other, their eyebrows furrowed, Songmei and Mingqing couldn¡¯t help but both let out whispers.

    ¡°He¡¯s got to have been replaced.¡±

    ¡°What happened to our lovable lychee jelly addict who never had more emotion than a pile of bricks...¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°Also, you think they¡¯re going to let us into the restaurant if he¡¯s dressed and acting like that?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully,¡± Mingqing sighed, waving the two of them over with an exasperated head shake

    Leaping off of Wang Taigang, Youhong jogged his way over, his formal clothes already looking a little disheveled as he came to a skidding stop. ¡°How¡¯s the outfit? What would you rate it out of ten?¡±

    ¡°Probably a zero,¡± MIngqing retorted with a shake of the head. Songmei had to agree... The pink sunglasses really didn¡¯t work well with anything¡ªespecially with how much they flared off to each side. More than that, the watermelon-sized lychee jelly in Youhong¡¯s hands was just, so comically large it ruined any grace the formal clothing might¡¯ve provided.

    What the hell were Wang Taigang and Youhong even up to this past afternoon?

    All Songmei did was eat (with Mingqing), nap (on Mingqing), and watch TV (with Mingqing).

 83: Awkward Restaurant Antics

    Having pried the sunglasses off of Han Youhong¡¯s face and gotten themselves seated, Wang Taigang, Yan Mingqing, and Lin Songmei all watched as energy seemed to seep out of Youhong like a leaky faucet.

    The place they had been seated though... jaw-dropping. The only word that came to Songmei¡¯s mind. The table itself wasn¡¯t too much, a solid wooden table covered with an immaculate white table cloth. The chairs too, not too much, just rich, soft cushions¡ªstill, they were chairs Songmei could only dream of in the past.

    The view though... THAT VIEW.

    Sitting at the edge of the patio, a glass railing being the only thing between them and the river below, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but take a few pictures. Right now, with no wind (and some other factors that Songmei wasn¡¯t smart enough to know about), the river was tranquil, the entire length of it¡ªthough not perfect¡ªlooked like a piece of glass. The reflection of lights and buildings forming illusory images in the water¡¯s reflection.

    As of now too, because it was sunset, the glowing orange-pink sun cast long rays of brilliant colors across the water. It was like a painting, one of those famous oil paintings that everyone lauds as the peak of all art that honestly doesn''t look like much... but this one did look amazing, jaw-dropping, sublime, and like the most beautiful thing in the world.

    However, now, with Youhong wandering off to go use the restroom, having also finished inhaling his watermelon-sized lychee jelly, Songmei and Mingqing spun towards Wang Taigang, setting their menus back on the table.

    ¡°So... What did you all do this afternoon? What caused this?¡± Mingqing asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. ¡°Did you drug him? Replace him? Update his processing card?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t do much myself,¡± Wang Taigang shook his head, shrugging while continuing to scan the menu, ¡°We went to the arcade, so I think Youhong winning five of those giant lychee jellies helped.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s... he¡¯s eaten five of those...?¡± Songmei murmured under her breath, turning to give a look in the bathroom¡¯s general direction. ¡°How does his digestion even handle this much lychee jelly?¡±

    Raising his hands, Wang Taigang laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, I wouldn¡¯t even dream of eating that much jelly. But yeah, he¡¯s eaten I think all five of them by now. Anyway enough about Youhong¡¯s probably-in-critical-condition digestive system, do you two know what you¡¯re going to order?¡±

    ¡°Probably the steak, the one recommended at the top of the menu. It honestly looks pretty good, I¡¯ve eaten something similar and enjoyed it, so time to see if I still like it,¡± Mingqing explained, pointing to the menu item she was considering, ¡°Also thinking about getting the sparkling peach soda, I¡¯m not as much of a fan of grape, so I¡¯m leaning towards that one.¡±

    Seeing that MIngqing was done, Songmei shrugged, ¡°The pasta... I think the Pesto pasta? Pasta¡¯s... pretty good.¡±

    Honestly, looking at the menu, Songmei¡¯s eyes almost fell out. Even though it had been a while since she had gotten to Westriver, the price of certain places still shocked her. If it wasn¡¯t for the sect¡¯s generous handout¡ªit was more than generous by Songmei¡¯s standard, but that didn¡¯t matter¡ªShe wouldn¡¯t have even dreamed of eating in a place like this.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Making a hand motion for Wang Taigang to go, Songmei listened as Wang Taigang asked for some opinions. ¡°I was debating between the steak that Mingqing was talking about and the uh... what is it called, the chicken parmesan? Yeah... It¡¯s a half-pasta I think? A thing of chicken put above a pile of pasta.¡±

    Well... Songmei didn¡¯t have an input at all. She herself didn¡¯t really like eating heavy red-meats¡ªnot that she ever had a choice growing up, it was either not an option or the only option¡ªbut Wang Taigang obviously had different dietary needs. ¡°Have you worked out today?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I haven¡¯t,¡± Wang Taigang stroked his chin, leaning back into his chair. ¡°That¡¯s true, I did eat a ton of steak a few days ago when I went out with my gym buddies... Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me, I¡¯m getting the chicken.¡±

    Reassuring Wang Taigang that she really didn¡¯t do anything and that it was Wang Taigang¡¯s own decision to make, Songmei did an awkward half-stand motion while waving to Youhong who was returning from the restroom.

    A touch of pink climbing on her face as she sat back down, Songmei spun in her chair, hugging the back of it while gazing at the sight of the tranquil waters below.

    The river was looking really beautiful right now.

    Why did she have to do that?!?!?!?

    That awkward half-stand... especially with the little cloth on her lap already, causing her to do an awkward flail to catch it while doing a wave that served LITERALLY NO PURPOSE.

    Argh...

    Delving in her own thoughts like a scuba diver swimming through poop creek, Songmei didn¡¯t notice as Mingqing slid back in her chair, leaning in and poking her in the cheek. ¡°It¡¯s fineee, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Her voice falling to a whisper, Mingqing patted Songmei on the back a few times before doing an over the shoulder one arm hug, ¡°Also... the waiter is coming to take our orders so... yeah, if you don¡¯t want to be more embarrassed you should sit up.¡±

    Bolting up like a door stopper¡ªspecifically one of the super springy ones that her orphanage had¡ªSongmei cleared her throat and fanned her face a touch, looking over the menu one more time to confirm what she wanted to get.

    Pesto pasta with a side of sweet potato. Pesto pasta with a side of sweet potato.

    Deep breaths Songmei, it¡¯s okay to stutter a few times talking to the waiter. Don¡¯t just freeze up.

    With the waiter doing what seemed like a glide on the way over, he came to a stop, whipping out a notebook and a brilliant, welcoming smile.

    ¡°What can I get for you all today? I see it¡¯s a... youthful party, amirite? Welcome welcome, we hold nothing against our youthful guests. Any special occasion for coming? Or just a casual night out with the buddies?¡±

    Freezing up within seconds of the waiter opening his mouth, Songmei resorted to nodding a few times while just listening along while Wang Taigang made some small conversation.

    Mingqing sure as hell wasn¡¯t going too¡ªshe had already frozen up the moment she saw that waiter from across the patio.

    ¡°Anyway, yeah, just a night out,¡± Wang Taigang nodded, having formed an instant camadrie with the waiter, after talking a little bit about working out. ¡°I¡¯ll have the... hmm... the chicken parmesan with a glass of apple cider? Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Alrighty~ Alrighty~¡± The waiter chuckled, noting it down with a flourish, ¡°GREAT choice I must say, I do love me some chicken! Especially too, we¡¯ve just gotten a fresh shipment of apples, so the cider tonight will be FRESH!¡±

    Damn... this man was impressive. Songmei had never seen a waiter with A: this much energy, and B: this much... smoothness and confidence with navigating a social situation...

    All she had seen were people done with life, talking with a slight drawl as they seemed to care more about what was happening outside the window on the street rather than anything in the restaurant itself...

    Well... then again, she had only gone out to eat, like... five times before this.

 84: When The Sun Falls Into Your Lap

    After ordering and making conversation for a little while, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Wang Taigang all fell quiet as the exuberant waiter returned, arms laden with food. ¡°Sorry to disturb you all!¡±

    His arms sweeping around the table like a robot¡¯s, the waiter glided off with a chuckle before Songmei and the others even realized, a quieting chuckle being the only indication someone had delivered the plates and drinks that were now sitting in front of them.

    Twiddling her thumbs¡ªpreparing herself for more small talk¡ªSongmei looked up with her brows furrowed, blinking a few times. She couldn¡¯t help but ask herself... How the hell did that waiter manage to put everyone¡¯s dish on the table, in the right place, all by himself?

    Each of them had ordered a main course, a drink, and a side dish. Given, the plates themselves ranged from big to small but... what?

    Maybe he had a spatial storage ring that she hadn¡¯t noticed...

    Anyhow, sitting before her now was her pesto pasta! Though it looked... green, as pesto pasta normally did, Songmei felt her mouth getting just, just get a little bit more full of saliva. ¡°How is yours, Mingqing? Is it what you¡¯d hoped it¡¯d be?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? It looks like ribs, so I don¡¯t have any harsh opinions. Honestly, I stopped being too hung over about the specificities of food a while back. No point in having posh expectations for food all the time, especially when we go traveling so much. Anything is better than those rations we had to live off,¡± Mingqing sighed, picking up her utensils and taking a bite.

    Twirling some of her own pasta around her fork, Songmei waited for Mingqing to finish her first bite before tilting her chin over. ¡°How is it? I mean I know you said you don¡¯t really have like... nitpicky thoughts, but still, any general ones? Praise?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good,¡± Mingqing summed up with a complimenting look and nod, ¡°The meat is both flavorful and juicy. There¡¯s a bit of sauce, and the sauce is just... mwah. If they put the sauce in a bottle, I¡¯d consider buying it. How about you?¡±

    Nodding along while eating her pasta, Songmei took a moment to savor the bite before answering with a brief, ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±

    Laughing¡ªand feeling her heart rate quicken¡ªseeing Songmei¡¯s happy smile and little wiggle of satisfaction, Mingqing asked, ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Songmei sang with a smile. It was good!! It was so good!! It was better than the pesto pasta she remembered as a child. By a longshot!!

    It felt like the heavens were bursting in her mouth! Who needed cultivation when she already ascended just from this food?

    Or... well... if ascending to the heavens meant she could eat this every meal... maybe Songmei really could find the motivation to work herself to the bone everyday of the week. No fun, no breaks... no heavenly meals at restaurants like this.

    Maybe this is what Youhong felt when he ate lychee jelly all the time...

    Pulling herself out of her own little world, Songmei, noticing Mingqing was looking away (maybe dealing with some food-related happy thoughts of her own?), turned to the other two. ¡°So... uhh Youhong, Wang Taigang, how¡¯s the food? And also, like... how¡¯s it going? I just realized I never asked.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing good, thanks for asking,¡± Wang Taigang laughed, wiping his mouth with a napkin. ¡°This food is amazing, I don¡¯t really know how to describe it, but there¡¯s a certain taste of home. Though it¡¯s different, this is a restaurant and all, there¡¯s a certain... nostalgia to it.¡±

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°I¡¯m also doing okay,¡± Youhong mused, his back once again a little slouched, his ruby eyes back to being slightly obscured by his hair, and his voice back to his relaxed and leisurely tone. ¡°I do hope they have lychee jelly on the dessert menu. As always, I feel like I could use some more in my stomach.¡±

    As always, huh.

    Huh.

    Though it had the word ¡°always¡± something that Songmei, a previous honor student¡ª something she¡¯d be proud of for the rest of her life¡ªlearned was a bit of an extreme word, and absolute, it still felt like an understatement.

    A massive understatement....

    Songmei felt like Youhong should¡¯ve said, ¡®even though I¡¯m already drowning myself in lychee jelly and stress testing my digestive system¡¯ and then gone on.

    Still, it was one of the mysteries of the world as to how Youhong¡¯s digestive system stayed intact.

    Twirling her fork in her pasta like a middle schooler twirling a finger through her hair because of a crush, Songmei asked, ¡°So plans for the next few days?¡± before chowing down on her pasta.

    Halfway through her bite, Songmei looked up, seeing awkward hand motions and gestures between Youhong, Mingqing, and Wang Taigang, each person trying to let the others speak first. A wave, a head nod, an exaggerated pushing motion.

    ¡°Just speak, you poo-heads!¡± Mingqing crossed her arms, rolling her eyes with a glare. ¡°My plans are just to do whatever Songmei does, so I¡¯m not eligible to participate in whatever your... push-pull game is.¡±

    Scrunching his face up and squinting, Youhong set down his utensils before letting out a long sigh and flopping back onto his chair. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go. I don¡¯t really have any plans. I was going to invite you three to make a small party? Temporary working group? Besties alliance?¡±

    Cutting Youhong off, Mingqing couldn¡¯t help but shake her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t say ¡®Besties alliance¡¯ ever again. Anyway, continue, sorry.¡±

    ¡°Ah-? Uh... ok. Oh, yeah, cool, uhh... sure, sure. For sure, yeah.¡± Youhong froze, words falling out his mouth like a rich man dropping his wallet after losing his train of thought before he took a pause to reorient himself. ¡°I just thought it¡¯d be useful to have some other people to work with this time around. Because even though the last one really could be done alone, having more people makes like... working with the underworld easier.¡±

    Tapping his chin, Youhong then confessed, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really ¡®the underworld,¡¯ maybe ¡®limbo¡¯ would work better... from what I know at least. Just, numbers are going to help.¡±

    True... From what Songmei had read about¡ªand personally knew about¡ªnumbers would be pretty useful. The bigger thing, however, was that she had never heard Youhong talk that much undisturbed.

    Well he had been kinda disturbed, but that was deserved...

    Besties alliance??

    What was that... That deserved a little... a little reprimanding.

    Anyhow, Songmei wasn¡¯t going to say anything, she didn¡¯t want to overstep any lines.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn now, yeah?¡± Wang Taigang concurred, setting down his utensils as Youhong picked his back up. ¡°Well for one, damn Youhong. You talked for a while, nice. Never really seen that.¡±

    Snorting and shaking his head, Youhong kept eating, just raising one of his hands that¡ªconveniently¡ªonly had its middle finger pointed up.

    Breaking into a few not-super-suppressed chortles, Wang Taigang cleared his throat and took a few breaths before rubbing his chin with an embarrassed smile. ¡°My thing actually lines up pretty well with what Youhong said. My plans for the next few days was to find a group. I was going to ask you three first, but if you three didn¡¯t want to I was going to make my own.¡±

    Huh?

    Wang Taigang?

    Mr. Sunboy?

    He needed a group now too?

    Looking at her plate, then Mingqing, then into the restaurant, then back to Mingqing, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but let out a small murmur of confusion.

    Wang Taigang was the most popular direct disciple after all!!

    He was the media¡¯s darling boy!!

    And he now needed a group?

    ...

    The hell happened?

 85: Parent-Teacher Conferences? Or Maybe Just... Student-Teacher Conferences?

    Songmei tightly clenched her fork¡ªit would be mortifying to ask for a new one¡ªshe tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed.

    ¡°Wait what? What happened to your old group Wang Taigang?¡±

    A couple of agreeing, echoing murmurs of confusion came from Yan Mingqing and Han Youhong.

    Wang Taigang waved his hands, assuaging the worries. ¡°Don¡¯t overreact, it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. After the whole plant blooming thing, several of the people in my group decided to leave and join Liu Liping¡¯s group, the other direct disciple from Pavilion of Radiant Shadows.¡±

    ¡°From my side, the Pavilion of Extinguishing Shadows, no less.¡± Youhong added, his mouth still half-full with food.

    ¡°Yeah, what Youhong said,¡± Wang Taigang reiterated before continuing, ¡°Then, because my group was originally founded with some direct disciples of another sect and because we had lost quite a few members, we just decided to dissolve the group.¡±

    ¡°I... see, I see,¡± Songmei mumbled, she was glad. It was a little regretful to hear about the group dissolving, but at least sunboy over here wasn¡¯t in dire straits. Though, if there were conflicts between him and the people who used to be in his group, Songmei was pretty sure that she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything.

    Unless it was a competition on who could lift the least amount of weight...

    ¡°Anyway, those were my plans,¡± Wang Taigang shrugged before motioning towards Songmei. ¡°Mingqing said her plans were just going to be whatever yours were, so... what are yours?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    W-Wait what?

    Freezing up after making a sound closer to a duck than a human, Songmei did recall Mingqing saying that but... She didn¡¯t have any plans. Coughing, Songmei reached over to her complimentary glass of water provided in addition to the drinks they had ordered (wasn¡¯t this restaurant nice?), taking a long sip from it before stammering, ¡°I-I... I don¡¯t have any plans...¡±

    With Mingqing drowning in giggles next to her, a flush of embarrassment climbed her cheeks. Songmei stuck a finger in Mingqing¡¯s general direction trying to shush her while confessing, ¡°I was just going to follow what Mingqing did...¡±

    An awkward silence fell on the table as the other three tried to suppress their laughter, watching as Songmei spilled water on herself due to her shaking hand.

    Songmei cleared her throat once more, ¡°Anyhow... y-yeah, I don¡¯t mind joining a team with you two. You two are pretty cool people... Also, Mingqing and I have already been working in a team so, uhm, we¡¯re kinda a package...¡±

    Snapping her mouth shut the moment she finished, Songmei sat back into her chair, staring down at her pasta with a heated stare¡ªmaybe if she stared hard enough her hand would dry up and her pasta would start heating up on her plate.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Well... and hopefully they wouldn¡¯t notice the ¡®kinda a package¡¯ remark. Songmei wanted to crawl into a hole, preferably while folding herself and becoming a coconut. That thought made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, but was it too early?What if Mingqing got creeped out? She didn¡¯t want to make Mingqing uncomfortable and all, that sounded like a good idea to not only have this whole crush thing fall to pieces, but have the friendship thing also sink like a ruptured sea vessel.

    Of course, Mingqing, Youhong, and Wang Taigang didn¡¯t care a smidge about the water or the stammering¡ªin particular, Mingqing thought it was cute.

    On the other hand, they all noticed the ¡®package¡¯ to the utter mortification of Songmei (not that she knew), but they didn¡¯t care too much. Mingqing felt a small giddy laugh escape under her breath, while Youhong and Wang Taigang resisted the urge to roll their eyes and say, ¡°No shit.¡±

    Seeing Songmei pink and wanting to throw herself off the patio and into the river below, Mingqing grabbed her hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze before changing the topic. ¡°So... it¡¯s official, we¡¯re a team! Well, it¡¯s not official until we go register, but we can do that tomorrow if you two want? We should probably then also spend a day all together in the training halls, familiarizing ourselves with each other¡¯s techniques.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sounds good,¡± Wang Taigang affirmed with a nod, picking his utensils up before pausing, ¡°Wait, can we do it the day after instead? I¡¯m busy tomorrow, I¡¯m meeting up with my master who¡¯s coming into town.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also meeting with my master,¡± Youhong added, twirling a fork in his hand, ¡°So I think the day after might be better?¡±

    ¡°Ah... Well it¡¯s probably smarter to do it the day after then,¡± Mingqing agreed, ¡°Is there like a master-disciple meeting day or something?¡±

    ¡°¡°Yeah¡±¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Huh. That just felt like parent-teacher conferences from school... well maybe this would be considered a student-teacher conference...

    Would Xueli do it?

    Tapping her chin, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but feel that if Xueli held one of those conferences it wouldn¡¯t be much of a conference...

    Maybe an hour or two spent talking about random stuff? Maybe Mingqing and her would get yelled at for watching that TV show without Xueli... It wasn¡¯t their fault though, they couldn''t watch it with Xueli if she wasn¡¯t in the city.

    Yeah... that was a good enough reason to not get chewed out.

    ¡°How¡¯s your master then?¡± Songmei asked Wang Taigang, putting her fork down and reaching for the small plate of bread in the middle of the table¡ªas a side note, the bread was somehow also heavenly. It wasn¡¯t the bread Songmei was used to, it was... so soft, and also flavorful. Had the waiter brought it out before the rest of their food, everyone at their table probably¡ªno, almost guaranteed¡ªwould¡¯ve gouged themselves with it, Songmei included...

    It was just so good...

    Getting dragged out of her food-induced stupor once more by Wang Taigang, Songmei nodded along as he explained, ¡°My master is pretty nice. She¡¯s a very elderly lady, old enough to like... I don¡¯t know, see the formation of modern society.¡±

    Huh... That did give an idea of how Wang Taigang¡¯s master was, but also, knowing Xueli, Songmei wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she had also seen the formation of modern society...

    She really did wonder how old Xueli was.

    ¡°Oh yeah, well, although my master is really old, wrinkles, gray hair and all,¡± Wang Taigang continued, ¡°she¡¯s also really tech-savvy. She loves buying the newest tech, so uhh... yeah, don¡¯t be surprised if I show up to our meetup all decked out with some new gadgets.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay, I mean it¡¯d be funny to be honest,¡± Songmei shrugged, reaching over for another piece of bread, breaking it and offering half to Mingqing. ¡°Our master is like... tech-incompetent, so maybe we should send our master to yours to do some learning...¡±

 86: Protip: Think About Society While Doing Something Boring

    Spending the rest of the night just talking about random... whatever, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing didn¡¯t get back to their apartment until long after the sun had set. They left back around six pm, and now getting back, it was already 11:30 pm.

    Five and a half hours!! That was way too much for dinner! Sure, the food was heavenly, and probably made it worth it but... damn that was still a lot of time. Time Songmei definitely didn''t have!

    Well, she probably did, but that was beside the point. It was good to get to know Han Youhong and Wang Taigang more, so in the end¡ªputting aside how amazing the food was¡ªit was worth the time just for that alone.

    That sounded really cheesy, but Songmei didn¡¯t know how else to put it, it was true! She liked talking with them, and Wang Taigang¡ªshe didn¡¯t know when¡ªmanaged to get Mingqing to open up! Maybe it was during that time Songmei¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t working for a bit...

    That itsy-bitsy problem that she was ignoring that for sure wouldn¡¯t turn into a bigger problem later. For sure.

    Back at their apartment though, Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t have much to do, they had developed a healthy sleep schedule¡ªsomething that Songmei of the past could never relate to¡ªso they just... washed up and headed off to bed. Simple as that.

    Songmei of the past would¡¯ve been horrified and guilty to no end had she done that...

    She had always followed the logic of, ¡°If I¡¯m not sleeping past midnight, I¡¯m not putting enough time into my schoolwork.¡±

    Of course, looking back, that wasn¡¯t the healthiest mindset, but that was the past, now... it was time to sleep!!

    Flopping into bed, Songmei did her nightly pat, hug, and squeeze to Plum¡ªwho was sitting on her nightstand as always. Afterward, Songmei wrapped around Mingqing (as per usual) and wandered off to dreamland.

    -------

    Waking up in Mingqing¡¯s arms, Songmei¡ªto her astonishment¡ªwas the first one awake. It was already nine am too!! When there wasn¡¯t something like school forcing them both up at ungodly hours, Songmei was always the second one awake...

    That sounded unclear... Well, it was just that Songmei would make herself wake up before the sun rose to get ready for school, while Mingqing always woke up earlier naturally.

    Sitting up in bed, crossing her legs under the covers and pressing her palms together, Songmei stared out the window.

    What the hell was she supposed to do?

    She didn¡¯t really feel like getting out of bed, but there wasn¡¯t too much to do in bed either while Mingqing laid beside her. It was just your average Tuesday morning too, so it wasn¡¯t like there was much going on outside the window either.

    The people outside the cultivating world¡ªso the majority¡ªwere already at work. The streets below were empty, there weren¡¯t any vehicles zipping through the air either. Just a distant globe, pulsing with light as it rotated on top of a building, all of it powered by Qi.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Scooting back against the headboard of the bed she and Mingqing shared, Songmei slowed her breathing, closing her eyes to cultivate a little. Retreating into her mind, Songmei focused on pushing around her clear streams of Qi. Her Qi, surprisingly¡ªor maybe unsurprisingly depending on how you looked at it¡ªwas crystalline. It seemed a little... jewel-like?

    Songmei sure as hell didn¡¯t know how to describe it. Just that while it traveled, it seemed more solid. It seemed a little more... crystal-y...

    Pushing it around and circulating it through her meridians, Songmei let out a long sigh as she felt it run against resistance. That would be where her 5th meridian was, but... eugh, opening it up, cycle after cycle, making it more smooth and more smooth was a mind-numbing task.

    Settling into a rhythm of Qi circulation, Songmei sank into her thoughts. Why not? Who didn¡¯t like to do a little bit of early morning introspection?

    That sounded dumb now that she said it, but still, she wanted to spend some time doing it...

    Like... it was weird! It was so weird how the majority of people weren¡¯t cultivators...

    The line was so thin, so invisible, yet... it was so hard to cross!

    Songmei had just wandered across it, with her magical talent. She didn¡¯t really know where she got it from either, was it God? Was it the heavens? Was it genetics? Songmei didn¡¯t know her parents, and only recently had the cultivation world started to make libraries of identification for cultivators...

    Crazily enough, the cultivation world was still a little slower on the uptake in terms of technology. The ¡°normal¡± people''s world had already been using it for close to fifty years, yet the cultivation world didn¡¯t start adopting it until twenty years ago.

    Of course, to cultivators, thirty years was a blink of an eye, but to non-cultivator people or weak cultivator people¡ªcategories Songmei was intimately familiar with¡ªthat was a long time!! Maybe to Xueli, thirty years was just a drop in the bucket, but in thirty years, if Songmei didn¡¯t improve, she might be kicking the bucket!!

    What made it more weird was... why the hell did the cultivator people take so long to start making one? Sure, most technology took a long-ass time to get adopted by the cultivation world (as long as it didn¡¯t have to do with easing day-to-day life), but in this instance, it was so much, sooo much more useful to cultivators! Whenever they found a dead body¨Cmaybe it was mauled by animals, maybe it was mutilated by a gang, maybe it was half-eaten by a weird plant from the central continent¡ªthey could identify it, and send it back to the body¡¯s sect, or family.

    As sad as that was, it was a helpful thing to have...

    But because it didn¡¯t start to gain popularity and widespread use until fifteen or something years ago, a little less actually, that also meant her parents, who were either dead or just hidden in some weird place out in the middle of nowhere, weren¡¯t in the database!

    If her parents were cultivators of course, they could''ve just been normal non-cultivator people¡ªthat was totally a possibility.

    Xueli had mentioned to her that it was unlikely her parents weren¡¯t cultivators at all, given her talent, but... you never know.

    Huh.

    She had used this in the past, but thinking about ¡°deep¡± things had made the progress a little faster...

    Well, maybe faster was the wrong word.

    The time had just really... ambled on by, without her realizing.

    Cracking her eyes open, Songmei saw, it hadn¡¯t been more than a couple minutes. Yet... here she was, having made a lot of progress without too much mental strain!

    The classic, as always. Distract yourself from a painful thing in order to make it pass by quicker!!

    Classic, basic strategies really.

 87: Why Do Rich People Own Everythingâ€¦

    Closing her eyes and quietly leaning back against the headboard of the bed¡ªYan Mingqing was still asleep after all¡ªLin Songmei decided to just continue thinking along her little thought train. Might as well keep riding it if it works and it¡¯s fun to think about.

    What to think about though? What other things crossed the little invisible line between the cultivation and... normal, worlds?

    The Daoist Times, that was one that popped to mind. Songmei had found out that the parent company that owned the Daoist Times also owned several of the largest news companies across all the four continents: Clocktower¡¯s Net, Sky News, Purple Star Observer, and the Sentinel.

    Of course, the people who owned that parent company were cultivators... that seemed to be the trend, really. Cultivators more likely than not owned the biggest companies. There were big companies owned by non-cultivators, but they had extended their lifespans about as long as cultivators. That was a lucrative part of sect income after all, making life-extending or disease curing medicine for the non-cultivating world.

    The thing was though, after a while, most of the rich non-cultivator business owners eventually had a child who was a cultivator. That child¡ªsuper talented or not¡ªwould always be supported enough to get to a fairly high realm. Then, they¡¯d just take over the business and oops, suddenly that¡¯s a cultivator owned business.

    Otherwise, non-cultivator business owners usually had their business bought out by massive sums of money, or just their business drowned by aggressive tactics.

    Kinda sad, pretty unfair... but that was life...

    There wasn¡¯t much Songmei could do about it either. At least most of the time¡ªmaybe ninety-five percent¡ªthe cultivator business owners didn¡¯t do anything illegal. They¡¯d compete in a fair way, and whether or not the non-cultivator was good enough... well, Songmei didn''t really know about business.

    From what she knew it wasn¡¯t like they were just gonna be like, ¡°Oh well, you¡¯re pretty good, I¡¯ll just back out of this field and let you monopolize it.¡±

    Taking a deep breath and settling back into a rhythm, Songmei took a moment to slow down her breathing and thinking.

    Back to the Daoist Times though, they had a HUGE following! She¡¯d watch a few episodes here or there, but from the comments, forums, and more, she could tell, they were popular!

    They also had a newspaper that they¡¯d send out once a week¡ªXueli was an avid reader of that¡ªalong with many online individual articles. Seeing their exhaustive coverage, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but commend them. They really covered all their bases, hitting every generation. And all of this was free!!

    Songmei hated, maybe even despised, news sites that had most of their stuff behind a paywall.

    How was she supposed to do any school project??

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    It¡¯d always be her teacher assigning some ¡®recommended¡¯ or ¡®good¡¯ resources for her to use. Then, when she went to read it, it¡¯d slap her with a paywall.

    Every. Single. Time...

    She didn¡¯t have any money to give!! She was poorer than the paper they used to print their papers!

    She was glad that was no longer the case though...

    Starlight Lake treated her well... each direct disciple¡ªSongmei couldn¡¯t speak for inner or outer disciples¡ªgot an allowance. It varied most of the time though.. The sect paid a minimum, and then a disciple¡¯s master could add onto it.

    As for her... Xueli was... generous, to say the least. Xueli liked to shower Songmei and Mingqing with gifts. It could be something small, like some stationary, some jewelry, but also... sometimes Xueli would just bring back an entire trampoline and plop it in the center courtyard, having bought it on impulse after seeing an advertisement.

    Because of that... Songmei¡¯s pockets were padded... very nicely padded. Of course, it couldn¡¯t compare to the person laying next to her at all.

    Surprisingly, unlike the very bad novels and movies Songmei had seen, where the rich person is super out of touch with the rest of the world, Mingqing was pretty grounded. Maybe it was the household though, the Kunpeng household was known for its... strict upbringings to say the least...

    Though, Mingqing would still sometimes drop the most mind-boggling, eye-popping facts out of nowhere.

    Just thinking about it, Songmei could help but feel herself get a little weak... Mingqing was used to a totally different world!

    For example... there was a time where it was a movie night, Songmei, Mingqing, and Xueli.

    It wasn¡¯t too much, Xueli had decided to show Songmei and Mingqing one of her favorite movies (it was old... really old). Xueli had said it was ¡°a classic from before she was alive¡± but Songmei didn¡¯t really believe that. Neither did Mingqing.

    The movie was unimportant though, it had happened before the movie itself. Songmei and Mingqing were cuddled up under some covers together while Xueli had her own. All of them were sorta near each other though as it was right around the new year where everything was really buttcheeks-go-numb cold.

    While cuddled up, Songmei was just munching on some snacks while the beginning credits were rolling. The whole spiel, ¡°don¡¯t redistribute,¡± ¡°don¡¯t sell,¡± don¡¯t whatever. That whole thing. However, near the end of it, where it said, ¡°distributed by so-and-so,¡± Mingqing tapped her chin, breaking the silence, ¡°Oh, my parents own that company...¡±

    A moment of shared disbelief between Songmei and Xueli later, Mingqing shrugged before reaching over and grabbing a handful of popcorn. ¡°Just look it up, you two can check, I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s a fairly long list of stuff they own, this is just one of their... branches?¡±

    Branches??

    Songmei couldn¡¯t even imagine saying she ¡°owned a company¡± but ¡°it wasn¡¯t a big deal¡± since it was just one along the ¡°media branch or whatever.¡±

    Clenching her fist and shaking it a little, Songmei¡¯s response was just...

    Damn rich people!

    Anyhow, Xueli and her had looked it up, and found out that in the ¡°Kunpeng Clan¡¯s Media Branch¡± as Mingqing called it, there were... many, many companies.

    The main parent company that owned a ton of other companies owned that media distributing group, including a famous literature publishing firm, a music label, along with a bazillion news groups!

    Showing Xueli at the time, Songmei felt like her jaw was going to drop. No wonder the Daoist Times kissed up to Mingqing so much!! Her family owned their entire company!!

    No wonder the Kunpeng clan was at the top of cultivator society... they owned half of it!

    Songmei wouldn¡¯t have even been surprised if they had also funded her orphanage...

 88: The Gay Debuff

    Continuing her train of thought for a while, Lin Songmei was feeling pretty good. So far, it had been a fairly productive cultivation session where she had made a lot of progress. Cultivation, as always, though, was a little monotonous. Nothing to really talk about concerning it.

    Songmei had cultivated¡ªfor who knows how long¡ªuntil she felt a familiar cold finger pushing against her nose. Blinking her eyes open, Songmei was greeted by a smiling Yan Mingqing sitting... a little too close.

    It was a little hard to stay calm and collected in front of attractive people! The gay debuff! Unfair!

    ¡°H-Hello there, good morning,¡± Songmei murmured, raising an eyebrow. It was rare to see Mingqing with disheveled hair. Mingqing always held her hair hostage in her claw clip, that thing probably spent more time on her than the clothes she wore...

    ¡°Good morning to you too,¡± Mingqing laughed, moving her hand away and leaning back, putting her arms behind herself to prop herself up. ¡°You were up early today, so did you do anything fun while I was out like a dead log?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Songmei sighed, shaking her head while pulling her knees close to her chest and out from under the covers. ¡°I just cultivated while waiting for you to wake up...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s awfully productive, what do you want to do now?¡± Mingqing asked, turning her head to block a yawn with her shoulder. ¡°Sleep more? Get breakfast? Cultivate more?¡±

    The thought of food¡ªnamely some light, but savory early morning soup¡ªpushing her to salivate just that little more, Songmei leaned her head back against the headboard. ¡°...Food. I¡¯m hungry... Maybe I¡¯ll just wash my face and make my way to the food area.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a plan,¡± Mingqing shrugged, ¡°You go first, I need to motivate myself to get off this heavenly soft mattress.¡±

    Pushing herself off the bed and doing some light stretches, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but laugh and wish Mingqing good luck. Pulling on some pants as she walked, Songmei stumbled into the bathroom, splashing some water onto herself.

    Checking her face in the mirror, Songmei took a moment¡ªwell maybe closer to a few moments¡ªto brush her hair, brush her teeth, and finish getting ready.

    There wasn¡¯t much to do, she wasn¡¯t going to put on makeup, that was for... people with energy and people to impress. Songmei had neither of those.

    Mingqing wasn¡¯t going to be impressed with Songmei if she put on makeup, they had already seen each other covered in dirt and grime, and Songmei wasn¡¯t going to gaslight Mingqing into thinking she looked better than she did. And other uses of makeup... why? Makeup was a pain in the ass to put on anyway, and made it so Songmei couldn¡¯t touch her face.

    That was a big deal! Songmei loved touching her face! Not for any perverted or weird reason of course. It was just nice. It was just good to have the option to check that there wasn¡¯t food stuck to her cheek. It was just heavenly to use her hands as a bowl to hold her face in like a metaphorical soup.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Maybe her reason was weird...

    Anyhow, splashing a little more water on her face, Songmei checked her hair¡ªstill silverish-white which was good¡ªbefore heading back out. It was time for food! Time to satiate her ravenous stomach that was threatening to eat her esophagus if she didn¡¯t feed it!

    Again, that sounded weird too...

    What was up with her today?

    Meandering out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom she and Mingqing shared, Songmei paused for a moment after opening the door. ¡°Need any... help? Mingqing?¡±

    In front of her, halfway off the bed and halfway on the ground, was Mingqing, face-down, ass-up, and limbs-splayed like a starfish. Craning her head up, Mingqing pushed her hair out of her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine... just tired. Don¡¯t mind me...¡±

    ¡°Al... right, then,¡± Songmei shut the door with her eyebrows furrowed. She¡¯d just take a seat outside the door here and wait while Mingqing figured out that situation herself.

    -------

    A solid fifteen minutes later. Time that Songmei spent just browsing the news and sorting through her messages, Mingqing emerged from the bedroom, changed into casual clothes. Eyes awake, hair in the claw clip as usual, Mingqing did some stretches in the doorway before wandering off to the bathroom.

    Songmei wondered if those stretches were really necessary...

    Did Mingqing really need to stretch and lift her shirt up right in front of her? That felt... playful for some reason.

    Maybe Songmei was just reading too much into it. Maybe all the cuddling had rotted her brain...

    ¡°Wait for me by the door! I¡¯ll be out in a second!¡± Mingqing called out from the bathroom, her voice partially obscured by the ajar door. ¡°We gotta hurry since breakfast will stop being offered soon!¡±

    Pushing herself up off the chair, Songmei didn¡¯t care too much. Her soup was going to be offered no matter the time, so if they were late... that was Mingqing¡¯s loss¡ªand maybe the croissant¡¯s gain.

    ¡°Want me to go down first and get you a croissant?¡± Songmei answered as she sat by the doorway and put on her shoes. ¡°I can get us a table too while I¡¯m there if you want!¡±

    With the sound of water splashing being the only indication that Mingqing hadn¡¯t drowned yet¡ªit sadly didn¡¯t rule out the possibility that she was currently drowning¡ªSongmei sat there for a few seconds before opening her mouth to repeat her question.

    As she did the weird hand-raise thing to raise her voice (because that was something that was definitely correlated), Songmei was interrupted by a breathless Mingqing who sounded like she had just swum through an underground water tunnel. ¡°Yeah! Sounds good, just go! Get me two please, I¡¯m literally starving over here!¡±

    Giving a quick affirming reply, Songmei pulled the door open and wandered out.

    It felt... foreign. It was rare that she left the apartment without Mingqing. Out of the two of them, she was the lazy and introverted one. That meant, anytime there was a late-night run to the convenience store downstairs, it was either the both of them, or Mingqing alone...

    More than that, it was weird to leave their room close to 10:30 am. They were usually in their room all day, or out at the asscrack of dawn¡ªno in-between sadly.

    Making her way to the elevator, Songmei wandered her way in after waiting for a few seconds. Leaning against the railing and the glass wall as it began to glide downward, she let out a long exhale while gazing out at the empty streets.

    Wandering around alone... just like back then.

 89: To Confess Or To Not Confess, Theres No Point In Wondering

    Yan Mingqing had a problem. Well, calling it a problem would be an overstatement, so maybe just a dilemma.

    Unlike what Lin Songmei believed, Mingqing was well-aware that Songmei had nothing close to a poker face. Emotions and thoughts were splashed across Songmei¡¯s face like an abstract artist splattering paint on a canvas.

    Because of that, and the fact that Mingqing was actually not as dense as a brick wall, she had been pretty sure that Songmei liked her.

    Like ninety percent...

    Then, unlike what Songmei believed, Mingqing found out that Songmei, in fact, did sleep talk on occasion. It wasn¡¯t unexpected, of course, Mingqing remembered reading somewhere that something like sixty percent of people sleep talk at some point in their lives.

    Songmei wasn¡¯t a serial sleep talker either, Mingqing had slept with her¡ªnot like that¡ªmore than a few times. But through this sleep talking, Mingqing had more or less confirmed her suspicions.

    There wasn¡¯t a, ¡°Oh my god, I love Mingqing so much, she¡¯s so sexy. I wish she could hug me all day and be my girlfriend,¡± but there were still enough random murmurings about wanting to stay together forever that Mingqing could get the general gist of it.

    But now that she knew Songmei had a crush on her, Mingqing didn¡¯t know what to do. She liked Songmei back, of course¡ªhow could she not like that cutie¡ªbut Mingqing was more sure that Songmei wouldn¡¯t make a move than her family staying at the top of the cultivation food chain.

    Just to put that into context, last time Mingqing checked, her family was a dynastic power that lorded on top of the cultivation world with a few other families.

    So what was she supposed to do?

    Letting out a sigh, Mingqing decided to just keep splashing her face with water. She¡¯d think about it later, breakfast was the more urgent priority¡ªbecause without food, what was she? A Kunpeng on its way towards malnourishment?

    ---------

    Eating breakfast with Mingqing, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was off. There wasn¡¯t much of note, they sat down at their usual corner table, gazed out the window, did a little morning napkin drawing, blazed through their food, before leaving to go to the training hall (all while making some light conversation).

    Yet, the whole time, Songmei felt... a little weird. Maybe it was the fabled cultivator¡¯s intuition, maybe it was her heart, or maybe it was just her brain deciding it wanted to play some casual paranoia shenanigans.

    The classic!

    Walking down the street, hand-in-hand, with Mingqing, Songmei finally couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°What¡¯s up? I feel like... I feel like something¡¯s off. Is there anything you want to talk about?¡±

    With her voice shaking like how someone might shake before a presentation (aka so much that she thought there was no way it wasn¡¯t causing an earthquake, but that everyone else was saying that she looked so composed), Songmei cleared her throat as she mustered up the courage to add. ¡°Does it have anything to do with the ¡®love wondering¡¯ you were doing recently?¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Songmei hoped not...

    Well, Songmei hoped that this ¡°love wondering¡± was Mingqing wondering if she liked Songmei or not, but... that seemed a little like far-fetched dreaming.

    Of course, Songmei had no idea that she was actually quite close. Just that... Mingqing was wondering if Songmei liked her back, since Mingqing was already suffering from ambiguous-love-at-first-sight-turned-into-massive-crush syndrome.

    Cracking a warm smile (one that Songmei had now idea how few people had seen), Mingqing¡¯s eyes bent into crescents as she laughed. ¡°No, no, nothing really like that. I was just considering what type of things to do today. You know... training plans~¡±

    Her eyes squinting, Songmei felt her doubts climb her throat, but through a herculean effort, she pounded it back down. Mingqing¡¯s carefree response assuaged her worries and eased her feeling of... something-was-offness, so there was no point in asking anymore.

    ¡°So... what are your training plans, though?¡± Songmei asked, giving Mingqing¡¯s hands a squeeze. ¡°My goal is to open up my fifth meridian today, since I made decent progress this morning. But other than that, I don¡¯t really have any uhmm... I don¡¯t have any plans.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... if you¡¯re trying to break through today that means I gotta hurry myself up then,¡± Mingqing mused, stroking her chin with her other hand. ¡°I¡¯m practically ready to break through too... It might take me another few days, but I¡¯m close.¡±

    Pausing for a second, Mingqing¡¯s face shone as a grin surfaced. A little worried but still amused, Songmei suppressed a laugh as they passed through the double doors to the training facility.

    ¡°I was just thinking~ what if~ we did a~ duel~¡± Mingqing sang, waving to the receptionist while grabbing an ¡°In Use¡± placard off the wall. ¡°Also, preferably before you open your fifth meridian. I feel like I¡¯d just get whipped after you open your meridian.¡±

    ¡°Ahh... I mean, we¡¯ve done basic qi sparring, so it¡¯d be fun to do some actual sparring...¡± Songmei murmured, rocking her head side to side while mulling it over. ¡°It does sound kinda fun...¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it? We¡¯ll probably do some sparring tomorrow too, so might as well get some practice in today, yeah?¡± Mingqing nodded with energy beaming out of her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ve mostly been practicing and honing our techniques and fighting styles against wild beasts, but for the next few months I think we¡¯ll be stuck in the walls of Westriver, so some human practice might be good.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Songmei trailed off, pressing her lips into a thin line as they walked down the long hall to find an empty training room. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll do about the whole fighting people thing though...¡±

    Killing was a complicated subject in the cultivation world. In the ¡°normal¡± world, the non-cultivation side of things, killing was obviously frowned upon, but in the cultivation world that line blurred.

    Of course, it was disapproved, they were past the days where people just slapped each other to death¡ªdeath by skull explosion after getting slapped was never fun.

    But what about battles between cultivators and non-cultivators, or instances that really got heated. Cultivators had the power to explode mountains, not to mention each other, so even the smallest thing that went wrong could devolve into a brawl that decimated provinces...

    Just look back to the crater in the middle of the Westriver plateau...

    Songmei hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to kill someone. She didn¡¯t mind killing non-sentient spiritual beasts, but otherwise... she just felt a bit of a moral quandary when presented with the option. There were plenty of other solutions these days, there were legal systems for heaven¡¯s sake!

    Legal system¡¯s were great.

    Except for when cultivators got to the level that they could just pummel the legal system itself...

    At least it was semi-regulated, semi-maintained, and semi-backed by the dynastic cultivation families...

 90: Last Minute... Cramming? Cultivating? Before The Duel

    The training facility they had gone to was sleek. Although its exterior blended into the rest of the city¡¯s skyline, the facility itself was quite unique. Not that many stories tall, the facility instead extended deep underground.

    The outside was the classic... metropolitan style. Lin Songmei didn¡¯t know how to describe it, but it was just a normal looking building. The interiors, on the other hand, were a shiny steel in many areas, with potted plants providing color and life while futuristic light bars provided light.

    Using the facility was free too! For normal people, they could use the gym area for working out, or use one of the training fields to host an event or something. Then, for cultivators, it was just a free training area that they could practice their techniques in.

    Funded by the city, Songmei was perplexed with why and how they were doing it when she first found out. However, a quick search on her terminal gave her some... enlightening insight.

    Getting taxed to hell and back, the sects that were adamant in staying in the city instead began to give some ¡°kind words¡± to the upper administration that ran Westriver, ¡°urging them kindly¡± to construct this facility using their tax money.

    Very enlightening. Songmei was so glad this training facility was sponsored out of the goodwill and kind hearts of the people who ran Westriver!

    ¡°This one works doesn¡¯t it?¡± Yan Mingqing pointed out with a surprised eyebrow raise, disturbing the silence as they walked down the hall. ¡°It says unoccupied, after all.¡±

    ¡°Ah... yeah, sounds good.¡± Freezing up, Songmei didn¡¯t really know what to say, if it said unoccupied then that¡¯s what they were looking for¡ªthere wasn¡¯t much more to it. At least they were lucky, this place was more than jam packed usually.

    With the doors sliding closed behind them, Songmei let out a long sight while flopping to the ground. It wasn¡¯t metal (to everyone who had nervous system¡¯s gratitude), but dirt, a sorta hard but pale dirt that could also could be considered dust if it blew up into the air.

    Songmei¡¯s description game was really off these past few days. It was about as fluid as a river that had five dams built along it.

    ¡°What do you want to do first?¡± Songmei leaned back, looking up at Mingqing who was standing behind her looking down. ¡°I lost motivation to stand up sorry...¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Mingqing laughed, reaching down to boop Songmei on the nose, ¡°I assumed so after seeing your legs practically give out beneath you. Literally half a second after the doors closed too.¡±

    Pinching Songmei¡¯s nose, Mingqing then shrugged, ¡°Want to just do some silent cultivating, then when you¡¯re close to breaking through we can do our~ little~ duel~?¡±

    Giving Mingqing a squint for pinching her nose, Songmei tried to suppress a laugh as Mingqing did her little sing-song duel routine. Her attempt at suppression resulting in a half-cough half-giggle, Songmei tried to reach up to pinch Mingqing¡¯s nose. ¡°Sounds good, we can do our~ little~ duel~ after a little cultivating then~. Just before lunch, how~ does~ that~ sound~?¡±

    Walking off after leaning down to touch her nose to Songmei¡¯s outstretched hand, Mingqing pulled her sword out of her spatial storage ring before sitting on the ground across from Songmei, her sword horizontal across her legs.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ----------

    Anxious to get back into the zone she was in earlier, Songmei pushed herself to make progress. The world wouldn¡¯t wait for her to open her meridians, and even though she was blazing fast by all metrics, the world wouldn¡¯t wait¡ªshe felt like a person walking through thick goop, she could go so much faster... if there just weren¡¯t this weird stuff holding her back.

    A few hours passed before she knew it and Songmei felt herself getting within reaching distance¡ªor maybe like... five more steps, then bend down, then reach, kinda distance.

    Her eyes fluttering open, Songmei saw that Mingqing was across the medium sized training room... hall... place, doing some sword forms with her eyes closed.

    With a white mist floating around and trailing behind Mingqing¡¯s sword, Songmei could see blue stars of various shades flickering and shining all within the mist.

    It was beautiful. Ephemeral sublimity even.

    Sure it helped that it was Mingqing, who Songmei had an increasing crush on day by day, but still!! Objectively beautiful! Citation? Unbiased source: Lin Songmei.

    Not wanting to disturb Mingqing for the time being, Songmei pushed herself to her feet, doing some stretches and pulling out her bow.

    She had a feeling that it wasn¡¯t going to go well, because, if anyone didn¡¯t know, fighting a sword-wielder one on one in close quarters is what people call a... a bad move. A fatal mistake even.

    But it was still going to be a good learning experience, Songmei felt like there was going to be a fair amount of close quarters fighting in her immediate future. That meant that any practice was welcome practice. Any chance she could spar was a welcome spar. Any ass beatings were welcome ass beatin...gs...

    That last one seemed a little off.

    Shaking her head to shake the bad thoughts away¡ªbecause that was definitely how that worked¡ªSongmei was gearing up to do some more waiting until Mingqing ended with a flourish, slashing her sword in an incomprehensible pattern and sheathing it with a click.

    Damn that was cool.

    Damn Mingqing was so cool.

    With Mingqing opening her eyes with a satisfied grin, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but give her a double-thumbs up and a nod as her eyebrows raised in respect.

    That was some swordplay she did not want to be on the other side of...

    Awh damn.

    Waving Mingqing over, Songmei offered out her water bottle as Mingqing pulled her shirt up to wipe her sweat.

    Averting her eyes, Songmei cursed Mingqing¡¯s abs with a burning passion as Mingqing took her water bottle to take a drink.

    Those abs were... chiseled? No that wasn¡¯t the word... Maybe well-defined...

    Anyhow, they needed to stay put under Mingqing¡¯s shirt. Songmei didn¡¯t know what was up but these past few days had been mentally stressful...

    She had realized she had a crush and then what??

    And then she just... she just lived life cuddling Mingqing all day?

    That wasn¡¯t good for brain function, or not flustered-ness.

    Damn attractive people!!!

    (Well, actually, Songmei didn¡¯t mind, who didn¡¯t appreciate the attractive people? It was just this attractive person was always in close proximity and seemed to just always be too attractive for smooth thinking.)

    Clearing her throat as Mingqing returned the water bottle, Songmei put on a great poker face¡ªone of those super stable ones, like those dams built on top of water soluble sediment¡ªwhile patting her bow. ¡°Duel~ time~? Then lunch~ time~? How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a great plan,¡± Mingqing shook her head, unable to keep the grin off her face seeing Songmei copying her little tune. ¡°Want to warm up? Or nah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good, I¡¯m about as warm as I¡¯ll ever be, it¡¯s only cooling down from here.¡±

 91: Lips Sure Are Soft

    Bow in hand, Lin Songmei stood across the training room from Yan Mingqing. The training room was a decent size, maybe the size of a sports court, but Songmei felt that this was... way too small.

    Songmei had already fought side-by-side with Mingqing, she knew about the monstrous body strengthening technique Mingqing hid up her sleeve. It was like a person bringing a bomb to a knife fight, way overboard and unfair¡ªwell Mingqing was using a dull practice sword for this, so maybe it was just bringing a gun to a fist fight.

    Of course, Songmei had some techniques of her own, Songmei had both a movement and a body strengthening technique. To the disappointment of all the meridians in Songmei¡¯s body though, the efficiency and the actual effect of her own body strengthening technique was much worse than Mingqing¡¯s.

    And the movement technique just made her move quicker¡ªno times five strength, times three speed, times six brain power, times a bazillion whatever bs that Mingqing¡¯s did.

    Sword cultivators, why did they have to adopt a ¡°hit first, think later¡± philosophy?

    ¡°You ready?¡± Songmei called out, patting the quiver of practice arrows slung to her waist. While she herself was certainly not ready, it was now or never.

    Seeing Mingqing shake her head and call out, ¡°one sec¡± Songmei began to gather Qi in her feet while taking a few deep breaths.

    Gathering Qi in her feet, Songmei motioned towards Mingqing, shouting, ¡°Whenever you want!¡±

    With her words not even fully out of her mouth, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened as Mingqing leapt forward, her sword outstretched.

    Songmei swore Mingqing had been a lot further not even half a second ago.

    Disappearing from her spot, leaving only a few iridescent butterflies in her place, Songmei watched as the space she was previously in was uh... dismembered by a sword slash.

    Keeping herself moving and leaving Qi butterflies in her wake, Songmei pulled her bow back, creating a crystalline arrow.

    Songmei was going to be honest, she had no idea where to shoot it.

    With monsters, it was easy, it was just shooting the eye or the leg, or something like that.

    But with Mingqing?

    Was she supposed to shoot the ground and make Mingqing slip? Was she supposed to try to hit Mingqing? With that monster body enhancement technique that definitely needed a nerf, Songmei was almost one-hundred percent sure that the arrow she let fly would just get cut in half.

    Letting the arrow fly as she continued to just run away from Mingqing, Songmei kept herself moving¡ªthere was nothing else she could do after all.

    Thwang. Thwang.

    Watching her arrows get eviscerated by Mingqing¡¯s sword into the next dimension, Songmei was at a little bit of a loss.

    How was she supposed to win...

    As of now, the situation was just her leading Mingqing around the room in circles while Mingqing let out a barrage of sword attacks that Songmei wished she could stay far, far away from.

    Having practiced with Mingqing so much, Songmei could tell that Mingqing wasn¡¯t using any of the sword moves from Taurus; instead, she was just cycling through the four stars of Aries.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Songmei dreaded the day Mingqing got to a cultivation level high enough to have long-ranged attacks as disgusting as her short-ranged ones. Of course, by then, Songmei herself would have some short-ranged attacks too, but the margin of victory would probably be worse than it was now considering the plans Songmei had to learn how to do some healing.

    Their party definitely didn¡¯t need more attack, they had that in the bag. They had Youhong, who was... an assassin? Something like that. Mr. ¡°Descent of the Moon¡± Youhong who just zipped around like Songmei, but left a trail of headless bodies behind him.

    Then, there was, of course, Mingqing, Miss literal bulldozer that could plow through a crowd of enemies. And now, they had added Mr. ¡°Chosen by the Sun, Sun God¡¯s Descent¡± or whatever who just pounded the crap out of the enemies with a smile as bright as the sun.

    Really, their party at this point was just a ton of people who could hit other people really hard...

    At least it worked, it was the classic, ¡°if I punch you in the face first, but also do it so hard that I knock you out, I¡¯ll never get hit.¡±

    Making sure to continue moving (to the sadness of Songmei¡¯s legs), Songmei kept the barrage of arrows flowing.

    The battle at this point had just settled into a struggle of attrition. So, who was going to run out of Qi first?

    Well, probably Mingqing, that body enhancement technique burnt through Qi about as fast as Youhong burnt through lychee jelly.

    The problem was, Songmei sucked at this whole battle thing. It was going to take Mingqing at least an hour to burn through all her Qi¡ªthe girl had that fiendish Kunpeng Clan level Qi reserve after all.

    That meant Songmei was supposed to not make a mistake in running away for an hour???

    That already seemed unfeasible, time to buckle for a long run though...

    Interrupting her thoughts, Songmei could only hear a half-laughing half-growling Mingqing yell, ¡°Are you even going to fight? Or just run?¡±

    ¡°Just run!¡± Songmei yelled back with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m ready for a long one! Are you?¡±

    It seemed like hunger and the focus it got in the way of was going to be the deciding factor...

    ------

    Twenty minutes in.

    Songmei¡¯s legs were ON FIRE.

    Damn she was out of shape. Even with the body enhancement technique, running away at full speed for twenty minutes, at this point? Felt like she was stabbing a syringe of literal magma into her thighs.

    She swore, once she was done with this, she¡¯d up her cardio workouts.

    Her arms were tired, her feet were tired, her arrows were off track, and her steps were slower.

    She had been using her technique for so long at this point that more than a hundred iridescent butterflies seemed to fly around in the little training room of theirs¡ªand that with Mingqing chopping as many as she could in half.

    Dodging a sword stab, Songmei let out a long exhale as she pushed herself to move just that little bit faster. Mingqing was close, within sword¡¯s reach, which was... within defeat¡¯s reach for Songmei.

    Just... another... goddamn... FORTY MINUTES!

    Feeling a cramp seize up her leg, Songmei suppressed the urge to let out a stream of expletives as the walls swam and the ground came up to her face.

    Trying to push herself up, Songmei felt the ground next to her split open as a sword appeared beside her and Mingqing appeared above her, propping herself up with one hand against Songmei¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°You really had to make it that hard didn¡¯t you?¡± Mingqing asked, gasping for breath as she grinned, smug in her victory. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve just worked out enough for the next week.¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Songmei pushed out, the out-of-breathness hitting her like one of those freight trains that was carrying goods into Westriver right now. ¡°I had to put up some resistance, I can¡¯t just make it that easy for you.¡±

    ¡°You did good then,¡± Mingqing laughed, leaning down and touching her nose with Songmei¡¯s.

    With her breathing quickening because, hot damn was Mingqing close, and hot damn was Mingqing hot, Songmei shifted, embarrassment climbing onto her face as a pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. ¡°I reek of sweat... s-so no need to lean so close.¡±

    Pushing herself up just a little, Mingqing tilted her head with a grin, a little bit of calculation going on in her head as paused for a second.

    Her shoulder still being used by Mingqing to support herself, Songmei laid there, letting out a little cough as silence fell. ¡°W... What?¡±

    Leaning down with a smile, Mingqing gave Songmei a small kiss on the lips before pushing herself upright and pulling her sword out of the ground. ¡°I just think that you¡¯re cute and that you smell nice, so no need to say that.¡±

    W... What?

    What?!

 92: Awkwardness Simulator

    Yan Mingqing regretted all her life choices. What was she thinking?! What kind of stupid confidence did she have in that moment after winning that allowed her to do that?!

    Wanting to curl up in a corner and scream¡ªor die, that worked too¡ªMingqing stole a few glances towards Lin Songmei.

    Songmei was just kinda just laying there, frozen like a statue, taking shallow breaths. Her face too, was a shade of red Mingqing had never seen before, even after spending so much time together.

    It was too early to tell.

    Mingqing still hoped Songmei would have a positive reaction¡­ Was it a good red? Or an ¡°I¡¯m about to start crying¡± red? Or an ¡°I¡¯m about to report you¡± red?

    Of course, Mingqing wasn''t as dense as rock, so she was pretty sure Songmei liked her. HOWEVER, looking back, maybe a little more thought into if Songmei would be receptive to that type of rapid escalation would have helped.

    Just¡­ it was just Songmei was so damn cute! How was Mingqing supposed to resist?

    Well, probably with logic and reasoning and not being in love and also just being not dumb, but that was beside the point.

    Was she supposed to give Songmei a hug and apologize? Or maybe the hug would make it worse? Maybe a written apology, a bunch of money, and then a disappearance from her life?

    Pressing her face against the wall (it was a substitute for slamming it against the wall), Mingqing stood there, trying to fuse with it, or at least sink into it. Her brain was a soup, like the ones Songmei always drank, empty, hot, and steaming. Digging her fingers into her palm, Mingqing pressed her other hand against her chest, slowing her breathing.

    ---------

    Songmei¡¯s mind was a mess, a tornado, a hurricane, a typhoon, a whatever disaster there was to compare it with...

    What?!?!?!

    W-What... What just happened?

    Well she got kissed, no duh, but...

    It was Mingqing!!! More than that, it was Songmei¡¯s first!!!

    Songmei didn¡¯t know if Mingqing had dated anyone before, if she had to guess, it¡¯d either be a literal boatload because of the whole rich young miss situation, or it¡¯d be none because of the whole overbearing parents situation.

    That didn''t help the embarrassment at all but it was something to think about? ...But also, that kiss was so nice, like, like, like... real nice. And also, Mingqing¡¯s lips really were as soft as Songmei thought they¡¯d be...

    Ahem.

    Still splayed out on the ground, Songmei saw out of the corner of her eye that Mingqing was doing something (something Songmei had no idea about) over there in the corner. Patting her cheeks, Songmei grinned, her cheeks were still warm, but not as red as they were earlier, earlier her cheeks were probably as red as the blood Liu Xueli coughed up.

    Coughing, Songmei pushed herself up to sit. ¡°S-So... uhm... Mingqing? Uhh-¡±

    ¡°Yep, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Mingqing interrupted, before breaking out into rap. ¡°I should¡¯ve asked you, I should¡¯ve taken it slower, I-¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Watching Songmei¡¯s eyebrow¡¯s furrow, Mingqing paused, taking a deep breath. ¡°Sorry, it was just I like you, like, like like you, or just, I... I love you.¡±

    ¡°O... Oh...¡± Blinking and choking for a second, Songmei opened and closed her mouth a few times before waving her hands and stammering. ¡°W-Wait, wait, don¡¯t seem sad, I love you too!¡±

    Silence.

    Stumbling over and sitting down in front of Songmei, Mingqing let out a long exhale with an incredulous, ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°I mean... yeah, really,¡± Songmei nodded, a creep of pink appearing back on her cheeks, ¡°Like... a pretty bad crush...¡±

    A sigh and laugh of relief escaping her lips, Mingqing held Songmei¡¯s hands, giving them a squeeze. ¡°I knew, but... well I didn¡¯t know, but I thought I knew, and turns out I did know.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m understanding what you¡¯re saying but... then if you knew I liked you, since when have you liked me?¡± Songmei asked, giving Mingqing¡¯s hands a squeeze back. ¡°Like has it been a while? Or was it, like, a yesterday thing? Like earlier today you said you were pondering something about love, was it whether or not you had a crush?¡±

    Hearing Songmei¡¯s series of questions, Mingqing wanted to facepalm, but sadly her hands were too busy being held by Songmei (really, it was such a shame and Mingqing was so disappointed). ¡°I... I¡¯ve liked you since probably the first few days I got to the sect... how have you not noticed?¡±

    Panicked, Songmei¡¯s eyes popped open as she began to stammer, ¡°R-Really? Wait... really?? How... How did I not notice then? Wait what?! Really? You¡¯re not gaslighting me are you?¡±

    Laughing her head off, Mingqing gave Songmei¡¯s hands another squeeze while reassuring, ¡°Why would I be? You¡¯re cute, you¡¯re so cuteeeee. I¡¯m more surprised you never noticed, because I thought I took a while to notice... How long have you liked me?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Songmei trailed off, averting her eyes, ¡°I really realized, uhh... back when you were carrying me. It... It wasn¡¯t that long ago, remember when my eyes stopped working?¡±

    ¡°So... So.. So it¡¯s been like a little less than a week?¡± Mingqing asked, an incredulous grin on her face, ¡°I could¡¯ve sworn it was longer...¡±

    ¡°In my defense!¡± Songmei maintained with an awkward chuckle, ¡°I think I¡¯ve actually liked you for a while... I just didn¡¯t realize it was love. I thought it was just normal uhm... normal friendship. I haven¡¯t had many friends, you see.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Mingqing conceded, still jumping with joy on the inside seeing that things turned out well. ¡°Still though, gotta say, you really are dense. I realized within a week of you realizing, and you didn¡¯t realize until uhh... you got kissed.¡±

    Seeing Mingqing¡¯s teasing grin start to twitch at the corners of her mouth now that the situation was calming down, Songmei defended, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that you apparently have award-winning acting skills...¡±

    ¡°I really don¡¯t,¡± Mingqing shrugged, matching the squint that Songmei was giving her.

    ¡°... Anyway then,¡± Songmei changed the topic with an embarrassed cough, eliciting another chuckle from Mingqing, ¡°Just... for my own curiosity, how many people have you dated before? You don¡¯t have to answer, of course, if you don¡¯t want to.¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s none, so I don¡¯t really care,¡± Mingqing answered with a casual nod of the head. ¡°Parents are strict, that whole thing. I¡¯ve gotten close with several people, a couple guys, more than a couple girls, but I¡¯ve never dated any of them.¡±

    ¡°So...¡± Songmei began with an awkward look. ¡°What situation are we in then? I, of course, have no parents that I need to worry about, but uhh... What about you?¡±

    It was a little ironic to discuss the topic¡ªespecially considering the fact that they were sitting facing each other while holding each other¡¯s hands¡ªbut it was important. Mingqing¡¯s parents were more than just important people after all, they had the power to sway nations, to sway sects, and to sway the world in general.

    Well, they could also probably cause immense damage to those places as well, but that just bolsters the influence they hold.

    ¡®I influence you to do this otherwise I smash your face in¡¯ type of influence.

    ¡°Well... that certainly is a good question,¡± Mingqing mused with an awkward laugh. ¡°I mean I¡¯m open to just... start dating. Things are different now that I¡¯m in a sect and not living at home, learning from private tutors and stuff.¡±

    Feeling Mingqing¡¯s hands begin to clam up a bit, Songmei gave them a quiet squeeze. ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can always talk about it later, want to go get lunch first?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah... sure, yeah, that sounds good,¡± Mingqing murmured, a little bit of worry flitting across her face.

    Unlacing one of her hands and standing up, Songmei added, ¡°Also, just a random thought, what do we tell Xueli?¡±

 93: Plan Making and Calendar Filling

    In a restaurant, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing occupied a table tucked away in a corner alcove. With a few vines hanging down the entrance of their little alcove to obscure them, they sat on either ends of a table, making some light conversation while looking out of the window.

    ¡°We could just... not tell Xueli too, you know?¡± Songmei ventured with an awkward hand motion before offering it out to Mingqing with an embarrassed cough. ¡°She probably wouldn¡¯t care anyway, and it wouldn¡¯t be like we suddenly change what we do, so she might not even notice.¡±

    Placing her hand on top of Songmei¡¯s, Mingqing shrugged, at a loss of words. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. It doesn¡¯t matter if we tell her, does it? We could just not talk about it, but if she asks we could just be open about it. After all, there¡¯s no real need to lie.¡±

    ¡°True... yeah...¡± Songmei mused, flipping through the menu with her other hand. ¡°I guess uhhhm... uh-... What are you thinking about having? I was thinking about some salad... but with an extra order of double croutons. I¡¯m craving some croutons, not gonna lie, and Youhong mentioned once that this place has good croutons.¡±

    Finishing off her sentence with a nod, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but give herself a pat on the back. As always, only the smoothest of topic transitions. Unparalleled levels of conversation skills.

    Raising an eyebrow at the smooth transition, Mingqing gave Songmei¡¯s hand a squeeze before leaning over to take a look at the menu. ¡°I¡¯m honestly up for anything. Maybe the croissant sandwich? I know it¡¯s kinda a brunch item, but the croissant I had this morning wasn¡¯t that great, so I want to make it up with another croissant.¡±

    ¡°Croissant addict~¡± Songmei sang, sticking her tongue out while tapping on the small screen built into the table. ¡°You sure you want it, though? And if so uhh... which one do you want?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll just take the basic one,¡± Mingqing murmured before bolting up and stopping Songmei¡¯s hand before she could hit the ¡°confirm order¡± button. ¡°Actually, add an egg, I want an egg in that sandwich too! Also extra cheese too, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, It says it¡¯ll probably take ten-ish minutes.¡± Songmei laughed, adding the things to the order before confirming it and sending it off.

    The ordering system was impressive¡ªsadly it wasn¡¯t that common because restaurants valued tradition¡ªit was a screen built into the table and allowed the patrons to order just from their table. It worked especially well in this nature-themed cafe restaurant hybrid that had an air of seclusion to it. Of course, most restaurants didn¡¯t have it, to Songmei¡¯s chagrin, that meant having to talk and clarify when ordering.

    Her worst nightmare... socializing.

    Leaning back in her chair now that the order was done though, Songmei reached out towards Mingqing with her other hand and fluttered her fingers. ¡°So, other than kicking my ass in a spar, how¡¯s cultivating been?¡±

    ¡°Cultivating has been fine, a little annoying because I feel like my progress has been slow, making me fall a little behind you.¡± Mingqing admitted with a squint while puffing out her cheeks. ¡°Also, don¡¯t worry about that duel, that environment favored me a lot. It won¡¯t be until we get to higher realms where you start to get close range attacks, and where I get long range ones.¡±

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Yeah... I wish we could get to those higher realms fast, though¡± Songmei complained with a mutter. ¡°That¡¯s when things start to look cooler, and things become more fun.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s when things also become more dangerous too,¡± Mingqing reminded, patting Songmei¡¯s hand that she was already holding. ¡°But yeah, techniques are much more fun when they¡¯re stronger, I don¡¯t think anyone would disagree with that.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re also so much more flashy~¡± Songmei laughed, miming out a bow shot before clearing her throat and bringing the conversation back to its other topic. ¡°So do you think you¡¯re close to opening your fifth meridian or not? I mean it doesn¡¯t matter much either way.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m close, I¡¯m excruciatingly close, but also so damn far,¡± Mingqing lamented with a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s like being in a desert, but seeing a massive frozen tundra in the not-so-far distance. But then also, for some reason, the sand in the desert isn¡¯t actually sand, but actually some sand-monster that is constantly trying to yank you away.¡±

    Th... that certainly was an analogy. Freezing in place as Mingqing extolled her experiences with exasperated hand motions, Songmei nodded along, interjecting where she could with small comments offering her condolences. Along with it, Songmei continued to give Manning''s hand a long gentle squeeze as she vented.

    With her little, light-hearted rant coming to a rapid close, Mingqing let out a relaxed ¡°whew¡± before leaning back into her chair, matching Songmei.

    Gazing out the window together, Songmei and Mingqing sat there in a bit of comfortable silence¡ªcomfortable for all but their arms, which were now stretched over the table to keep their hands connected as they leaned back in their chairs.

    With their plates being dropped off in a flash (by either a person or a machine, it was something too fast for Songmei to see), Songmei and Mingqing both gave each other a long look, letting out a long sigh before pulling each other up.

    ¡°Does it look good? Does it live up to your croissant expectations?¡± Songmei raised an eyebrow, poking at the sandwich with a fork. ¡°Wait woah... it¡¯s like... crispy, crumbly, flaky, light? But really, that¡¯s a nice croissant.¡±

    ¡°It is... It does look splendid actually, much better than I honestly expected,¡± Mingqing agreed, picking it up and inspecting it all over before taking a bite out of it.

    Chowing down on her own salad, Songmei savored the satisfying crunch of the crouton breaking apart while eyeing her salad. It was a little subpar in both looks and taste if Songmei was to be honest¡ªshe was never really a salad person anyway, feeling rather more aligned with team soup.

    As silence began to fall while they enjoyed their food, Songmei broke it after a moment. ¡°So... wait... wait a second.¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Mingqing looked up from her croissant, holding it in her mouth midbite.

    ¡°It¡¯s just starting to register,¡± Songmei trailed off, her fork drifting back down to the table. ¡°We¡¯re like... we¡¯re like girlfriends now, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Mingqing nodded with an almost giddy grin, continuing to devour her croissant sandwich.

    ¡°But... wait...¡± Songmei asked, a little flusteredness entering her voice. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we like... go on a date then?¡±

    Pausing, Mingqing set down her sandwich and stroked her chin a few times before nodding, ¡°Yeah, we probably... probably should do that, when though?¡±

    ¡°I mean, we¡¯re meeting with Youhong and Taigang tomorrow, right? But that¡¯s like morning, lunch.... Maybe early afternoon? So what about after that?¡± Songmei asked, an apologetic look appearing with the late scheduling.

    ¡°It¡¯s kinda abrupt, but it wasn¡¯t like I, or us two in general, had other plans so... sure! Sounds like a plan, I¡¯ll uhh... uhh... block my calendar? I don¡¯t use a calendar...¡±

 94: The Pain of Scheduled Events

    Following lunch and a short conversation planning out their upcoming date, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing¡¯s day fell back to relative peacefulness and relative mundaneness. Spending the rest of their day cultivating, both of them managed to make good progress. Songmei, in particular, managed to open her fifth meridian around four in the afternoon.

    That meant too though, that the rest of her day was then spent doing the most mind-numbing work possible, basic technique practice to get used to her new Qi reserve and smoother Qi flow. It just felt like a lot of extra work and a lot of extra exercise¡ªeven though Songmei knew that it was important and would help a lot.

    Now, it was the next morning, the crack of dawn, or as Songmei felt was appropriate to call it: the ass crack of dawn. This was just something that she had seen on those forums or whatever, but ever since it had been burnt into her memory.

    It wasn¡¯t that bad though, Songmei had slept like a log after spending the night with Mingqing. They didn¡¯t do anything radically different, but now, knowing that there were indeed feelings and that they were dating, the cuddling had become a little more a little more direct, a little more common, and a little more... intimate?

    That sounded wrong again...

    Sleeping too¡ªalthough comfortable as always¡ªwas even more wondrous! Songmei could cuddle as much as she wanted, attach herself as aggressively as possible, all without fear of judgment!! It was great, Songmei could now live out her koala dreams, both in dreamland and in physical land.

    Getting dragged out of bed with¡ªand by¡ªMingqing to the bathroom, Songmei brushed her teeth while Mingqing showered. Spitting her toothpaste out, Songmei cleared her throat as she croaked, ¡°good morning, how did you sleep?¡± over the sound of the shower running.

    Shocked by how low her voice was in the morning, Songmei kept brushing her teeth as Mingqing called back, ¡°I slept well, how did you sleep? And also, good morning to you too!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that much time, a little less than usual, but it was still heavenly,¡± Songmei nodded, pulling out a small towel to wash her face. ¡°How about you?¡±

    Freezing, Songmei smothered her face with the towel while letting out a quiet, embarrassed scream. ¡°Sorry, I literally just said that...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mingqing answered with a light-hearted laugh, ¡°You¡¯re cute as always, love.¡±

    ¡°L-Love?!¡± Songmei choked, almost dropping her towel on the floor. ¡°I... I¡¯m still not used to that sorry, but I mean, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s not nice it¡¯s u... uhm... it¡¯s nice yeah... l-love.¡±

    Songmei herself never really had been one to use pet names¡ªthough, she didn¡¯t mind them, of course¡ªbut after confessing to Mingqing, Songmei hadn¡¯t been prepared for the onslaught of pet names that Mingqing began throwing at her.

    Some were out of... erm... love, some were just for a reaction, but, no matter what, they all did make Songmei want to curl up and hide. It was just an alien language that Songmei didn¡¯t know how to speak.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    She had been pretty decent at learning language back in school, but the language of love? Songmei was about as experienced as a dead fish on rocky shores...

    ---------

    Finishing up her morning routine, having taken a shower after Mingqing, then changed, then shared a small (embarrassing) kiss with Mingqing before leaving, the two of them ate breakfast before leaving their apartment once more, making their way back to the ever-familiar training center. Ambling through the streets now quiet after the morning rush was over, Songmei and Mingqing tried to get in contact with Han Youhong and Wang Taigang, their training buddies for the day, and their party mates for the foreseeable future.

    ¡°Have Youhong and Taigang even woken up yet?¡± Mingqing asked with a skeptical murmur as she laced her fingers with Songmei¡¯s. ¡°Knowing both of them they should¡¯ve, but they haven¡¯t responded to anything...¡±

    ¡°Believe in them, they¡¯re probably awake,¡± Songmei reassured with a small hand squeeze. ¡°Taigang is probably the most reliable person in our party, and Youhong values friends almost as much as he values lychee jelly.¡±

    ¡°What if Youhong was offered a crate of lychee jelly to come late, though?¡± Mingqing countered with a teasing smile, ¡°You think he would take it?¡±

    ¡°... Probably...¡± Songmei sighed, shaking her head before giving Mingqing a squint. ¡°Wait how does this have to do with anything? Aren¡¯t we just trying to see if they¡¯re there already, or not?¡±

    Whistling and looking away, Mingqing hummed a quiet, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡± before clarifying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, it was just a hypothetical, I already asked them¡± with a teasing laugh and eyebrow wiggle.

    Not expecting the flirtatious wink at the end of that, Songmei froze for a second, opening her mouth a few times before getting dragged out of the middle of the street by Mingqing. Blinking her brain back into function, Songmei coughed. ¡°So... So... Uhm... Do you want to try and find a training room first or wait in the lobby?¡±

    Seeing Songmei¡¯s valiant effort to change the topic, Mingqing flashed Songmei another few blinks and blew her a kiss before answering a buzzing terminal to reveal Taigang¡¯s sweaty faces.

    [Hey, hey! Good morning!] Taigang greeted with his characteristic bright, perfect disciple smile. [Sorry about not responding earlier, Youhong and I were sparring. We have a room on the first level down, all the way down the hall on the left.]

    Turning and looking away, Taigang called out a bored Youhong who was drowning himself in water in the corner of the screen that Mingqing and Songmei could see.

    [Youhong! Could you check the room number?]

    An okay sign being flashed, Youhong peeked his head out of the room, inhaling a lychee jelly while craning his neck to find the room number.

    With a distant ¡°Room 1-22¡± being called out by Youhong, Songmei gave a thumbs up while Mingqing gave a short ¡°got it¡± before hanging up.

    As their legs sped up as with their footsteps matching, Songmei and Mingqing had a short conversation about how traffic lights were an annoying innovation as they walked into the training center, nodding and waving to the receptionist before taking the elevator down to the first underground floor.

    ¡°Damn, they really beat us,¡± Mingqing laughed, waiting for the elevator to arrive. ¡°There¡¯s still half an hour... no, fifteen minutes, until our appointed meeting time, how did they manage to beat us?¡±

    ¡°I know...¡± Songmei murmured while walking into the elevator before giving Mingqing a hug. ¡°Well, it¡¯s kinda understandable with the spar, but both of them aren¡¯t really early morning people. During our plant... observing... excursion, we were always the ones awake in the morning.¡±

    ¡°Crazy stuff...¡± Mingqing agreed, returning Songmei¡¯s hug. ¡°We gotta ask them how the duel went, though. Any bets on who won?¡±

    ¡°Taigang.¡±

    ¡°... Yeah, that seems about right.¡±

 95: The Unfairness of Body Strengthening Techniques

    With the double doors sliding open to let Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing in, Han Youhong and Wang Taigang stood up, waving them over and welcoming them into the larger training room.

    The room was a little larger than the one Songmei and Mingqing had dueled in the day before. Big enough to the point where the left side had a small resting area. A spotless, gleaming, metal  table, couple of cushioned chairs, and some warm lights¡ªfancy stuff really.

    Watching Youhong wipe his sweat with one hand and eat some jelly with the other, Songmei raised an eyebrow while giving a wave, Youhong was really consistent as always. ¡°Good morning you two, how have both of your mornings been?¡±

    ¡°Pretty ass,¡± Youhong grumbled, pulverizing another two lychee jellies in short succession. ¡°I almost beat Taigang in our duel. Instead, I got a blazing fist to the stomach.¡±

    ¡°My morning, on the other hand, has been pretty good,¡± Taigang laughed as he stretched to keep himself loose. ¡°I almost took a sparring blade to the neck, but managed to sock the hell out of my dark assailant with a sun fist.¡±

    ¡°Fun...¡± Songmei nodded with a chuckle while shaking her head, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? Are we just gonna talk about random stuff? Or uh... I don¡¯t know. We¡¯re a team now, yeah? So what do we have to do? And also what are our future plans?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Mingqing called out from the rest area, having set down some drinks. ¡°I didn¡¯t mention this while we were walking over, so I¡¯ll just say it now to all of you. I was thinking we start by talking about our techniques, do some spars, then we can talk about future plans. Also, sometime in the middle we can order some food.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan,¡± Taigang agreed, pushing himself off the ground. ¡°Want us to demonstrate our techniques while we do it or just verbally describe them?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s do both, no point in not doing both,¡± Youhong shrugged in, his mild grudge being assuaged by the copious amounts of lychee jelly. ¡°Not like anyone here is lacking in Qi, we¡¯re all four meridian cultivators after only a couple months of cultivating.¡±

    That was true, even if Songmei hated some of the more annoying parts of cultivating, it had really only been a couple months. As a quartet, their progress was really blood-vomit worthy. Heaven-defying even.

    Well, also, no point in mentioning that she had already opened up her fifth meridian... that could be a fun thing to surprise Taigang and Youhong with later.

    ... Songmei, for one, was looking forward to it, she could smell the saltiness already¡ªalong with the uncountable number of lychee jellies about to be slaughtered by Youhong.

    ¡°I''ll start us off then,¡± Taigang offered, doing some light squats and walking to the center of the tan colored training area. ¡°Because I cultivate an extreme-yang, heliocentric art, my main technique is just infusing my body parts with yang-energy. Once I get to a higher realm, I¡¯ll be able to apply it to my entire body all at once, but for now, just a limb at max.¡±

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Clenching his fist, a blinding golden light began to radiate from inside Taigang¡¯s hand as his skin seemed to become a metallic gold. ¡°While using this technique, I get a boost in strength, so it functions as a second body strengthening technique. Additionally, it ups my durability, which also does make my hits hit harder.¡±

    Of course, another person with some monstrous body strengthening. What kind of cultivation arts are being peddled around these days?? Songmei herself had an above-average body strengthening technique; yet, compared to Mingqing and Taigang, her technique might as well have been a hamster equipping itself with a toothpick to go against another hamster equipping itself with a MK900 electromagnetic nuclear plasma blast-railgun.

    Mingqing had her bs technique that Songmei felt was times TEN strength, times TEN speed, for what was apparently no Qi. Now, as Taigang explained the specifics of his main body strengthening technique combined with the bonus his yang-energy strengthening gave, Songmei wanted to just... curl up.

    She really needed to find some mega-ultra speed boost techniques to run away from these people during duels...

    ¡°Sadly, because of the way my art is structured,¡± Taigang lamented with a shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t have many other techniques at the moment. I do have some light fire ones, but at my current level, they don¡¯t go far beyond the level of a lighter. In the future, I will be able to match up to most fire cultivators though with balls of sunfire.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re going to start throwing balls of literal sun at people?¡± Youhong asked with a light laugh that seemed to hold a touch of incredulity.

    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Taigang agreed, spreading his arms out wide while letting the yang-energy diffuse its way out of his arms. ¡°I¡¯m going to be honest though, my current fighting capability is on the lower end. Only after passing through the opening meridians stage will it really start to show its true worth.¡±

    Finishing his very short explanation of his techniques, Taigang sat down at the table, grabbing one of the drinks Mingqing had set out with a small thank you.

    Getting tagged to go next, Youhong brushed his loose black hair out from in front of his face. Blinking his red eyes to alertness, Youhong couldn¡¯t help but mutter, ¡°¡®my fighting capability is on the lower end¡¯ my ass,¡± just loud enough for everyone else to hear.

    With a few light stomps to get some dust off his shoes, Youhong pulled out his two chainblades, twirling them a little before handing them over to the others to take a look. Gleaming under the bright lights of the training room, Mingqing, Songmei, and Taigang all held them with light hands, careful fingers, and wide eyes.

    They were really maintained well, the metal that made up the blades had a faint blue-silver hue, the handles were jet-black with some red-highlights, and the chain that connected the two blades was thin to an almost invisible degree.

    ¡°That¡¯s my main weapon, don¡¯t cut yourself on it, since it has properties that keep a wound open for longer.¡± Youhong explained, gathering Qi in his hands. ¡°As you can see, though I cultivate selenocentric art, my Qi is a smoke-ish black.¡±

    Playing with the wispy Qi, Youhong shrugged, guiding it to float around. ¡°To be perfectly honest, not totally sure why it''s like that, but I think it might be because I cultivate stealth related things? My master knows, but since he¡¯s decided to be annoying, he just prances around and tells me to ~figure it out myself~¡±

    Seeing Youhong emulate his own master to an almost uncanny degree, Songmei and Mingqing couldn¡¯t help but turn away and bite their lips, suppressing the urge to laugh while Taigang just broke down laughing outright.

    His fist clenched, pulling the Qi back into his body, Youhong took the chain blades back before letting out a long sigh. ¡°Prepare for a long one, because unlike Taigang, the list of moves I have goes on... for a while.¡±

 96: Welcome to the Furniture Store of Fighting Moves

    Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Wang Taigang could only use one word to describe Han Youhong¡¯s moveset and memory: freakish.

    Chaining together a series of moves that seemed straight out of a video game, Youhong ended off his short combo with a new matrix of lacerations on the ground. With flashing crescent slashes, blades appearing from more angles than what seemed possible, and a perpetual haze that obscured the opponent¡¯s vision, Songmei was again... feeling like it was a little unfair.

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to detail every single one of my moves,¡± Youhong shrugged, giving a light wave, ¡°That¡¯d just take too long, because I think by now I¡¯m somewhere into the forties in terms of number of moves.¡±

    Doing some stretches, Youhong went on to explain that ¡°I¡¯ll just show you all the most important moves. The ones that were iterated upon for my own self-made moves.¡±

    Closing his eyes, Youhong¡¯s body flickered, appearing in a new position a short distance from his original distance. ¡°So this is one of my most foundational techniques. When choosing to cultivate the Yin-Blessed Crescent Moon Art, Flickering Phase Change. From its name, it¡¯s pretty easy to tell what type of technique it is. It¡¯s just a short range teleport. Because it bends through space though, it¡¯s got a monster Qi usage rate.¡±

    Snapping his fingers and appearing in different places every time, Youhong shrugged, ¡°What makes it usable, I guess, though, is that the more times I chain it, the less Qi it takes. That, along with my naturally large amount of Qi reserves makes it a technique worth cultivating upon.¡±

    So... What Songmei gathered was that Youhong could just... teleport. Very fair. Very, very fair. Totally.

    She was just over here shooting little arrows!! Tink, tink, hear that? That was the sound of her arrows bouncing off of literally everything!

    ¡°Because of the unpredictability that the teleport provides, when I combine it with my body enhancement technique, my attack style becomes one of the harder ones to anticipate and react to.¡± Youhong articulated, swinging his blades around. ¡°My body enhancement technique, Lunar Grace, although not as broken as Mingqing¡¯s or Taigang¡¯s, is still pretty good. There isn¡¯t much of a strength enhancement, but because of that, there¡¯s a gargantuan speed enhancement.¡±

    Flitting around the training area, Youhong was fast enough to the point that an onlooker might think they were seeing things or having a hallucinatory episode. Almost being afterimages, Songmei thought maybe they could be called after-mushrooms or something.

    ¡°Alright, now for my main fighting techniques, there¡¯s just Descent of the Full Moon, Crescent Slash, Allure of the Night, and Midnight¡¯s End.¡± Youhong listed, pausing his chain of teleports, his hair coming to a blowing stop¡ªlike a true movie protagonist if Songmei had to say so herself. ¡°I¡¯ll just demonstrate them one by one, since it''s harder to describe it using words than just showing you all.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Taking a deep breath, Youhong first teleported once, appearing in the air this time, his legs bent, chainblades crossed in front of him. As his hands infused Qi into his blades, Youhong let out a sharp exhale as an array of Qi slices began to appear in front of him, all silvery-white with a touch of yellow.

    Each slash adding to the next, the array was completed in what barely felt like a second, becoming a seamless white moon in front of Youhong, one that was then blasted forward, leaving a circle of scars in the ground before him.

    Another teleport later, Youhong then twirled his chainblades around him, letting out a storm of long Qi slashes that flew forward in the shape of crescents, smashing, then disappearing against the far wall.

    Appearing again in a different area, Youhong threw his blades forward, curling their arcs with his Qi to wrap around an invisible target a decent distance away. Yanking the chain back towards himself, the blades then shot back to him, dragging the poor... air with them, before he caught the blades and teleported away again.

    Now in the center of the training area, Youhong channeled an ungodly amount of Qi into his blades, slashing in them in an X-shape before using the momentum to throw himself into some-sort of body twist or somersault to then bring the blades together and throw them both down in a straight line, sinking firm into the ground.

    A little breathless after the demonstration, the six-pointed star Qi star that remained after the last attack dissipated into small star-like sparkles as Mingqing, Songmei, and Taigang all let out some claps.

    ¡°To give some explanation now,¡± Youhong gasped for breath, supporting himself on his knees as his chainblades sat in the ground, ¡°I did them in the order that I first listed them, so first it was Descent of the Full Moon. This and the last one, Midnight¡¯s End, are both different finishers. Descent of the Full Moon usually works better against non-humanoid, larger things, while Midnight¡¯s End is definitely one against Humans. All of my attacks are infused with my Qi, that¡¯s why for the most part they seem like energy blasts and actually stay in the air for a while.¡±

    Youhong, needing to pull his blades out of the ground, explained, ¡°Descent of the Full Moon, when completed in the air, looks like a... a full moon. I don¡¯t know why I just said that, but after it gets blasted forward, it then expands, and the slashes separate again.¡±

    Storing his ornate chainblades away, Youhong¡¯s hands were then filled once more with lychee jelly as he walked back over. ¡°Crescent slash is a ranged attack. It¡¯s also an instant activation attack unlike the finishers that I can just keep using until I burn through all my Qi if need be. Allure of the Night, on the other hand, is a ranged attack that just pulls my opponent in. Any questions?¡±

    Songmei was just... impressed. If her jaw wasn¡¯t connected to her with ligaments and tendons, songmei was sure that her jaw would¡¯ve been on the ground by now.

    ¡°How... Did you lose against One-Technique-Taigang?¡± Mingqing asked, her eyebrows raised as bewilderment seeped into her question.

    With both Taigang and Youhong choking and coughing after Mingqing stabbed them both, Songmei looked away, covering her mouth with her hand and letting out a quiet ¡°Ohhh... damn...¡±

    Taigang, out of the two of them though, recovered faster, shaking his head, having nothing to say. ¡°It¡¯s true, as of now, I really do only have one unique technique, my Sun¡¯s Blessing. Well, that, along with a body enhancement technique.¡±

    ¡°Well, for me...¡± Youhong sighed, taking a seat, ¡°My techniques, though they are really flashy and seem to cover all the bases, have a weakness against pure brute force, which happens to be what Taigang has. His sheer amount of Qi in his punches just blasts through my techniques, so there isn¡¯t too much I can do against him. Anyway, just because of that, I¡¯ll choose you to go now, Mingqing.¡±

 97: Rich People Always Have the Best Techniques

    At the current moment, Yan Mingqing was probably the one who had the most direct attack power. She had a decent balance between powerful and numerous techniques. Mingqing could cover most bases like Han Youhong, while also being powerful like Wang Taigang. Lin Songmei didn¡¯t really need to be mentioned¡ªher cultivation branch was going to eventually walk down the path of being more support-oriented.

    Giving Songmei¡¯s hand a squeeze before walking to the center of the scarred training ground, Mingqing waited for Youhong to settle in before pulling out her own fancy weapon.

    ¡°So this is my own sword, it¡¯s been with me since I¡¯ve been a child,¡± Mingqing began, setting the sword down on the center of the table.

    ¡°Right on top of my lychee jelly? Really?¡± Youhong retorted with an exasperated sigh, ¡°It really is a nice sword, though.¡±

    Beyond the blue ribbon tied to the end of the handle, there wasn¡¯t much to the sword. Other than being really well made, the sword didn¡¯t have anything that immediately sucked Songmei in.

    She had seen the sword an uncountable number of times already after all. As always, the blade glimmered under the light, its edge giving off the impression that it could cut through anything, anywhere.

    In Songmei¡¯s opinion, the sword showed its true colors in battle, when, in tandem with Mingqing¡¯s cultivation technique, it would wreath itself in a starry mist. Not only did the starry mist make Mingqing look unbelievably cool and superbly attractive while fighting, it also had the bonus of adding a little obscurity to Mingqing¡¯s sword while also strengthening and sharpening the blade.

    Broken stuff, what could Songmei say? That was just the passive too!

    Picking the sword back up after everyone had asked their questions and done their inspection, Mingqing walked back to the center of the training area. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to be honest, there isn¡¯t much... variety in my techniques, they all follow the same pattern.¡±

    Infusing Qi throughout her body, Mingqing gained a faint shimmer that was almost imperceptible to the eye. ¡°My body enhancement technique, I have to say, is one of the more busted ones. Strengthening me across the board in terms of speed, strength, and durability. I don¡¯t know exactly how much because... yeah, we never measured since it¡¯ll increase once I cultivate to a higher realm anyway.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a lot, let me reassure you on that,¡± Songmei whispered to Taigang and Youhong, ¡°Just trust me on that, it feels like it¡¯s a multiply-by-fifteen on literally everything...¡±

    ¡°Alright, so just... Taigang but worse,¡± Youhong whispered back with a few emphatic nods, ¡°Got it. Got it. I¡¯ll make sure to run away at full speed if I ever have to duel her.¡±

    Taigang, on the other hand, with his signature sunny smile, only shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not that bad, I¡¯ll give her a duel if you two want after this.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Nodding as hard as she could, Songmei gave Taigang a smile and a double thumbs-up. ¡°You should definitely do that, I¡¯d love to see it!¡±

    Of course, Songmei only had the purest intentions in backing up Taigang for this. There were definitely no thoughts about wanting to watch Mingqing slap around someone else for once in a duel.

    ¡°My body strengthening technique is just called Blessing of the Stars, but even with its unoriginal technique it¡¯s... good.¡±  Mingqing interrupted Songmei¡¯s thoughts, continuing on with her explanation, a touch of boredom surfacing on her face. ¡°Honestly, my techniques are really boring. I''m not going to lie. The main combat technique is pretty versatile, but follows a pretty predictable pattern of the twelve zodiacs. It¡¯s just one zodiac per sword form, then each star within each zodiac is a different move or moveset really.¡±

    With the faint starry mist reappearing around Mingqing¡¯s sword, Mingqing walked through her forms one by one to give Songmei and the others a demonstration. ¡°There¡¯s the nine stars of the Ram, which I¡¯ve all mastered. Then, the next one is the seventeen stars of the Bull; I''ve only mastered eight of the seventeen at this current moment, though.¡±

    ¡°What are the differences between like... the forms?¡± Taigang asked with Youhong nodding in agreement, ¡°Is it a huge difference? Or just... kinda for aesthetics or personal preference?¡±

    ¡°The difference isn¡¯t... huge,¡± Mingqing shrugged, looking to the side to think for a second. ¡°I think for the most part the differences will become more clear the higher the realm I¡¯m in. At the moment, you could probably fight them all and not really notice the difference unless you were an expert swordsman.¡±

    ¡°What is the difference then, once you get to those higher realms?¡± Youhong jumped in, picking up a lychee jelly off the table and popping it into his mouth, ¡°I need to know how fast I need to run depending on which form you¡¯re using.¡±

    ¡°Well, I think each one is just specialized towards different things.¡± Mingqing explained, giving a small demonstration on the slight differences between the Ram and the Bull. ¡°It¡¯s hard to see with the Ram and the Bull because they are intrinsically pretty similar. But if I had to sum it up, it¡¯d be that the Bull is a more straightforward attacking style, while the Ram is an overwhelming attacking style that has an element of willingness to self-sacrifice for more damage.¡±

    Listening to Mingqing explain the differences between the Ram and the Bull, Songmei had to say... she didn¡¯t realize any of it in the duel. Maybe it was because Songmei had never picked up a sword in her life, maybe it was because Songmei was too busy running.

    They were just all hard to deal with...

    ¡°I guess for more of a clear cut example, even though I haven¡¯t learned it, it¡¯d be the differences between the Ram, the Scale, and the Scorpion,¡± Mingqing tapped her chin, walking back over and taking a seat. ¡°I can¡¯t demonstrate them, because I haven¡¯t learned the Scale or the Scorpion, but I know the general gist of it.¡±

    Suppressing a laugh at Songmei miming out a set of scales and a scorpion, Mingqing explained, ¡°Well, as you know, the Ram is a very all out, kinda self-sacrificial attack style. The Scale on the other hand is just like its namesake, balanced defense and offense. Once I learn it, it might become my default, though I do really enjoy offensive-heavy styles.¡±

    Getting her hands pinched by Songmei who was now pretending to be a scorpion, Mingqing pinched back while detailing the Scorpion. ¡°It¡¯s a reactionary sword style. Defensive with counters. Personally, I hate using or fighting a sword style like this. But there are times where it''s useful, buying time or... say... annoying the hell out of your opponent. That¡¯s it though, Songmei, your turn.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Songmei laughed, letting go of Mingqing¡¯s arm. ¡°On that note though, I¡¯m pretty good at annoying people with my techniques, it¡¯s like a specialty at this point.¡±

    Laughing as she walked to the center of the training area, Songmei stuck out her tongue as Mingqing snorted and crossed her arms, muttering, ¡°Don¡¯t I know...¡±

 98: Who Can Young Master Better?

    Lin Songmei¡¯s techniques weren¡¯t anything to speak of at the moment. There was Crystalline Arrow, Butterfly Steps, Crystal¡¯s Strengthening, and her new technique, Growth.

    Demonstrating her techniques to Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Wang Taigang wasn¡¯t anything too fancy. What did impress them though was Growth. Although an innocuous sounding technique, mundane sounding even, Growth was arguably the technique Songmei had that had the most potential.

    ¡°It¡¯s the classic trend isn¡¯t it...¡± Youhong muttered, assuaging his stresses as always with his love, lychee jelly, ¡°The more simple the name, the better the technique.¡±

    Shifting on her feet, all Songmei could do was shrug. ¡°I mean... at the current moment, there¡¯s not too much too it. All I can do is... this.¡±

    Extending her palm out, Songmei channeled Qi through to her fingertips. Letting the Qi diffuse out through her palm and fingers, the Qi condensed, bit by bit, creating a small fingernail-sized crystal that fell to her hand. ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡±

    His eyebrows furrowed, Youhong shook his head, ¡°I knew it!! The trend holds true, it really is some broken technique! Once we¡¯re up there in realms, you¡¯re going to be jumping around creating literal crystal castles, aren¡¯t you?! Like that children¡¯s movie with the princess who makes ice! The trend really is true, the shorter the technique name, the better!¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Taigang mused, laughing at Youhong¡¯s passionate outburst, ¡°I can see a world where it loops back around, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mingqing agreed, drumming her fingers on the table with a slight smile cracking onto her face, ¡°If there¡¯s a technique called like... Ravager of Falling Stars Eighth Form: Comet¡¯s Disintegration, I feel like you better just start running. No point in even trying to block.¡±

    ¡°... True,¡± Youhong relented, giving an apologetic nod towards Songmei, ¡°Anyway, continue Songmei.¡±

    ¡°No worries,¡± Songmei shrugged, walking back over to the table and sitting down, ¡°there isn¡¯t much else I can show you all. My bow and my arrows are all pretty dispensable at the moment, once I become proficient enough with Growth, I''ll just grow my own arrows in the moment, and probably craft a soul connection weapon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably smart...¡± Youhong nodded, ¡°That¡¯s what Mingqing and I have, well... we didn¡¯t craft ours, but yeah. Also, just ignore Taigang, his soul connection weapon is just his meaty-ass fist, it really makes it easier to fight with one.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Taigang interjected with fake annoyed, exasperated snort, ¡°I¡¯ll probably craft one too once I get some more techniques. I¡¯m thinking about a pair of gauntlets or a pair of brass knuckles.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Songmei murmured, trying to take a neutral stance between the incoming Youhong and Taigang verbal spar. ¡°I mean I think a pair of hefty golden gauntlets would really fit you well...¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Hearing Youhong begin to retort about how Taigang¡¯s fists were enough, Songmei turned back towards Mingqing, lacing her fingers into Mingqing¡¯s.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad they¡¯ve gotten closer,¡± Mingqing murmured, giving Songmei¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°I mean... that¡¯s all I can really say though.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re certainly closer,¡± Songmei agreed with a hesitant nod, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d say more friendly, but banter is just another friendship dynamic.¡±

    Watching Taigang and Youhong give each other a mutual middle-finger, Songmei coughed and cleared her throat to change the topic. ¡°So... What do you all want to do now? I think, Taigang, you mentioned you wanted to do a duel? We could do that right now, or we could order some food?¡±

    Scratching the back of his head, Taigang leaned back, his signature smile on his face as always. ¡°Sure? I¡¯d be willing to duel, but it¡¯s up to Mingqing, I¡¯m not going to just one-sidedly attack her.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be willing,¡± Mingqing answered without an ounce of hesitation, pushing herself up, ¡°We can get food later Songmei. The duel won¡¯t last long anyway.¡±

    Raising his eyebrow, Taigang extended a hand out to Mingqing anyway. ¡°Even with your reputation as the cold-blooded, ruthless heiress of battle among the children of the upper elite, I¡¯ll give you a run for your money, I¡¯ll be the one to thaw you once and for all.¡±

    ¡°... Sure,¡± Mingqing laughed, shaking Taigang¡¯s hand as a smug, icy smirk appeared on her face, pulling out a dull-sparring sword. ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident who almost lost to Youhong.¡±

    Shell-shocked, or whatever the closest mood to that was, Songmei opened and closed her mouth a few times before looking over to Youhong and whispering, ¡°A... Are you just going to let that slide?¡±

    Popping a lychee jelly into his mouth with no reaction, Youhong affirmed, ¡°Yep.¡±

    ¡°Is... Is Mingqing always like this?¡± Songmei questioned, watching Mingqing continue to antagonize Taigang as they walked over to their respective positions.

    ¡°Honestly? Yep.¡± Youhong answered, popping another lychee jelly into his mouth. ¡°Taigang was probably exposed more to Mingqing than I was, but I still heard all the rumors.¡±

    Motioning for Youhong to continue, Songmei switched chairs to get a better view of the upcoming battle.

    Youhong, on the other hand, kicked his legs up and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. ¡°I¡¯m ready to see Taigang get smacked to hell and back, this is going to be a nice duel.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m... I¡¯m pretty sure it might be decently close, though,¡± Songmei murmured, pouring some tea for herself. ¡°Wait, back up though, what are the rumors you heard about growing up?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Youhong hummed, tapping his chin as his lychee jelly hand paused in midair. ¡°She just has a reputation of either not talking or just antagonizing everyone. Especially in duels, she trash talks to the heavens and back. To everyone¡¯s sadness though, she can back it up really well, having never lost to someone in the same year as her before.¡±

    Surprised, Songmei opened and closed her mouth a few times before shutting up again as Youhong continued on with a slight shudder before breaking out into a smile and cracking up. ¡°I honestly thought the rumors had a lot of credence when I first met her... Never in my life have I felt so cold in my life while standing under the sun. Not even when it was snowing. Also, wait, I¡¯ll say more later, the duel¡¯s about to start.¡±

    With Youhong¡¯s words still on the tip of his tongue, he and Songmei watched as Taigang asked to use the bathroom followed up by Mingqing who also decided that she¡¯d also take a trip.

    ¡°Really? Realy? Just when I said that?¡± Youhong complained, letting out a long defeated sigh as Songmei suppressed a giggle. ¡°Alright... seems like I have more time to explain the collective trauma of every child of the upper elite.¡±

 99: The Collective Trauma of the Children in the Upper Elite

    Lin Songmei, herself, was actually also a little exasperated that both Wang Taigang and Yan Mingqing had decided to use the restroom right before their duel. But... she couldn¡¯t blame them too much. Before a duel, one had to do what they needed to do, not only that, that meant she could hear about Han Youhong¡¯s story a little more.

    ¡°So...¡± Youhong mused, tapping his chin and scarfing down a lychee jelly. ¡°I don¡¯t really know what to say, actually. Just that Mingqing really lived up to my expectations when I got to speak to her one on one for the first time. Even at the events hosted by her parents that most upper echelon cultivation families were invited to, Mingqing was this cold ice princess type. I remember her wearing this lace navy blue dress.¡±

    Just imagining Mingqing wearing a navy blue dress, Songmei couldn''t help but feel a little awkwardness creep up into the back of her throat as a touch of bashfulness appeared onto her face.

    ¡°I can tell you¡¯re thinking of something wholesome or cute,¡± Youhong sighed, giving Songmei an unamused stare that seemed to say ¡®damn love birds.¡¯ It was weird because Songmei was sure that Youhong didn¡¯t know about the... new development per se.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Youhong continued, shelving his thoughts about the love birds. ¡°Some poor kid went up to her to talk to Mingqing, trying to become her friend maybe? Keep in mind this is around age 13-14. Mingqing didn¡¯t do her usual cold turn of the head and ignore it though, instead, in full view of literally everyone, she gave the most... disgusted look ever. It was pretty rough...¡±

    Popping a lychee jelly into his mouth, Youhong shrugged. ¡°Well, I expected sorta similar treatment when we first met, but Mingqing was actually... kinda warm. Then she opened up and... damn, I was so impressed, she turned out to be pretty funny, pretty nice, and really caring.¡±

    ¡°Yeah! She is, she really is,¡± Songmei agreed, taking the one moment where she could interject to add in her thoughts. ¡°I mean... to be perfectly honest, I never really saw this side of Mingqing... but... uhm... yeah. Cool beans.¡±

    Having trailed off to an awkward cough, Songmei gave up, making a small hand motion to let Youhong keep talking.

    Raising another eyebrow, Youhong decided once more to shelve his thoughts, noting how full his mental bookshelf was becoming. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t have much else to say. It''s just because of her reputation, that one time at the party, and my first impressions of Mingqing that I¡¯m not surprised that she started trash talking the moment Taigang formally challenged her to that duel.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡± Songmei murmured, pausing for a second before deciding to just say, ¡°You know, yesterday, she and I dueled and like... she didn¡¯t trash talk me at all... she was actually pretty encouraging and was uhmm... Really nice to me after I lost too.¡±

    Of course, Songmei wasn¡¯t going to give any details on why the duel¡¯s aftermath was really nice, that was something that nobody else needed to know.

    Getting a dead-fish stare from Youhong, Songmei coughed a few times before picking up her cup of tea and taking a long sip. ¡°Just... just ignore what I said, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important actually.¡±

    ¡°... Sure.¡± Youhong remarked, the skepticism splattered clear across his face. ¡°... I just want you and Mingqing to know that you two are a real enigma. A real paradox of friendship if I say so myself.¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Averting her eyes, Songmei opened and closed her mouth a few times before just shutting up. It was probably a better idea to just not elaborate.

    --------

    A few moments of awkward silence later, the door to the training area opened once more as Mingqing and Taigang walked back in, already back to their trash talking.

    ¡°You know... I feel like we could get very famous if we recorded this...¡± Songmei whispered, breaking the silence that she and Youhong had fallen under.

    ¡°You definitely could,¡± Youhong nodded before giving a shrug, ¡°If you want to record it just ask them. The thing is, though, you really don''t need to record stuff like this to become famous, you know? People are curious enough already about your daily life as a direct disciple, you don¡¯t need to do anything special and you could be famous.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Songmei trailed off, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just not film this... I don¡¯t feel like troubling them by asking anyway.¡±

    Waving Youhong off who offered to ask for her, Songmei and Youhong sat back as both Mingqing and Taigang did some final stretches, with Taigang calling out, ¡°Ready?¡±

    Getting an ¡°always¡± in reply, Taigang pulled out a coin from his spatial storage ring. ¡°I have this to use if you want to start the duel. How do you want to start this duel?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give the coin to Songmei and Youhong or something? Let one of them throw it,¡± Mingqing pondered, stroking her chin with one hand and doing some final arm warm ups with the other. ¡°Once it hits the ground, we can get going, how does that sound?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯m not picky,¡± Taigang shrugged without a fuss, tossing the coin over to Youhong, ¡°You chuck it, make it favor me or something, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll need it.¡±

    Catching the coin with two hands, Youhong pushed himself up with a long sigh, muttering ¡°I¡¯m not paid enough for this¡± before raising the coin up to get ready to toss it. ¡°Ready? Also, Taigang, I¡¯ll make sure to toss it to favor Mingqing, because that¡¯s definitely how coins work.¡±

    ¡°Just toss the coin,¡± Taigang retorted, bending at the knees, ready to react at a moment¡¯s notice to Mingqing¡¯s inevitable storm of blistering attacks.

    With a flick of the wrist, Youhong tossed the coin up and forward, turning to plop himself back into his seat as a light ¡°tink¡± marked the beginning of the duel.

    In a great position to watch the unfolding battle, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened as both Mingqing and Taigang almost disappeared from view.

    Having both activated their respective techniques, all Songmei could really see was the clash of colors in the middle of the room.

    A silvery-blue and a blinding gold.

    It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out which was which, of course. Taigang, the ¡°Extreme-Yang¡± Cultivator¡ªor as Songmei called him ¡°Sun Boy¡±¡ªwas obviously gold. On the other hand, Mingqing was obviously the silvery-blue.

    Their bodies were still clear to see, but because of the bright, almost blinding clash of colors, it was just easier to watch them trade blows by looking at the ensuing light show.

    Unleashing a storm of attacks, Mingqing seemed to hold the clear advantage. Taigang could barely inch in an attack as Mingqing continued to just pound down on Taigang. As of now, it was at a stalemate, Taigang couldn¡¯t get an attack in, but Mingqing¡¯s attacks were either all blocked, tanked, or just dodged.

    Crazy stuff.

    Songmei was quite glad that during their duel she had adopted the ¡°run away, as fast as possible, strategy¡± that Youhong seemed to also be thinking of.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to win against Mingqing, ever...¡± Youhong murmured, his lips pressed together as he gave some sagely nods. ¡°Not my thing... yeahh...¡±

    Murmuring her agreement, Songmei practiced condensing some of her Qi into small crystals while watching Mingqing and Taigang disengage and begin to pace around each other in circles. Sharp stares, bent knees, readied weapons, readied fists, and tensed bodies¡ªthis duel really was leagues above the long-distance running practice that Songmei participated in the day before...

 100: The Great Feeling of Seeing Your Side Win

    Wang Taigang was in worse shape than Yan Mingqing, that was clear to see. As the two observers, Han Youhong and Lin Songmei traded some light commentary, but, in the end, there wasn¡¯t much to say. Mingqing was just... winning.

    Feeling the soreness in her legs from the day before, where she had spent way too much time chasing Songmei around in circles during their duel, Mingqing had disengaged. Across from her though, was an almost panting Taigang. Mingqing wasn¡¯t sure if it was just her sheer dominance, or just because Taigang had just been battling Youhong fifteen to thirty minutes prior.

    Well, Mingqing didn¡¯t know, so she was just going to assume it was because she was just that utterly dominant.

    With confidence rushing through her, Mingqing broke into a wide smile. Pushing a new thick layer of silvery, starry Qi onto her sword, Mingqing dug her heel into the ground, pivoting, before leaping forward once more to press her advantage. Pushing Taigang into a scattered retreat, Mingqing pressed her advantage, hammering an unending flurry of sword strikes onto his golden frame.

    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s about the end of it,¡± Youhong commented, popping a lychee jelly into his mouth while kicking his feet up and leaning back into his seat. ¡°All that¡¯s left is to wait for it to end.¡±

    Songmei wanted to defend Taigang but... there wasn¡¯t really anything that she could say. Taigang¡¯s forearms were a blinding gold color, reinforced to the max with Qi, but at this point, all Taigang could do was defend himself, like an animal cornered by an apex predator. In the moment, the blinding golden sheen that his arms had seemed to pale in comparison to the glittery silver blade that Mingqing wielded.

    Doing a twirl¡ªjust for style as far as Songmei could tell¡ªMingqing slammed her way past Taigang¡¯s final defenses, her sword pressing against Taigang¡¯s neck as the duel came to a close.

    ¡°It¡¯s my loss...¡± Taigang sighed, putting his hands up, resigned as Mingqing lowered her sword. ¡°Good duel, good duel.¡±

    Sheathing her practice sword and throwing it into her spatial storage ring, Mingqing took Taigang¡¯s hand, giving him a light nod and a ¡°not too bad, good job,¡± before jogging back to the table where Youhong and Songmei were now clapping.

    A little surprised with how fast the duel wrapped up, Songmei was at a loss of words as Mingqing ran over with a half-expectant look on her face.

    Tilting her head and extending her arms out to offer a hug, Songmei was enveloped by Mingqing, who then followed up the initial embrace with a monster squeeze that pushed all the air out of Songmei, that along with some organs too...

    ¡°You did great~¡± Songmei whispered once her lungs were no longer being compressed into a plate. ¡°I¡¯m proud of you~¡±

    Getting squeezed again, Songmei felt Mingqing¡¯s breathing hitch for a second before Mingqing whispered a quiet ¡°thank you¡± as her breathing returned back to normal as if nothing had happened.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Suspicious. Reeeeaaaaal suspicious. Songmei didn¡¯t want to say things or believe things ¡°weren¡¯t normal,¡± but, in this case at least, she felt it wasn''t ideal, maybe, if anyone got that surprised by hearing the words ¡°I¡¯m proud of you.¡±

    Deciding to ask Mingqing about it the next time they had a heart to heart confessional in bed, Songmei settled on leaning in close to Mingqing¡¯s ear, blowing on it just a touch while laugh-whispering: ¡°Always.¡±

    With Mingqing snorting and releasing the hug, Songmei had her nose pinched as Mingqing laughed with a teasing grin, ¡°What are you trying to do now?¡±

    ¡°Nothing~¡± Songmei sang, turning to take a peek at Youhong and Taigang. Luckily enough, they were too engrossed in their own little post-duel talk. From the looks of it, it was just Taigang asking for ways Youhong, a third-party perspective, thought the duel could¡¯ve been done differently.

    Then, much to Taigang¡¯s chagrin and amusement, there was just Youhong peddling his new outlook on life that consisted of ¡°not dueling people like Mingqing who are most definitely going to beat your ass twelve times out of ten.¡±

    Not wanting to eavesdrop more on Taigang and Youhong¡¯s conversation, Songmei sat back down, patting the seat next to herself for Mingqing while asking, ¡°How was it for you? Easy duel? Make any mistakes? Or was it absolute perfection?¡±

    ¡°Honestly? It wasn¡¯t too bad,¡± Mingqing shrugged, a thin smile appearing on her face as she sat down about as closely as was possible (without being too suspicious) to Songmei, ¡°there¡¯s not much to say though. His style really doesn¡¯t match up against mine very well. He relies very much on overpowering his opponents, while also being close to them. I can overpower him while also maintaining a distance just outside of his ideal attack range.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s kinda rough,¡± Songmei sighed, giving her invisible condolences to Taigang who was now discussing potential new ways to utilize his main technique with Youhong, the technique dispensary.

    Lacing her fingers into Mingqing¡¯s under the table, Songmei waved Taigang and Youhong over, pulling up a map of all nearby restaurants on her terminal. With her one hand really not being enough to navigate the small... Qi... holographic... magic, whatever screen the terminal had, Songmei scowled a touch, before making the decision to tough it out¡ªMingqing¡¯s hand was soft enough to warrant the extra trouble.

    ¡°What¡¯s up, Songmei?¡± Taigang asked, sliding a chair out from under the table and taking a seat.

    Showing the list of restaurants she had pulled up on her terminal, Songmei was greeted by an enlightened ¡°ohhh¡± from both Youhong and Taigang. ¡°I was just thinking we order some food now while we talk about future plans now that the technique-showcase and duels are over.¡±

    ¡°You sure you and Youhong don¡¯t want to duel? Or you and me?¡± Taigang asked, giving a light shrug, ¡°I mean, I think I can do another, and Youhong would probably be down too?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass,¡± Songmei shook her head, turning the terminal back towards her. ¡°My techniques aren¡¯t really great for duels, and also...¡±

    Pausing, Songmei extended her index finger out with an awkward smile, letting Qi begin to flow out in a helix pattern, condensing bit by bit into a crystal.

    A dead fish stare greeted her. Multiple actually.

    ¡°They can¡¯t tell,¡± Mingqing cleared her throat with an awkward cough, turning away to suppress half a chuckle. ¡°Even I can¡¯t tell, and I know what to look for since I know.¡±

    Coughing and dying of embarrassment, Songmei explained, ¡°Well, I uhh... I opened my fifth meridian yesterday, so yeah, no point in really dueling, I think...¡±

    ¡°¡°Oh.¡±¡±

    With the empty stares becoming more empty, Songmei raised her hands, as if trying to assuage the disbelieving feelings that filled Youhong and Taigang¡¯s hearts. ¡°Let¡¯s just order some food and talk about our future plans...¡±

 101: The Pain of Catching Your Friends Up

    Following her reveal of sorts, Lin Songmei clamped her mouth shut as she ordered some food. Deciding to just ignore the conversation going on between Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Wang Taigang about how ¡°it¡¯s so unfair¡± and ¡°why it should definitely be illegal to cultivate that fast,¡± Songmei finished her order, passing it to Youhong.

    ¡°So, I think we¡¯re all clear on the fact that we should probably start taking up missions again.¡± Taigang shrugged, an encouraging smile on his face as he slipped back into his usual role of team leader. ¡°I know it hasn¡¯t been a long time since we got back from our whole ordeal with the plant. But as cultivators we probably honestly should get back on the grind.¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Songmei agreed, as Youhong passed the terminal to Taigang to order. ¡°And, to be honest, we didn¡¯t really ¡®solve¡¯ the plant incident. More like we found it, then called the right people, and they ax-kicked it real hard, solving most of the incident all at once.¡±

    Sipping some of Songmei¡¯s tea, Mingqing pitched in, ¡°We¡¯re going to have to be working within the city itself, so it might be best if we try and familiarize ourselves with the lords of the districts, yeah? Preliminary knowledge first, then like... actually trying to climb the ranks of the city in terms of influence to actually be able to interact with them.¡±

    ¡°I mean, definitely,¡± Taigang nodded, sliding over the terminal to Mingqing, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be doing menial labor for the next year or however long it¡¯ll end up taking to clear the plants. Knowing the bureaucrats, it¡¯ll take much longer than how long they say it¡¯ll take.¡±

    ¡°Does everyone know the lords of the districts, though?¡± Songmei asked, just checking to make sure, ¡°I feel like we gotta start basic...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Youhong confessed with a casual flick of the wrist that sent a lychee jelly into his mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t care enough to learn about them.¡±

    Following Youhong¡¯s confession though, Mingqing and Taigang both nodded to show their familiarity with the lords as Songmei put in the order. Seeing that everybody but Youhong knew, Songmei shrugged, making a pushing hand motion towards Mingqing and Taigang. ¡°You two want to explain? We should probably keep it brief, there¡¯s no need for an immensely in depth explanation right now, lunch will arrive soon after all.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then I''ll just start with what I know.¡± Youhong tapped his chin, ¡°I know that there¡¯s 7 of them, three in Northside, four in Southside. Also though, I have no idea what the north and south are called... I¡¯ve heard them called the north and south districts a lot, but I also see a lot of people saying it''s northside, southside.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I think it¡¯s one of those where both work, they¡¯re synonymous anyway.¡± Taigang shrugged, ¡°I do believe you¡¯re right though? Since each side has been portioned off into several districts, it probably wouldn¡¯t make sense to have districts inside of districts.¡±

    ¡°Probably...¡± Youhong trailed off before popping another lychee jelly into his mouth and motioning towards Songmei, Mingqing, and Taigang. ¡°Continue explaining though, I don¡¯t know much else.¡±

    ¡°Well, they¡¯re named after the seven sins against the heavens,¡± Mingqing started off, leaning back in her own chair and sliding down a little and staring off at some invisible bug on the ceiling. ¡°Pride, envy, gluttony, lust, sloth... and...¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Wrath and avarice, I believe,¡± Taigang added, getting a ¡°thank you, yeah¡± from Mingqing, ¡°their titles don¡¯t mean too much. It¡¯s a pretty common fact that they¡¯re just all vaguely related to what they do.¡±

    ¡°As in...?¡± Youhong asked, motioning for them to continue, ¡°Brain needs more to understand, dulled by all the lychee jelly.¡±

    ¡°Like, the district that gluttony is the underworld boss of has a lot of food districts in them.¡± Songmei gave an example, ¡°I think that the envy district is right next to it, having a lot of retail stores and shopping malls. Lust has a few brothels and avarice is the financial district. I¡¯m not really sure about wrath and sloth though.¡±

    ¡°Sloth, I believe, is just because there are a lot of parks in the area, along with being proportionally much more resident-filled than the other districts. Wrath, on the other hand, is where a lot of the judicial stuff is, the courts... well, court, a prison, reformation center. The police headquarters is also there.¡± Taigang detailed, listing a detailed list of reasons off the top of his head.

    Getting three sets of stares from the other people at the table, Taigang raised his hands in surrender. ¡°Don¡¯t judge me, I just did my studying. As in... I read a lot of online wikis one afternoon while I was bored.¡±

    ¡°I do that too. Just on more interesting and more important things,¡± Youhong fluttered his hand, popping another lychee jelly into his mouth, ¡°Things like, lychee jelly reviews, history of lychee jelly, lychee jelly production lines, lychee jelly manufacturing arms races, that type of stuff.¡±

    Clearing his throat as Songmei, Mingqing, and Taigang all began to adopt looks that seemed to scream ¡°addict,¡± Youhong got back on topic. ¡°By the sounds of it though, that definitely is not all the things that have to do with this massive city. Where¡¯s everything else? Literally all on the floating island that¡¯s the central district?¡±

    ¡°Nah, all of the names are pretty loosely named. Every district has a little bit of everything. It¡¯s just done in proportions.¡± Mingqing reassured, reaching over once more to drink some more of Songmei¡¯s tea¡ªto Songmei¡¯s mock horror.

    ¡°Ahh, I see. That makes sense, I don¡¯t know why that didn¡¯t occur to me,¡± Youhong muttered, shaking his head, disappointed in himself, ¡°I¡¯ve definitely gone to eat in every single district already, so why would it only be in gluttony?¡±

    ¡°Anything else you want to know?¡± Songmei asked, propping her chin up with her hands, elbows on the table and all. ¡°There¡¯s not much to say about them, but there are some things that we could share, I guess?

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it all, it¡¯s useful knowledge to have. Might as well learn it well now that I¡¯m deciding to actually learn about them.¡± Youhong waved, motioning for the three of them to continue with a wry smile. ¡°Maybe then, with this knowledge, I¡¯ll be able to secure even more lychee jelly for myself. So tell me about them, what do they look like?¡±

    Of course it went back to lychee jelly, Songmei should¡¯ve expected that. Trying to pull up some pictures on her terminal, Songmei was interrupted by a flurry of notifications saying that their food had been dropped off at the front desk.

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    Throwing her terminal back onto her wrist in its watch form, Songmei pushed herself out of her seat, jogging over to the double doors that led out of the training room. ¡°I have to go get the food, I¡¯ll be back! In the meanwhile, just like... continue telling Youhong about how they¡¯re all apparently really hot and have huge fan bases!¡±

    ¡°Do you want some help?¡± Mingqing called out, getting halfway out of her seat only to get waved off by Songmei saying that it was fine.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in half a moment anyway!¡± Songmei reassured, disappearing through the closing doors, leaving only a few iridescent butterflies where she was standing.

 102: Attractive People! ... Oh no.

    Running out to the front desk, Lin Songmei thanked the receptionist before grabbing the food and disappearing back toward the stairs. Dodging the elevator after seeing a huge party of people crowd their way into it, Songmei flew down the stairs, returning to the room that Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Wang Taigang were in.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Songmei burst through the doors, her arms laden with the food ordered. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t miss too much. Come get your food though, there¡¯s one bag for each of us.¡±

    With Mingqing running over to help carry the bags back to the table, Songmei murmured a small ¡°thank you¡± as they passed the food out to everyone.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a place deliver this fast though, what is this? How do they do it?¡± Taigang asked, incredulity painted clear across his face. ¡°It was like... two minutes? Maybe three? Maybe five... I have no clue... but no matter how long it took, it was barely a blink of the eye!¡±

    Songmei had to agree. She remembered the first time she and Mingqing had ordered from the place a few days prior after Youhong had recommended it. Having ordered, Songmei and Mingqing had seen the ¡°Delivers Fast¡± label, yet didn¡¯t think too much of it.

    Yet, with their food ordered, Songmei walked out from their bedroom, wanting to take a shower after waking up sweaty. Not a minute after the water had been turned on though, the exact moment she had taken off all her clothes, a notification had come in, letting her know that the food had been delivered to the receptionist downstairs.

    What followed? An awkward, painful conversation while naked through the bathroom door asking Mingqing to go pick up the food.

    This was before they had started dating too! The resulting embarrassment ate through Songmei faster than Youhong ate through supplies of lychee jelly! Songmei knew it shouldn¡¯t have been that embarrassing, but even now, it still was! Even after having bathed together after their duel yesterday...

    Having ordered a lychee chicken dish along with a lychee almond jelly dessert, Youhong made a beckoning hand motion towards Songmei, Mingqing, and Taigang. ¡°C¡¯mon, I want to know about these supposedly hot people. I might not care too much in the end, but I want to hear all of your opinions about them.¡±

    ¡°So, first of all, all of the seven lords of the districts are foundation establishment cultivators. But because of the Qi that permeates Westriver, they probably aren¡¯t much further than that.¡± Mingqing clarified, making sure to lay out as much information as possible to avoid Youhong having any potential misconceptions.

    ¡°They should leave...¡± Youhong murmured with a shake of the head, ¡°If they¡¯re already at the top of the food chain they should just get going already.¡±

    ¡°Well, they might be attractive, but none of them are heaven defying talents. I think out of the eight extraordinary meridians, Pride has opened the most, and they¡¯ve only opened three of the eight.¡± Mingqing shrugged, pulling out her own food out of her takeout bag. ¡°After climbing all the way to the top of their respective districts, they don¡¯t have much of an incentive to leave, I think.¡±

    ¡°Well, one or two, I can sorta understand, but three, three¡¯s not too bad. You could make a decent living, climb a decent few more ranks.¡± Youhong sighed, sinking back into his seat, ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m not one to judge their life choices. Let me see some pictures of them, then tell me about all your opinions on them.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just start with Pride,¡± Taigang offered, ¡°They¡¯re the one who probably looks the most similar to Youhong.¡±

    Pulling up a picture, Taigang¡¯s terminal had a picture of a pale, androgynous person with long straight black hair. With deep black eyes that could be interpreted as either mysterious or empty, Pride had a single silver, ring earring.

    ¡°Wearing a suit too?¡± Youhong whistled with a chuckle, pulling up a picture of himself. ¡°I can see why a lot of people simp over Pride. I can see the similarity I have with them too... The only real differences are my red eyes and my slightly wavy hair that¡¯s also short. Oh yeah, also I guess there¡¯s a bit of a face shape difference.¡±

    Giving Youhong some time to look at the two a little more, everyone ate in silence for a bit before Youhong asked, ¡°Which side is Pride in? Also sure, feel free to give me another.¡±

    ¡°Pride is in the South,¡± Songmei answered after swallowing a spoonful of her soup. ¡°Okay here, I have a picture of Wrath here. She wears a lot of armor because... why not I guess? She has really short blond hair, shorter than yours, Youhong. It¡¯s a paler blond than Taigang¡¯s though, and uhh, I¡¯m pretty sure Wrath is one of the four in the north.¡±

    ¡°I see... yeah, certainly, certainly, it¡¯s pretty pale, maybe a platinum blond? She really fits the Wrath... uhh judicial motif though. She looks pretty righteous though for someone who works in the underworld.¡± Youhong murmured, reaching over to steal some eggroll from Taigang¡¯s takeout box.

    ¡°Damn, don¡¯t take my eggrolls, pay me back in one of your like... eight lychee dishes,¡± Taigang countered, reaching out and shaking his fingers over near Youhong¡¯s dishes. ¡°Also, Mingqing, do you have a picture of one of them pulled up?¡±

    ¡°I have Sloth and Avarice here, Sloth is from the south and Avarice is from the North.¡± Mingqing nodded, handing her terminal over to Youhong as Taigang and Songmei looked for other pictures. ¡°Sloth is the sleepy woman, while Avarice is the man with the beard.¡±

    Murmuring another ¡°damn,¡± Youhong laughed as he looked at the two pictures on Mingqing¡¯s terminal.

    On the one hand, Sloth appealed more to the cute side, with long green hair and a messy outfit, her lazy smile and tired eyes made her laid-back nature clear. Yet, the fact that slung on Sloth¡¯s back was a massive blade almost bigger than herself gave... other thoughts as well. Small hints, maybe, at the more violent tendencies roiling inside of her.

    On the other hand, Avarice was a tan man with medium-length, brown hair that ended just a bit above his shoulders. Wearing a deep v-neck, Avarice¡¯s photo depicted him stroking his perfect beard with a hand laden with silver rings, bracelets, and chains.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just speed run the rest, I just want to get back to eating¡± Taigang sighed, sliding over his terminal as everyone else murmured their agreement. ¡°Here¡¯s gluttony. Contrary to what you might think, he''s actually probably the most fit person out of all the lords.¡±

    While not bursting with muscle per se, it was easy to see that Gluttony was fit. The majority of pictures showed him... suspiciously, without a shirt on, to reveal a set of chiseled abs on his light brown skin.

    With green, yellow eyes, Gluttony¡¯s hair was also braided back, making it hard to see exactly how long it was; however, though braided, it didn¡¯t extend past the base of his neck.

    Not even giving Youhong a chance to give his thoughts, Mingqing and Songmei slid over pictures of envy and lust, respectively.

    Envy was a man with blue-ish, black hair and sharp eyes. With short hair that was slicked back in half the pictures and a messy, middle-part in the others, a hint of disdain and jealousy was somehow crystal clear in every single photo.

    Lust, lastly, was a darker-skinned woman who had braided-hair, longer nails, and a pair of thin glasses. With clear, blue eyes and a pair of hoop earrings, the picture that Songmei had showed her pointing to the camera with a charming smile, cocktail in hand.

    ¡°Not bad, not bad...¡± Youhong murmured, drumming his fingers on the table, ¡°Let¡¯s get back to eating, just tell me what you think while we eat.¡±

 103: There Are Always Those Two Suspiciously Close Friends...

    Controlling his eating pace to a casual shoveling, Han Youhong listened in as Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Wang Taigang gave their opinions. Songmei gave comments mostly on girls, Taigang on boys, and Mingqing for both.

    Suspiciously though, in contrast to other times where Youhong had asked Songmei and Mingqing to comment on hot people, the comments were... weirdly brief. A little forced, a little awkward, a little mechanical.

    At the current rate, Youhong really needed to rent out an entire mental warehouse to shelve all the thoughts he was having about those two...

    If only everyone and everything could be as simple as lychee jelly.

    ¡°What quests are we thinking of taking? Do we want another day off or are we all chilling?¡± Taigang asked, having dusted his pasta in a matter of moments. ¡°I, personally, am ready at any time really, but I understand if you all want another day off.¡±

    ¡°Personally, I was originally planning on a uhh... solid month more off, but...¡± Youhong sighed, taking an intermission from his lychee dishes to eat some lychee jelly, ¡°Cultivating for a month straight sounds like hell.¡±

    Peeking over at Mingqing and making eye contact, Songmei tried her best to convey that she didn¡¯t really care. Sure, they had a date, but that was in the afternoon after this little chat they were having with Taigang and Youhong. Miming a shrug in the most discreet way she could, Songmei received a nod from Mingqing in return.

    ¡°Songmei and I were probably going to take another day off? If that¡¯s alright with you?¡± Mingqing asked, lacing her fingers together and propping her chin up.

    ¡°Of course, no problem at all,¡± Taigang chuckled, a slight twinkle appearing in his eyes as he looked over to Youhong. ¡°I can always go to the gym and cultivate another day. I need to catch up to Songmei after all.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t we all,¡± Youhong lamented with a sigh, massaging the bridge of his nose. ¡°Yeah, yeah though, no worries I always have more things to do.¡±

    Dying inside from embarrassment after Mingqing faced her with a bright smile that seemed to say ¡°didn¡¯t I do well?¡± Songmei looked away¡ªwhat could she say? She didn¡¯t want to ruin the brilliance that radiated from Mingqing¡¯s smile...

    Giving Mingqing a resigned double-thumbs up, Songmei turned to Taigang while taking a sip of her tea (that had been half-emptied by Mingqing), ¡°Since you¡¯re asking, do you have some missions that have already caught your eye?¡±

    ¡°I have, yeah,¡± Taigang admitted with a sheepish smile, ¡°For tomorrow, I was thinking about this mission that just consists of being manpower for warehouse organization, while the day after, there¡¯s this mission that¡¯s guarding a basic transport for one of the seven district lords.¡±

    ¡°How long do both of them take?¡± Songmei inquired, a serious gaze in her eyes, ¡°I need to know for uhh... lazy reasons...¡±

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°They¡¯re both a week,¡± Taigang clarified, a chuckle escaping his lips as Songmei¡¯s eyes seemed to glaze over slightly. ¡°Five days actually, but just think of it as working for a week. I think within the city itself, cultivators are just treated as hire-as-needed spot help.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, so it¡¯s not too long¡­¡± Youhong remarked, leaning back into his chair.

    ¡°Yeah, definitely not that long,¡± Taigang laughed, ¡°I actually only saw five day quests. It could be because there¡¯s an unspoken rule, or because the city enforces something. Maybe like-¡±

    ¡°Wait, wait though, can you give some more details? Like, on the contents of the missions themselves. Also, importantly, what¡¯s the danger level for the second one?¡± Youhong interrupted, cutting Taigang off before he started a grandiose story about the fruits or lack of fruits his research resulted in.

    ¡°Do you even need to ask that, Youhong?¡± Mingqing raised an eyebrow with a grin, a bit of her ice queen aura blending in with her slight bantering tone.

    ¡°Yes, yes I do,¡± Youhong retorted, tossing a lychee jelly at Mingqing, ¡°What if the warehouse we¡¯re supposed to move boxes in is actually infested with massive spiders or something?¡±

    Murmuring a quiet ¡°ohhh, that¡¯s true!¡± Songmei got poked in the leg as Mingqing sighed. ¡°No, no it¡¯s not true, the quest would be labeled spider extermination if that was the actual issue. Don¡¯t be tricked by Youhong trying to just be difficult.¡±

    ¡°Oh... You know that would make a lot more sense,¡± Songmei murmured without thinking, focusing more on her lunch than the conversation. ¡°Are we doing more training after lunch? Did we have a plan, originally?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯m pretty sure we didn¡¯t have too much,¡± Taigang shook his head, ¡°I was just going to go like... do the final in person registration part of us becoming a team, then also sign up for a mission. You want to do some more training?¡±

    ¡°I mean... I¡¯m not opposed to it,¡± Songmei confessed, poking at her food. ¡°I do have some plans in the afternoon though. So if we do end up training, I think 1 pm ish would be the limit really...¡±

    Raising a finger, Mingqing added, ¡°I also have some plans.¡±

    Making eye contact with Taigang, Youhong saw his own thoughts mirrored in Taigang¡¯s eyes. It was quite obvious really. Songmei and Mingqing had been making weird comments the whole training session¡ªwell, more weird than usual.

    Earlier too they had let it slip that they had plans together later in the day. Of course, these plans that Mingqing and Songmei spoke of could be something innocuous like a meeting with their master. Liu Xueli was in town, so it would be understandable...

    Drumming his fingers on the table while popping some lychee jelly into his mouth, Youhong couldn¡¯t help but just think that it was just... so suspicious.

    Taigang seemed to agree, at least from what Youhong could see.

    See, it wasn¡¯t as simple as it seemed. Mingqing and Songmei hung out all the time, Youhong knew that. Youhong knew it so well that it showed up in his dreams.

    However, they never announced their plans to hang out, they always just... did it. They¡¯d never cancel other plans or even reserve time to hang out during the day, they¡¯d just fill in their free time with hang out time.

    They even lived together!

    Letting out a long sigh after clearing his throat, Youhong waved off the confused questions from Songmei and Mingqing. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you later to do the registration, Taigang. Might as well, I don¡¯t really have any plans.¡±

    Raising his eyebrows, Taigang nodded, ¡°Ahh, thank you.¡± There was about as much subtlety in Youhong¡¯s statement as a freight train, but it did its job.

 104: Fated Date Preparation!

    Having trained until sweat was just starting to drip down their faces and their training outfits were just starting to get a little wet, the four of them wrapped the training session up. After a quick debrief and promise to keep each other posted in case of an update later, all four of them left. Han Youhong and Wang Taigang in one direction and Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing in another.

    Avoiding an awkward conversation with the receptionist, Songmei and Mingqing bolted back to their apartment. Well, bolted in this instance being more of a speed walk than anything close to a run.

    One out-of-breath elevator ride later, the door to their apartment was slammed shut as both Mingqing and Songmei ran into separate showers to wash their sweat and training field grime off themselves.

    Songmei, of course, wouldn¡¯t have minded using the same shower, but she still felt it was a little early...

    She still had shame, she wasn¡¯t a weirdo! Also, it didn¡¯t fit the mood to be showering naked with Mingqing before going on a date with... Mingqing.

    Showering faster than she had ever before¡ªmaybe it was the nerves, maybe it was the excitement¡ªSongmei dried herself before taking a long breath, sinking down onto a stool in the bathroom.

    She and Mingqing had agreed to not intrude on each other while getting ready. Of course, it didn¡¯t have anything to do with egos or another contested disagreement, they just wanted to be able to surprise each other with their outfits.

    ¡°What to wear...¡± Songmei murmured while pinching her nose. She didn¡¯t have that much to wear in all honesty, so it didn¡¯t make sense that she had to debate.

    Songmei had, maybe... two dresses that would fit the occasion. Beyond dresses, Songmei had one pair of pants, two tops, and one skirt.

    Humming some game show thinking music, Songmei slid her spatial ring on and off.

    Deciding that it¡¯d be smarter to start with some underwear, Songmei dried the last drops of water off her body and blow dried her hair before getting dressed¡ªnobody wanted to sit in the bathroom butt naked while pondering their upcoming date after all.

    Sitting back on her trusty stool, Songmei fell back into the same thinking position for another few minutes. Why was it so hard to decide whether or not to wear a dress?

    ¡°Dammit, I¡¯ll just wear a dress!¡± Songmei sighed, giving up on trying to weigh the pros and cons of the different outfits. Being cultivators who moved their body for a living, Songmei and Mingqing both wore shorts or pants much more than skirts or dresses. Now with an opportunity staring straight at her, why shouldn¡¯t she wear one?

    Also... Mingqing had murmured a few times that Songmei should wear dresses more so...

    As a good girlfriend... Songmei would wear a dress!

    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    What a great girlfriend Songmei was, she even had a dress that matched Mingqing! Definitely a total coincidence how that turned out. Songmei had definitely not bought the dress long ago just because it matched her ¡°best friend.¡±

    Pulling the dark blue dress that matched Mingqing¡¯s hair out of her spatial ring, Songmei slid it on before taking another moment to deliberate about her footwear.

    There sure seemed to be an unending amount of things she needed to figure out...

    Sure, she had one pair of heels. Sure, they looked nice. Sure, they also matched her dress pretty well.

    The problem was that Songmei was still pretty bad, and super inexperienced with wearing heels...

    Deciding to just pull out a normal pair of shoes, Songmei set them aside while reassuring herself that there¡¯d be plenty of opportunities in the future to wear the heels. After all, with how rich Mingqing was, it was almost guaranteed they¡¯d attend formal parties in the future.

    With her shoes lined up next to the door, Songmei slumped over while dragging the stool over to the mirror. Breaking out her makeup for once, Songmei squinted at herself and puffed out her cheeks a few times in the mirror before getting down to business.

    ------

    One tortuous makeup session later, Songmei was ready to go!

    Well... as ready to go as she could be. Having decided to not even attempt anything like a multi-wing eyeliner look, Songmei had kept it simple¡ªand even then it was such a PAIN!

    Songmei was lazy, not when it came to school of course, but that wasn¡¯t even relevant anymore. Songmei the honor student? No, now it was Songmei the Starlight Lake disciple.

    However, Songmei was a total bum, total couch potato, total slacker when it came to things like makeup. Her skin was pretty nice naturally¡ªlucky her¡ªand it had become even more supple and smooth when she had gone up in cultivation realms.

    That meant she could skimp! No need for primer, no need for foundation!

    That still left her with concealer, blush (she had also decided to skip on highlighter and bronzer), eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, and lip... stuff.

    Having done all that, Songmei was quite satisfied with herself. She hadn¡¯t meant to go too overboard, yet... she knew Mingqing was... so she too had to at least look... passable...

    Giving herself a pair of finger guns in the mirror, Songmei had to suppress the urge to congratulate herself¡ªMingqing was going to be shocked, Songmei was certain, Songmei was so certain, she¡¯d be willing to put money on it!

    With a final check over, Songmei made sure her makeup didn¡¯t have any obvious mistakes¡ªdamn, maybe cultivating had made her better at makeup...

    Well, Songmei had felt her dexterity get better...

    Shaking the random thoughts out of her head, Songmei pulled out a pair of gold butterfly earrings and a gold hair clip. Songmei didn¡¯t want to admit it, but these were also pre-bought a couple months prior... Bought specifically to match Mingqing¡¯s golden eyes.

    Slipping the earrings on and pinning her hair back, Songmei couldn¡¯t think of anything else she needed to do. Time-wise, she was also fine, she still had another five minutes before her and Mingqing¡¯s promised meeting time.

    She looked great! Well... maybe not great, great, but better than usual... Winking at herself in the mirror, Songmei, not one second later, felt a bit of a blush creeping up onto her cheeks. Being a person with an almost-too-much dose of shame, Songmei chose not to then blow herself a kiss in the mirror¡ªthat would be way too much.

    With one final deep breath, one final big stretch, Songmei was ready to go! She was so ready! She was so ready that she was shaking just thinking about opening the door!

    With one actual final deep breath, Songmei cracked the door open, bending down to pick up her shoes as she left.

 105: Intrusively Sapphic Thoughts

    Lin Songmei was dressed and ready to go. Checking the time, Songmei saw that she still had a little over four minutes before the agreed meeting time. To her own surprise though, Yan Mingqing had still not come down from upstairs.

    Having talked a bit on the way back from the training center, Songmei had figured out that Mingqing wasn¡¯t planning on wearing a dress or a skirt. Given that she didn¡¯t think that Mingqing was one to wear short-shorts during the tail-end of winter, Songmei was willing to bet that Mingqing was going to wear some long pants and a blouse.

    Songmei hoped that Mingqing hadn¡¯t slipped in the shower...

    Even if Mingqing did, given how strong they were, it¡¯d leave a bruise at most...

    Befuddled, Songmei decided to think about other things to calm her nerves. Was her dress fine?

    Songmei¡¯s nerves would just not go away. Without even noticing, her hands kept smoothing her dress out over her legs as every attempt to make her brain think of something else failed.

    Washing machines?

    Well... what about that time with Mingqing where the two of them saw a washing machine flying out of the main Westriver transport hub.

    Bricks?

    Mingqing was apparently really good at the brick-laying game... Though Songmei hadn¡¯t heard much about it recently. It seemed that everyone had been a little too busy to play on a regular basis.

    That, or they just talked about it when Songmei wasn¡¯t there.

    Or maybe Songmei had just started naturally tuning it out, very possible.

    Liu Xueli?

    Even though their master Xueli was a real... interesting person, Songmei could only think of the long hours she and Mingqing had spent sitting together at the edge of the koi pond.

    Those days, weeks, had been some of the most peaceful in Songmei¡¯s life. Everyday she and Mingqing would train and go to ¡°school¡± though it really didn¡¯t teach much. Just before dinner, she and Mingqing would do their homework together, completing it before dragging Xueli along to the dining hall.

    After dinner, the three of them would play cards, hang out, watch movies¡ªthey¡¯d do everything. Of course, oftentimes Mingqing and Songmei would just kick Xueli out and do stuff on their own, but Xueli seemed more than happy to let them bond on their own.

    Careful not to touch her own face, Songmei stared out the window reminiscing on the nights that she and Mingqing had spent, staring at the field of stars that seemed to blanket Starlight lake.

    They had even sung to each other!

    ... Looking back, Songmei had no idea why she didn¡¯t realize some of her feelings earlier.

    Letting out a long sigh, Songmei stared at the ceiling. Why did these few minutes have to feel so long? Why did her heart beat so fast? Why was Mingqing so dang hot?

    Well... Songmei wasn¡¯t complaining about the last one though.

    -------

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Before Songmei realized, the door upstairs cracked open, and footsteps began to walk downstairs.

    Spinning as if she was dodging a punch from Wang Taigang, Songmei¡¯s brain took a second to process the... sublime sight in front of her. With Mingqing also freezing at the top of the stairs, Songmei and Mingqing had a great view of each other.

    Just as Songmei had expected, Mingqing had worn a blouse and some pants¡ªprediction one, on point! Anything else that Songmei had tried to predict had all been wrong though. She also could easily see why Mingqing had taken a while.

    Mingqing was good at putting on makeup, so it was obvious that the picture perfect makeup that Mingqing was wearing hadn¡¯t taken the time¡ªas a side note, for someone who had grown up having others put makeup on for her, Songmei was always baffled by how fast and well Mingqing could put on makeup.

    However, one thing that did deviate from Mingqing¡¯s usual ¡®look¡¯ was the prominent braid that Mingqing had her hair in. Having braided all of her hair into one intricate braid that came down her left shoulder, Songmei was amazed at how well Mingqing had pulled it off.

    Mingqing was a walking disaster when it came to styling hair. For someone so godly at makeup, Mingqing trying to style her hair was like Xueli trying to seem young¡ªit just didn¡¯t work. Because of her lack of skill in that department, Mingqing was always one to just use a claw clip or clip adjacent and pin back her hair.

    ¡°Y... Y... You look really good.¡± Songmei stammered as Mingqing made her way down the stairs. With a closer look, Songmei could also see that Mingqing had worn silver-white jewelry. Songmei didn¡¯t want to extrapolate or anything, but she had an inkling of a feeling that it was to match her own hair and eyes.

    Just an inkling. One could never be sure, of course.

    ¡°You look beautiful as well,¡± Mingqing laughed as Songmei stood up, seeming unsure on what to do. ¡°Well, you always look beautiful.¡±

    Getting sent over the moon, Songmei lost the ability to breathe for a second as she smoothed out her dress for the millionth time. ¡°You... You always look beautiful...¡±

    ¡°Why thank you,¡± Mingqing smiled, opening her arms to offer a hug. ¡°And I knew it, you do look good in a dress!¡±

    Taking the hug, Songmei gave a long squeeze while making sure that her lipstick didn¡¯t get onto Mingqing¡¯s spotless white blouse.

    Her mouth just didn''t seem to work! Frustrated but also flustered, Songmei¡¯s mind spun at breakneck speeds, trying to sort out the conflicting thoughts in her head. Of course she wanted to crawl into a hole. Falling apart and forgetting how to breathe after just seeing your girlfriend came with that.

    But also Songmei really quite liked Mingqing, if that wasn¡¯t clear yet. Therefore, the best hole to crawl into would be Mingqing¡¯s arms! But that didn¡¯t work since Mingqing was the one flustering her!

    Why was it so hard...

    Mingqing, on the other hand, was fine. Well, she wasn¡¯t fine but she looked fine. She had also lost the ability to breathe for a second, and, now, was very much chanting in her head about how sexy and fine Songmei looked in her dress.

    That was shut, locked, and suppressed to stay in her own mind though, Mingqing had an image to keep after all.

    -------

    Standing in place in their living room for a couple minutes hugging, Mingqing patted Songmei on the back, asking, ¡°Feel any calmer now?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Songmei retorted, not even half a second after Mingqing had finished her sentence, ¡°You¡¯re too pretty, it''s unfair.¡±

    ¡°Well, you are too, so I guess that¡¯s two of us,¡± Mingqing grinned, loosening her embrace to let Songmei take a step back. ¡°Why the conflicted look? You can talk to me if you want, you know I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just debating whether or not to do something...¡± Songmei murmured, squinting in mock annoyance seeing the teasing look on Mingqing¡¯s face.

    ¡°Just do it~ I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mingqing poked with an¡ªadmittedly¡ªvery beautiful smile.

    Pondering for a couple of seconds, Songmei, exasperated at Mingqing, opened her arms for another hug. Getting a raised eyebrow that seemed to say ¡°that¡¯s it?¡± from Mingqing, Songmei beckoned her forward anyway.

    Once near, Songmei reached up, cupping Mingqing¡¯s face. Getting an innocent few blinks from an unexpecting Mingqing, Songmei grinned, grabbing her and pulling her in for a soft kiss.

    A few... or more than a few moments later, Songmei let a now pink-cheeked Mingqing go, a bright and refreshed smile back on her face. ¡°Alright! I feel much better now! That was revenge for the kiss you gave on the training field!¡±

    Grabbing Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei pointed towards the door, ¡°So, ready for shopping?¡±

 106: Jewelry Shopping!

    Lin Songmei was beyond glad that she had worn shorts under her dress. Not only was wind beginning to snake its way between the tall buildings, but also a chilly air had descended, permeating every pore of her exposed limbs.

    Yan Mingqing was warm though, and Songmei had no qualms about interlocking arms with her, so there wasn¡¯t much to complain about.

    So, overall, the plan they had made was simple: start with clothes shopping, do some grocery shopping, cook together, and end off with a cute dinner beside the window.

    To start off with clothes shopping, Songmei and Mingqing had made their way to Westriver Central District¡¯s famous central plaza. The central plaza was a circular, open area in the center of the floating island that was the Central District. In the center of the plaza was a mind-bending fountain that not only reached a whole two stories into the air, but also had nine layers to it¡ªfour of which floated unassisted somehow.

    Having spent some time admiring the fountain¡ªit was a one of one art piece after all¡ªSongmei and Mingqing had turned their attention back to what they had come for: shopping.

    The central plaza, in all directions except for the four cardinal ones where there were large boulevards, was surrounded by stores. There were a few smaller places that served food, but most buildings stretched into the sky, jam-packed with stores that sold everything from groceries to clothes to weapons. Of course, because the major sects had laid their roots down in the east, the more eastward in the plaza one went, the more cultivator geared the merchandise became¡ªboth in terms of what was sold and for how much it was sold.

    Because the plaza was ubiquitous to every shopping trip, more often than not the plaza was packed. The westside a little more than east more often than not because just how many more normal people than there were cultivators.

    There were only two reasons a non-cultivator would go to the east-side, either they had a large amount of expendable income and wanted to buy some clothes that¡¯d last them a couple hundred years or they had a need to buy some extreme weaponry to do... something.

    Being cultivators with a much too large allowance from their master, Mingqing and Songmei walked straight towards the eastside of the central plaza.

    ¡°I¡¯m still... in awe, every time we come here...¡± Songmei marveled, looking around to just appreciate the sight. Back where she had grown up, there had also been a shopping center; however, it was puny compared to this.

    The cultivator section of the plaza consisted of tall building after tall building. Although not individually impressive, the tall buildings were also all connected to each other through a series of web-like passages that soared through the open air.

    ¡°One day, one day I want to bring you to the shopping center near my own house,¡± Mingqing laughed, squeezing Songmei¡¯s arm, ¡°I feel like the surprise on your face would be... amazing.¡±

    ¡°Just say cute!¡± Songmei squinted as pink appeared once more on her cheeks, reaching up to pinch Mingqing¡¯s nose, ¡°Don¡¯t do that pause where you try and search for another word, and then settle on saying some equivalent to ¡®pretty cool.¡¯¡±

    Cracking up while giving Songmei a hug, Mingqing confessed, ¡°You know me so well! Well you¡¯re right, it would be so cute. So that¡¯s why I want to see it!¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°See... ulterior motive meanie head...¡± Songmei glared in mock anger before clearing her throat in embarrassment as a middle-aged woman glanced in their direction. ¡°Let¡¯s just get going... where do you want to go first?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the jewelry store on the eighth floor of the... fifth building I think it is? We can find it once we¡¯re in the area, there¡¯s something I want to buy there.¡± Mingqing tapped her chin, getting a nod and a ¡°sure, sure¡± from Songmei.

    ---------

    Navigating their way through the buildings and sky pathways, Songmei and Mingqing¡ªwith the aid of Songmei¡¯s sign reading skills¡ªmade it to the jewelry store.

    ¡°Is it this one?¡± Songmei asked, squinting at the sign board in suspicion, ¡°Qingqing¡¯s Jewelry Market...?¡±

    The name just sounded kinda... kinda sketchy. Songmei couldn¡¯t help but feel that the name didn¡¯t match the store¡¯s image. Inside the store was a well-light interior decorated with various display cases of jewelry. There were also a couple of helpers walking around giving the customers a feel for what they might want to buy.

    With such professional acting looking store clerks along with such a spotless interior, Songmei wanted to snort at the name that sounded like it came straight from a street stall that would try to scam her and the other orphanage kids...

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s the right place,¡± Mingqing reassured, grabbing Songmei¡¯s hand and giving it a squeeze as they walked in. ¡°My parents saved the life of the owner of the whole chain a couple hundred years ago. Then they also sponsored her to start the business so our whole family gets a massive discount here. Also, yeah, the name is kinda weird, the owner just doesn¡¯t know how to name things, she¡¯s got a good heart though.¡±

    ¡°I-... I see...¡± Songmei coughed, a little shocked to find out the very personal and very beneficial connection Mingqing had with the owner of the jewelry chain.

    Even now, Mingqing¡¯s wealth still gave Songmei a mini-heart attack when she found out about it. How did she go from worrying every night about what job she should go into to make sure she could afford a house and food to worrying every night that she might sleep through her alarm and miss morning breakfast with miss golden thigh...

    ¡°Soo... any specific reason you wanted to come here first?¡± Songmei murmured, looking around, a little self-conscious again¡ªshe couldn¡¯t help but worry that the store clerks would be able to see that she... walked like a poor person or something.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be quick, in and out in a couple minutes, I know what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Mingqing answered with a hand squeeze and a mischievous glint in her eyes. ¡°Just sit tight, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±

    Patting a cushioned chair that seemed to be there just for people like her to wait, Songmei smoothened her dress and wiped her hands of sweat while watching Mingqing. In fact, sitting a few seats to her left was another shopper¡¯s husband, sitting there scrolling through some online forum to pass some time.

    Mingqing strode over to the clerk, asking for... a specific piece of jewelry that Songmei couldn¡¯t quite make out from the distance she was sitting. The clerk, credit to him, managed to find that specific piece of jewelry within a couple of minutes to Songmei¡¯s surprise.

    Feeling a smile break out on her face as she watched Mingqing crack a couple of jokes¡ªsomething Mingqing seemed to only be able to do when Songmei was in the general vicinity¡ªSongmei then tilted her head as Mingqing pointed a thumb in her direction.

    Confused, Songmei watched as Mingqing whispered a few sentences in the clerk¡¯s ear. With an understanding nod and kind but also mischievous grin, the clerk helped Mingqing pack up the jewelry in a small box out of Songmei¡¯s line of sight before going to the checkout machine.

    Having given up on trying to figure out what the piece of jewelry was, Songmei sat back into the chair watching in amusement as the clerk¡¯s jaw dropped and eyes popped out finding out who Mingqing was.

    Very relatable Mr. Clerk, very relatable...

    As Mingqing walked back over with a bright smile and outstretched hand saying ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± and ¡°As promised, I was fast,¡± to Songmei, the clerk rushed over to the other workers to let them know who he had just met.

    Taking Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei snorted with a smile and pulled Mingqing into a surprise hug, ¡°You were very fast, good job! I never had any doubts, of course.¡±

 107: A Little Lip-Touching Never Hurt Anyone

    Lin Songmei couldn¡¯t stop smiling. She was on a date, with Yan Mingqing of all people! Things had been going well too. They held hands, admired a fountain, held hands, walked around, continued to hold each other¡¯s hands, and just now, bought some jewelry at a shop called ¡°Qingqing¡¯s Jewelry Market.¡±

    Well, in all honesty, Songmei had actually rotated between holding hands with Mingqing and just doing the classic wrap-yourself-around-one-arm technique.

    She¡¯d seen other people do it before, so why not try it? Plus, she wasn¡¯t doing it in school and shoving it in everyone else¡¯s faces so it should¡¯ve been fine¡ªshe even had an excuse, she was wearing a dress and was cold!

    Squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Where are we going now?¡±

    Mingqing was just walking while trying to swallow back bout after bout of laughter. Songmei knew it wasn¡¯t anything bad, but a quick glance at the twitching at the corner of Mingqing¡¯s lips made it clear that Mingqing was plotting something.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see, I just wanted to go to one of the hanging terraces connected to the sky-pathways.¡± Mingqing nodded, her grin making it clear that Songmei wasn¡¯t going to pry anymore information out of her.

    Sighing and shaking her head, Songmei decided to just wait and talk about some other things as they walked. She was Mingqing¡¯s girlfriend! Songmei could talk about anything she wanted and Mingqing would listen¡ªLiu Xueli, dinner ideas, or shopping places to go to next¡ªthe topics were endless.

    Deciding to just make some idle conversation about Xueli and her bureaucratic escapades for the foreseeable future, Songmei asked, ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll run into her sometime?¡±

    ¡°Maybe...¡± Mingqing pondered, stroking her chin, ¡°It¡¯s not likely unless she reaches out to us. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s always a chance that we run into her around here or something as she buys like... koi food or something.¡±

    ¡°True, true,¡± Songmei assented, squeezing Mingqing¡¯s arm that she was wrapped around (thank the heavens there weren¡¯t other people around to judge her). ¡°It¡¯d be awkward to run into her today though. Finding out that your two dearest students are dating after running into them while they¡¯re in the middle of a date would be... rough.¡±

    Snorting, Mingqing replied with a ¡°Yeah that¡¯d be rough¡± before peeking into the terrace. Seeing that it was unoccupied, she nodded towards Songmei, ¡°Ready to find out what jewelry I bought?¡±

    Raising an eyebrow in confusion as Mingqing dragged her into the terrace overlooking a small park outside of the central plaza, Songmei let out a sigh, admiring the view from the terrace. Behind her was the central plaza, shopping center, and the bustling crowds of people.

    On this side though, was just a small, unoccupied park far below them.

    Leaning against the railing, Songmei was glad that she wasn¡¯t afraid of heights. Turning to grab Mingqing¡¯s hand who was beside her, Songmei squinted with a laugh, ¡°So what¡¯s this surprise you¡¯ve been plotting?¡±

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Nothing at all,¡± Mingqing laughed, pulling the Qingqing¡¯s Jewelry Market bag out of her spatial storage ring. ¡°I just bought something I thought you might like.¡±

    Taking a small box out of the bag, Mingqing threw the bag back into her ring before getting down onto one knee.

    ¡°Wa... wait wait wait!¡± Songmei sputtered, trying to lift Mingqing back onto her feet ¡°I¡¯m not ready to get married yet! It¡¯s only our first date!¡±

    Doubling over laughing, Mingqing got back up before giving Songmei a hug. ¡°I know, I know, I just wanted to play a little prank. Here¡¯s what I actually got you, a necklace!¡±

    With Mingqing opening the box, Songmei saw a delicate necklace lying inside. The necklace itself was also simple, a thin golden chain was connected to a small, golden heart-shaped outline. In the outline sat a small heart-shaped ruby, twinkling under the warm lights that illuminated the terrace.

    Laughing as Songmei¡¯s jaw dropped, Mingqing explained, ¡°I saw you already had some gold jewelry on, so I bought this, just for you. I also saw you didn¡¯t have a necklace, sooo... might as well, you know? It matches my eyes that have just a few red flecks in them.¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯m honored,¡± Songmei stammered, fidgeting and unsure what to do. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you something... sometime... Well, later today then!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it then,¡± Mingqing chuckled, beckoning Songmei closer, ¡°Here, let me put it on for you.¡±

    Brushing her hair out of the way, Songmei stepped forward, a blush climbing her face as Mingqing wrapped her arms back behind her neck to connect the two ends of the necklace.

    Apologetic because of her cold hands, Mingqing leaned forward to make sure that she didn¡¯t clip any hair into the necklace¡¯s clasp as well before murmuring, ¡°Wow... you have really nice collarbones...¡±

    With Songmei reaching out to grab Mingqing¡¯s shoulders to support herself while laughing, Mingqing apologized with an awkward cough, ¡°Ahh, sorry it just kinda... slipped out. You¡¯re good to go though, you look absolutely stunning as always.¡±

    Looping her arms over Mingqing¡¯s neck, Songmei murmured a quiet ¡°thank you,¡± before grinning as Mingqing blushed and looked away. ¡°What, am I too close to the Ice Princess now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes you are,¡± Mingqing confessed while wrapping her arms around Songmei, ¡°The Ice Princess was melted away by your warmth and your smile.¡±

    Freezing up for a second, Songmei laughed, ¡°Well, then all that¡¯s left is a princess, am I right? All for me too!¡±

    ¡°I-...¡± Mingqing trailed off, ¡°Well, if you say so...¡±

    ¡°Well, I do!¡± Songmei cheered with a smile, ¡°Anyway, sorry to ask in the most unappealing way ever, but... wanna kiss?¡±

    ¡°Why even ask?¡± Mingqing teased, ¡°It hasn¡¯t stopped either of us before. And it¡¯s not like either of us are opposed to the idea either. In fact, it¡¯s quite the opposite I¡¯d bet.¡±

    ¡°Well... yeah,¡± Songmei agreed after a second of trying to think of a retort, ¡°I just thought, you know... consent, yeah!¡±

    With her hands around Songmei¡¯s waist, Mingqing pulled her another half-step closer, ¡°You can kiss me whenever you want, no need to ask, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± Songmei mused, trying her best to sear Mingqing¡¯s words into every part of her memory. ¡°M-Me too though... you can kiss me whenever you want too!¡±

    Looking around to make sure there wasn¡¯t anyone around while whispering a ¡°good to know," Mingqing turned back to Songmei who, confused at why Mingqing was looking around, asked ¡°Are you planning a grand escape now that you have my consent to kiss me?¡±

    ¡°No, no, not at all,¡± Mingqing laughed, turning back to look at Songmei before grinning and winking, ¡°I was just gonna say, try not to smear my lipstick too much, okay?¡±

    Ignoring Songmei¡¯s sputtering, Mingqing pulled Songmei that one last step closer and into an embrace and a kiss by the terrace¡¯s edge.

 108: The Problem With PDA

    Han Youhong knew it. It was obvious, but now he had confirmation, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing were dating!

    The story all started a few minutes back, while he and Wang Taigang were walking along one of the sky-bridges to get to a weight store. At this point, Youhong and Taigang had already gone and signed up for the mission, due to start the day after tomorrow.

    Taigang, being the workout maniac that he was, needed more protein powder and also a new set of weights, his current ones being too light for him now.

    Youhong, with zero interest in working out beyond the hours of cultivation practice he already did, decided to still tag along since... why not? There was nothing else he could do anyway¡ªhe could just use this as a chance to refill on some lychee jelly too.

    Well, the two of them had been walking, just minding their own business until they overheard ¡°Mingqing¡± and ¡°Songmei¡± come up in a conversation from a group of disciples gossiping as they walked a couple of steps up ahead.

    Raising his eyebrows towards Taigang and motioning with his eyes, Youhong quickened his footsteps to try and overhear the conversation

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you see the post in the group chat?¡±

    ¡°No? What post? Did one of the sect leaders tell us something important?¡±

    ¡°Whaaaat? Hell naw, it was a rumor! Live right now!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, check it! Check it!¡±

    With one of the girls in the group up ahead urging one of the boys, the boy took out his terminal, fumbling around with it to try and check as fast as he could.

    ¡°Holy heavens...¡±

    ¡°I know, right?!¡±

    ¡°Mingqing and Songmei were spotted in this shopping area? Dressed formally too?! Who found this out? And... what are they up to?¡±

    ¡°One of the girls in the group chat was shopping for some jewelry when they saw Mingqing walk in with Songmei! A few minutes later, both of them were gone! The information is confirmed too because she heard the store clerks talking about how that was the actual Mingqing! Apparently Mingqing has a huge discount there because her family helped out the founder of the store chain!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s crazy... She¡¯s so rich...¡±

    ¡°Imagine dating her... you¡¯d be set! The perfect golden thigh to latch onto...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t even say it... it¡¯s every man and woman¡¯s dream, but Mingqing¡¯s so cold, you¡¯d die before you even got within fifty steps of her... You¡¯d have better chances with her brother, and he already has a girlfriend!¡±

    ¡°What about Songmei then? She might not be rich now, but it¡¯s guaranteed she¡¯s going to be rich! She¡¯s a starlight lake disciple! She¡¯s the disciple of the ¡®Ravager¡¯ Liu Xueli!¡±

    ¡°That one might be possible...¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re both so pretty and so fast with their cultivation though... I¡¯d be content with either of them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, haven¡¯t you heard? Everyone in their party is already a four-meridian cultivator! They haven¡¯t even been cultivating for half a year! I only opened my third at the six month mark, they¡¯ll probably be at five or six!¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Looking over at Taigang, Youhong shook his head as he saw Taigang had the same thoughts running through his own mind. They both knew, trying to latch onto either Songmei or Mingqing¡¯s thighs was a lost cause. Eventually they¡¯d realize their feelings for each other, but it was already clear they only had eyes for each other.

    For Youhong, it was clear after about thirty seconds into their first meeting. After everyone had done introductions, they had fallen into their own world, Songmei had even draped herself over Mingqing¡¯s shoulders.

    Surprised that not a single one of the disciples had noticed him or Taigang, Youhong motioned for Taigang to fall back so that they could have a ¡°strategy meeting.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯re around, that¡¯s all we learned? Well and that they¡¯re both wearing very formal clothes for some reason.¡± Youhong confirmed, walking over and leaning against the railing. ¡°Do you know the store they¡¯re talking about? I¡¯ve heard the story, it was quite famous, but I never got to know which jewelry store it was exactly.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Taigang nodded, drumming his fingers against the railing, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that the store they¡¯re talking about is Qingqing¡¯s Jewelry Market but I could be wrong. Knowing where they were doesn¡¯t help us at all though. Do we even want to run into them?¡±

    ¡°I mean, not really, to be perfectly honest.¡± Youhong confessed, craning his head back. ¡°It¡¯s not like I''m against hanging out with them. But if they¡¯re wearing formal clothes, I don¡¯t want to seem like a bum by wearing a tank top and sweatpants.¡±

    ¡°Very true,¡± Taigang laughed, looking down to check his own outfit. Youhong was already the laziest dresser in the group, he didn¡¯t need it to be exacerbated for everyone else to see.

    With their conversation coming to a stall, Taigang motioned, ¡°C¡¯mon, let¡¯s keep moving, we can just keep our eyes peeled as we walk.¡±

    Thinking that was a pretty good plan, Youhong nodded as he pushed himself off the railing. ¡°Alright, workout shop time, how do we get there? I think we pass over the terraces, yeah?¡±

    ------

    Making their way through the web of sky-pathways, Youhong and Taigang found out... they really didn¡¯t have much to talk about. A lot of their conversation was just about cultivating, or about Songmei and Mingqing, or about other people in their sect, or about the bricklaying video game.

    It was while they passed over the terrace area though, did both of them freeze up.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t... isn¡¯t that them?¡± Taigang murmured, clamping Youhong¡¯s shoulder and pulling him back. ¡°That¡¯s them! That¡¯s them! Pull out your binoculars!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m already on it. Don¡¯t yell at me,¡± Youhong retorted, pulling out two pairs of binoculars, one for himself and one for Taigang.

    Peering down like a pair of creeps, Youhong and Taigang made idle conversations about birdwatching as a cover while watching Mingqing and Songmei.

    ¡°You see that blue bird down there? Woah... I¡¯ve never seen it with that ¡®dress¡¯ before,¡± Taigang murmured, trying his best to keep it vague enough.

    ¡°Yeah... I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s so close to the other bird, the one with the ¡®white chest¡¯¡± Youhong tagged along, using Mingqing and Songmei¡¯s clothes to identify them. ¡°They both also really have a lot of rare markings on their faces. I¡¯ve never seen those birds with those markings.¡±

    ¡°I agree...¡± Taigang replied, falling into silence as there wasn¡¯t much else that he could add.

    Though silence fell between them, both Taigang and Youhong didn¡¯t notice as their eyebrows furrowed. They watched the necklace get gifted, then, after a whole back and forth that seemed a little too intimate for them to see, a kiss.

    Putting down their binoculars and deciding they had seen enough as Mingqing and Songmei kissed, Taigang and Youhong turned towards each other.

    ¡°¡°Finally, took them long enough.¡±¡±

    Anyhow, seeing Songmei and Mingqing kiss wasn¡¯t exactly on Youhong''s list of things to see for the day but... he was glad to have confirmation.

    As distraught as other members of any normal party might be, both Youhong and Taigang didn¡¯t care. Youhong had about as much romantic love for other people as he might have for a tree in the forest. Taigang, on the other hand, was such a pure Yang cultivator that he didn¡¯t even look at girls, they were the ones with Yin energy, he was only after more Yang, and that meant guys.

    Tranquil at heart, the two of them decided to just get back to what they were doing¡ªshopping.

    ¡°Want to go to the arcade after this?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Why not? I don¡¯t have anything to do anyway.¡±

    Walking into their first stop, the fitness store, Youhong and Taigang¡¯s tranquility was shattered once more.

    Liu Xueli was there... shopping for workout clothes...

 109: Amazing How News Travels So Fast...

    Liu Xueli despised, hated even, the bureaucrats she had to work with. Every day, it was just meeting after meeting! Couldn¡¯t they leave their office chairs to actually get some work done?

    Even worse, they were people she had to actually collaborate with! Problems that had to be solved with words¡ªin Xueli¡¯s opinion¡ªwere magnitudes worse than problems that had to be solved with an ax kick.

    She didn¡¯t even have time to go see her precious two disciples!

    The one time she was free from her meetings, her two disciples had deflected her inquiries, replying with a vague ¡°Oh we have... plans already... sorry.¡±

    So, now, Xueli was just clothes shopping. Her body hadn¡¯t changed in what felt like forever¡ªcultivation did that to people. Maybe the heavens knew, but Xueli didn¡¯t. However, that meant that her wardrobe was already decked out.

    Xueli had every type of dress, skirt, pants, shirt, blouse, pair of shoes that she could ever want. Just to entertain herself then, she had decided to go to a workout store. If she didn¡¯t need to buy clothes, she could just take a look, and workout clothes were her favorite type to just browse.

    The workout industry had been one that Xueli watched fuse together from the cultivator and non-cultivator sides. She¡¯d been there when both sides had no idea the other existed, and now she was still here¡ªsadly¡ªwhen both sides were so interwoven one couldn¡¯t tell where one stopped and the other began.

    Because of their collaborations though, to Xueli, workout gear was now some of the most interesting to browse. Here, she could always see the latest fusions and innovations that both sides had managed to create together.

    Absorbed in flipping through some racks of clothes, Xueli almost missed Han Youhong and Wang Taigang entering the store.

    Had they not flinched so hard that their souls almost left their body, Xueli would¡¯ve missed them.

    Putting aside the lightweight, breathable weight jacket equipped with electric and Qi muscle stimulators, Xueli waved the two over with a benign smile. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you two, who do you think I am? Who are your masters, haven¡¯t they trained you to come greet your seniors?¡±

    ¡°Y... You know both of our masters though,¡± Youhong refuted with a confused expression, ¡°Apparently very well too. Anyway... we didn¡¯t come to greet you because...¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t come to greet you because you¡¯re so young you barely even count as a senior!¡± Taigang pitched in with a nod, eliciting an ¡°mhm¡± and discreet fist bump from Youhong.

    Putting a hand to her chest as a warm feeling swelled up inside of her, Xueli grinned with a nod, ¡°I forgive you! More than that, you two have earned yourself a positive place in my heart!¡±

    Xueli was amazed! These youngsters had such good manners! Her own two disciples, though treating her with respect at first, now just called her old at every turn! They ragged on her like a tag team duo! Lin Songmei with the gentle tap followed by Yan Mingqing with the remorseless gash!

    Youhong and Taigang, on the other hand, looked at each other in bewilderment¡ªtheir random fib had worked?! With a grin appearing on both their faces, they gave each other another fist bump before fixing their postures as Xueli tapped her chin.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Afraid of being grilled about their party dynamics, both Taigang and Youhong¡¯s minds pumped like engines, trying to account for every question Xueli might ask.

    ¡°So... any ideas on what Songmei and Mingqing are up to right now?¡± Xueli inquired with a hesitant tone.

    With their minds both not grinding to a halt, but instead getting into a car accident, Youhong and Taigang both froze for a second. Youhong, who¡¯s brain managed to do a 540 quadruple backflip recovery, motioned out the door. ¡°Let¡¯s... talk somewhere else, yeah. It¡¯s a little complicated.¡±

    ------

    A few minutes later, Xueli, Youhong, and Taigang were all sitting in a cafe, in a corner far from the other patrons.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the situation?¡± Xueli asked, sipping a coffee as Youhong and Taigang fidgeted with what to say.

    Without a shadow of a doubt, judging from Xueli¡¯s question, she didn¡¯t know Songmei and Mingqing were dating. Hell, Youhong and Taigang didn¡¯t know they were dating until ten minutes prior, and that was by sheer coincidence.

    So... should they be the one to spill the beans?

    Youhong and Taigang didn¡¯t want to be the ones to share the news, but judging from the cold glint hidden behind Xueli¡¯s kind smile, a lie like ¡°oh they¡¯re on a mission without us¡± was going to... not end well for them.

    Judging from how Songmei and Mingqing canceled any other plans they had during this time too, it was safe to say if Youhong and Taigang were going to lie, it had better be one that was good enough to warrant a whole afternoon of plan cancellations...

    ¡°Just tell the truth,¡± Taigang whispered to Youhong, nudging him under the table. ¡°We can just explain the whole situation.¡±

    ¡°...Alright, soo...¡± Youhong began, unsure on how to really phrase it, ¡°We¡¯re like ninety-nine percent sure that Songmei and Mingqing are on a date right now.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it?¡± Xueli grumbled, to the relief of Taigang and Youhong. ¡°Took them long enough.¡±

    Sipping coffee, Xueli motioned for the two to continue, ¡°How did you two find out? I assume they didn¡¯t tell you, considering they haven¡¯t told me yet.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they didn¡¯t us either,¡± Taigang shook his head, ¡°they were really earlier saying that they had some plans in the afternoon and weren¡¯t going to be available, but they didn¡¯t give us any details.¡±

    ¡°They did that to me too!¡± Xueli nodded, wiping a fake tear, ¡°Didn¡¯t want to meet with their dearest master!¡±

    Snorting as Xueli broke out laughing, Youhong continued, ¡°Taigang and I then just decided to go sign up for a mission to start soon. However, coming back to go shopping for some stuff, we walked over the terrace area, and just looking down we saw them... uh... intimately standing in each other¡¯s arms.¡±

    ¡°Then, Mingqing gave Songmei a necklace,¡± Taigang sighed as Xueli began to knead her eyebrows, murmuring, ¡°I can feel where this is going...¡±

    Sipping her coffee, Xueli followed up her murmuring by asking, ¡°Did you then see them kiss?¡±

    ¡°Yup,¡± Youhong affirmed, shrugging, ¡°that¡¯s how we came to the conclusion...¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you two saw and not some other random disciples, or, even worse, some gossip column writers.¡± Xueli mused, downing the rest of her coffee, ¡°I deal with enough rumors surrounding them two, I don¡¯t need them kissing out in public now...¡±

    Pushing herself out of her seat, Xueli shook her head with a chuckle, ¡°I should''ve expected the two of them to get up to this type of stuff, I¡¯ll give them a warning, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    Getting two nods from Youhong and Taigang, Xueli reassured the two, ¡°You two are fine. Come see me if you ever have any cultivation troubles, I can probably give you two some pointers to hint at the right direction.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that reminds me,¡± Youhong added as Xueli was about to leave, ¡°Songmei opened her fifth meridian a couple of days ago, and Mingqing is probably close too, judging from how in sync their cultivation is.¡±

    Putting some money under the cup Xueli lurched for a second. ¡°Of course... Of course, those two really are crazy. Keep any of the leftover money and use it for whatever, I don¡¯t care, it¡¯s a gift.¡±

    With her last statement, Xueli nodded and disappeared without a sound, leaving behind a small pile of snow where she last stood.

 110: The Best Way To Wake Up From A Nap

    Lin Songmei believed having a spatial ring made shopping much more dangerous than usual. She and Yan Mingqing had no idea how much they were really buying, it all went into the ring. As compared to the normal shopping experience, where everything had to be carried, Songmei¡¯s brain always thought she was just starting out.

    Dangerous...

    Plus, her wallet was now much more packed than in the past. Xueli was generous with her allowance, giving her and Mingqing almost twice as much as what Youhong and Taigang got from their masters.

    Overall, their shopping experience was a little lopsided. Mingqing¡¯s wardrobe was already much larger than Songmei¡¯s, so much of the clothes shopping was just for Songmei. After doubling the amount of dresses and skirts in her wardrobe after getting good recommendation after good recommendation from Mingqing, Songmei put the clothes shopping to a hard stop.

    Of course, during their shopping time, it wasn¡¯t as if Mingqing didn¡¯t buy anything. Mingqing bought a lot of outfits matching the ones that Songmei bought.

    Songmei, also, managed to keep her declaration after receiving the necklace true. Using her declaration as an excuse to split up from Mingqing, Songmei bought two things, a two-part birthday gift for Mingqing as well as a cute bracelet for the current moment.

    Returning to where Mingqing was waiting, Songmei gifted Mingqing the silver bracelet. With a delicate chain and two interlocking hearts, Songmei helped Mingqing put it on before they continued on their way to the grocery store.

    Because they were in the center of the central plaza, both Songmei and Mingqing elected to... not kiss during the second gift giving session. However, unbeknownst to them, the already half-intimate scene of gifting jewelry to each other while being very dressed up started rumors all on its own.

    Songmei and Mingqing were unaware, of course. Neither of them had gone on the public forums in a long time¡ªwhy go there to talk to people when they could talk to each other or their fellow party members?

    ----------

    One trip to the grocery store later, Songmei and Mingqing made their way back to their apartment. Both of them had bought their items as fast as they could after realizing they were going to be stared at the whole time in the store.

    It wasn¡¯t a surprise, both were bedecked in jewelry, formal clothing, and makeup, but it was still unsettling¡ªthough, more so for Songmei than Mingqing really.

    ¡°Anything specifically you want to make?¡± Songmei asked as they turned the corner to enter their apartment building. ¡°I was thinking of making pasta, but we bought enough ingredients to make a lot of different things.¡±

    Waving to the receptionist as they walked by into the elevator, Mingqing shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m down to make whatever, it¡¯ll taste good anyway. I bought some stuff to make some bread so I''ll be doing that while you make your thing.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Songmei laughed, leaning back against the elevator¡¯s wall. ¡°Do you know what time it is right now? How much time did we spend shopping?¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°We spent a little more than three hours shopping,¡± Mingqing sighed, leaning back for just a moment as well until the elevator doors slid open. ¡°Are you tired? You seem a little worn.¡±

    ¡°Of course I am... I¡¯m not someone with a lot of shopping stamina,¡± Songmei trailed off, dragging her feet as they left the elevator, ¡°You seem tired too though, you okay?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Mingqing reassured, ¡°I may be tired, but not as much as you. My parents both enjoy shopping a lot too, so as a child I got dragged around a lot.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s chill,¡± Songmei murmured with a nod, cracking the door open to the apartment as a little listlessness creeped up on her.

    Closing the door after entering, Mingqing saw Songmei stand in the entrance way, eyes vacant, zoning out, and staring off into the space in front of her. Walking up behind Songmei, Mingqing wrapped her arms around Songmei, pulling her into a hug. ¡°C¡¯mon, shoes off and out of the doorway, then we can lay on the couch for a bit if you¡¯d like, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± Songmei coughed, snapping back to reality while returning Mingqing¡¯s hug, ¡°Ah, mhm, sure. I¡¯d appreciate a bit of laying down on the couch, yeah... I¡¯ll try not to fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to as well,¡± Mingqing grinned, taking off her shoes and following behind Songmei to the couch.

    Watching Songmei go limp and collapse onto the couch like a wet tissue, Mingqing couldn¡¯t help but laugh while sitting down next to Songmei. Sinking into a half lying position to get comfortable, Mingqing beckoned Songmei over to her, letting Songmei worm her way into a comfortable position beside her.

    ¡°Won¡¯t you be cold laying here in a dress? Want me to get the blanket laying on the other couch?¡± Mingqing asked, poking Songmei who was trying her best to keep her eyes open.

    ¡°No... I''ll be warm,¡± Songmei reassured, wrapping her arms around Mingqing while resting her head against Mingqing, ¡°For an ice cultivator, your body¡¯s actually really warm, so I¡¯ll be fine...¡±

    ¡°M...hm,¡± Mingqing raised an eyebrow, checking the time ¡°Alright then... Let¡¯s just lay down for a bit, maybe like ten or fifteen minutes before we start the cooking.¡±

    ¡°Sounds gooood~¡± Songmei murmured, eyes already closed as she squeezed Mingqing.

    -------

    Two hours later, Mingqing woke up to her stomach grumbling, blinking her sleep away instead of rubbing her eyes to preserve her makeup while checking the time.

    Life was both great and... kinda mediocre.

    It was kinda mediocre because she had fallen asleep without meaning to and wisped away a couple of hours in her day. On the other hand, life was great because she had just woken up with an absolute BEAUTY in her arms.

    Mingqing could get used to this.

    Curled up in her arms was a very sound asleep Songmei. Because of their impromptu ¡°definitely going to only be ten minutes¡± rest, Songmei was still in her ¡®date look¡¯ and her dress. Feeling a pang of sadness in her heart seeing Songmei curl up more in her arms from the cold, Mingqing gave Songmei a squeeze trying to impart just a little more warmth.

    Poking Songmei in the cheek after spending some time just cuddling with the sleeping beauty, Mingqing nudged her awake, whispering, ¡°Let¡¯s make some food, it¡¯s not good to skip meals now, is it?¡±

    With Songmei¡¯s eyes fluttering open, Mingqing stopped Songmei from rubbing her eyes. ¡°You have makeup on, it¡¯s not good to rub that into your eyes.¡±

    Snapping awake, Songmei coughed, ¡°Ah... how long was I asleep? Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to doze off...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± Mingqing laughed as Songmei sat on the couch, her legs making a weird pretzel under her dress. ¡°It¡¯s been about two hours, but I fell asleep too. So, instead of an early dinner, do you want to have a late one?¡±

    ¡°I mean... we kinda have to. After all, I¡¯m hungry, and I¡¯m pretty sure I heard your stomach growl...¡± Songmei murmured with a guilty expression, ¡°My thing won¡¯t take long though, so just sit tight...¡±

 111: Domesticity Time: Cooking!

    Hobbling her way to the kitchen, Lin Songmei pulled out the groceries she had bought and dropped them onto the counter. With Yan Mingqing right behind her doing the same thing, Songmei turned, asking, ¡°Are you sure you want to make that right now? It¡¯ll take a long time for the dough to actually rise so there¡¯s no need if you don¡¯t want to...¡±

    ¡°Nahhh,¡± Mingqing shook her head, ¡°There¡¯s a specific garlic cheese bread recipe I saw one night while laying in bed with you, and I just felt like making it. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve made any type of bread, after all. I thought it might be fun.¡±

    Feeling a saliva pool in her mouth, Songmei looked away, swallowing it back down before she drooled. ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t remember seeing that though... But we were in bed together?¡±

    ¡°You were asleep,¡± Mingqing clarified, with a laugh, pulling out the various groceries she had bought from the bag. ¡°You know, I think I fall asleep later than you four nights out of five...¡±

    ¡°Well, that seems like a you problem,¡± Songmei nodded with a grin and an additional ¡°mhm,¡± before unpinning her hair, ¡°Do you have a hair tie I can use though?¡±

    Prying a hair tie off her wrist, Mingqing tossed it over. ¡°Here you go, no worries. But, yeah, it really is a me problem, I envy your ability to pass out like a light within moments.¡±

    Tying up her hair, Songmei laughed and shrugged, ¡°Just sleep better! Very easy solution if you ask me.¡±

    Staring at each other for a moment, Songmei wiggled her eyebrows as if saying ¡°What are you going to do about it¡± as Mingqing just squinted before sighing and shaking her head.

    With Mingqing¡¯s sleeping troubles solved after receiving Songmei¡¯s brilliant advice, the two of them continued on, talking about whatever came to mind. Mingqing, making a recipe that required her to let the dough rise for a couple hours, made what she could before putting it into the oven at a low heat to let it rise.

    Done, Mingqing walked over and hugged Songmei from behind, wrapping her arms around Songmei¡¯s waist as Songmei continued to cook the pasta sauce. ¡°How is it going, love?¡±

    As Songmei froze for a second, Mingqing laughed, ¡°Would you prefer it if I didn¡¯t call you that?¡±

    ¡°No... It¡¯s fine... It¡¯s quite nice,¡± Songmei whispered, the corners of her lips twitching upwards as her hands began to move again, ¡°I was just surprised, that¡¯s all. Also, I just need to add a couple more ingredients, so I¡¯ll be done in a couple of minutes, just sit tight.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try and use the names every once in a while then,¡± Mingqing squeezed Songmei, letting her go and walking out of the kitchen. ¡°And take your time with the food, I¡¯ll go set up the table now then.¡±

    Turning halfway to give Mingqing a nod, Songmei paused for a second before murmuring a ¡°Thank you... l-love.¡±

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ------

    Five minutes later, Songmei transferred her pasta to a larger central plate. Instead of the usual distribution across two plates, Songmei felt a plate in the middle might suit the occasion a little better.

    She and Mingqing could then transfer pasta onto their own plates¡ªa system that worked better anyway because Mingqing always ate more than Songmei after all. This way, the two of them could avoid the classic ¡°hey could you finish this for me¡± situation.

    Plating some of her other side dishes she made, Songmei transferred them onto the tray Mingqing had left for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming over!¡± Songmei called out, letting out a quiet ¡°umph¡± while picking up the food-laden tray with both hands. ¡°Want me to bring over some utensils and or plates?¡±

    ¡°No, I got it all!¡± Mingqing called back, rushing over to help Songmei, ¡°Want me to take the tray?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh, I¡¯m fine,¡± Songmei reassured, ¡°This five-meridian cultivator, qi-unassisted base strength makes it easy as cake.¡±

    With Mingqing raising a dubious eyebrow, Songmei stuck out her tongue as Mingqing guided her over to the table by the windows. Having dragged over two tables, Mingqing explained to Songmei to just set the tray down on the bare table farther from the window. Once the tray was set down, the two of them transferred the plates over to the small table beside the window.

    Then returning the tray to the kitchen, the two of them returned to the window-side date table they created for themselves.

    With a snow-white tablecloth, array of plates, and gleaming utensils, the small table beside the window overlooked the street below where vehicles sped around. The small headlights below created a web of yellow-orange dots, illuminating the sunset city.

    Sitting down across from Mingqing, Songmei fell quiet as the food sat between them.

    Songmei swore she''d burn this scene into her memory. She was in love. She, shamelessly, loved Mingqing. Songmei loved Mingqing¡¯s smile. Songmei loved the way Mingqing¡¯s eyes danced along every time her mouth laughed. Songmei loved the small squeeze and sigh they exchanged every time they embraced.

    Reaching out to readjust the plates after seeing there was an empty space in the center of the table, Songmei¡¯s hand was stopped by Mingqing.

    ¡°Wait, I have something to put there,¡± Mingqing explained, pulling out a lighter from her ring.

    Tilting her head as Mingqing twirled the lighter in her hand, Songmei raised a dubious eyebrow, trying her best to copy Mingqing¡¯s from earlier. ¡°I assume it¡¯s not a lighter you¡¯re putting in the center because I feel like that¡¯d be... awkward. Candles?¡±

    ¡°You guessed it~¡± Mingqing sang with a grin, pulling out a pair of twin candles, ¡°I had these from a long time back. I think they were just laying around our rooms when we first moved in?¡±

    ¡°Moved in here?¡± Songmei asked, not remembering any candles from when she and Mingqing had moved into the apartment they lived in now.

    ¡°Xueli¡¯s place actually,¡± Mingqing shrugged, setting the two, short candles down in the center of their table. ¡°They were just rolling around on the desk in my room so I just, you know, took them.¡±

    ¡°Well, I hope Xueli isn¡¯t in dire need of candles right now or sorta soon from now,¡± Songmei chuckled, admiring the pair of flames dancing atop the candles. ¡°They¡¯re so beautiful though, what a nice touch, good job.¡±

    ¡°No, no, it was the least I could do,¡± Mingqing clasped Songmei¡¯s hand with a smile and laugh, ¡°You did so much cooking, I gotta make myself useful somehow.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re always useful,¡± Songmei squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand. Letting go of Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei clapped with a twinkling smile, ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡±

 112: A Strange Lunch...

    Lin Songmei woke up the next morning groggy and sore. Somehow, she had fallen asleep in the worst possible sleeping position¡ªcontorted like a starfish trying to show off its dancing skills. Yawning, Songmei looked over to Yan Mingqing who was gripping a pillow like her life depended on it.

    Slumping back onto the pillows, Songmei rubbed her eye with one hand as she fumbled and groped around for her terminal with the other. Watching it flash to life with blank eyes, Songmei blinked a couple of times before bolting up.

    [Sender: Liu Xueli]

    What... What now?

    Still-half asleep, Songmei stumbled her way through the navigation as she tried to open the urgent message from Xueli. Cracking the message open like a two-century old safe after a couple of seconds, Songmei¡¯s heart settled as the message was filled with the smileys, hearts, and excitement of Xueli¡¯s normal messages.

    It had been a while since they got back from the whole murderous plant situation, and Xueli was just sending a message to let Mingqing and Songmei know she wanted to meet later in the day if the two didn¡¯t have plans already.

    With a keen gaze¡ªas keen as it could be while she was half-awake¡ªSongmei read through the message. Xueli wanted to catch up a bit, share a little information she found about doing well in the city, and wanted to give Songmei the information gathered through her personal investigation about the whole eye situation and talk about some future steps. Otherwise, Songmei squinted as Xueli also mentioned she wanted to talk about a... mystery, surprise topic as well.

    Taking a moment to think through her plans for the day, Songmei came up with... nothing. Shooting a reply to Xueli to ask if lunch would be an okay time to meet, Songmei rolled over and threw her terminal onto the nightstand.

    With a long yawn, Songmei snuggled under the covers, retreating back to the warmth of the bed. Another moment of consideration later, Songmei decided to replace the pillow Mingqing was clinging onto before closing her own eyes and dozing off.

    -----

    Getting nudged awake a few hours later, Songmei shook her head in confusion. She was... not in bed. With water running beside her, Songmei felt a warm towel being pressed against her face as Mingqing laughed. ¡°Good morning, good morning!¡±

    ¡°Good morning...¡± Songmei mumbled as she suffocated herself with the warm towel. ¡°Why are we in the bathroom?¡±

    ¡°Because I carried you!¡± Mingqing cheered, a morning brightness radiating off of her¡ªa trait Songmei longed to have as well. ¡°I felt pretty pumped and rested in the morning! I also had a lot of fun with our date so... you know, a little extra romantic-ness never hurt anyone.¡±

    Nodding along as her eyes felt heavier than a truck, Songmei murmured her agreement while imagining how hard it¡¯d be to lift Mingqing. It couldn¡¯t be too hard, she was a five meridian cultivator after all...

    ¡°Here, have the towel back,¡± Songmei offered while pushing herself off the chair. ¡°What time is it? Also, did you see the reply I sent to Xueli¡¯s message this morning?¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    Moving Mingqing out of the sink¡¯s way with a slight hip bump and smug smile, Songmei began brushing her teeth as Mingqing bumped her back while laughing. ¡°It¡¯s about eleven in the morning right now, so we have about two hours since Xueli, apparently, has a couple of annoying morning meetings to attend.¡±

    Slipping away to the back of the bathroom, Mingqing added, ¡°Also, I did see your ¡®Sounds goose, see you then!¡¯ Truly a masterful message if you ask me.¡±

    With a faint pink tinge appearing on her cheeks, Songmei¡¯s teeth brushing became a touch more aggressive as she used the mirror to glare at Mingqing who was dying from laughter.

    Following her and Mingqing¡¯s early morning shenanigans, Songmei elected to not get into the shower at the same time as Mingqing. Instead¡ªthough a little lonely¡ªSongmei took a bath after Mingqing was done. Ready for the day (that admittedly didn¡¯t have much) Songmei and Mingqing cooked a light, half-brunch in the kitchen to pass the time before the actual meal they¡¯d share with Xueli.

    ----

    To Songmei¡¯s surprise, the streets were quite empty. Walking around with Mingqing to look for the restaurant that Xueli had told them to go to, Songmei had expected the streets would be PACKED.

    Nah. There was no one in sight. Not a single footstep, idle conversation, or engine sound.

    Checking the date on her phone, Songmei raised an eyebrow and shrugged¡ªmaybe Tuesdays were just extra busy. It was a commercial district and people¡¯s lunch hour was over too...

    With the most upscale part of the commercial district in view, Songmei and Mingqing felt their eardrums get stabbed as they heard a loud ¡°LIN SONGMEI AND YAN MINGQING¡± radiate from a distant store.

    Jogging their way over, Songmei and Mingqing came to a skidding stop. Mingqing¡¯s eyebrows raised and Songmei¡¯s jaw clattered to the ground while her eyes popped out of their sockets.

    The entire restaurant was empty as well. Except for the waiting staff, there was only one occupant who was sitting in the central, raised booth. Stumbling over her thoughts and her feet, Songmei was dragged over to the table by a much calmer Mingqing.

    ¡°So... so... erm... yeah... why is it so deserted...?¡± Songmei inquired with an incredulous look around as the entire waiting staff swarmed the table to fix the cloth, set out the plates and utensils, and pass out menus.

    ¡°I missed you two! Why wouldn¡¯t I go all out when meeting my dear disciples again?¡± Xueli grinned with an exuberant laugh, ¡°And I¡¯ve helped the city so much! As a thank you for ¡®alerting them of their stupidity,¡¯ I have permission to do this!¡±

    Pausing for a second, Xueli winked as she added ¡°and I¡¯m rich,¡± with a bit of a teasing grin.

    ¡°I assumed so,¡± Mingqing murmured while looking out the window. ¡°My parents like doing this type of stuff whenever we go out to eat...¡±

    Coughing as she felt an invisible dagger plunge into her stomach, Songmei shook her head, totally unable to relate. Growing up, she had gone out to eat maybe... thrice. Even now, a little demon of insecurity shook its arms every time their little friend group went out to eat.

    With a stream of quiet apologies tumbling out of her mouth as a waitress bumped into her, Songmei took a moment to reorient herself before jumping into the conversation.

    The seating was... nice to say the least. Xueli was on the other side of the gargantuan round table. It could¡¯ve sat at least twenty people, but here they were, deciding to only use three seats. Hanging above the table was a gorgeous chandelier, each light draping from its own thin string to form a coiling dragon, soaring above the table.

    Not to mention, the table itself was situated atop a raised platform, not to allow the occupants to spy on others¡ªthere was a wall to form a cozy and quiet atmosphere surrounding two thirds of the raised platform¡ªbut to instead allow them to just... feel better than others.

    Watching the waiting staff disappear down the steps, Songmei zoned back into the conversation to listen to Mingqing¡¯s summary of important events since the last time they had seen each other.

 113: How... How Did She Know?

    Dipping her spoon into the steaming broth before her, Lin Songmei took a couple of sips while staring off into space. Holding Yan Mingqing¡¯s hand under the table, Songmei was just waiting for Liu Xueli to finish a conversation with one of the waiting staff.

    A couple of moments later, Xueli spun in her seat, crossing her legs under the table as she pumped life back into the conversation. ¡°Good to hear that you two have been resting and have made some friends.¡±

    Leaning forward while propping her chin up with a hand, Xueli grinned, ¡°I also saw that your little team took a job to start tomorrow, yeah? That¡¯s why I rushed the meeting a little and scheduled it the same day.¡±

    ¡°You... You can see what we signed up for?¡± Songmei asked with a mystified expression, lifting some noodles out of her broth. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that...¡±

    Tilting her head and blinking a couple of times, Xueli shrugged. ¡°Of course I can, I¡¯m your teacher and caretaker! Also, the sign up program for missions is run by the sects, so... it¡¯s just a couple of clicks away.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Songmei nodded with a blank expression. Some reason, the concept of Xueli being able to watch them from afar just didn¡¯t cross her mind.

    Laughing as Songmei continued to nod until Mingqing stopped her, Xueli took a moment to transfer some vegetables from the dishes in the center to her bowl of rice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry your young-in¡¯ heads about it. I won¡¯t intentionally leak any of your personal information¡ªthat only leads to me being hounded by more reporters anyway.¡±

    With Songmei and Mingqing doing a synchronized eye-roll, Xueli coughed as she leaned back into her chair while holding her bowl of food. ¡°Anyway, today¡¯s conversation is really just a half catch up I¡¯d like to hear about as your ¡®aunt¡¯ and half information dumping session that I might as well include as your teacher. There¡¯s not going to be anything that¡¯ll change the direction of your goals. After all, I¡¯m quite content with how you all are doing. Just keep cultivating, hanging out, and doing some missions.¡±

    ¡°Xueli... you know you.... Can just say you¡¯re too lazy to type it all out and send it to us as a message, right?¡± Mingqing inquired with a subtle hand gesture, her mouth and expression beginning to thaw as the wait staff disappeared. ¡°We already know...¡±

    ¡°Ruthless-¡± Xueli cried out with an aggrieved expression, wiping a fake tear as she hid her face with the bowl she was using to eat.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal,¡± Mingqing added after getting a quiet giggle and urging hand motion from Songmei. ¡°We¡¯re long past judging you for being technologically incompetent.¡±

    Setting her bowl down after dusting its contents, Xueli shook her head, having forgotten the needling power Mingqing had after not seeing her for so long. ¡°Moving... Moving on. Congratulations on opening up your fifth meridian Songmei, I can see from here that your Qi flow is much smoother. How¡¯s your progress Mingqing? Any questions? Also, as a side note, how many people know about the cultivation progress you two have had?¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Songmei acknowledged as a flustered quiver shook her voice. ¡°Mingqing¡¯s close to me though.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a couple of days out from opening my fifth meridian.¡± Mingqing shrugged, not too bothered. ¡°Songmei and I have been taking our time really. We do the foundation setting exercises you tell us to every night too.¡±

    ¡°¡®Taking our time¡¯...¡± Xueli shook her head in disbelief as she pulled a different plate of tofu towards herself. ¡°You two know that you¡¯re cultivating at demon speeds, right? It¡¯s only been four months! Mingqing, though your brother might be prideful, you¡¯ve probably edged him out by a couple of weeks when it comes to these first few meridians.¡±

    Clenching her fist with a smug ¡°Yes!¡± Mingqing then motioned for Xueli to continue before freezing and interjecting. ¡°Oh, sorry, we also forgot to answer your last question. I believe it¡¯s just Wang Taigang and Han Youhong who know outside of us three. Can you think of anyone else, Songmei?¡±

    A spoon of broth halfway in her mouth, Songmei froze, only for Xueli and Mingqing to motion for her to just finish the spoonful. Swallowing the steaming broth with a cough, Songmei set her spoon back into the bowl and tapped her chin. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so... we don¡¯t talk to anyone else.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Xueli mused¡ªit was better than she expected. ¡°Can I just ask that you two keep your cultivation progress on the... on the down low, yeah. As much as it¡¯s tempting to tease, it¡¯ll probably bring you two a lot of trouble and pressure if you¡¯re too open about your current stage of cultivation. What you¡¯re doing right now is fine though, just ask the two boys to keep their mouths shut.¡±

    Getting a mock salute from the two girls, Xueli thanked the two¡ªnot in small part because she¡¯d then have less work. ¡°Moving on, what was the next topic I put in my message. Do you two remember?¡±

    ¡°¡°Nope.¡±¡±

    A moment later, having checked her terminal, Xueli blurted, ¡°Oh, oh, oh! Yeah! Okay, so this is just a small bit of information. But the area you all are guarding a transport through has been quite chaotic recently due to a turf war between Wrath and Avarice. So just make sure to bring some weapons and be ready to fight.¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    With a pause for thought, Xueli then continued. ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t have anything else on that topic. It¡¯s just an important thing to share. Any comments, you two?¡±

    Realizing Songmei and Mingqing were both buried in their food, Xueli felt her heart warm as they shook their heads in unison. ¡°Next topic is mostly for Songmei. Do you want Mingqing to be here for it too?¡±

    With a thumbs up from Songmei, Xueli drummed her fingers on the table. ¡°So... where to begin. So many places, tidbits of information, and not a lot of answers.¡±

    Projecting a picture of a dozen or so eyes, Xueli began. ¡°I started off by just referencing the public database. Eye powers that pop up out of nowhere¡ªas in, your parents don¡¯t have any¡ªare exceedingly rare, so it was a good start to just see if your eyes matched up with any of the publicly known ones. Right now, I¡¯m just projecting all the purple ones. I have a pretty good memory of what your eyes looked like and your eyes match up pretty close to several of these.¡±

    ¡°Number three... five, ten... eighteen, and nineteen...¡± Songmei murmured as Xueli projected a couple of yellow circles around the ones close to Songmei¡¯s. ¡°What¡¯s the problem then?¡±

    ¡°Well, I recognize a couple of these so I can answer a couple of them,¡± Mingqing murmured as a pensive expression sank onto her face. ¡°Number three is a cultivator from a millennia ago who was active on the southern continent. They¡¯ve been dead for close to four hundred years now and have had no recorded descendants. Small problem when it comes to birthing you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, small problem, just a little,¡± Songmei agreed with a laugh. ¡°What about the others?¡±

    Getting a hand motion from Xueli to show she was free to continue, Mingqing stroked her chin. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t recognize some of the others, but I¡¯m pretty sure ten is one of the esteemed elders in a sect located in the western continent. She¡¯s still alive, which is good, but she also has been in a stable marriage for close to two and a half centuries and has a family. That¡¯s all I know though.¡±

    ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± Xueli praised as Songmei gave Mingqing a few appreciative hand squeezes under the table. ¡°I can add a little then. Number three was someone born without any reproductive organs. They reached a level of expertise where they could in theory reproduce with some techniques, but... yeah I kind of doubt it.¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Songmei asked, curious as to the doubtful expression slathered over Xueli¡¯s face.

    ¡°Okay, so I was doing some research, yeah? This expert is famous for their androgyny.¡± Xueli remarked with a head scratch. ¡°Nothing wrong with that, of course, but they¡¯ve also been recorded saying things along the lines of being a person transcendent beyond gender and the human body. To the point where it was part of their very cultivation. They even taught at Starlight Lake long long ago. Some of the elders who remember them say that they really just... didn¡¯t care for passing on their bloodline.¡±

    ¡°Alright, so they¡¯re out,¡± Songmei sighed, agreeing with Xueli¡¯s research. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°So, though it¡¯s possible because number ten is still alive, I doubt it.¡± Xueli shrugged. ¡°Beyond what Mingqing said, she also looks nothing like you, and her eye powers are very... very far from yours. Her eyes allow her to use a freezing technique even though she¡¯s a fire cultivator.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that,¡± Mingqing added as her lips pressed together, ¡°She¡¯s... really different from you, yeah...¡±

    ¡°For the others...¡± Xueli went down the list, ¡°Number five was locked away in a prison over half a millennium ago and died a couple hundred years ago, also their powers didn¡¯t do anything remotely similar to yours. Number nineteen on the other hand is barely a decade older than you two, she couldn¡¯t have had you Songmei even if she tried.¡±

    ¡°So that leaves number eighteen?¡± Songmei asked, seeing all but eighteen had a red X through them.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to say that, but... number eighteen also seems unlikely.¡± Xueli sighed. ¡°She was actually a disciple of Starlight Lake. My junior sister, about a decade younger than me.¡±

    With Xueli¡¯s voice dropping as a tinge of unwillingness crept into it, Songmei and Mingqing quieted down. Xueli, clearing her throat, shrugged it off. ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a long time, so you two don¡¯t need to look so serious. It¡¯s part of life. But for context, she and this other man, a sect mate in her year, were a famous married couple¡ªdon¡¯t know how she got married before me but it happened somehow. I was one of her bridesmaids too!¡±

    Ignoring the laughter now coming from Mingqing and Songmei, Xueli continued, ¡°Anyhow, they were married for a long time, but never had children. A couple of missteps later though, and they were being hunted by the devils in the central continent. They¡¯re assumed to be dead after they went on the run and disappeared thirty five years ago.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Songmei murmured, now able to see why Xueli was in such a dilemma. ¡°The way you said it though makes it seem like they¡¯re the most likely candidate.¡±

    ¡°Ahh... I¡¯ve heard of them,¡± Mingqing nodded, ¡°they¡¯re probably the most likely because their bodies were never recovered, that¡¯s why they are assumed to be dead. Then again though, you¡¯re a little past sixteen and they disappeared for close to two decades by then.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the gist of it. Notably though, my junior sister¡¯s eye powers weren¡¯t related to yours though even if they look the most similar. Her eyes allowed her to plunge the opponent into a mental delusion if they were below her in cultivation.¡± Xueli shrugged, ¡°So I¡¯ll be doing some more research to see if there¡¯s anyone else.¡±

    Finishing her vegetable dish, Xueli ended off by explaining ¡°usually abilities related to the eye awaken once you¡¯ve opened all your meridians. So I¡¯ve sealed them off for now or they¡¯ll just destroy your eyes. Based on what powers you exhibited though, I¡¯ll start making a training guide for you to use once you enter the foundation establishment stage though.¡±

    One ¡°thank you¡± from Songmei later, the three of them took some time, ordering some more food and eating what was already on the table. Following some light conversation to ease up the atmosphere, Xueli, with a twinkle in her eye, cleared her throat.

    ¡°Now, for the last thing,¡± Xueli grinned as she couldn¡¯t resist letting a teasing laugh slip out of her mouth. ¡°Would you two like to tell me about you two dating? You two couldn¡¯t have thought I wouldn¡¯t notice you two holding hands under the table the whole time now, did you?¡±

 114: Mission Start!

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe she called us out like that,¡± Lin Songmei reminisced, wiping her bow down with a cloth.

    ¡°We weren¡¯t exactly being... subtle though,¡± Yan Mingqing answered from across the room where she was bent over, stretching her legs. ¡°Also, it¡¯s been a whole day, are you still embarrassed?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Songmei blurted, a touch of a pink appearing on her cheeks, ¡°I just wasn¡¯t expecting it...¡±

    Shaking her head, Mingqing just laughed, ¡°You can be surprisingly dense, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    As of the moment, both Songmei and Mingqing were just sitting in their living room on the first floor, getting dressed, checking their weapons, and just hanging out. They had woken up early to ensure they¡¯d have ample preparation time: it was mission day!

    It had been a little less than a day since their little meal with Xueli, but Songmei and Mingqing were... rejuvenated to say the least.

    Storing her bow away into her ring and taking out a couple of quivers, Songmei checked them over. Getting home from their callout session with Xueli, she and Mingqing had just spent some time cuddling, cultivating, and playing some games together.

    Originally, Songmei and Mingqing had planned to just cultivate for the whole afternoon and potentially the whole evening. They had cut it short though when Mingqing broke through and opened her fifth meridian¡ªwhy not cut it short and just spend some time celebrating?

    Therefore, though not a ¡°gamer,¡± Songmei couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile thinking back to the time they spent. Mingqing had finally introduced to her the bricklaying game that was all the rage. And... It was fun! Songmei was absolute garbage, but it was relaxing! She decided not to enter the rumored ¡°PvP Arena,¡± though. Mingqing warned her that it was... not very welcoming to say the least.

    Pulling out the arrows one by one to just give them a quick look over, Songmei also did a quick count of how many she had. One hundred and twenty... one hundred and twenty one... and so on.

    Oh how Songmei looked forward to the day she could just make her own arrows...

    Switching to a new quiver of arrows, Songmei looked over to Mingqing. Bored and scrolling through her terminal, Mingqing was just leaning against a table as a disinterested yawn pushed its way out of her mouth.

    ¡°Any details from the two guys?¡± Songmei asked, storing the quivers all into her ring.

    Looking up from her terminal in phone form, Mingqing¡¯s face brightened as she answered Songmei¡¯s question about Wang Taigang and Han Youhong. ¡°Not really, they both woke up later than us so they said to just go ahead if we wanted and sent us to the meeting spot. We could go if you want, but there¡¯s still a while before the mission actually starts.¡±

    Still amazed at how fast Mingqing¡¯s ice queen facade melted whenever they made eye contact, Songmei shrugged. ¡°Up to you, I don¡¯t care. Though looking back, we probably should¡¯ve slept in a little longer... waking up at dawn really wasn¡¯t the move.¡±

    Facepalming, Mingqing sighed, ¡°Songmei, why don¡¯t you have an opinion on anything...¡±

    ¡°I... I do,¡± Songmei stammered with an indignant nod as she walked over to Mingqing who was now looking away while trying to suppress a laugh. Reaching up and pinching Mingqing¡¯s cheeks with a squint, Songmei leaned in close, ¡°Why are you looking away, hmm? Just say it you big tease.¡±

    Snaking a hand up between them, Mingqing grinned and winked as she booped Songmei¡¯s nose, ¡°I just think you¡¯re cute when you¡¯re flustered, princess.¡±

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Sputtering as a stream of half-words tumbled out of her mouth, Songmei looked down as a blush tinged her cheeks. Wilting in Mingqing¡¯s arms, Songmei decided to just give Mingqing a quick hug and an aggressive squeeze of revenge before detaching herself.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± Mingqing sang with a smug grin dancing across her face, ¡°Going back to what we mentioned earlier, I do have to agree, waking up at dawn was not our smartest moment. But now that we¡¯re ready, shall we get going? Maybe we can meet some people while waiting for Taigang and Youhong.¡±

    Furrowing her eyebrows with a doubtful glance, Songmei stood there, staring at Mingqing for a quiet moment. The ice queen? Saying she wanted to meet new people? Who was this?

    Holding the gaze until Mingqing cracked, Songmei laughed as Mingqing confessed, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to talk to anyone, but maybe you can, you¡¯re quite good at just... having people meander their way towards you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just as much of an introvert as you...¡± Songmei murmured, offering a hand to Mingqing as she turned off the lights, ¡°Shall we though? We can always just talk to each other while sitting out of the way.¡±

    Squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei set off, closing the door behind her with a click as she patted herself down to just triple check she was wearing a set of clothes with good mobility. Meandering down the hall, she and Mingqing took the glass elevator as usual, sighing as they saw the morning rush was still going on.

    With a nod to the receptionist at the front desk, Songmei and Mingqing took a breath before walking out.

    Cars of all shapes and sizes whizzed by them. There was a reason they tried to always avoid the morning and evening rush as non-cultivators (as well as some cultivators actually) bustled to and from their workplaces.

    Seeing cars both on the ground, in the air, and... on the sides of buildings... Songmei leaned back as a man in a suit ran by on the phone. It wasn¡¯t just a vehicle rush, it was people too. Feeling the stream of people flow around them like they were a single steadfast rock in a river, Songmei sighed as she watched the man in the suit disappear while shouting on his phone. ¡°We should¡¯ve gotten up later.¡±

    ¡°For sure...¡± Mingqing agreed with a nod, raising an eyebrow as she ducked to dodge a briefcase thrown by an angry woman who was shouting on the phone to... presumably her boss. It could¡¯ve been her employee as well though...

    Keeping a tight hold onto Mingqing¡¯s hand, Songmei and Mingqing weaved and bobbed their way through the crowd as they moved towards the meeting spot. Checking her terminal one more time, Songmei confirmed, ¡°It¡¯s a courtyard in the smack dab middle of the north district, territory of Wrath.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... pretty far, but we should get there in a couple of minutes if we run.¡± Mingqing hummed, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

    Agreeing, Songmei began cycling her Qi through her body and activated her body enhancement technique as she felt herself speed up. They were lucky that the majority of the morning rushers were normal, non-cultivators. Seeing a relatively rare sight, most of the people just parted like waves.

    With a focused effort, the two slipped through the crowds of people, across a bridge to descend from the central district and ran through the northern district. Songmei, having fun feeling the wind blow through her hair, couldn¡¯t help but have a bit of a moment though. Existential reflections, for some reason, always hit in the weirdest of times...

    She... was really a cultivator.

    It... felt weird but sometimes, sometimes it really hit her how much her life had changed.

    Of course, the people in Westriver were a little more accustomed to cultivators because the city was where a ton of young cultivators went, but Songmei couldn¡¯t help but have a moment of sonder. A couple of months ago... she was just like them, considering a job and everything.

    She couldn¡¯t even imagine seeing a cultivator in her backwater city, and yet, here she was, in a... not backwater city, but not for reasons she had ever considered.

    Brushing the thoughts aside for a moment, Songmei reached out and squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand.

    Songmei hoped she was using her time, resources, and opportunities well. As a child, she dreamt every night of becoming... not poor. Now, by luck, she had rocketed up in wealth and entered a whole different side of society.

    Exhaling as she stared up at the vehicles soaring by up above, Songmei slowed to a halt.

    A quiet moment later, Mingqing pinched her nose, ¡°You okay? You just randomly stopped... we¡¯re almost there, so I can carry you if you¡¯re tired...¡±

    Laughing, Songmei shook her head, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m totally fine, I was just thinking that I want to do community service sometime...¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯d be happy to join you,¡± Mingqing reassured, a little confused, but happy to see Songmei¡¯s eyes clearer than before.

    ¡°I¡¯d be honored...¡±

 115: Tai Ji Quanâ€“Jazzercise Fusion

    Lin Songmei, for once in her life, was starting to understand why violence sometimes was the answer. Turns out, the original destination given to them by Wang Taigang and Han Youhong was... not correct.

    Yan Mingqing, with her out-of-this-world body enhancement technique and just general better cardio abilities, had arrived at the courtyard first. Catching up with Mingqing just a few moments later, Songmei had just an inkling of a feeling¡ªthey were in the wrong place.

    The entire courtyard, with barely any space leftover, was filled with what Songmei could only describe as an ocean of old people. As one of the auxiliary courtyards in the area, the courtyard wasn¡¯t what Songmei would consider an obnoxious size, but it still could house a decent number of people.

    Sweeping her eyes across the courtyard, Songmei gave up on counting, instead trying to figure out what exactly was going on. Each person had a dark-blue, foam-like mat beneath them. Raising an eyebrow as the music shifted to a more traditional style, Songmei made eye contact with Mingqing as the old people began what seemed to be a fusion between jazzercise and Tai Ji Quan.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this is the wrong place...¡± Songmei murmured, pulling out her terminal to double check the address.

    Swiveling her head, Mingqing had to agree. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the right place, but it¡¯s worth double checking. Though I did see that there were a number of other courtyards in the area, so we can just go around checking those after. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Youhong and Taigang gaslit us though...¡±

    With her terminal open and a quick glance to the courtyard¡¯s address, Songmei opened her mouth to confirm they were indeed at the wrong address, before being interrupted by a middle-aged, balding man in some semi-formal wear.

    ¡°Hello, hello, I assume you¡¯re here for the guarding mission? Yes?¡± The man asked as he surprised Songmei and Mingqing. ¡°I¡¯m Yang Tianshu, just a member of the caravan, but I¡¯m here to pick up people who came to this courtyard.¡±

    Getting a pair of confused glances from Mingqing and Songmei, Yang Tianshu continued with a sheepish laugh. ¡°These courtyards aren¡¯t bookable, yeah? We planned on using this one, but found out when we got here this morning that it was already taken with... this.¡±

    Motioning for Mingqing and Songmei to follow him, Yang Tianshu continued with a shrug. ¡°Therefore, we just moved to a different, unoccupied courtyard. However, that leaves me with the job of ushering all the cultivators showing up to the wrong courtyard. Anyway, thank you for your understanding, we¡¯re in the courtyard just up ahead, I¡¯ll just stand guard here at this courtyard.¡±

    ¡°Al...right,¡± Mingqing answered with a half-cold, half-awkward murmur and confused look. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    With her hand interlaced with Mingqing¡¯s fingers as they walked, Songmei took a few interested peeks into the other courtyards people were entering and exiting from as they made their way to the designated courtyard pointed out to them. Using a moment of their walk to also update Taigang and Youhong of the destination change, Songmei let out a quiet sigh before wrapping herself around Mingqing¡¯s arm. ¡°Mingqing, your hand is soft, did you know that?¡±

    ¡°I do, in fact, know that,¡± Mingqing laughed, a little surprised at the burst of affection, ¡°You watch me lotion my hands every morning and every night, what did you think?¡±

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Well, you use a sword, and you train like there¡¯s no tomorrow with your sword,¡± Songmei pursed her lips, ¡°And there¡¯s a stereotype of having calloused hands if you use a sword.¡±

    Tapping her chin and murmuring a ¡°hmm,¡± Mingqing mulled it over for a moment before relenting, ¡°You do have a point... I think I had more calloused hands in the past to be honest, before I started cultivating. I think cultivating helped a lot with just... fixing stuff like that?¡±

    With Songmei shrugging and saying ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Mingqing mulled it over for another few moments, the feeling she was missing something nagging at the back of her mind. Songmei, on the other hand, not opposed to falling into a lull of comfortable silence, swiveled her head while letting Mingqing do her thinking. Songmei was content to just continue her idle people watching as they came and went.

    Entering the courtyard Yang Tianshu had mentioned earlier, Songmei looked around for a moment before Mingqing facepalmed and swore ¡°how in the heavens did I forget that?¡± under her breath. Quiet, as to not grab the attention of the few other people in the entrance area, Mingqing and Songmei walked to a secluded corner of the courtyard, sitting down on a metal, paint-chipped bench.

    ¡°No, no, I think I know another big reason my hands aren¡¯t calloused,¡± Mingqing recounted with a nod, ¡°I don¡¯t know how I forgot about it earlier, but it¡¯s the skincare products my mother makes me use. Both my brother and I, when we turned ten, were forced to begin using all these types of fancy, mystical, cultivation skincare products. I have no clue what was in them, but I¡¯m willing to bet they''re a little overboard. My mother¡¯s... kinda like that after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I remember the stories,¡± Songmei laughed, leaning her head against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I guess when people are literally reforming their bodies to ascend to heaven, or whatever is up there, the classical stereotypes probably don¡¯t matter...¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± Mingqing murmured in agreement, returning Songmei¡¯s affection, ¡°You know, you¡¯ve been a little more touchy-feely lately... I mean, I¡¯m not opposed, heavens no, but I just wanted to comment on it...¡±

    ¡°I-... yeah, I don¡¯t know,¡± Songmei coughed with an awkward stammer, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just chalk it up to the... you know... girlfriend stuff...¡±

    Laughing and squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand, Mingqing reassured Songmei, ¡°It¡¯s fine it¡¯s fine, you made me open up so much, so if anything, I have to thank you...¡±

    With the conversation continuing with her just exchanging quiet, affectionate murmurs with Mingqing, Songmei scanned the courtyard. It was large, for sure, not as large as the last one, but still spacious. Ignoring how fast cultivators could move when they tried, just walking across the courtyard might take a minute or so.

    Planting a kiss on the back of Mingqing hand because... why not? Songmei continued her little visual journey¡ªmaybe she¡¯d see someone she recognized!

    Along the back wall, back as in facing the entryway, was a line of what Songmei could only describe as futuristic carriages. They were all linked together train carriages, but, obviously, there weren¡¯t any rails to run along; yet, they didn¡¯t seem to have wheels either. Each carriage was long, sleek, and metallic, equipped with lights, pulsing with at what seemed to be their own rhythm.

    Ignoring the fact she didn¡¯t find a single door, Songmei continued on, looking through the rest of the courtyard. The side walls were all shaded, having overhangs jutting out from the top of the walls. Beneath these overhangs were benches, similar to the one that she and Mingqing had now claimed as their own.

    Back at the entrance, on the other hand, was where most of the people stayed. For now, Songmei wasn¡¯t surprised at the number of people. She and Mingqing had left and arrived with way too much extra time, so the few other early birds were just now arriving and chatting near the entryway.

    However, given the fact the courtyard was smaller, and given the fact the carriage seemed to have... so, so many cars, Songmei began mentally preparing herself¡ªthe courtyard was about to become more jammed with people than Youhong¡¯s spatial storage ring was with lychee jelly.

 116: A Fiery Phoenix and Icy Kunpeng

    Yan Mingqing had pulled her sword back out. There wasn¡¯t a fight, of course, at least not yet. Lin Songmei had jogged off, saying something about wanting to preview the carriages they¡¯d be defending while also using the restroom. Mingqing, honestly, wanted to go along as well, but Songmei had disappeared before Mingqing had even reacted, leaving a few iridescent butterflies in her wake.

    So... Now, here Mingqing was, alone on the bench, legs criss-crossed, and channeling some Qi through her sword to just focus herself.

    Even though she wanted to tag along with Songmei, Mingqing didn¡¯t mind Songmei running off to investigate what caught her eye¡ªafter dealing with possessive stalkers and admirers growing up, Mingqing was far too aware of how possessiveness iced the warmth out of any relationship.

    With her expression hardening, Mingqing tuned out the rest of the world as her smile returned to the frown it used to sit in so often. Guiding her Qi through her body and blade for an impromptu cultivation session, Mingqing lifted her hand off the blade, bringing with it wisps of icy mist and glimmering dots of stars.

    Twirling her Qi between her fingers, Mingqing closed her eyes as she pondered over what to do next. She couldn¡¯t practice her sword forms because of the limited space around her, but a traditional meditation session also just seemed... boring after the hours she had spent to just break through the day before.

    With Qi cycling through her body like a rampant stream, Mingqing ran through any skills she could practice. Cultivating, in general, was always going to be a battle of picking and choosing to focus on, but Mingqing, as of now, felt she was a bit of a one trick pony.

    Feeling her mind wander back to Songmei, Mingqing took a few deep breaths to try and distract herself¡ªto no avail. A few moments of distracted... daydreaming... later, Mingqing felt a light go off in her head as she remembered the skill Songmei had practiced every night for the past couple of weeks: conjuration.

    In theory, being an ice cultivator, ice generation was possible... Mingqing just wasn¡¯t sure how. Sure, ice generation was never going to become her primary combat skill, but Mingqing wasn¡¯t opposed to starting her practice now¡ªshe¡¯d have to bolster her skills to include more range attacks someday.

    Furrowing her eyebrows, Mingqing tried her best to remember how Songmei described it. As a good girlfriend, Mingqing listened every time Songmei wanted to talk through her techniques to try and get another perspective on it; yet, now, when she needed to remember the most, Mingqing was drawing a blank.

    Mingqing, trying to force her Qi out of her body to crystallize it into ice, couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of a foreboding feeling: conjuration was about to be a long undertaking... On the bright side, it probably wouldn¡¯t take her too long to be able to make ice cubes or anything else for daily life. But, without even taking the first step, Mingqing could tell battle usage was a ways away.

    ----------

    On the other side of the courtyard, unbeknownst to both Songmei and Mingqing was a different prodigy. Zhao Liying, first child of the phoenix clan, was a disciple of the biggest sect on the eastern continent.

    Born a year earlier than Songmei, Mingqing, and the others, Zhao Liying should¡¯ve had a massive head start, one insurmountable before the five pillars realm at the minimum. Yet, because of a poisoning as a child, Zhao Liying had to spend a year recovering and repairing her body with Qi before she could begin actual cultivation.

    Though it set her back a year, the media still gushed over Zhao Liying. Elegant with chin-length fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, Zhao Liying¡¯s status as one of the richest, most important young misses only reinforced the obsession the media had with her. She represented the perfect figure head to symbolize the up and coming new generation of geniuses.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    According to common convention, the common genius¡ªif that was even a thing¡ªwould finish opening all twenty of their meridians at age eighteen¡ªtwelve main and eight extraordinary. Following the Qi Gathering where one would open their meridians, a common genius would finish foundation establishment and the creation of their five pillars by the age of twenty five.

    Therefore, by her mid-to-late twenties, Zhao Liying¡¯s the media was expecting her early struggles to be no more than an inspiring story they could quote to further her reputation.

    Reality, though, was a little farther from the media¡¯s idealistic hopes. Zhao Liying herself, now leaning against a wall alone, couldn¡¯t care less for the media¡¯s empty words. Sure, they now just compared her against those a year younger than her which was consistent with the delayed start she had. It didn¡¯t mean anything though.

    Zhao Liying had no intentions of becoming the elegant, feminine young lady the media wanted. She was a phoenix! She refused to bow down. She¡¯d compete. She¡¯d fight. And she¡¯d burn. There was a reason she was born with the heart of fire. She planned on never quieting down. She¡¯d fight and defend her opinions and values to the bitter end.

    The day the media caught her acting like the prim and proper princess they wanted was the day they started taking psychedelics.

    Sighing, Zhao Liying massaged her furrowed eyebrows. She needed to stop being so bellicose towards the media...

    Looking around, Zhao Liying scanned the courtyard, looking for a couple familiar faces. Being a member of an eastern sect, Zhao Liying had only decided to come to Westriver after hearing about the commotion solved by a pair of Starlight lake disciples. Because of her recent arrival, she had seen and met a total of zero other people from her sect though¡ªheavens, she hadn¡¯t even seen any of the notable disciples from her continent!

    About to return to just passing the time on her terminal, Zhao Liying froze as she noticed a girl meditating on a bench in the corner on the other side of the courtyard. Was that Yan Mingqing?

    It had been a couple years since Zhao Liying had seen the girl, but the dark blue hair and icy cold atmosphere around her remained all the same.

    Was it worth dealing with the ice queen though? Zhao Liying might¡¯ve had a distaste with the media, but Yan Mingqing, even before beginning her cultivation journey, was known to beat up media members who looked at her the wrong way.

    She really was the polar opposite to her charismatic, almost flamboyant older brother...

    Crossing her arms and leaning against the courtyard wall, Zhao Liying mulled it over. If it wasn¡¯t Yan Mingqing, then she could just apologize and leave. But if it was? It wouldn¡¯t hurt to reconnect and work with a genius like Yan Mingqing... Even if it would be an icy, distant partnership.

    With a long stare into the sky above and a sigh, Zhao Liying pushed herself off the wall, her boots clicking against the cobblestones as she took a longer route to avoid the attention of the few stragglers that looked bored and alone in the middle of the courtyard.

    Closer, Zhao Liying was sure, no one else was able to radiate this cold, get-away-from-me aura. Trying to be upbeat and start off on a good note, Zhao Liying tossed out a greeting. ¡°Yan Mingqing, long time no see!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Mingqing spat with a pair of cold eyes, flicking a piece of ice towards Zhao Liying. ¡°Do you need anything, Zhao Liying?¡±

    Catching the piece of ice and flicking it to the side, Zhao Liying shrugged, ¡°You know, I just wanted to catch up. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you and you¡¯ve grown so much. Also, I wanted to ask if you wanted to work together for this upcoming mission, since it seems you¡¯re alone as usual.¡±

    ¡°Not interested. You¡¯re only a year older than me. No need to act like my older sister. Also,¡± Mingqing mused, a hint of a condescending smile ghosting across her face. ¡°I have a group anyway. ¡±

    Taking a deep breath to push down the indignant shout trying to claw its way out, Zhao Liying reminded herself she had expected this when deciding to try and partner with Yan Mingqing. She already knew Yan Mingqing was the picture-perfect definition of callous, aloof, condescending a-hole.

    Zhao Liying just needed to be persistent. Years ago, with months of persistence, she had gotten Yan Mingqing to reveal the drops of kindness and warmth in her heart. Zhao Liying was confident she was still the person who had gotten Mingqing to open up the most.

    All she had to do was get back and re-establish their connection.

    Still, Mingqing had a group?

    Zhao Liying had to admit she was surprised. There were people willing, or able, to put up with the ice queen on a regular basis?

    Maybe they were trying to mooch off her status, wealth, and potential...

 117: That One Friend Who Always Gets Into Trouble After One Second Alone

    Lin Songmei, having run off in a moment of... unchecked curiosity, had gone to take a closer look at the carriages. The doors, contrary to normal, blended into the rest of the carriage with seamless lines, it was only when Songmei was close enough to see the handles did they become clear. In fact, having taken a moment to count, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but notice there were six doors per carriage... SIX!

    What were they doing with so many doors...  Was it one of those ¡°creative design choices¡±?

    Wandering between the carriages, Songmei had also discovered what exactly they were going to guard. Blending in with the other cultivators mulling around the carriages, Songmei nodded to one of the workers as they loaded a carriage. Peeking in, Songmei¡¯s eyes widened as she saw stacks upon stacks of boxes emblazoned with the logo of the Black Tortoise¡¯s conglomerate.

    Excited with her new information similar to a frog excited about a rock, Songmei had made a quick trip to the restroom before beginning her journey back to Yan Mingqing. Closing the door behind her, Songmei froze as she heard a ¡°Songmei!¡± from her right.

    Looking over, Songmei broke into a warm smile seeing Wang Taigang and Han Youhong. Jogging over, Songmei poked Youhong in the shoulder. ¡°You two gave us the wrong address!¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t our fault!¡± Youhong defended as he raised his hands up. ¡°Though we ended up not seeing your message until after we went to the wrong courtyard. On the bright side, we did see the Yang Tianshu guy you messaged about, Taigang had some... suspicions about him, but we can mention that once we meet up with Mingqing.¡±

    ¡°I... I feel you going to the wrong courtyard... like, that¡¯s on you,¡± Songmei coughed, pointing in the direction she and Mingqing had decided to sit down in. ¡°Mingqing¡¯s over there, so let¡¯s get over there before I share some fun info I found.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely on us,¡± Taigang laughed, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish chuckle before trailing off as he squinted over towards where Mingqing sat. ¡°Youhong, isn¡¯t that...¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Youhong murmured, looking up from the lychee jelly shopping website. ¡°Holy... yeah, isn¡¯t that Zhao Liying? I haven¡¯t seen her in like five years.¡±

    ¡°Who? Wha? Huh?¡± Songmei asked, bewildered at the mix between amazement and shock splattered across Taigang and Youhong¡¯s faces. ¡°Is she someone famous I should know about?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s one of the generation¡¯s most hyped rising stars,¡± Taigang mused as he tapped his chin, ¡°We can introduce you once we get over there, I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t heard of her though, the media praises her like there¡¯s no tomorrow...¡±

    Pushing her hair back, Songmei shook her head as an awkward cough escaped under her breath. ¡°I live under a rock these days, I haven¡¯t opened the Daoist Times or watched their news recaps in months.¡±

    With a pair of understanding shrugs and ¡°I see¡±¡¯s after her confession, Songmei tied her hair back into a ponytail, slowing down as they got closer.

    Scary.

    Songmei had no other words to describe the standoff-ish atmosphere pushing them away at the moment. Mingqing, like Songmei had never seen before, seemed like an aloof, out-of-this-world ice queen.

    Overhearing the amazed murmurs coming from Songmei, Youhong and Taigang both began patting her on the shoulder. Taigang, leaning down to get to Songmei¡¯s ear-level, whispered just loud enough for Songmei and Youhong to hear. ¡°This is the Mingqing we¡¯re all used to. Growing up she was a total a-hole. I don¡¯t know what you did to unlock your exclusive version of nice Mingqing, but, yeah... this is mostly how she is.¡±

    Facepalming as Songmei murmured ¡°well, she¡¯s a hot a-hole,¡± Youhong popped a lychee jelly into his mouth as he shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if I should be disappointed or just feel single... I don¡¯t even care for love and you two make me feel single.¡±

    Though in the corner, both Mingqing and Zhao Liying had cleared out a ring around them as their gazes seemed to spark against each other. Mingqing, with her legs crossed, sat on the bench, sword across her legs as Zhao Liying stood across from her, arms crossed as they exchanged thorny verbal jabs.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Breaking through the circle of people who had begun to form around the two girls, Songmei, Taigang, and Youhong ignored the murmurs and gasps rippling through the bystanders as they strode up to disrupt the little conflict beginning to form.

    ¡°Long time no see, Liying!¡± Taigang greeted with his signature bright smile and full-bodied enthusiasm, ¡°How are you? Why are you here in the north?¡±

    Stunned to see Taigang and Youhong, Zhao Liying¡¯s fiery demeanor cooled as a smile reappeared, ¡°Long time no see indeed, I¡¯m doing fine. I¡¯m here to train, but I just arrived. Why are you two here? Isn¡¯t the Pavilion of Radiant Shadows the sect of the east?¡±

    ¡°Our masters chucked us here,¡± Youhong answered with a dry chuckle, demolishing another lychee jelly with an expressionless face. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe they wanted a break or something, but a lot of the Pavilion disciples come here in their early years because the east doesn¡¯t have a naturally occurring Qi zone like Westriver.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Well, I¡¯m here just because I want to have some seclusion from the west.¡± Zhao Liying murmured, unsure as to whether she should comfort the two or just stay silent and move on. Deciding on the latter, Zhao Liying cocked her head, asking, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a third person with you two though? I didn¡¯t get a clear look at her, where is she?¡±

    ¡°Ahh... her... yeah,¡± Taigang laughed, moving to the side so he didn¡¯t obstruct Zhao Liying¡¯s view of the bench. ¡°It¡¯d be better for you to just see.¡±

    With Taigang moving to the side, Zhao Liying felt Youhong give her a few comforting pats as her jaw dropped. No longer was there an aloof, condescending, ready to stab her in the stomach Mingqing, instead, leaning against the girl with silver-white hair was a giggling, smiling Mingqing affectionate to the point of holding hands.

    Who was this????

    Zhao Liying wanted to scream into the sky, asking the heavens when they had pulled a fast one on her.

    Calming herself down and putting on a mask of calmness, Zhao Liying watched as the two enveloped themselves in their own atmosphere. Crossing her arms, she mused, ¡°Who... oh... Isn¡¯t that? Hmm... isn¡¯t that Lin Songmei? I know they¡¯re under the esteemed Liu Xueli together, but they really are close huh.¡±

    ¡°You can say that again,¡± Youhong coughed, suppressing the urge to burst out laughing, ¡°Okay, we can let you in on a secret, alright? Only because I¡¯ve known you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°Mhm?¡± Zhao Liying raised an eyebrow as a little twinkle of interest flickered to life behind her eyes. ¡°I can keep a secret, I assume it¡¯s just to the media mostly though.¡±

    Being just a hair shorter than Zhao Liying, Youhong just turned his head and leaned in, whispering ¡°They¡¯re dating¡± before pulling away. ¡°Honestly, they don¡¯t even know that we know, but yeah, it¡¯d be cool if you could keep this to yourself.¡±

    Using a hand to cover her mouth, Zhao Liying laughed, ¡°Oh? I would¡¯ve never thought... Yan Mingqing, of all people?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know, right?¡± Taigang nodded with a similar level of surprise soaking his words. ¡°Songmei¡¯s quite good at getting people to warm up to her, but I still have no idea how she managed to crack the nut that is Mingqing. She could be a professional Mingqing melter...¡±

    ¡°I wonder if her parents have ever even seen her like this...¡± Youhong pondered out loud, keeping his voice low, tapping his chin. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re working with the two lovebirds.¡±

    Pausing for a second, Zhao Liying, with a hesitant scratch of the head, asked, ¡°Can I hop on then? I¡¯m looking for some people to cover my back.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Taigang shrugged, ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask, but Songmei probably doesn¡¯t mind, and she makes Mingqing much more... agreeable we could say...¡±

    ¡°I can certainly see that,¡± Zhao Liying snorted with a sigh, ¡°I feel so single just standing here...¡±

    ¡°¡°Agreed.¡±¡±

    Letting the two live in their own world for a moment, Youhong turned to the dispersing circle behind them. ¡°Do you know if these people are here for like... you... or were just here for... you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve just said the same thing twice, my guy,¡± Taigang retorted, trying to snatch a lychee jelly from Youhong¡¯s hand. ¡°That gives literally zero information. Elaborate.¡±

    ¡°Uhh... how do I say it,¡± Youhong tapped his foot, sighing as his hands flashed around, dodging Zhao Liying and Wang Taigang¡¯s attempts at stealing lychee jellies. ¡°Did the crowd appear because they recognized you and Mingqing or did they appear because you two just looked like you were about to start a brawl?¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure it¡¯s the latter,¡± Zhao Liying shrugged, her hand missing once more as Youhong took a step back. ¡°I haven¡¯t been recognized once yet. Probably because I don¡¯t match the pictures the media always use very well anymore. Also, Youhong, why are you still so dang possessive of your lychee jelly. You¡¯re sixteen... seventeen? Now? C¡¯mon, share with this senior sister.¡±

    ¡°Oh wait yeah! You cut your hair!¡± Taigang interrupted before apologizing, trying to sneak his hand towards Youhong. ¡°No, I get you, I look exactly the same, and I don¡¯t get recognized either. If I''m not wearing official sect robes, I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t exist in the wider populace¡¯s eyes.¡±

    Pausing for a moment, Youhong sighed, resigned while faced with the burning gazes from the two in front of him. Handing over a couple of jellies, Youhong shrugged. ¡°Yeah, sixteen still... Also, I don¡¯t get recognized either. I use Qi to make myself less noticeable though.¡±

 118: Why Are So Many People So High Status?

    Losing track of her original thoughts about the newcomer Zhao Liying, Lin Songmei spent some time hugging and chatting with Yan Mingqing. It was only after Han Youhong and Wang Taigang walked over with Zhao Liying behind them did Songmei bolt out of her seat.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry! I just walked off without greeting you,¡± Songmei stammered with an awkward cough. Extending her hand, Songmei introduced herself with a warm smile, capping it off with a ¡°Nice to meet you!¡±

    Surprising Zhao Liying with her enthusiastic greeting, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but praise herself. Everyday, she was getting better and better with putting on the mask of social competence!

    ¡°I¡¯m Zhao Liying, first child of the Phoenix Clan, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lin Songmei.¡± Zhao Liying smiled, recovering from her brief surprise without a hitch.

    One firm handshake later, Songmei stepped back, letting Mingqing and Taigang¡ªthe two informal leaders¡ªtalk more with Zhao Liying. Seeing Youhong popping lychee jellies into his mouth without a care in the world, Songmei slid over with a few subtle steps.

    Confused for a second as to why Youhong retracted his arms and hid all his jellies, Songmei shrugged the thought away before leaning in to whisper into Youhong¡¯s ear. ¡°Want to give me a quick rundown of the Phoenix Clan? I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Youhong nodded with a perplexing sigh of relief, ¡°Yeah the Phoenix Clan is just descended from Phoenixes. Or are they blessed? No one really knows at this point. Anyway, people in the clans that descend from famous beasts that have disappeared from our world are just gifted with a natural affinity with that animal¡¯s elements. The Phoenix Clan Liying is a part of is pretty similar to the Kunpeng Clan that Mingqing comes from in a lot of ways.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Songmei followed along, ¡°So are they like enemies?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... nah. Rivals maybe? The Kunpeng Clan is a single family dynasty that resides and works primarily in the Northern Continent. The Phoenixes live in the West. Something about their family motto of honoring their ancestors who go out with fire.¡± Youhong elaborated, answering Songmei¡¯s question before continuing on. ¡°Anyway, you honestly only need to know two things. One, do not mix the Phoenix Clan up with the still currently alive spiritual beast Vermillion Bird. Both parties will violently eviscerate you. Second, she¡¯s probably more rich than Taigang and I combined. Like, you know how Mingqing is jaw droppingly rich? Yeah, Liying is too. Anyway, you really need to start reading the news again, she¡¯s been all over it, I thought you would¡¯ve known...¡±

    Flashing a double-thumbs up to Youhong as she slid away back to her original position next to Mingqing, Songmei mouthed ¡°I¡¯ll totally definitely start reading the news again,¡± and a ¡°thank you¡± before giving a mock salute.

    Back next to Mingqing, Songmei shimmied herself just a little closer to Mingqing before sliding a hand into Mingqing¡¯s pocket to grab her hand. No one would notice. Definitely not.

    Ignorant of the done-with-life stare she was getting from Youhong who indeed did notice, Songmei took a moment to just memorize the face of their new party member. Well, Songmei wasn¡¯t sure if they were partnering, but for this mission at least it seemed so. Why else would Zhao Liying come by? Add on the fact Taigang and Mingqing were discussing possible fighting configurations and Songmei was pretty sure.

    Tapping her chin, Songmei studied Zhao Liying¡¯s face while pretending to look at the people bustling around in the courtyard behind her. Songmei couldn¡¯t deny Zhao Liying had an attractive face. Her short red hair framed her face well. Freckles dotted her ever-so-slightly tanned skin.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Not bad, not bad. Songmei had no idea if Zhao Liying was into girls, but she was certainly Songmei¡¯s type.

    Mingqing was still better though. In many ways. Ways Songmei wasn¡¯t going to elaborate on though.

    Done with memorizing Zhao Liying¡¯s face, Songmei only had one more thought. Why was everyone in her party so dang tall? What were they eating??

    Sure, growing up Songmei didn¡¯t eat her fill every single day, but she was only a hair below average. Taigang was a literal giant, out of everyone Songmei had interacted with regularly, he was, without contest, in the top three when it came to height.

    Youhong was average for guys, he was fine, he got a pass. Mingqing though, was a fair bit above average for girls! Sure, Mingqing was a little shorter than Youhong, but she was still half-a-head taller than Songmei!

    Now, with the addition of Zhao Liying, Songmei just wanted to melt into the ground. Zhao Liying was about the same height as Youhong, maybe a hair taller, but it was hard to tell when they weren¡¯t standing next to each other.

    Giving up on her little height comparisons, Songmei chalked the tallness of the other four standing in the circle with her up to their wealth and whatever magic they were exposed to as children.

    -----

    Participating in some idle chatter in their little corner of the courtyard, Songmei, Mingqing, Youhong, Taigang, and their new addition Zhao Liying tried their best to get to know each other and build some camaraderie. Contrary to the past, even with Songmei present, Mingqing still wasn¡¯t the most amicable. Therefore, for Songmei, Youhong, and Taigang, it was just trying to bridge the chasm that stood between Mingqing and Zhao Liying.

    With the courtyard jammed with people though, silence fell as speakers booted up and a platform ascended on one side.

    [Good morning, good morning! Can I have everyone¡¯s attention?]

    Bewildered at the disembodied voice radiating from the speakers dispersed across the courtyard, Songmei nudged her way in front of Taigang to get a better look at the platform now sitting above the crowd.

    [I¡¯m Yang Tianshu, leader of the caravan and business that will be transporting the cargo today. I just wanted to start out by saying sorry for directing you all to the wrong courtyard. I sincerely thank you all for your cooperation.]

    Seeing the short, older, balding man on the platform, Songmei murmured a ¡°huh.¡± She hadn¡¯t expected Yang Tianshu to own the company and be the overall leader, but he was a nice guy, so she wasn¡¯t... opposed or anything.

    [So today, we¡¯ll be transporting some valuable supplies and materials given by some generous donors who are supporting the city. Overall, it¡¯s a simple guard mission. Because I work for Wrath, and because we will be traveling through some contested areas of Westriver¡¯s northside expect attacks from those sponsored by Avarice.]

    With some boos echoing from the crowd, Yang Tianshu cleared his throat and waited until they calmed down to continue.

    [As I¡¯m sure everyone can tell, we have a huge number of carriages today and a huge number of cultivators as well. Therefore, for the sake of safety and modularity, we¡¯ll be splitting up into groups. Judging from how many people there are, I estimate there will be around twenty, maybe thirty groups.]

    With everyone¡¯s attention gathered over by where the carriages were, the crowd parted as the carriages began to unlatch and move to their respective places around the courtyard.

    [Each group will consist of four carriages, every two carriages should be covered by a group of cultivators between three and seven people. Please disperse yourself to a nearby carriage, if you¡¯re working in a group of more than seven, split across multiple carriages and if you¡¯re working a group of less than three, stand off to the side and we¡¯ll distribute you as needed.]

    Making eye contact with Mingqing and the others, Songmei motioned towards one of the still unclaimed group waiting areas as the others around them began to disperse and move as well.

    [Alright, stay quiet everyone! For the last thing! We¡¯ll start sending groups off in a couple of minutes. Each group''s carriages have their unique routes already preprogrammed. One member from my side will also be with every group to give additional information. The estimated arrival time, should we be lucky and efficient, will be around mid-afternoon. Good luck and thank you everyone!]

 119: New Member?

    Walking over to one of the linked carriages sections in the corner, Lin Songmei and the rest of the party took a seat on the couple of benches lined against the wall. Advantages, advantages! By choosing this carriage, they could sit back down for a little longer while everyone else stood around.

    With Yan Mingqing and Zhao Liying still a little frosty, Wang Taigang waved the group over to the bench he and Han Youhong were sitting on.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a moment to introduce our fighting styles,¡± Taigang grinned as everyone gathered around, sitting on the ground and sitting on the bench. ¡°Mingqing and I already sort of know Liying¡¯s fighting style. In general though, because we¡¯re going to be fighting a mix of machines and humans, it¡¯s better to have some familiarity. Want me to start?¡±

    Watching four heads nod back at him like ducklings towards their mother, Taigang rolled his eyes with a laugh. As his fists turned golden as he channeled Qi into them, Taigang explained ¡°I use an absolute Yang technique. I fight with my fists, not much to say, I¡¯m a front line combatant.¡±

    Done with introducing himself, Taigang tossed a coin at Mingqing, ¡°I choose for you to go next. Once you¡¯re done, choose the next person.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡± Mingqing trailed off, starting to defrost as she sat next to Songmei. ¡°I¡¯m a front line combatant as well, but can fight midline. I fight with a constellation ice technique. I assume we¡¯re not sharing exact technique names for the sake of privacy so I won¡¯t go into it further.¡±

    Pulling her sheathed sword out of her spatial storage ring, Mingqing pulled the blade out just a touch while channeling Qi into it. Shifting so everyone could see her blade, Mingqing shrugged faint, icy, starry mist to begin radiating off the sword once more. ¡°Just a passive effect of my technique. That¡¯s it though, I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s me?¡± Songmei murmured, catching the coin with an awkward lean. Pulling out her still plain bow, Songmei shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a backline combatant, I use a bow and a crystal nature technique. It¡¯s still kinda boring, someday I''ll have a soul-bound crystal bow, but I¡¯m just working with this for the moment.¡±

    Tossing the coin across the circle at Youhong¡¯s forehead, Songmei grinned as he caught it with a glare. Clenching his empty hand, a pair of chain blades appeared, clattering onto the ground as their immaculate curved blades gleamed under the sunlight.

    ¡°I use chain blades. I cultivate a moon technique. I¡¯m midline.¡± Youhong sighed, popping a lychee jelly into his mouth. ¡°Nothing else to say. I have lychee jelly that I will not share.¡±

    ¡°Me now?¡± Zhao Liying murmured as Youhong stored his weapon while passing the coin. ¡°I use a spear, front and midline combatant I guess. I usually fight alone so I don¡¯t really care, just put me somewhere. I use a ravaging flame technique.¡±

    Standing up and backing away from the circle, Zhao Liying checked to see her surroundings were empty before extending an arm. With a wrist flick, a long spear appeared in her hand. Pointed with a golden blade extending a little further than usual, Zhao Liying gave it a playful twirl before walking back over.

    ¡°Similar to Yan Mingqing and her sword, I¡¯ve had this spear since I was young. The handle is made with a reinforced metal woven with wood. It¡¯s not that heavy, but it''s still durable.¡± Zhao Liying introduced, storing the spear back into her ring before pointing to her wrist. ¡°I also have a bracelet here that allows me to recall the spear whenever I throw it, so that¡¯s just a nice quality of life thing.¡±

    Nodding along, gave Zhao Liying a thumbs-up and smile as she sat back down. Without too much else to say though, Songmei broke the silence with an awkward cough. ¡°You know... this might be a bit of a rude question to ask while we¡¯re waiting, but for Taigang and Youhong, you both are like... also mega rich. From when in childhood did you train? Is there a reason you two don¡¯t have weapons from when you were children?¡±

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine to ask. We got nothing else to talk about while waiting anyway.¡± Youhong consented, leaning back on the bench while crossing his legs. ¡°Families in different levels have different practices. Though Taigang and I are ¡®mega rich,¡¯ we¡¯re not the top of the top. That¡¯s those two.¡±

    Ignoring the ¡°Hey!¡± of protest coming from Zhao Liying and the shrug coming from Mingqing as he pointed towards the two, Youhong continued. ¡°Their heritage is a better guarantee than anything else for having cultivation talent. Therefore, their parents just give them a weapon they like starting from childhood. Eventually they¡¯ll become your soul-bound weapons, yeah? Taigang¡¯s family is like... second layer, and mine is like third. We¡¯re still living cushy lives, just not as famous as them.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Mingqing shrugged again, sneaking a hand on Songmei¡¯s leg, ¡°We do have to go through tests from our families in order to get the weapons though. For the most part it''s seen as the earlier you get your weapon the more ¡®potential¡¯ you have. It was a lot more draconian a few generations back, but now it¡¯s eased up a bit.¡±

    Lifting Mingqing¡¯s hand off her leg and interlacing Mingqing¡¯s fingers with her own, Songmei leaned over and chided Mingqing. ¡°Good to know you¡¯re so full of potential then.¡±

    ¡°Do you know what you¡¯re saying?¡± Mingqing whispered back with a squint.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean it like that,¡± Songmei retorted with a glare before turning back to the group. ¡°Anyway, thanks for humoring my little question.¡±

    For some reason though, the rest of the group¡¯s eyes seemed a little colder and a little more lifeless than before, but Songmei just chalked it up to nervousness. She was also nervous for the upcoming mission so it was totally understandable!

    Making some more idle conversation, the five of them passed some time while waiting for the carriage company to finish their... whatever. Songmei had no idea what they needed so much time for, but they sure were taking their sweet time. Sure, groups had begun to leave, but it seemed they were still a fair bit further down the queue.

    A couple of minutes later, with a group of ragtag cultivators gathering on the other side of the carriage, a representative from the company strode up, his boots clicking against the cobblestones of the courtyard.

    It was Yang Tianshu.

    Of course it was.

    Spending some time introducing himself to the other group, Yang Tianshu, leader of the whole company itself walked over with a genial smile.

    Songmei¡¯s only consolation was at least it was someone who was the same height as her...

    ¡°Good morning, good morning,¡± Yang Tianshu smiled, walking over with the classic grandfather walk. The slow, slight outward steps, walking stick, and even slight hunch. ¡°We¡¯re going to get going soon, so gather around. I already told the other group, so don¡¯t worry about them, they¡¯re setting up in and on the carriage.¡±

    ¡°Why... you? Were we just lucky?¡± Youhong raised an eyebrow, a little suspicious as to why the company head itself was coming along with them.

    ¡°Oh... no reason,¡± Yang Tianshu murmured, tapping his cane against the ground. ¡°I¡¯d just thought it¡¯d be important to keep an eye on the few direct disciples. Especially you two girls from big families. I¡¯d be in some hot water if something happened to you two. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t recognize you two earlier this morning?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we honestly didn¡¯t.¡± Mingqing agreed, looking over to the other people in the group who let out similar murmurs of surprise.

    By managing to catch Yang Tianshu off guard, the group was rewarded with an ¡°interesting¡± before he continued with his explanation. ¡°We do these runs everyday. I went and checked all of your mission statuses. It¡¯ll be a pleasure to work with you all for a week.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe for you to come with us though?¡± Taigang interjected with a worried face, ¡°It might be hard for us to defend you, you know? Especially since you¡¯re even more important to the company.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a variety of reasons you shouldn¡¯t worry.¡± Yang Tianshu reassured before nodding his chin towards the carriages as they began to glow to life. ¡°Let¡¯s get going though. I¡¯ll speak to you more on the carriage.¡±

 120: Who Doesnt Love Young Master Stereotypes?

    Climbing on top of the carriages, Lin Songmei staggered, grabbing the railing as the carriages began moving. She, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying had all been delegated to guard the front two carriages while the ragtag group of cultivators had been given the back two.

    In position on top of the carriages from where they¡¯d be fighting from, Songmei looked around for Yang Tianshu. A moment later, getting a tap on the shoulder, Songmei whirled around to see Yang Tianshu behind her with his usual smile.

    ¡°Looking for me?¡± He asked, tapping his can against the carriage below them. ¡°I¡¯ll be on the second carriage, this one, or the one right behind us, the third. I assume you¡¯re a backline combatant if you¡¯re here with me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, use a bow and stuff,¡± Songmei shrugged, looking to see where the others were.

    They were all on the first carriage...

    Turning back to Yang Tianshu, Songmei motioned towards the four on the first carriage. ¡°Want me to call them over? You said you still had some stuff to say.¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Yang Tianshu laughed, sitting down on the bench circling the inside of the railing. ¡°I was going to let you all chill out for a bit, but if you don¡¯t mind I might as well get all the information out of the way.¡±

    Not knowing what else to say, Songmei nodded. Thumbs up. She¡¯d get right on gathering the others...

    With her best shout, Songmei made an attempt to wave the others over, faltering as Mingqing walked over alone. Giving Mingqing a thankful hug, Songmei took a moment to enjoy the hug, giving a few squeezes before detaching. ¡°Uhm, the person? Yang Tianshu, he wants to give us some more information... Could you get the others over here? You¡¯re a little more, persuasive, one could say, than I am.¡±

    ----

    One harsh scolding and vintage ice queen performance later, Mingqing, driven by a mysterious power (that was definitely not love), had gathered the rest of the group. Forming a semi-circle around Yang Tianshu, Youhong, Taigang, and the new addition, Zhao Liying, all stood there like obedient ducklings, waiting for the information session to start.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never been more excited for an information session,¡± Youhong murmured with a tone so sincere it looped back around to sarcasm. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t come earlier when Songmei called for us. How could I be so stupid? I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve now opened my eyes to the truth.¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± Taigang agreed, nodding along with every statement Youhong made. ¡°As a sun cultivator, how could I close my eyes to the light? I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve been guided back to the right path. What an enlightened cultivator Mingqing is.¡±

    Resisting the urge to crack up, Zhao Liying coughed into her fist as Mingqing began to give the apparently just formed comedy trio the side-eye. Committing to the bit, Zhao Liying added her own self-reflection. ¡°You know, as the senior of the group. It¡¯s really my responsibility to keep my juniors on track, I just can¡¯t help but praise the amazing Yan for her immense wisdom. Wise beyond her years.¡±

    With her eyes almost becoming knives with how sharp her side-eye was, Mingqing decided to let it go and grabbed Songmei¡¯s hand before looking back towards Yang Tianshu.

    Chuckling to himself as the antics of the five young masters and mistresses transpired in front of him, Yang Tianshu cleared his throat, composing himself. ¡°Hmm... where to start. Why not address the question you all mentioned earlier. I assure you I won¡¯t hold any of you all back, I¡¯m quite strong. I¡¯ve opened all twelve of my main meridians and a couple of my extraordinary meridians.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    With a chorus of ¡°Ohh¡±¡¯s and apologies, Yang Tianshu shook his head and waved them off. ¡°I¡¯m not as skillful as you all. I¡¯ve long forgotten many of my techniques. I can defend myself, but I¡¯m not too useful in combat. I could probably beat any of you one on one with sheer strength, but I¡¯m out of practice. If you all came at me at once, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d lose.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to fight then? Help guard the carriages?¡± Zhao Liying asked, leaning back onto the railing while using her spear as a glorified walking stick.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. This old man is out of shape, so I can¡¯t fight for long, but I can do my best,¡± Yang Tianshu laughed, ¡°Moving on though, I just wanted to make it clear that you won¡¯t die, but you can¡¯t kill anyone either.¡±

    Seeing Songmei let out a sigh of relief, Yang Tianshu laughed, giving her a few pats on the shoulder. ¡°No need to worry, we need all the people we can get around here. I have to say this though, just to make sure. We¡¯re not savages. More than that, if anyone of really high status gets killed, this whole city might get razed to the ground.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good... and very true,¡± Songmei mused, squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand. She was pretty sure Xueli had mentioned something along similar lines in the past, but it was nice to get a reminder. Songmei, being friends with Mingqing, no, girlfriends with Mingqing, could imagine the force of the entire Kunpeng Clan turning Westriver into a flaming crater.

    It was only two days prior when she and Mingqing spent some time talking about Mingqing¡¯s family... If the grandiose ceremonies were any indicator, the Kunpeng Clan was stacked.

    ¡°I have to make sure to mention this, especially around the... higher status disciples that come around.¡± Yang Tianshu emphasized with a stern tone. ¡°Too often do they come around thinking they¡¯re the center of the universe. It¡¯s no longer the past, you can¡¯t go around just slapping people and turning their heads into blood mist.¡±

    With Yang Tianshu¡¯s words just leaving the tip of his tongue, Songmei and the others began to laugh, pointing to each other while shouting the classic line. ¡°Do you even know who my father is??¡±

    Mystified, Yang Tianshu watched as the five youngsters exchanged line after line¡ªall of which flew over his head.

    ¡°Do you even young master?¡±

    ¡°You dare breathe the same air as me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±

    ¡°You have eyes, yet you¡¯re unable to see Mount Tai!¡±

    ¡°I achieve twice the result with half the effort! Heavens shake the earth!¡±

    What even were these lines?

    Wiping a tear from her eye, Songmei pulled a water bottle out of her spatial storage ring, taking a sip as everyone else calmed down as well.

    Though they made jokes, Songmei was glad she lived in the current period. She and Mingqing, during one of their many late night conversations had talked about how they were glad they lived in the present day. Because the non-cultivating world was making leaps and bounds of progress, leaping into what the media dubbed the ¡°Age of Innovation,¡± several of their ideas were spreading into the cultivation world.

    Things such as not committing wonton murder.

    Pretty cool if Songmei had to say so herself.

    Of course, the next day when the conversation topic came up once more at the breakfast table with Liu Xueli, Songmei and Mingqing had learned the¡ªapparently¡ªbigger reason. The hidden agenda one could say from the higher ups.

    Apparently they really just needed people to stay alive so they could reach the stage where they could travel to the central continent. Then, once on the central continent, they could be of use fighting off the demons.

    That was a boring reason though...

    With Yang Tianshu finishing up with some idle conversation, he walked off to the third carriage to talk to the other cultivators. ¡°Just get into position, once the battle starts, we¡¯ll stop the carriage so you all can actually use your full fighting potential.¡±

 121: A Future As A Laser Pointer

    With their caravan plodding along through the city, Lin Songmei relaxed against a railing. Letting the wind blow through her hair as she and Yan Mingqing talked about whatever came to mind, Songmei wiped her bow down, trying to stay in the mindset to fight.

    Wang Taigang, Han Youhong, and Zhao Liying, on the other hand, were chatting up a storm on the first carriage! Having not seen the esteemed daughter of the Phoenix Clan for more than a few years, Taigang and Youhong wanted to spend their mission time refreshing their friendship.

    As they traveled into desolate, worn-down, abandoned neighborhoods, everyone quieted down as sounds of fighting echoed over from nearby streets where other caravans routed. It seemed these streets were the war zone.

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll take any drones and other machinery in the air. Are you going to go down and fight or stay up here?¡± Songmei murmured as Mingqing warmed up her arms and legs.

    ¡°I think you got it, yeah? I still worry for you though... I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± Mingqing murmured, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll ask Zhao Liying or Youhong to come. They have a little more range to their attacks, so they¡¯ll stay useful even while up here.¡±

    ¡°Alright, you stay safe as well, okay?¡± Songmei murmured, hugging Mingqing as the carriage began to slow.

    Before the linked carriages could even grind to a halt, machines began to stream out of the cracks between buildings.

    As the machines did a mix of lumbering, staggering, and jostling to advance towards the carriages, there was only one word popping into Songmei¡¯s mind: clunky. Reinforcing her arrows with Qi so they could pierce the metal carapaces of the machines, Songmei¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. It seemed a little too easy at the moment.

    There were a mix of flying and non-flying machines. Looking like they had been cobbled together, the machines were all decked out¡ªcovered not head to toe, but scalp to sole¡ªin weapons.

    They, honestly, seemed more like guns with automatic movement than robots outfitted with weapons.

    Letting an arrow fly, Songmei sent a drone spiraling into the crowd where Mingqing, Taigang, and Youhong were now wreaking havoc. Zhao Liying, on the other hand, had begun to make her way up to the top of the carriage. Similar to Songmei, Zhao Liying was focusing on the airborne drones, beaming her flaming spear into the sky before pulling it back for another go-around.

    ¡°Yan Mingqing asked if I could hang out with you so we could cover each other,¡± Zhao Liying shouted over the sounds of scraping metal and battle. ¡°So I¡¯ll be here, okay?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good!¡± Songmei shouted back, her arms warming up as more and more drones took to the skies.

    Feeling the pain of the bowstring through her arm guard, Songmei cycled more Qi through her body, blinking a few steps to the side to avoid the waves of barrages being launched by the drones. Moving and rotating as if she herself were a turret, Songmei let loose arrow after arrow, after arrow.

    It just seemed to never end. Songmei, now more than ever, was really feeling the need to start learning how to fire multiple arrows.

    Taking a breather, Songmei began expelling as much Qi as she could from her arm, coating some arrows in iridescent crystals while laser-focusing on bobbing and weaving through the barrage of bolts raining down on the caravan.

    No wonder the carriages were so armored and sleek. If she had to survive a beating like this everyday, Songmei would also start to wear jet-black, heavy metal, straight-out-of-a-dystopian novel armor.

    Expelling a huge amount of Qi into her quiver, Songmei clenched her fist. This would have to do. She wasn¡¯t practiced enough to just be making arrow after arrow herself, but coating arrows would have a good enough effect.

    Shoving Zhao Liying out of the way of a stray bolt, Songmei apologized as she commenced her own counterattack. One bolt, of course, wouldn¡¯t have hurt Zhao Liying, especially with the armor she seemed to have, but it would sting and disturb her flow.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Spinning her arm like a waterwheel, Songmei began her dance. With her hair fluttering along behind her in the wind, Songmei flitted her way across the carriage roofs, leaving a trail of butterflies in her wake as she let loose a barrage of arrows.

    With each arrow that pierced a drone, sending it careening downward, Songmei flexed her fist, bursting each crystal coating to destroy or damage the nearby drones as well. Each arrow on its own, with a qi reinforcement as well, ripped its way through the cloud, puncturing holes through lines of drones at once.

    Doing the equivalent of laser beaming through the cloud of drones and machines, Songmei pressed her lips together, a faint grin leaking onto her face as she reveled in the moment. Staying on the move with her hair streaming behind her, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but to take a moment to reflect: it was nice, nice just to see the improvement clear as day.

    A couple minutes later, having gone through two quivers of sixty arrows already, Songmei¡¯s breath began to stagger as the sky emptied.

    Coming to a stop next to Zhao Liying, Songmei grabbed onto the railing as the last few drones plummeted from the sky. ¡°We survived!¡±

    One breathless high-five later, the two girls leaned against the railing, electing to take a breather before starting to help the ground fighters finish off the more durable robots meandering their way over towards the carriage.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t... too hard...¡± Zhao Liying gasped, catching her breath while massaging her throwing arm. ¡°That was just... a lot. You think they¡¯re just trying to tire us out right now?¡±

    ¡°I mean... probably,¡± Songmei agreed, cycling Qi through her body to catch her breath just a little faster. ¡°That¡¯s probably why they¡¯re all so garbage though. I bet they just collect as much as they can and salvage them into new machines.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Zhao Liying murmured, nodding as she forced herself to wind up to throw her spear once more. Groaning, Songmei pushed herself up as well, pulling out another quiver as preemptive preparation.

    ¡°So, how are you?¡± Songmei asked, more relaxed now they were free to stand still due to the lack of... sky barrages. ¡°You were so cool earlier throwing your spear! Like an indomitable general!¡±

    ¡°Thank you! You were so graceful as well, dancing like a butterfly through the barrages! I just... tanked them head on,¡± Zhao Liying laughed with a self-deprecating smile. With a quiet silence falling between the two, Zhao Liying with a voice a touch higher and softer, couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m too gruff, Lin Songmei?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Wha? Huhh?¡± Songmei shook her head, caught off guard¡ªblind-sided even¡ªat the sudden turn the conversation had taken. ¡°I... I think you¡¯re fine? Do you worry about not seeming feminine enough?¡±

    ¡°Sometimes, yeah, not that often, but it popped into mind just now,¡± Zhao Liying shrugged, her spear becoming a fire laser almost as she threw it through a couple of machines near Taigang. ¡°I just wanted to ask, you know? You just met me after all. I cut my hair recently, so it probably doesn¡¯t help my femininity.¡±

    ¡°I think... your face makes it so you probably don¡¯t have to worry about that... Also, you don¡¯t seem to have an ego bigger than Youhong¡¯s lychee jelly collection, so you¡¯re fine.¡± Songmei mused, pausing for a moment to try and create a crystal arrow. ¡°Yeah, on the topic of Youhong, I think Youhong¡¯s face is also as feminine as yours, but he acts like he couldn¡¯t care less about that type of stuff.¡±

    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t,¡± Zhao Liying relented with a shake of the head, grinning as she pulled back her spear. ¡°Anyway, thanks for humoring my little curiosity. I think it¡¯s just been a bit of insecurity that started nagging at me when I was a child.¡±

    ¡°Childhood?¡± Songmei murmured, trying to add a little into the conversation. ¡°I feel like it doesn¡¯t matter as much then does it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t. I realized that a year ago while sick in bed. I¡¯ve mostly grown out of it, maybe just the inner child in me just likes to ask sometimes,¡± Zhao Liying laughed with what Songmei could only describe as a smile of a person who definitely still hadn¡¯t completely grown out of it.

    Asking what sparked it, with the addendum she, of course, didn¡¯t have to share if she didn¡¯t want to, Songmei listened as Zhao Liying elaborated. ¡°I think it just started when some parents of this other cultivation family pointed out I only hung out with the guys during the big parties growing up. I kinda only played tag with them or those other types of games, tomboy, yeah? I think that¡¯s what I¡¯d fall under...¡±

    ¡°Huh... that¡¯s chill,¡± Songmei shrugged, letting loose her arrow before patting Zhao Liying on the back a few times.

    Pausing for a moment, Songmei coughed as an awkward tinge crept onto her face. ¡°Also, I just want to clarify, my comment earlier about your face wasn¡¯t me hitting on you. Just... yeah, sorry I¡¯m not the best with socializing and don¡¯t want to cause a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Zhao Liying broke down laughing, pulling Songmei into a hug. Letting go after a brief moment, Zhao Liying leaned down and whispered. ¡°The boys already told me about your little relationship. Don¡¯t worry about it. Also, I¡¯m only into guys, so don¡¯t worry about me trying to snap up Mingqing, mkay?¡±

    ¡°Hah? They know?¡± Songmei squinted, another bolt of shock running through her as Zhao Liying¡¯s second comment went straight through one ear and out the other.

    ¡°You... didn¡¯t know?¡± Zhao Liying blinked, giving a silent apology to Youhong and Taigang in her head. ¡°I... feel like it¡¯s harder to not know than it is to know with you two. Just... just being honest.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

 122: The Birth of a Tradition

    With their conversation moving back towards more light-hearted topics, Lin Songmei and Zhao Liying spent some time getting to know each other as they helped clean up the rest of the machine combatants assaulting Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Wang Taigang.

    Spending another few minutes as a group to collect the two-and-a-half quivers worth of arrows Songmei went through, they were back on the move a little ahead of schedule.

    ¡°The other cultivators really held their own,¡± Youhong commented as he stared off into the distance, letting the wind blow through his hair. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to see their battle, but how were they?¡±

    ¡°For the most part, really competent,¡± Zhao Liying answered, glancing over at the cultivators who were resting atop their two carriages. ¡°Because they don¡¯t usually work together, there¡¯s a range of levels. For the most part they¡¯re around where we are? I think a couple of them are close to ten or eleven opened meridians though, but our techniques, for the most part, make up for that difference.¡±

    Continuing to make some light conversation, the five of them sat around in a circle, stretching and chatting away. It wasn¡¯t until close to an hour later when the caravan began to slow once more, as Yang Tianshu cleared his throat. ¡°The radar¡¯s gone off once more. Prepare for another battle!¡±

    Watching machines and people began to appear between the cracks of the buildings, Songmei clambered down from the carriages¡ªit seemed it would be a land-only battle this time. With an unending drone of clanking and shouting, one of the dilapidated houses collapsed to the ground as a wave of machines and people plowed through.

    Surprised at the lack of airborne threats, Songmei raised her eyebrows as she spotted... people, mixed in among the waves, as infantry and some others acting as impromptu commanders. A quick Qi sense though revealed all the people had cultivation lower than her own.

    Maybe that¡¯s why they were wearing exoskeletons.

    Long before she had been a cultivator, Songmei had read an article discussing the possibility of exoskeletons becoming common use among construction workers. It seemed these functioned along the same line of thought, but suffered from the same weakness.

    Having gone through a mecha, sci-fi obsessed phase back when she was twelve years old, Songmei remembered getting her heart wrenched out as she read the article. In the most scathing, derisive tone, Songmei read as the author tore apart the company trying to bring exoskeletons into daily usage.

    What the issue boiled down to¡ªat least how Songmei remembered¡ªwas an issue with dexterity. They did provide an increase in strength, but there was also an irreparable, fatal flaw baked into the very concept of the exoskeleton. One that couldn¡¯t be resolved with current technology.

    Cycling her body enhancement technique as she circled around the carriage, Songmei let loose a number of arrows while studying the exoskeletons.

    Yeah. A moment¡¯s observation revealed the same issue. Seemed like they went along the same lines, boosting the strength of the wielder to elephantine levels at the cost of lowering their dexterity to... similar elephantine levels.

    Feeling herself slowing down and beginning to lose focus, Songmei was jolted back into awareness by an adrenaline-pumped Taigang.

    ¡°DON¡¯T GET PASSIVE!¡± Taigang hollered at the top of his lungs to carry his message over the sounds of battle, rousing the team to action with a few aggressive waves before diving back into the fray. ¡°WE¡¯RE SLOWING DOWN! IT¡¯S ONLY TEN IN THE MORNING!¡±

    Taigang, arms and fists shining bright, gleaming gold, sent wave after wave of enemies flying with his punches alone, trying to set an example, a standard, for the rest to follow.

    Faced with an enemy, Taigang¡¯s fighting was both graceful and ferocious. A twirl, a spin, and an earth, ego, and core-shattering kick to the stomach later, the exoskeleton clad enemy was down on the ground, foaming at the mouth as Taigang curb-stomped him before launching himself forward to the next enemy.

    No one could hear, but as Taigang¡¯s figure disappeared, the man cried out, calling for not his mother, but all his ancestors going sixteen generations back as he wondered how he was overpowered in a direct bout of strength.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    With Taigang flying by her, Mingqing sighed, shaking her head as she forced herself to focus up. Eyes narrowing, Mingqing used a few aggressive, Qi-infused slashes to clear out a space around her.

    Isolating an exoskeleton clad woman decked out from head to toe in non-stop firing weapons, Mingqing rushed towards her. With starry mist streaming off her sword, the machines¡ªif they had the capacity for sentient thought¡ªwould¡¯ve only seen a dark-blue flash as Mingqing wove her way through the crowd, rushing towards the woman.

    With a leap off a machine, Mingqing slammed it into the ground, incapacitating it as she spun in the air. Dodging a number of bolts while performing a ten-out-of-ten acrobatics routine, Mingqing plunged down towards the woman.

    Slicing through the focused fire as the woman tried to maneuver away, Mingqing bit her lip as the mist streaming off her sword began to take the shape of a roaring ram. Crashing down atop the woman, Mingqing¡¯s sword lashed out, devolving the fight into a one-on-one brawl.

    Disengaging as the woman laid there with a new bloody nose, Mingqing wiped her own bloody lips before beginning the fight back towards the carriages.

    Youhong, seeing Mingqing absolutely send one deep into the sea of enemies swarming them, could only sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯m a good teammate... right?¡±

    Shaking his head, Youhong disappeared from where he stood, reappearing closer towards where Mingqing was. Spinning his chain blades, Youhong grimaced as his eyes sharpened. He already knew tomorrow morning was a bandaging hands morning.

    Grunt, stomp, spin. Rinse and repeat. Settling into a rhythm, Youhong turned himself into a human blender, his chain blades wreaking havoc on the lines of fodder just streaming towards him.

    With his red eyes glistening under the strain of focus, Youhong scanned his surroundings. Any machine looking like anything more alive than shredded paper following his first round of blending received a bonus Qi-infused moon slash¡ªfree of charge!

    Freeing Mingqing, Youhong backed away, giving Mingqing a free path back to the carriage from which she could tornado bomb another exoskeleton wearing human fighter.

    On the other side of the battlefield, the group of seven ragtag cultivators, without a moment to breathe themselves, couldn¡¯t help but spare a glance towards the five youngsters plowing away at the enemies.

    ¡°What... even are they?¡± One murmured, taking a pounding to the face as he lost focus in battle. ¡°There¡¯s a golden comet running around, swords-user sending dive bombing before sending up plumes of mist, a silver flashing sphere of death, a flaming snake contorting while literally melting enemies, and random laser projectiles turning groups of enemies into lumps of crystal.¡±

    ¡°Dude, focus the f-up! Go write your poetry in bed, not on the battlefield!¡±

    ¡°Oh, right, right, sorry, sorry!¡±

    Yet, even with the amazement and praise they never heard, the battle seemed like it¡¯d never end. Songmei and the others dug in, biting their lips and forcing their bodies to keep moving. Songmei herself felt her crystal-making improve by leaps and bounds as her body felt like it was being put through fifteen laundry cycles.

    Only after what felt like hours did the crowd of enemies begin to thin. Sending a few arrows to pick off the last few enemies before anyone else could rush their way over, Songmei, along with everyone else, began to realize: they had done it!

    Bone-tired, Songmei slumped against the side of the carriage. Sliding down bit-by-bit, Songmei gave Mingqing a high-five as everyone took a moment to catch their breath and rest up. Cycling her Qi and catching her breath, Songmei rotated her hand in front of herself, forming a little chunk of crystal to rotate in the air to solidify her the realizations she had made during battle.

    ¡°Want some help picking up your arrows?¡± Mingqing asked from the side, slumping over and resting her head against Songmei¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Yes please...¡± Songmei sighed, dread seeping its way into her voice as she remembered the quivers of arrows just lying on the ground. Why did the sect have to have such high-quality, Qi-reinforced arrows? They never broke! She had to re-collect them every time...

    ---

    Following an arduous arrow collection session, one only alleviated when Youhong, Taigang, and Zhao Liying pitched in to help out with, Songmei and the others clambered back on top of the carriages. Feeling the caravan of carriages churn itself back to life, Songmei and the others began to cycle their Qi once more.

    ¡°This is about to be a long rest of the morning and afternoon,¡± Youhong sighed, raising his jet-black t-shirt to wipe a layer of sweat off his forehead. ¡°At least we¡¯re ahead of schedule...¡±

    With a chorus of agreeing murmurs resounding from the rest of the group, silence fell once more as everyone gazed off into the distance with blank stares.

    ¡°You know...¡± Taigang broke the silence with a hesitant, tired murmur. ¡°Since we¡¯re so ahead of schedule, want to do some ¡®team bonding¡¯ tonight? We could all go back to our own places and freshen up, but then get a meal together and do a game night? How does that sound?¡±

    ¡°What team leader energy, if we ever do press events, you need to be the main speaker.¡± Songmei coughed from her starfish position on the ground before giving a weak thumbs-up. ¡°I¡¯m down though, didn¡¯t you all say there¡¯s a tabletop roleplaying spinoff of the bricklaying game?¡±

 123: The Classic Mysterious Cool Figure On A Rooftop

    Following their tough, but successful guarding of the carriage caravan, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing opened up their apartment to host a ¡®team-bonding session¡¯ following their dinner. The truth of the matter was they wanted an excuse to hang out as friends, but if they reported it as a team-bonding session they would get some free money from their own respective sects.

    With their stomachs full, the four original party members and their new, hopefully not temporary teammate committed for a night of fun. Deciding on a mix between truth or dare and full-hearted roleplaying for their tabletop bricklaying game, the five cultivators did their best to forget their stresses and live for a night of full-bodied laughing and fun.

    However, unaware of the raucous game night happening in an apartment across the city, was Liu Xueli, resting on a roof with her feet kicked up as she watched pure-white, snow koi float around in the air above her.

    Still wearing her signature tank top, baggy pants, and combat boots, Xueli sighed as her terminal began buzzing once more. Cursing the bureaucrats out under her breath, Xueli eyebrows raised reading ¡®Tu Weiping¡¯ on her terminal¡¯s screen. ¡°What a pleasant surprise...¡±

    Snapping another koi fish into existence to float around in the sky near her, Xueli sank a little further into her resting position. ¡°What¡¯s up Weiping? I almost cussed you out since I thought it was the bureaucrats calling again about some inane discussion they were having.¡±

    ¡°... What?¡± Tu Weiping asked, clear confusion ringing out from his voice. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m calling to do our regular check in. Obviously, you can¡¯t do it in person, so I¡¯m calling.¡±

    ¡°Ohh, I remember that,¡± Xueli laughed, slapping her thigh. ¡°Man, you¡¯re such a good sect leader, I could never!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know.¡± Tu Weiping¡¯s dry voice agreed, ¡°The martial pavilion is run literally by your underlings...¡±

    Hearing Tu Weiping sigh over the call, all Xueli could do was laugh. ¡°Well, I do have some interesting thoughts I feel like you might want to hear! C¡¯mon, Mr. Tu, you can¡¯t deny I¡¯m good at my job now!¡±

    ¡°Just get on with it,¡± Tu Weiping sighed, his stress¡ªand regret¡ªonly building as Xueli¡¯s smug voice was transmitted over the call. ¡°I remember you updated me on Lin Songmei¡¯s eyes, keep investigating that, eye powers are rare and might give some insight into her heritage.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, you don¡¯t need to tell me to take care of my disciples, if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m good at it¡¯s babying those two girls,¡± Xueli pledged with her hand over her heart, ¡°I do want to tell you though about my little conflict...¡±

    ¡°Conflict? You? Conflicted?¡± Tu Weiping¡¯s doubtful voice teased over the call. ¡°Anyway, continue.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, shut up, I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± Xueli retorted, drawing the small swarm of koi she had made a little closer to herself. ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss too many sect duties, but I¡¯m also realizing I think I¡¯ll have to spend a little more time in the city than you expected. I¡¯m starting to figure out there¡¯s gotta be some dumbass either in the bureaucrat circle or the underworld circle. If not both.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... which type of dumbass are we talking about here?¡± Tu Weiping asked, a solemn tone now blanketing his thoughts.

    ¡°The colluding with demons kind,¡± Xueli sighed, kneading her eyebrows. ¡°There¡¯s someone, if not a lot of people in the city who need an ego check. They forget they¡¯re all peons who barely opened their meridians. Give my two disciples a year or a year and a half and they¡¯ll be able to dog walk everyone in the city.¡±

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I want to hear though,¡± Tu Weiping murmured, a sigh similar to Xueli¡¯s getting transmitted over the call. ¡°Have they forgotten about the wars just a couple decades back?¡±

    ¡°I mean probably, the bureaucrats have the memory of dog-poo sitting under the summer sun, and the leaders of the underworld change every few years.¡± Xueli laughed, a sarcastic tone seeping into her words. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing my own investigation and it seems like there¡¯s a lot of corruption.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your plan then? I could send some people over if you want to take your place? Hold a more formal investigation?¡± Tu Weiping pondered out loud, proposing a few ideas. ¡°You¡¯re making zero cultivation progress sitting around in Westriver and its unique Qi after all.¡±

    Snorting, choking, then coughing to catch her breath, Xueli reassured Tu Weiping. ¡°A couple more months or a couple more years here won¡¯t make a difference. I know you¡¯re much older than me, but I¡¯m also at the point where realm progress is measured in decades rather than years.¡±

    ¡°Well, to be fair, I¡¯m at the point where it''s centuries...¡± Tu Weiping confessed, a bashful cough coming through the call as Xueli began a sarcastic tirade.

    ¡°Ohh... I¡¯m Tu Weiping! I¡¯m so good at cultivating! Wah wah, shut up!¡± Xueli retorted as a few laughs slipped through her angry mask.

    Coughing, Tu Weiping murmured ¡°What happened to my kind junior sister...¡± before changing the topic. ¡°So you¡¯ll stay over there. Are you planning on just razing the city to the ground? Is there anything I can help with?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on razing the city to the ground, no no,¡± Xueli reassured, waving her hand while playing with a koi. ¡°If anything, I''d do the whole plateau.¡±

    Ignoring Tu Weiping choking on his drink, Xueli shrugged. ¡°I guess two things. First, tell the esteemed spiritual beasts to be more cautious with what resources they¡¯re sending. For now, they should keep up the image so the dirty pig bureaucrats have no idea what¡¯s going on, but keep the esteemed spiritual beasts on standby to just pull all the supplies. The second... put me in contact with any other elders in the area. What about last year¡¯s Starlight Lake direct disciples? Or the year before that? A couple of them should probably still be in Westriver, right?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... a little hard to do.¡± Tu Weiping admitted with a residual cough. ¡°I can try though. Talking to the spiritual beasts should be the easy one in all honesty, it seems they¡¯ve sensed how the winds are shifting and have decided to become more active again.¡±

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good to know. We also have the two Kunpengs in the sect right now too, so we can use them to get in contact with the spiritual beasts if need be as well.¡± Xueli added, gazing out into the bustling nightlife in the center of the Central District.

    ¡°Nahh, don¡¯t worry about them, the sect has enough power these days. The problem with the second thing is... two-fold I¡¯d say.¡± Tu Weiping murmured with a groan. ¡°As you know, some years are a little thinner than others. You haven¡¯t been a master for too long, but I used to be a master for some disciples and just... Some years are really bad. The year you chose is turning out to be generationally loaded, talent and potential-wise, but the year before? Don¡¯t even mention them...¡±

    ¡°Soo...?¡± Xueli murmured, trailing off while beckoning for Tu Weiping to continue.

    ¡°It means we had one direct disciple last year, and they¡¯re not at Westriver because we don¡¯t trust them that much. The year before was better, not amazing like this year, but something. They¡¯ve all finished opening their meridians and have left Westriver,¡± Tu Weiping explained, the pain clear in his voice.

    ¡°Wow... wait, there¡¯s no way last year was that bad,¡± Xueli retorted, snapping another koi into existence.

    ¡°Yes it was. Their only notable prospect was Zhao, first child of the phoenix clan. She fell ill with a yin disease and was set back a year though. She¡¯s doing fine now, but she¡¯s technically in the year with your two disciples now, so she¡¯s just compounding the disparity. She¡¯s even in Westriver right now, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡± Tu Weiping added before deciding to get back on track. ¡°Anyway, I can get you in contact with the elders of other direct disciples if you¡¯d like. I believe many of the elders from the Pavilion of Radiant Shadows are around.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh, you¡¯re so knowledgeable, Weiping!¡± Xueli laughed, the amazement clear in her voice. ¡°How do you know all this? Sounds good! I¡¯d love to make fun of Xiao Feng some more!¡±

    ¡°... Sure. I¡¯ll... get right on that,¡± Tu Weiping mumbled, ¡°When did you start liking bullying anyway...¡±

 124: A Pavilion Lake Crossover

    The next day, Liu Xueli was back on the roof, reclining with her feet up as she waited for the two elders Tu Weiping contacted to show up. Having just reclined back, Xueli managed to summon ten snow-white koi before the first person arrived: Xiao Feng.

    ¡°How¡¯s the kid? Han Youhong, if I recall correctly,¡± Xueli called out as Xiao Feng floated down onto the roof next to her. ¡°I assume that¡¯s why you¡¯re still in the city.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Youhong¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Xiao Feng shrugged, raising his eyebrows as he watched the cloud of koi meander their way through the air above Xueli. ¡°What¡¯s with the koi? Is it just something to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s how I have fun!¡± Xueli defended, snapping another koi into existence. ¡°You know, you have to pass the time somehow. I just have my koi and read the newspaper!¡±

    ¡°Have... have you ever heard of video games...?¡± Xiao Feng asked, pulling out his terminal to pull up a certain bricklaying game. ¡°Like this one?¡±

    ¡°Tell me later, tell me later, we have a job to do,¡± Xueli waved off as Xiao Feng could only murmur ¡°how old¡± to himself. ¡°Who¡¯s the other person coming? Is it Wang Taigang¡¯s master? Elder Yuan?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s Elder Yuan,¡± Xiao Feng nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned against the side of the building, looking down on the street far below. ¡°If it¡¯s Elder Yuan, why don¡¯t I get called Elder Xiao then? Why is it ¡®stinky Feng¡¯? What¡¯s with this difference in respect?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re literally a baby,¡± Xueli retorted, pushing herself up into a more presentable and formal position as she sensed another presence flying over.

    ¡°We¡¯re over here!¡± Xiao Feng called out, pushing his messy black hair back as a white-haired, tired but clear-eyed elder landed on the roof. ¡°Greetings, greetings. It¡¯s nice to see you again.¡±

    ¡°Nice to see you too, Feng, still haven¡¯t grown any taller I see,¡± the elder poked with a hint of a smile. ¡°And it¡¯s nice to see you again, Elder Liu. Congrats on the breakthrough recently.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, that? That was a few months ago, Elder Yuan,¡± Xueli laughed, shaking the old lady¡¯s hand. ¡°And how many times do I need to tell you, just call me Xueli, there¡¯s no need to treat me with that much respect.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not in the sect, it¡¯s only natural I treat you with this much respect. I¡¯m an old lady past her prime so just call me by my name, Muyun. You¡¯re still young and full of potential, look, your hair¡¯s still black!¡± Yuan Muyun reassured, patting Xueli on the back.

    Massaging the bridge of his nose, Xiao Feng couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer and interrupted. ¡°Just... just get on with it. You both respect each other, we¡¯re all clear on it. We can all call each other by our first names. It¡¯s not too hard.¡±

    With two hesitant ¡°okay¡±¡¯s Xiao Feng clapped his hands before giving the floor back to Xueli. ¡°Why are we here? Sect Leader Tu gave us some information, investigation, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, is there something amiss within the city?¡± Yuan Muyun inquired, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just a little suspicious of the people in power. There¡¯s been rumors of certain people colluding with a mysterious faction that offers power through... non-standard means. I want to spend a couple days just scanning over the entire plateau, wilderness and city to just make sure there isn¡¯t anything demon-related around. If there is, I hope you two can join me for a longer investigation, but if not, I understand as well.¡± Xueli explained, cupping her hands together and doing a light bow.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Of course,¡± Yuan Muyun agreed, ¡°My cultivation has come close to stagnation. I won¡¯t lose anything from being in Westriver. I was on the frontlines during the demonic wars, it¡¯s a given I¡¯d step up now once more.¡±

    Coughing, Xiao Feng looked away. ¡°I was still a disciple when the demonic wars happened so I can¡¯t comment in the same way. Had it gone on for another few years I would¡¯ve been sent to the frontlines though. Anyway, I can help out, I made a small breakthrough a few weeks ago, so I¡¯m just digesting the gains. If it comes down to it and it¡¯s a long, drawn-out investigation, I¡¯ll just come to and from Westriver, I can be a messenger boy for the more important things that need to be said in person. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Sure. We¡¯ll need all the hands we can get if it comes down to it.¡± Yuan Muyun murmured, tapping her fingers against the low wall Xiao Feng was half-sitting, half-leaning on. Shall we then? If we start right now, we could probably get a preliminary scan of the wilderness done by sunset.¡±

    Getting murmurs of agreement from Xueli and Xiao Feng, Yuan Muyun was stopped by Xiao Feng. ¡°I need to get some stretches in, can you two elders wait for a second?¡±

    ¡°How do you sound older than me, Feng?¡± Xueli asked, amazed as Xiao Feng seemed to melt onto the ground while starting a stretching routine. ¡°At this rate, you¡¯re going to lose all your fangirls and fanboys to the new generation. Are you sure you don¡¯t need to be checked into a retirement home?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s called taking care of my body, otherwise I''ll actually end up like you.¡± Xiao Feng retorted from the ground as he changed positions. ¡°If I do this, I won¡¯t lose my fans. I¡¯m doing my part, taking care of my handsome face and well-toned body.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up you two, just get on with it.¡± Yuan Muyun sighed, sitting back down as Xiao Feng changed to another contortionist-like position.

    -----

    Out in the wilderness, the three elders had changed into some less conspicuous clothing¡ªwhich meant anything other than their sect robes¡ªbefore they flew out, dodging the checkpoints and lockdowns surrounding the city.

    ¡°Constant vigilance, you got it?¡± Yuan Muyun lectured, giving Xiao Feng a pointed stare before pulling out a handful of forearm-length needles. ¡°If it ends up dangerous, we don¡¯t need one of us getting hurt. I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s Westriver where everyone is leagues weaker than you.¡±

    With all three of them sending out subtle Qi pulses at regular intervals, Xiao Feng nodded, acknowledging Yuan Muyun¡¯s advice before focusing back on the task at hand.

    The plan was to first fly to the far side of the plateau, split up and take three different routes back to Westriver to get a preliminary wide-scale map. Then, the three were planning on combing through all the notable locations as a trio.

    Yet, not even three-quarters of the way to their starting point, the three descended, sensing a huge crowd of blank-eyed animals, each lined up single-file, throwing themselves into a pile before getting their vitality drained.

    ¡°Well, that was fast.¡± Xiao Feng broke the silence as the three elders came to a stop above the pit. ¡°I want to say we¡¯re fortunate that our ¡®investigation¡¯ bore results so quickly, but I have to say it¡¯s much more likely that we¡¯re just unlucky buffoons.¡±

    Superheating a needle until it was white hot, Yuan Muyun agreed before tensing her body and launching the needle downward.

    Nothing.

    Only a moment later did a gaping hole open up, seared through the bodies of every animal in the pit, revealing an underground cavern below.

    Pulling out his sword, Xiao Feng gave a pained laugh as he looked towards the others. ¡°Predictions on how many of these we¡¯re going to clean out today? I¡¯ll make an overnight run back to the Pavilion and from there we can let all the major sect leaders know.¡±

    ¡°Good on you to volunteer yourself...¡± Yuan Muyun trailed off, focusing on the task at hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have a guess.¡±

    ¡°I guess five,¡± Xueli murmured, a similar serious tone beginning to blanket itself over the trio as they slipped through the hole down into the cavern.

 125: Demon Crystals

    With her Qi rushing through her limbs like a bomb cyclone, Liu Xueli descended past the beast pile and past the thin rock layer separating the cavern from the outside world. Slipping past Xiao Feng and Yuan Muyun, Xueli erased her Qi presence, taking cover.

    Yuan Muyun, likewise, erased her Qi presence and slipped to a different area of the cave. The goal was to get some information and be potential backup as Xiao Feng acted as the frontline, face-first combatant.

    After all, Xiao Feng was young! He still had enough youth within him to fight all-day everyday with glee. By contrast, Xueli, at her age, could still fight all day, but it... really wore on the nerves! She¡¯d really rather sit back, kick her feet up, and feed some koi while drinking some tea.

    Yuan Muyun, on the other hand, was already on the tail-end, her combat prowess decreasing even if her realm was high. No need to make the esteemed elder too much work, she still had a disciple to raise after all.

    Expelling and being as flamboyant with his Qi as possible, Xiao Feng landed in the center of the cavern expecting a rush of monsters to come crashing down onto him. With his arms spread, eyes sharp, and body tense, Xiao Feng¡¯s expression fell as he saw... practically nothing.

    With a pulsing crystal the size of a watermelon in the center of the cavern, there was just a small group of mindless demons, mulling around the crystal, feeding off the Qi it expelled.

    Pulling his sword back, Xiao Feng let out a short exhale as he swung his swords, his body disappearing and reappearing on the other side of the room. Flicking his sword to the side to fling the blood off, Xiao Feng pushed his hair back and stored his sword in his spatial storage ring as the demons fell to the ground, heads now ¡®freed¡¯ from their mortal chains.

    In Xiao Feng¡¯s not so humble opinion, it was a little anticlimactic in all honesty. Just a few pipsqueaks getting plowed over. His little disciple, Han Youhong, probably could¡¯ve beaten one after a grueling fight.

    Since the cavern was in total isolation from any of the other nearby cave systems, Xiao Feng pulled back his Qi presence as Xueli and Yuan Muyun revealed themselves once more. Waving them over to the center crystal, Xiao Feng crossed his arms. ¡°Should we just destroy this? It¡¯s one of those Life to Qi converters, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, destroy it,¡± Yuan Muyun agreed, walking over while taking a look. ¡°There seems to be no difference from the ones used in war. All the big powers on our side used to experiment with these to see if they had any redeeming effects that could be used elsewhere... and... nope. Nothing. Just bring the pieces back to the sect as proof. Give some to Xueli as well.¡±

    ¡°What exactly do they do then? The sect never told me since I was ¡®too young¡¯ and ¡®wouldn¡¯t run into them in my lifetime,¡¯ but I should probably know if we¡¯re running into them again,¡± Xiao Feng laughed, giving a mental middle-finger to the overconfident ancestors who were still in the sect. Their expressions of shock and horror alone would make the grueling trip back to the western continent worth it. He could even run a few errands while he was back there! A true triple-win situation.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Well,¡± Xueli tapped her foot, trying to remember all the findings of the more intellectually-inclined sect elders. ¡°Pretty much, these are nicknamed demon crystals and they originate in the demon realm. Anyone of sufficient power can attune them to themselves, another person, or a group. Like, any lower level elder could probably do it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what makes them so annoying. Because those are the people who fall to its temptations the most,¡± Yuan Muyun interjected with a derisive snort.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s annoying, you start to have to do a lot of purging.¡± Xueli agreed with a laugh, ¡°Anyway, once attuned to an owner or group, they brainwash everything else to kill themselves. The crystal at that point does all the work, it naturally expels the life force as super dense Qi that¡¯s good for cultivating. It will even help overcome barriers with natural talent.¡±

    ¡°So, I assume there¡¯s a cost? Other than the whole, ¡®gotta kill a lot of people¡¯ part.¡± Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow, karate chopping the crystal, shattering it into about ten different pieces.

    Storing a few pieces into her spatial storage ring, Xueli tapped her chin, squinting her eyes into the distance as she tried to remember everything she could. ¡°Well, its brainwashing powers become more potent as it gets more life-force. So it eventually can make humans and cultivators come under risk. It also does some psychological things, making the user protect it at all costs.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like one of those fantasy movies...¡± Xiao Feng chuckled to himself, storing a few of the crystal pieces and dead bodies in his spatial storage ring.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s honestly a very parasitic relationship.¡± Xueli agreed, floating back upwards and out of the cave now they were done with the cavern. ¡°Because the Qi it expels isn¡¯t natural Qi! Processing the demon crystal¡¯s Qi actually uses bits of your lifespan, that¡¯s how it gives the effect of ¡®helping people overcome their talent barriers.¡¯ More than that though, after imbibing too much of it, I think around when there¡¯s more demon crystal Qi than natural Qi in a user¡¯s body, they¡¯ll go into cultivation deviation.¡±

    ¡°Ahh... yeah, that¡¯s not great,¡± Xiao Feng murmured, inhaling as he imagined the sight while following Xueli out as they continued to fly towards their original goal¡ªthe other side of the plateau. ¡°Is that how the crystal propagates then?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s an ugly sight, people will burst into massive clumps of crystal that can then be processed to make more demon crystals.¡± Xueli shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just painful because they¡¯ll start wearing necklaces with the crystal and everything, treating it like their baby they need to protect at all costs.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose sight of your morals, your personal path, or your own connection to the heavens, Feng. It will only lead to your doom,¡± Yuan Muyun advised with a grimace, following behind the two younger elders.

    ¡°Thank you for the advice.¡± Xiao Feng thanked with a light bow mid-air, ¡°I will keep your words in mind as I learn more in the future.¡±

    ¡°You have a good head on your shoulders. When you become a major player in the sect one day, lead it well.¡± Yuan Muyun pat Xiao Feng on the back. ¡°If only all the elders in the sect were as respectful and smart as you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know, right?¡± Xiao Feng laughed, looking over towards Xueli. ¡°Too many big leaders in the sects these days are brawlers who have fists for brains! All they want to do is fight, and like... I don¡¯t know, feed koi! They¡¯re not even caught up with the times, they still read newspapers!¡±

    Dodging a spinning kick from Xueli while cackling, Xiao Feng concentrated his Qi into foot, kicking off the air to propel himself further forward. ¡°You¡¯re getting old! You could¡¯ve totally hit me in the past!¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Xueli retorted, accelerating to catch up to Xiao Feng. ¡°Concentrate on the job we have to do.¡±

    Yuan Muyun, on the other hand, could only sigh, pondering to herself where young people got all their energy from. Couldn¡¯t they fly just a little slower to accommodate the elderly?

 126: Oration With a... Touch... of Passion (Just a Little)

    Thunderstorms. They were a rare occurrence in Westriver; yet, discontent with the inky black darkness blanketing the skies, the heavens had sent a downpour to send the city indoors. However, it was only now where the Central District, in all its glory, became a true monolith representing the city.

    With lights illuminating the floating island, it stood tall against the winds and fury clashing down onto the city. Any rain pouring onto the island now ran off its sides, creating towering waterfalls cascading down into the rushing river below.

    Deep within the city though, in an underground room accessible only through tunnels or video projections, was a meeting. Beneath the roads, sewers, and infrastructure of the Northside of Westriver, many of the most powerful players had come together to make some decisions and plans of momentous importance... and momentous corruption.

    Sitting around a circular ring table was close to twenty different people. The room, underground and without electricity, was lit solely by projections of people unwilling to make the physical journey over¡ªwhether it was fear of being caught or fear of getting exercise.

    With the last few people slipping into the room, a banging gavel rang out through the room, bringing it to a dead silence before a hooded figure with a deep, raspy voice punctured the silence. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone knows why we¡¯re here today.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°It''s only natural.¡±

    The hooded figure, a little annoyed with the chorus of agreement cutting off his monologue, shook his head, ignoring it before continuing. ¡°Today, instead of leaving as we expected, the elders from Starlight Lake and the Pavillion of Radiant Shadows conducted an investigation of the Westriver plateau, finding and destroying all seven of our demon feeding areas.¡±

    ¡°How could they!¡± ¡°I thought they were unbreakable!¡± ¡°Inconceivable!¡±

    Flinching as a chorus of voices interrupted him once more, the hood figure took a deep breath, calming his boiling anger before continuing once more. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m certain they will continue to stick around and continue their investigation. I urge each and every one of you to take more caution with your activities and communication because they will be trying to hunt and root every single one of us out. It is imperative we stay focused.¡±

    ¡°You know, I wouldn¡¯t mind being hunted by Xueli, she¡¯s got that bombastic body after all.¡±

    ¡°Ew, how are you calling her by her first name only? Do you know her? I¡¯d prefer to get hunted by Xiao Feng, he¡¯s youthful and has that handsome face. What a snag he¡¯d be.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer Yuan Muyun, she¡¯s got that mature vibe towards her.¡±

    ¡°First of all! Yuan Muyun is already one leg into the grave, she¡¯s not mature, she¡¯s expired!¡± The hooded figure growled, interjecting the unending, casual banter being thrown across the room. ¡°Second. Of. All. SHUT UP!¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to beat us anyway, we¡¯re like... the bosses of the city!¡± ¡°Yeah! We have the home court advantage, who cares if they¡¯re a couple realms above us! I¡¯ve always been one who could punch above my weight.¡± ¡°Yeaahhh, hehehe, I¡¯m getting ready to clap some Starlight cheeks, Xueli better be careful when I''m in the area.¡±

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Launching into a relentless tirade of expletives, the hooded figure went around cussing out every single bantering member in the room. With insulting their personality, integrity, and background not being enough, the hooded figure continued, looping back around and firing wave after wave of personal insults towards their ancestors and general state of being.

    ¡°You... you... and you,¡± the figure pointed, lasering in on the three main culprits of the mess. ¡°YOU THREE ARE DELUSIONAL, VAPID, PIG-BRAINED, MAGGOT-EYED, DUMB WASTES OF AIR WHO ARE ONLY USEFUL FOR KEEPING THE CITY¡¯S SEWAGE SYSTEM IN A JOB! ALL YOU DO IS SPEW MANURE, FROM BOTH SIDES! I BET YOU THREE ALONE ARE HEMORRHAGING THE CITY OF ITS FOOD SUPPLY IN THIS DIRE TIME WITH HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO CONSUME TO PRODUCE THIS. MUCH. STUPIDITY.¡±

    Taking a deep breath to relax himself, the figure sank back into his chair, content after getting all his thoughts out. With an eerie silence blanketing the room once more¡ªjust how he liked it¡ªthe man continued. ¡°I have faith that many of you are actually sane, and not part of the... vocal... minority; therefore, I¡¯m sure you all understand the gravity of the situation.¡±

    With the room silent¡ªjust how he liked it¡ªthe hooded figure flicked his arm, turning on a projection of the city, letting it rotate in the center of the room for everyone to see. ¡°Observe the map. I¡¯ve highlighted every safe room we have with a red dot. All areas shaded blue are areas under the influence or direct control of a member in this room. Those areas will be safer for our activities. We will pause our expansion for a minute and lie low while the investigation continues. Let¡¯s consolidate so we can hit all the harder once they leave. Our plan will be a long one, so let¡¯s buckle in with patience. No one has waited longer than we have.¡±

    Getting a couple of disparate, hesitant claps after his punchline statement, the hooded figure paused before waving for them to continue. With a wave of applause raining down on him¡ªjust how he liked it¡ªthe hooded figure shouted over the applause, rallying the crowd.

    ¡°We won¡¯t let up! We will take back the city! We will sharpen our claws and lie in wait, ready to pounce the moment the elders leave. We will teach them the price for sticking their noses in the city. They don¡¯t understand our pain, the sacrifices that must be made when you don¡¯t have talent!¡± The hooded figure thundered as the rest of the room continued its roaring applause. ¡°We will check their egos! We will hit them right where it hurts! We will capture their disciples and perform the famed, talent-stealing ritual given to us by our benefactors! We work for a better tomorrow! One where we can usurp the powerful!¡±

    Sending off the speech with a powerful punch into the air, the hooded figure sank back into his chair as everyone else left the meeting, whether by closing their projections or by filing out of the room. Giving some encouraging waves towards several of the other hooded figures leaving the room, the hooded figure waited, pretending to pack up some documents and materials.

    It wasn¡¯t until the room was empty when he sat back down, pulling his hood down to reveal a pudgy face with balding gray hair. Stroking his wispy beard, the man used his other hand to trace the matching scars running down both sides of his face, sinking into his thoughts as a hidden door opened behind him.

    ¡°The plan is coming along well...¡± the man murmured, waving for the other two hooded figures to kneel down in front of him. ¡°They have no idea the true scope of the plan. Contact the demons and let them know the plan is going well. Then keep an eye on the elders. Stay very far though because their senses are much better than both of yours.¡±

    ¡°¡°Yes sir.¡±¡±

    Waving them both off, the man sank back into his thoughts, plotting and planning for the future as he traced out the scars on his face with an idle hand.

    --------

    Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, a certain man was stroking his own¡ªactually full¡ªblack beard while pondering to himself. ¡°I know of a few disciples that have been traversing through my territory recently... This could be a chance to take some more for myself... Who needs that greasy old geezer...¡±

    Drumming his fingers against his desk, the man grinned, a greedy light flickering behind his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care if those elders are in the city, they won¡¯t be able to react in time, and before you know it, I''ll have enough talent to turn the world upside down. I can then disappear and just reinvent myself...¡±

    Clapping his hands due to sheer awe at his own genius, the man pushed himself up breaking out into giggles as he cracked the door open. ¡°Secretaries! Attend to me please! Bring out the pills from storage given to us by the benefactor!¡±

 127: Unexpected Penetration

    Golden sunbeams, puffy white clouds, and baby blue skies.

    Close to a week had passed and their mission was on its last day. For the past five days, rain had come pouring down in unending waves.

    In the ever familiar courtyard, Lin Songmei took a deep breath of fresh air as she stared up into the sky. Today, she, Yan Mingqing, Wang Taigang, Han Youhong, and Zhao Liying had been assigned to defend the leftover two carriages.

    Songmei couldn''t, for the life of her, figure out why they, of all people, had been assigned to this carriage. Sure, over the course of the week, everyone had made leaps and bounds of progress after going through four to six massive battles everyday. Songmei herself was close to opening her sixth main meridian and everyone else in the party had gotten to at least five.

    However, even if they had improved, they were far from the best party to handle the lone caravan! There were parties filled with people who had opened all twelve of their main meridians, plus some of their extraordinary ones!

    Climbing onto the carriage roofs, Songmei¡¯s unease only grew as Yang Tianshu didn¡¯t show up. Instead, the older gentleman they had built some rapport with was replaced by a middle-aged, suit-wearing, briefcase carrying man who looked about as interesting as the cobblestones he walked over to get to their carriage.

    Songmei wasn¡¯t a fly by the seat of her intuition type of gal, but today, of all days, her gut was telling her something was wrong.

    ¡°You feel it too?¡± Mingqing asked, leaning against the railing beside Songmei as the caravan rumbled to life. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we had cultivated high enough to feel this type of stuff. My parents always talk about it.¡±

    ¡°Yours too?¡± Zhao Liying laughed, scratching the back of her head as she walked over. ¡°It¡¯s kind of annoying since they make a lot of decisions according to their gut feeling. But then they¡¯re also always right.¡±

    ¡°Ahh... that could get annoying,¡± Songmei agreed, patting Zhao Liying and Mingqing on the shoulders. ¡°So we¡¯re alone today with... him. What¡¯s the plan? I assume we¡¯re all feeling this icky feeling of foreboding, yeah?¡±

    Calling an impromptu team huddle, the five cultivators all bundled together, whispering about their jumbled feelings. With the weird company-assigned man in a suit and glasses walking over, the five agreed to just stay alert and to try and conserve as much as possible during the first few battles while anticipating unforeseen circumstances.

    ¡°Anything I can help you all with?¡± The man asked with a machine-like, detached tone.

    ¡°We were just discussing our feelings of unease, it¡¯s fine.¡± Taigang reassured, trying to stave the man off without coming off as rude.

    ¡°Ah, I understand,¡± the man nodded, pushing his glasses up. ¡°I agree that it¡¯s not ideal to have a party as weak as yours guarding a caravan alone. I do not have the power to tell you why you were assigned here due to my position. However, if it gives you any comfort, I¡¯ve been instructed to start up the carriages and leave you five behind if any extreme unforeseen circumstances do arise. No matter what, we¡¯ll be successful in getting these supplies past the assaults by the buffoons who side with Avarice.¡±

    Nodding along with a dubious expression, Songmei resisted the retort trying to claw its way out of her. In fact, for some reason, it did not comfort her knowing the man had no qualms about leaving them behind to protect the ¡®supplies.¡¯

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    There were so many of them! They ran twenty to thirty caravans of carriages five out of the seven days of the week! They could lose a couple to save a few lives, couldn¡¯t they?

    Sighing, Songmei tried her best to shove her thoughts aside. She knew she sounded entitled, but she had heard about other carriages being lost to rush people to the hospital after a mishap during battle.

    If she just did her job and prepared for a mishap, how bad could it go?

    ------

    In the end though, the first few battles had been uneventful. Frame by frame, each battle had been the same as the ones from the days before. The amount of enemies seemed similar, the type of enemies seemed identical, and the timing between the battles was about the same.

    It was during the last battle though where things started unraveling. Hopping off the carriages as the distinctive rhythmic clanking of enemies began to sound out from the houses beside the road they traversed, Songmei and the others had expected for the carriage to... stop.

    It didn¡¯t.

    Kind of an a-hole move in Songmei¡¯s opinion, but the man in the suit¡ªwho didn¡¯t share his name due to ¡®personal reasons¡¯¡ªcontinued on, waving towards the five. ¡°I¡¯m going to go on ahead! I can¡¯t afford another failure so good luck!¡±

    What was this man on? Tempted to climb back onto the carriage just to drag him down, Songmei sighed as the carriages just plowed into the machines surging in from the front.

    At least he¡¯d take some enemies with him. As a bonus, there was no way he wasn¡¯t going to get in trouble for bringing enemies with him to the meeting site and forcing other groups to fight another round.

    ¡°Group up! Group up!¡± Taigang called, waving everyone over as the carriages disappeared around the corner, taking a fair chunk of the mindless machines with them. ¡°We can all tell that someone¡¯s orchestrated this. So stick together! Mingqing, don¡¯t go dive-bombing deep into enemy lines, Songmei, stay near me. I can only do close combat and you mostly do ranged, though we¡¯ll be more inefficient, it¡¯s worth the safety. Liying and Youhong, stay close. You two are more balanced fighters but you can get overwhelmed easily.¡±

    With their weapons at the ready, they split off into their groups, staying near each other as they began the fight.

    Mingqing, contrary to usual, stayed close, her swordplay a little more defensive as she continued to disassemble the machines like fine art, leaving only a trail of mangled parts in the area around her.

    Youhong, as per usual, began his job as the human blender. For this battle in particular though, he put aside his assassination duties of unsuspecting opposing leaders deep in the enemy swarm. Carving out a silver sphere around himself, Youhong went to work, tuning out as much of the battle as he could to focus on his own share.

    Zhao Liying, deciding against throwing her spear, had ignited it instead, twirling it around her as she staved off the swarm of enemies coming at her. Leaving a trail of half-melted plastic and metal behind her, Zhao Liying grimaced, channeling more Qi into her weapon to heat it further.

    Taigang, acting as Songmei¡¯s tank, took a new cautionary role, only attacking when enemies came close enough instead of seeking them out himself.

    Songmei, on the other hand, now as the primary attacker instead of a support, channeled as much Qi as she could into her arrows, sending shotgun blasts into the enemy waves. Staying near Taigang, Songmei worked in a circle, leaving clumps of enemies encased with iridescent crystals in her wake.

    And so, the battle continued, grinding down both sides for ten to fifteen minutes of grueling pain.

    -----

    With most of the machine swarm cleaned up and exoskeleton-suit wearing human combatants taken care of, the five of them advanced forward towards the meeting point at a slow pace. Cleaning up the rest of the stragglers as they went.

    The unease had begun to fade, but Songmei couldn¡¯t tell why. The battle had gone without a hitch. It had only taken longer due to their conservative changes.

    Songmei, with her eyes scanning the area, froze. Reaching out to push Zhao Liying who was looking the other way, Songmei squeezed out a ¡°DODGE!¡± moments before a knife whizzed by, clattering to the ground.

    Turning to face their attackers, Songmei cried out in horror as another knife plunged into her stomach. Stumbling, Songmei scampered backward as Mingqing and Taigang also cried out behind her.

 128: Same Situation... Different Reactions

    Readying their weapons and scrambling to flip their battle formation, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, and Wang Taigang backed up as Han Youhong and Zhao Liying ran to the front. Channeling Qi to her gut, Songmei numbed herself to address the stabbing pain radiating from her lower gut.

    Literally stabbing in this case specifically. At least the knife didn¡¯t come out the other side.

    With blood seeping through her clothes, Songmei took a few deep breaths, half-crystalizing her Qi to stem and protect the wound. Accepting the fact her Qi was just going to leak out of her, Songmei paused looking over towards Mingqing and Taigang.

    Taigang had taken a knife to the chest and Mingqing had taken a knife to the leg. Mingqing, with a grimace, had just ripped the bottom of her shirt and tied it around her thigh. Similar to Songmei¡¯s iridescent mist, there was also faint light-blue mist seeping out of her leg wound.

    With Youhong and Zhao Liying holding off the enemies for a moment, Songmei bent to pick her bow back up while doing a quick visual check on Taigang. Taigang was... fine? Songmei couldn¡¯t tell. With a golden radiance emanating from his chest, Taigang had his eyes closed, taking slow deep breaths.

    Pulling her bow back, Songmei let loose a couple of arrows towards their now-inhuman enemies. With the exoskeletons still equipped, the few human combatants from the earlier battle were now... not.

    With blank eyes, rocky skin, and tusk-like bone outgrowths, the enemies were now closer to the monsters and beasts Songmei and the others fought in the wilderness than the humans or machines in the city.

    Watching her arrows bounce clean off of one enemy, Songmei grimaced as she watched Taigang and Mingqing rush past her, re-entering the battle. Watching more Qi pour out of Taigang and Mingqing¡¯s wounds, Songmei shook her head and pushed herself forward.

    It was a bit of a trade-off. More Qi loss meant less pain and more movement ability, less Qi loss meant bleeding out from a stab wound.

    Channeling Qi into her arrows, Songmei let loose a couple of super-charged arrows while scanning the area for any more enemies. With the arrows only able to take chunks out of the natural armor of the enemies, Songmei shook her head, resigned to the grind the battle was about to be.

    The four enemies coordinated just enough to stick together in a group. While making it easy to keep track of all the enemies, it made it hard to do the tried-and-true strategy of dividing and conquering.

    With the battle beginning to fall into a stalemate, Songmei snorted as she heard Youhong try out some colorful language in an attempt to rile them up. Moments later though, Songmei spun when Youhong began cursing at the top of his lungs. With a roar, the inhuman combatant swelled up in size, cracking the exoskeleton as a new set of bone spikes pierced through the skin.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have taunted, I regret my life choices, I sincerely apologize,¡± Youhong called out, bolting towards Zhao Liying, ¡°Liying! Help me out will you?¡±

    Behind Youhong the monster was doing a mix between a run and a gallop. With its muscles rippling and swelling, a new system of spider web¨Clike cracks appeared on the rock skin encasing the monster.

    Letting out ferocious roar after ferocious roar, the original human appearance disappeared as the face began to deteriorate and the body began to morph. Confined to movement on four limbs only, Songmei cringed as she watched faint bits of human skin left on the face disappear. With the sides of the mouth splitting open and the lower jaw detaching, Songmei fired an arrow towards the mutating monster as she watched rows and rows of teeth begin to come in from all sides of the mouth.

    Just... disgusting. Songmei wished she could have a conversation with the inventor of the catalyst of these transformations. She had no clue what triggered the transformation, but there was someone, somewhere, who needed to have their funding cut.

    -----

    Twenty minutes and several more wounds later, Songmei and the others managed to put down the last growling monster now mutated to the size of a small car. With her clothes and skin caked with blood and sweat, Songmei stared into the sky as she felt the adrenaline fade.

    Feeling waves of nausea beginning to pound the back of her mind, Songmei leaned against Mingqing, hugging her from behind. With Mingqing leaning back and closing her eyes, Songmei gave a small squeeze as they plopped down onto the pavement below.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°How was the battle?¡± Songmei whispered, closing her eyes while concentrating on not throwing up. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not supposed to remove the knife, right?¡±

    ¡°No... don¡¯t remove it,¡± Mingqing nodded, reaching up to pat Songmei, ¡°I¡¯m alright, I¡¯m just tired. I got gashed on the other leg, so standing is just not going to happen for a hot second, otherwise I just got a lot of small cuts. You feeling okay?¡±

    ¡°Nausea...¡± Songmei murmured as she channeled more Qi into her stomach, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, I only got some scrapes and cuts from shrapnel, nothing more... I hope Youhong, Taigang, and Liying are okay...¡±

    With everyone splayed out on the ground close enough in case of an emergency, but far enough to allow people to rest in isolation, Songmei and the others took a few moments to contact emergency health services¡ªfor cultivators¡ªwhile resting up.

    Rest, however, did not come easy as they heard faint laughter begin to echo from the destroyed house nearby.

    Snapping to attention, all five of the young cultivators scrambled for their weapons as they watched a tanned man walk out from a nearby house, clapping as he slid on some sunglasses. Wearing a mix between pajamas and beach wear, the man strode out, collecting a few pouches from the dead monsters strewn in the area around.

    ¡°Well done, well done... Exactly as I calculated,¡± The man laughed, wiping a tear as a large smile broke out on his face. ¡°As I thought, four demon-pills would be enough. Ah, sorry, how could I forget to introduce myself, I¡¯m Avarice by the way.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we know,¡± Youhong retorted, clenching a chain blade in one hand as his other arm hung limp, many of the muscles practically shredded by the monster''s attacks. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°To collect my prize,¡± Avarice grinned, pulling out a cigar as he flashed some jewelry, ¡°I¡¯ve had my eyes set on you all. The other collaborators don¡¯t know I¡¯m doing this, but I want it all. for. myself.¡±

    ¡°How exactly do you plan on doing this?¡± Liying asked, brushing her hair back as she pushed herself back up, grimacing as she flexed her slashed back muscles.

    ¡°None of your business?¡± Avarice asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled out two swords. ¡°Don¡¯t try to make me monologue. I¡¯m not a stupid villai-¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are a very stupid villain. You even admit you¡¯re a villain.¡± A cold voice interjected, sending an icy halberd careening towards Avarice. ¡°You dare show up in my territory?! With demons nonetheless?! Don¡¯t you know the consequences of collaboration with them? I will spill your blood. I will use it to water the graves of my ancestors!¡±

    Growling as she walked in front of the five on the ground, the short-haired blond woman in a full suit of plate armor extended her arm. Letting out a huge blast of Qi, she crouched into a combat position as her halberd flew back into her hand. ¡°Prepare.¡±

    Doing several flips back, Avarice pursed his lips, shaking his head as he pulled out his own set of leather armor. ¡°No, no, you¡¯re the one in denial. We¡¯re the monarchs of the underworld, how are we not villains? And shut up about your ancestors, Wrath, no one cares.¡±

    With his insult landing on deaf ears, Avarice leaned back and ducked as another Qi blade sailed over his head. It was time for battle, but he had to get the others somehow...

    Sending a feint of a strike towards Wrath, Avarice leaned down, disappearing from his spot as he reappeared near the ruined mounds of rock, wood, and brick ¡®repurposed¡¯ from the dilapidated houses of the neighborhood.

    With speed on his side, Avarice sent a flurry of empty Qi strikes towards Wrath who he had now pushed to another area. Giggling, Avarice bent down, picking up two clumps of rock, hurling one towards the two girls and one towards the girl and boy.

    Tuning out the vengeful screaming coming from Wrath, Avarice dodged another icy halberd as he disappeared, picking up a third hunk of rock and pitching it towards the last boy.

    That would keep them occupied. He just had to keep them in the area long enough for his subordinates to come and do some... collection.

    ------

    Songmei, still stunned with the appearance of not one, but TWO leaders of the underworld, barely reacted to Avarice¡¯s throw before being pushed to the ground. On the ground, biting her lip from the shifting pain in her gut, Songmei could only watch as Mingqing did a simple spin while on her butt, sending a weak Qi blade towards the rock, shattering it while diverting its course.

    Why was Mingqing so hot?

    Mingqing, on the other hand, apologetic she had to push Songmei, scooted back towards Songmei as one thought swirled around in her mind: Why did such a cute girl decide to date her?

    Nearby, however, unbeknownst to the two lovebirds, a similar scene had played out, where Taigang had leapt up, shattering the rock with his barefists before turning back to check on Liying.

    Watching Liying blush, Taigang felt a vein pop in his head as she murmured ¡°Why do you have to be gay?!¡±

    Facepalming, Taigang could only retort ¡°Why aren¡¯t you a guy?!¡±

    Youhong, with his ever-empty red eyes, only shook his head, murmuring ¡°Why do I always have to save myself?¡± before slapping the rock to pieces and popping a lychee jelly into his mouth.

 129: Forced Card Writing

    Lin Songmei felt dead. If someone looked up the word tired in the dictionary, her face would show up as the definition. Following the complete beating she, Yan Mingqing, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying took, their trip to the hospital was... not a fun one.

    Following their own little... skirmish, then the little... friendly banter exchanged between Avarice and Wrath, Songmei and the others watched as three different elders appeared in a flash. With Taigang, Youhong, and her and Mingqing¡¯s masters on the scene, it was just nice to watch Avarice get his teeth kicked in.

    Literally.

    It was, in all honesty, a little bit over the top. Songmei had to look away for some portions, but afterward Xueli had come up to them with a big smile and thumbs-up, reassuring everyone Avarice was doing fine and dandy.

    Now, the next morning, Songmei was just cuddling with Mingqing against the couch as they looked out the window, watching the morning rush perform its daily ritual down below.

    Bandaged up, Songmei was still almost tearing up with how nice the hospital the afternoon and night before had been to them. The nurses and doctors there¡ªwith understanding faces and fun humor¡ªhad patched them up while explaining their wounds weren¡¯t out of the ordinary. All Songmei could do was cringe hearing story after story of duels going wrong when one side¡¯s emotions got too inflamed.

    The hospital, being the home to a team of healing-focused cultivators, had patched up their wounds and sent them on their way. For Mingqing, with her major wounds on both her legs, they had managed to heal her up almost to completion, a little less for Songmei, but still enough to let her leave.

    With the hospital leaving the entire party on the brink between healthy and wounded, everyone in the party had asked why they didn¡¯t just... heal them all the way. The explanation they had gotten was just something along the lines of ¡°we don¡¯t want to introduce too much foreign Qi into your body,¡± but Songmei was... pretty sure she had seen battle healers in the videos of people who documented their battles.

    Those streaming people on live, yeah...

    Brushing the thought aside, Songmei pulled the blanket covering her and Mingqing just a little further up. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Fine... how are you?¡± Mingqing yawned, leaning her head onto Songmei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Also, Xueli dropped off a package earlier, we can open it in a bit if you¡¯d like...¡±

    ¡°Mhm, sure, in a bit though...¡± Songmei murmured, furrowing her eyebrows as she watched a legion of washing machines fly by their window. ¡°I¡¯m doing alright as well, changing the bandage on my stomach was a pain though.¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve had me help you,¡± Mingqing sighed, hugging Songmei under the blanket.

    Returning the embrace, Songmei exhaled and closed her eyes as she sank into the warmth. ¡°Well, you had to change your leg bandages, I didn¡¯t want to bother you...¡±

    ¡°Mine are practically healed at this point, you could¡¯ve asked if you wanted,¡± Mingqing pursed her lips, closing her eyes as well.

    ¡°Mnn... no, I want to be independent,¡± Songmei harrumphed with a laugh. ¡°My midriff is for me to see and care for only.¡±

    Snorting while laughing, Mingqing slipped her hands under Songmei¡¯s shirt, hugging her once more. ¡°We¡¯re dating! I¡¯ve seen you shirtless enough times, just think about all those times we changed in front of each other, even before we started dating. All joking aside though, it¡¯s okay, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Songmei laughed with a grin before clutching her stomach. ¡°How are the others doing though? Any words from them? I haven¡¯t checked our group chat.¡±

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°They¡¯re fine, Youhong¡¯s mad because his dominant arm was the one that got practically shredded.¡± Mingqing opened her terminal, scrolling back through the conversation. ¡°Not for any... deep reason though, he¡¯s just sad because he can¡¯t do his classic lychee jelly flick into the air where he catches it in his mouth. He actually has to bring the jellies directly there.¡±

    ¡°His muscle memory failing him? Oh the horror... he has to use his other hand to destroy his digestive system...¡± Songmei wondered out loud with a snort. She couldn¡¯t help but grin when thinking back to Taigang and his improv punishment during their game night where he had to act like a doctor taking a look at Youhong¡¯s daily diet. ¡°Anyway, how about Taigang? He took a knife into the chest, yeah? I also saw he was like... covered in blood and cuts post-battle.¡±

    ¡°Taigang¡¯s fine? He said most of the cuts were skin level. I swear I saw bone in several places, but he¡¯s denying it. Pretty sure his chest is also fine though. His only response was ¡®I¡¯ll just have to work my pecs more in the future,¡¯¡± Mingqing sighed, facepalming as she read out Taigang¡¯s comment in her best Taigang impression.

    ¡°You gotta hit the weights bro, a day not spent in the gym is a day wasted!¡± Songmei replied in her own Taigang impression, fake flexing before worming back under the blankets and into Mingqing¡¯s embrace. ¡°And Liying? She got a few nasty gashes down her back, yeah? Is she doing alright?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Liying¡¯s fine,¡± Mingqing reassured, a faint happy murmur slipping into her voice, ¡°We kinda dragged her into a lot of trouble, but I¡¯m glad we¡¯re closer now. She was a little surprised this morning with how much we messaged in the group chat. She mentioned she had never been part of a friend group like ours before. She shared that she was doing fine. She was even making jokes that her main concern was just how long before she could wear a backless dress or bikini again.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡± Songmei smiled, glad their new friend was doing well. Songmei herself couldn¡¯t quite relate to the urge to wear a backless dress or bikini in public, but she was... happy for Liying. With her curiosity sated, Songmei snuggled up to Mingqing, squeezing her tight before asking, ¡°When do you think we should open the package though?¡±

    ¡°Ten more minutes?¡± Mingqing proposed, cuddling up as well as she stared off into the distance outside where the bustle was beginning to die down.

    ¡°Sounds good...¡±

    A solid forty-five minutes of cuddling, chatting, and half-dozing later, Mingqing pulled the package out of her spatial storage ring. Ripping the package open, a few pills wrapped as candy rolled out, falling onto the blanket as Mingqing pulled out a hand-penned letter. Clearing her throat, Mingqing began reading in her most pompous, bourgeoisie voice.

    [Dear lovely disciples, your cool older sister Xueli returns!

    Included in this get-well package are many things I believe you two will appreciate! Because you two are dating, I just bought a few things I believe you two could enjoy together! The first thing is two sets of recovery pills!]

    With Mingqing volunteering to read the letter, Songmei took the package, volunteering to take out each item as Mingqing read them out. For the recovery pills, with half of them already on the blankets, Songmei just looked into the package, pulling out the rest, setting them down with the rest.

    [The recovery pills should help you two recover faster! I know, no need to thank me. They won¡¯t instantly heal you, but they¡¯ll help your foundation a little while also speeding up the healing! For the next item, I bought the two of you a box of chocolates! Because you two apparently host game night (which you never invite me to for some reason), I bought a few extra boxes for you to share with your friends!]

    Taking out the four boxes of chocolates, Songmei raised her eyebrows as she saw the branding on the boxes. They were FANCY.

    [And for the last thing, this is a little more close to my heart, I bought the two of you a book of sudoku! I quite enjoy doing the one in the newspaper everyday, so I thought I¡¯d share the love!]

    Pulling out the book of sudoku, Songmei made a mental note just to do a couple to humor Xueli. She, personally, wasn¡¯t a sudoku person, but Xueli... Xueli was such a cute old lad- such a cute young woman for the gift. The intent was certainly there, even if the execution was... iffy.

    [Now, for payment! Mwahahaha! I bet you thought this kind older sister would be giving this to the two of you for free! NO! HAHA! There¡¯s payment! The price is... hand-written cards! The two of you must each hand-write a thank you card! You can mail them to me or wait until the next time we meet to hand them over!

    With warm regards,

    Xueli (your bestest, most-amazingest master)]

    Sighing, Songmei pulled out another two pieces of blanket paper, pre-provided by Xueli, setting it down on top of the small mound of goodies. ¡°Shall we start with the notes then? I do want to say thank you...¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sounds good... I have a few ¡®thank you¡¯s I want to say and a few jokes to jab with,¡± Mingqing shook her head with an embarrassed smile, propping the letter up against the gifts.

 130: Dim-lit Viewing Parties

    Having survived their first mission in Westriver¡ªwith a few extra complications¡ªLin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying settled into a groove after recovering from their respective wounds.

    They¡¯d do a week of missions, learning, battling, and gaining new insights. They¡¯d then take one or two weeks off to recuperate from their wounds, rest, and digest. At the same time, they also tried to have a game night every few days. Of course, it was only a game night in name. The activities would vary more than not. Whether it was an improv night, a video game night, a board game night, a long meal and chat night, or a combination of multiple, the goal was just to have fun.

    And fun they had! With their lives in rhythm, it wasn¡¯t long before a little over a year passed in the blink of an eye.

    ------

    Meanwhile, far from Westriver, in a lavish theater room decked out with long tables of food... Though only filled with a handful of people, the room was boisterous. A wine glass was present in every hand, long evening dresses, high heels, immaculate suits, shined shoes, everyone was dressed to the tens.

    Yet, in contrast to their luxurious outfits, the small group was splayed out across a couple of couches, chatting as a remote was passed around to queue videos on the big screen.

    ¡°Daoist Times put out a new video, anyone want to watch? It¡¯s a special on last year¡¯s loaded cultivation class.¡± One young man asked the group. Being the youngest by a fair margin, the man, though comfortable on a couch, still spoke in the most formal and respectful tone out of everyone there.

    ¡°Of course, put it on! It¡¯s always a must-watch!¡±

    Shrugging at the older woman who gave an exuberant affirmation, the man put it on, dimming the lights at the same time.

    [Welcome back to the Daoist Times! Specifically, welcome back to our new ongoing series: The Cultivation of Talent!]

    [Today¡¯s episode is a special feature on the meteoric rise of last year¡¯s cultivation class. We¡¯ll be bringing you all exclusive information about these young cultivators just bursting with talent. Specifically, we¡¯ll be focusing on their current cultivation progress and context towards their reputations. As your host, as always, I¡¯ve gathered here today a number of experts from a variety of sects. Please welcome them!]

    Fast forwarding through the introductions, the young man played the video once more from where the discussion actually began¡ªthe ten minute mark. How did the Daoist Times have so many sponsorships?

    [So, I guess, as the host, I should guide our discussion. The first question I want to ask then is what separates this specific disciple class? Why should we focus on it more so than let''s say... the year before last year, or this year¡¯s class?]

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    [That¡¯s a really great question,] an older man answered, stroking his long white beard as the camera switched to focus on him. [I¡¯ve been analyzing and tracking cultivation classes for close to a century now, and I must say, there¡¯s not much you can¡¯t say about this class. It¡¯s loaded with talent from the top to the bottom. Of course, though, the main talking point is about high-end talent. The top of the top. They¡¯re truly unique.]

    Raising his eyebrows, the host drummed his fingers against the table, motioning for other experts to chime in as well. [Why so unique? Give me a few names I can tangibly look towards to define the future.]

    [Well, there¡¯s one party that immediately jumps to mind.] One lady chimed in, rifling through a stack of papers, pulling out one with a number of colorful tabs stuck to it. [They haven¡¯t registered under an official name yet. They¡¯ve gone through ¡®Taigang¡¯s gym bros,¡¯ ¡®Lowly maids and butlers of the ice queen,¡¯ ¡®#1 consumer of lychee jelly,¡¯ among a number of others. However, we experts have given them the nickname ¡®Ghost Legion.¡¯]

    With a series of ¡°Ohhh¡±¡¯s and ¡°Nice name!¡±¡¯s sounding out through the dark room, everyone quieted down once more to listen to the video.

    [My, what a name! If you would, care to explain and give me some context as to who¡¯s in ¡®Ghost Legion¡¯? And give me some of their feats as well. I''m sure our listeners are sitting at the edges of their seats, starving for information about this exclusive information.] The host murmured, leaning forward as he motioned for anyone to take the floor.

    [Sure, I can take over,] a handsome young man grinned, pushing his glasses up. [I was part of the group that actually decided on this name. It¡¯s a bit of a two-fold meaning actually.]

    [So advanced!]

    [No, no, the party deserves it,] The expert reassured, [I¡¯ll start with the members. Zhao Liying, Yan Mingqing, Wang Taigang, Han Youhong, and Lin Songmei. All of which are direct disciples. Heavy hitter names, I know. Contrary to most parties of famous up-and-coming stars, the party is very small, very low-key, and seems to be focused more on quality rather than quantity.]

    [I see... Then let me ask the question I¡¯m sure many are already thinking. Why don¡¯t we see this happening more often then?] The host asked, a puzzled expression clear on his face.

    [Well, it¡¯s just their egos,] The earlier woman chimed in, stroking her chin as she pondered it over. [It¡¯s rare to see this many children of such famous families put aside their egos and actually work together. Many times they will just surround themselves with disciples weaker than themselves. Inner disciples, from the same sect maybe, or other less talented direct disciples.]

    [Indeed, we don¡¯t have much information either on how this came to be,] the expert with the glasses continued, [One reason the party is called the Ghost Legion is because they¡¯re so low-key. Only Zhao Liying and Wang Taigang have an active presence on social media, and both of them do not reveal any information regarding their cultivation levels or party movements. It¡¯s because of this that we have no idea how this party came to be, or how they recruit! Is it a rigorous interview process? Is it a trial by combat? How tough must it be to have such a cohesive party?]

    [Truly... mystifying,] The host agreed, appearing to sink into thought as he let a dramatic silence fall onto the episode.

    With the episode cutting to an ad-break and sponsorship break, everyone in the room groaned, asking for a fast-forward. Obliging to the requests of the others, the young man in control of the remote¡ªor delegated with responsibility of the remote, depending on how one saw it¡ªfast-forwarded, letting the video continue as the host dove back into the discussion.

    [What¡¯s the other reason then, for this amazing party to be called the Ghost Legion?]

 131: Parties Drowning With Class and Money

    Brushing his chin-length dark-blue hair back, the young man leaned back into his chair, sipping his wine and kicking his legs up as he watched the video continue on the big screen. Now in the thick of content, there should be a decent chunk of time before the next ad break.

    [The other reason they¡¯re called the Ghost Legion,] a new expert chimed in, the camera cutting to focus on them. [Is because of their unparalleled mission efficiency. In an area as competitive as Westriver, they manage to make it look like a walk in the park. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they¡¯re having game nights or something!]

    [Amazing...] The host murmured, his awe¡ªin the young man¡¯s opinion¡ªbeing drummed up a little for the camera. [Well, can you go into a little more detail? About the various members of the party. Their current cultivation progress? Their fighting style? Projections about their future? Give a run-down for the more unfamiliar viewers.]

    [Of course, that¡¯s what we¡¯re here to do,] the old expert with the white beard answered with a small smile. [This is where our expertise as experts really comes in handy. Let me start with Zhao Liying. She¡¯s a prototypical spear user with a well-rounded offensive tool-set who¡¯s able to fight in a variety of situations. As we all know, she¡¯s the first and only child of the esteemed Phoenix Clan in the main line as of now. However, I wouldn¡¯t worry as she¡¯s shaping up to be a perfect next head of the house, even after the disease she had to recover from.]

    With the broadcast now putting up some images of Zhao Liying, a red-haired lady, one of the more boisterous people in the room, laughed. ¡°She still has that edge to her. She¡¯s grown up well! She really hasn¡¯t changed since we saw her five years ago!¡±

    As silenced interview clips from a couple months prior began to play, the voice over from the panel of experts continued. [Being part of the Phoenix Clan, Zhao Liying, as expected, practices a fire based cultivation-style. Because of that, she always has far more firepower compared to those in the same realm as her. Easily overlooked, however, is her ability to defend. Joining the Ghost Legion... we approximate... a year ago, her skill set was imbalanced, one focused solely on offense. Now, she¡¯s much more well-rounded and falls, easily, within the top ten defenders in the class.]

    [I¡¯d personally say, given what we theorize her cultivation realm to be, she could easily make a case for being top five.] Another expert added in with another couple backing her up. [Of course, being third-party analysts, we don¡¯t know exactly what realm these young cultivators are in. It doesn¡¯t help that we haven¡¯t seen the Ghost Legion in a tough fight since their run in with Avarice over a year ago.]

    With the shuffling of some papers being picked up on the microphone, the broadcast shifted back to the main view of the usual Daoist Times news broadcast room with its extra-large table for the unique episode.

    One expert, brushing her hair back, continued explaining the realms the party were at. [However, personally, I¡¯ve been analyzing many young cultivators for close to half a century. Given the time-frame and their exhibited combat prowess, I theorize that everyone in the party is a step or two ahead of the rest of the pack. The top ten this year seem to be cultivating as if there¡¯s a hound chasing them from behind. However, as of now, the five members of Ghost Legion are, in my opinion, easily within the top seven or eight. That means they¡¯ve all definitely opened their twelve main meridians, and are probably around five or six of their extraordinary meridians.]

    [Wow... just... wow,] The host murmured, nodding his head as he organized his own papers. [Listeners, I know the experts are presenting these bits of knowledge as if they¡¯re trivial, but I want to take a moment to make the impact clear. The analysis of Zhao Liying¡¯s fighting style is invaluable information only trained eyes can make out. Don¡¯t even mention their cultivation progress!]

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Pushing his chair back and walking over to a screen, the camera focused on the host as he straightened his suit and tapped on the screen. With a neat graphic flashing up onto the screen, turned towards the camera. [Last year¡¯s cultivation class, I want to reiterate that since it¡¯s still too early to really analyze this year¡¯s class. Is truly bonkers. Truly, unparalleled.]

    Tapping the screen, changing it to a bar-chart format where the length of each bar was a disciple¡¯s cultivation progress, the host pointed to the five theorized positions of the Ghost Legion. [For a place like Westriver, where disciples go in just starting their cultivation journey and come out with all twenty of their meridians opened, the usual marker for a genius is around two years.]

    Pointing to a couple of the furthest along cultivators, the host continued. [As of now, the record is held by Yan Mingliang. Well-known cultivation savant from fifteen years ago who managed to leave in one-and-a-half years. Because we¡¯re coming up on a year plus four-and-a-half months, it looks like no one in this class will be able to break his record, but nonetheless, they will be admirably close.]

    With a now empty wine glass in his hand, the young man shook his head as he leaned over to pour himself a new glass. Pulling out his terminal to check it real quick amidst the darkness of the theater room, he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself.

    Of course they had to bring him up.

    Scrolling through his messages with Yan Mingqing, Yan Mingliang compared the information he had with the graphic on the screen.

    They were wrong. Collapsing his terminal once more, Yan Mingliang shrugged to himself, impressed with how far they had come.

    Seven extraordinary meridians.

    It seemed little Mingqing and her girlfriend would be blowing a hole clean through his record.

    Focusing back onto the broadcast, Yan Mingliang sipped some more of his wine, popping some grapes into his mouth as the host transitioned while walking back to his seat. [Speaking of Yan Mingliang, let¡¯s get back to our original topic at hand. Experts, give me a rundown on Yan Mingliang¡¯s younger sister, Yan Mingqing.]

    ¡°Finally!¡± The lady sitting in the top row called out, talking over the broadcast as they began to give some cursory background information about who Yan Mingqing was, what sect she was a part of, and what techniques she used. ¡°Vermillion, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re biased towards Zhao Liying, my baby Mingqing is better than her! Just watch! She¡¯ll make you drop your jaw!¡±

    ¡°I... I never said that...¡± Vermillion Bird trailed off with a smile, ignoring how the lady was now gushing over how cute Yan Mingqing was. ¡°Though you are right, I am partial to the Phoenix Clan. Their ancestors were dear to my heart after all! You can¡¯t blame me!¡±

    ¡°Mom, you can¡¯t say Vermillion Bird is biased! You¡¯re the most biased person in the room! You¡¯re Mingqing¡¯s mother!¡± Yan Mingliang called out with a smile. Even if he was sitting alone, far from his more talkative parents and the esteemed spiritual beasts, he couldn¡¯t resist chiming in with one comment.

    ¡°Well, I agree, with the Kunpengs, Vermillion,¡± Azure Dragon retorted as Vermillion Bird leaned against her, looking at her with pleading eyes to support her side. Pushing her glasses up, Azure Dragon cleared her throat. ¡°I may be a little more partial to the Kunpeng Clan, but I¡¯m level-headed enough to know Yan Mingqing is the better prospect.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s so early... you can¡¯t say anything right now... and honestly, they¡¯re really quite similar,¡± Black Tortoise murmured, adding in his own¡ªtruly unbiased¡ªcomment.

    ¡°I think the youngsters are great either way! I don¡¯t have a horse in this race, so c¡¯mon, let¡¯s just listen. We can debate this stuff later! I¡¯m sure this broadcast has some good information.¡± White Tiger laughed, elbowing the stoic man next to him. ¡°You aren¡¯t talking since you¡¯re trying to listen as much as you can about your precious daughter aren¡¯t ya? You gotta learn how to express your love more, my man, I¡¯m pretty sure she doesn¡¯t even know you like her.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, White Tiger, I¡¯m trying to listen. Go get reprimanded by Black Tortoise or something.¡±

 132: A Brothers Urge To Gossip

    With the conversation quieting down once more, Yan Mingliang zoned out of the conversation. Those few sentences were enough for the day¡ªthere was no need to give himself heart palpitations from interacting too much with the spiritual beasts.

    [So... what exactly sets Yan Mingqing apart from her brother Yan Mingliang?] The host asked, posing an open-ended question for the experts to answer however they¡¯d like.

    [There are tons of differences between the siblings. It¡¯s expected with their fifteen year age gap.] The woman from earlier answered, tapping her fingers against the table as the camera centered on her. [I think the most important difference for the viewers to know about is the difference in fighting style. On the surface, these two siblings are very similar. They both use a sword, and they both use a fighting style that revolves around the stars and ocean. They¡¯re both from the Kunpeng family after all, everyone in their lineage fights along these lines.]

    With some silent videos of Mingqing fighting beginning to play, the woman¡¯s explanation was edited over to become a voiceover. [Yan Mingliang, the ice savant as he¡¯s known, fights primarily using ice, with his sword as more of an auxiliary piece. Most of the time we see it being used more as a wand or just a fancy baton rather than an actual sword. Yan Mingqing, on the other hand, is very connected with her sword. She¡¯s a true sword cultivator through and through.]

    [Yes. In fact, her cultivation art, though similar in attributes to Yan Mingliang¡¯s, gives her a different sword style for each of the major constellations.] Another expert pitched in, [Though difficult, it¡¯s a cultivation art that has one of the highest ceilings we¡¯ve seen for a while. Twelve sword styles, each with a form for each major star. If she can fully master them, she¡¯ll be a force to be reckoned with.]

    With six experts sitting with him at the table, the host let them talk. He nodded along, providing some reactions as the ¡°common man¡± at the table.

    [For the last thing,] the old man with the long beard murmured. [Her personality is very different from Yan Mingliang¡¯s. We all know Yan Mingliang as the flamboyant, talkative, exemplary leader he is. He can take control of any room, any stage, and any battlefield. However, Yan Mingqing is quite far from this. I have some connections with families in the higher echelons, and from a young age, Yan Mingqing has been known as an ice queen with a cold, aloof demeanor. As someone unafraid to get into a fight, both verbally and physically.]

    Snorting in his seat, Yan Mingliang tried not to choke on his wine as he listened to the hosts blabber on about Yan Mingqing¡¯s personality. It was just her being shy. Or maybe just her being anti-social. Yan Mingliang prided himself, but he had managed to pry open his little sister. They both had busy schedules, so they didn¡¯t text much, but Yan Mingliang saw how Yan Mingqing was really quite warm.

    In fact, Yan Mingliang couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he remembered the long chains of texts he had received. Turns out, Mingqing was quite the romantic. She had even asked him for advice! Yan Mingliang knew she had been... a bit of a player growing up, had a couple flings that never became official, but her current relationship...

    He saw potential in it. This Lin Songmei girl was the only one so far who had managed to really open Yan Mingqing up. In fact, Yan Mingliang felt a little aggrieved at times! Yan Mingqing was closer, and probably more warm to this girl than him! Her gracious, awesome, heaven-sent older brother!

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    But she really cared, enough to put aside her pride to ask Yan Mingliang for advice... and date ideas.

    Zoning back in¡ªnow that he was no longer at risk of dying due to choking on wine¡ªYan Mingliang listened in as they did some more analysis on the ¡°Ghost Legion¡±¡¯s internal dynamics.

    [You¡¯d think someone like Yan Mingqing would work alone, or at the minimum have an iron grip over the power in any party she joins, that¡¯s the historical trend with people like her. Going into this class, that was the only knock on her potential. These types of people generally get assassinated or die off somewhere alone.] One expert explained, a graphic popping up on screen of a few other famous cultivators who had fallen prey to this very fate. [However, in a stunning turn of events, Yan Mingqing seems perfectly content with taking a step back. She, at most, is a vice-leader in the party with Zhao Liying. From what we¡¯ve seen though, it¡¯s honestly more likely she pushes the work and responsibilities towards Zhao Liying, content with being the third.]

    With the experts not having anything to add, the host looked around, offering the floor for anyone to make a parting comment. Watching everyone just shake their heads, content, the host transitioned. [Speaking of leadership, let¡¯s transition then, to the de facto leader of the party: Wang Taigang. Give me a rundown, let me and the viewers gain some... enlightenment.]

    Snorting, Yan Mingliang sighed. It seemed the Daoist Times were still making their horrendous jokes. Though, if he had any say, he¡¯d tell them to make some more of those jokes...

    Tilting his head, Yan Mingliang grinned as froze. ¡°Wait a second...¡±

    He would have a say... one day he would. Their family did own the umbrella company owning the Daoist Times.

    [So Wang Taigang really is interesting, he¡¯s truly come into his own and has been living up to all the buzz around him.] An expert began, sparking the discussion. [Born with an absolute Yang constitution, his potential was clear from a young age. Wang Taigang, we must praise though, has really put the work in, improving beyond his natural gifts.]

    [Which are?] The host interjected with a short statement, motioning for the expert to elaborate on the specific point before moving on.

    [Ah, yes! Sorry, his constitution, obviously, and also his unique frame and status.] The expert explained. [He doesn¡¯t rely on them anymore and has really come into his own. He¡¯s a leader, from head-to-toe. It¡¯s because of this that many of us rank him right around the same level as Yan Mingqing and Zhao Liying. He¡¯s been able to elevate himself up a tier one could say.]

    [Yes, I agree with that, well said. Going into this year, no one expected that Wang Taigang would be able to compete with the two at the top. But he¡¯s managed to at least put himself in the conversation.] A different expert added, [As a tank, he¡¯s planted himself in the conversation as the best in the year. Once we¡¯re done with the Ghost Legion, we¡¯ll go into these other top recruits, but only one tank is able to compare with Wang Taigang. For the most part too, I¡¯d give Wang Taigang the slight edge as of now.]

    With the conversation continuing on, Yan Mingliang began to zone out as the panel began praising Wang Taigang as the ¡°emotional rock of the group.¡± He wasn¡¯t interested in hearing about the party dynamics from these experts, they didn¡¯t have any concrete sources.

    From his texts with his little sister, Yan Mingliang was pretty clear on the party dynamics already, the stories Yan Mingqing told from their game nights were... salient to say the least. Yan Mingliang was pretty sure the emotional rock of the group was far from Wang Taigang. If anything, from the game night stories, Wang Taigang was the joker, or even clown of the group.

    Refilling his wine glass, Yan Mingliang closed his eyes. He¡¯d zone back in when they got to Han Youhong and Lin Songmei.

 133: Family Gathering Age-Based Isolation

    Bored, Yan Mingliang clicked a couple of buttons to shift his terminal into the form of a phone, scrolling through it as he kept the broadcast in his peripheral vision. Bugging some of his teammates in their group chat, Yan Mingliang closed his terminal as another fiery debate started over some random food opinions in the group chat.

    He was such a good team leader! Keeping everyone on their toes, what better team bonding was there than finding out about a horrendous food opinion held by someone you went through life and death battles with.

    Directing his attention back to the broadcast as they transitioned to talk about Han Youhong, Yan Mingliang tapped his chin. He had learned quite a few new things from the sections about Zhao Liying and Wang Taigang, but Han Youhong was quite secretive to the public...

    Making a mental bet with himself, Yan Mingliang aimed to see if he would be able to count the number of new tidbits of information he learned about Han Youhong on one hand.

    [Han Youhong¡¯s fighting style is quite unique.] One expert began, leading off the discussion as he pushed his hair back, [The pure assassin is a dying breed, so it¡¯s rare to see someone with the skill set Han Youhong has. He has stealth, he has burst damage... he has survivability. Overall, though niche and functional on its own, his skillset compliments any party he joins.]

    [I have to agree with that,] another expert continued, sipping some water. [Out of everyone in his current party, the ¡°Ghost Legion¡± we¡¯ve been talking about, Han Youhong has the highest burst damage.]

    [Impressive... A ghost assassin almost,] The host murmured, nodding along before motioning back to the first expert. [Wait, could you circle back to your point about Han Youhong and his party fit though? There¡¯s been a lot of buzz around how Han Youhong will be highly recruited, coveted even, once he becomes older.]

    [Well, it¡¯s actually a combination of his personality and his skillset,] The expert explained, tapping his chin as he stared off into space before motioning to a different expert across the table. [It¡¯s hard to explain as it''s not my area of expertise, I focus purely on analyzing fighting styles of individuals. Let me hand it over to a colleague.]

    [Oh? Me? Sure, I specialize in party composition, both in fighting and personality styles so this is perfect for me.] The expert nodded, pulling her shirt forward for a second. Having not talked too much during the broadcast so far, she cleared her throat. [So skillset-wise, Han Youhong, like many cultivators with a primary damage dealing role, can fight alone. This means he could work solo without much trouble. He has range, but can do short assassin-like burst attacks or sustained, normal fighting without much trouble.]

    [Ahh, so that helps a party because they don¡¯t need to pay attention to him?] The host asked, nodding as he followed the expert¡¯s explanation.

    [Exactly!] The expert agreed. [Han Youhong could be inserted into any existing party and function just fine. Everyone would just notice the fights being easier because a lot of the enemies just disappeared.]

    [I see... truly just a mix-and-match type of cultivator.] The host murmured, summarizing the expert¡¯s point before posing another question. [You mentioned personality too though, can you give a little insight as to why Han Youhong is a good personality fit?]

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    [Well, I think for context, I have to first mention how Han Youhong has truly exceeded all expectations.] The expert explained, pointing to a graph being displayed about projections. [Coming from a cultivation family in the... third-ish tier. Still high up, but not as high as many others, he was projected to be closer to twenty or thirty in terms of ranking. Maybe around fifteen if he was lucky. His background didn¡¯t suggest otherworldly talent, and his personality didn¡¯t seem to have the drive and hunger that some of his peers exhibited.]

    [And yet, he¡¯s solidly in the top ten,] The host exclaimed, looking at the current rankings. [Amazing!]

    [Mhm, he¡¯s really been one of the surprises out of this cultivation class. But because of his background, he doesn¡¯t have the ego that some other top recruits have. I understand no one in ¡°Ghost Legion¡± really has an ego, but many of them still have a bigger risk of developing an ego than Han Youhong.] The expert analyzed, pointing to the amazing backgrounds of Yan Mingqing and Zhao Liying. [Overall, he¡¯s low-key, unproblematic, and what anyone would hope for in the team. He¡¯s a real glue guy who can hold a team together while being a solid contributor in any battle. That¡¯s why he¡¯s going to be recruited so much. That is of course, if he decides to leave his current team or they dissolve.]

    Snorting to himself, Yan Mingliang couldn¡¯t help but start to zone out and murmur ¡°delusional¡± to himself as the host started asking what was the likelihood of the team dissolving and how stable they were at the moment.

    Just from his... personal experience, Yan Mingliang knew most teams formed during a disciples first excursion outside of the sect stayed together. Most of the ones from his year did and his own team was still together. But the bigger aspect was, most teams broke apart because of clashes between personalities or limitations due to their combat potential.

    Yan Mingliang was curious if anyone had actually looked at the team? They had so much talent.  They were not going to run into problems or disagreements over feeling not powerful enough. They were going to be a team of certified curb-stompers in the future. On the other side, the fact they were close enough to have game night once or twice a week was already testament enough to their personalities meshing.

    Not to brag or anything, but Yan Mingliang¡¯s team¡ªstar of their year and practically the star of their decade¡ªhad also done game nights when they were in Westriver. Knowing Yan Mingqing, Yan Mingliang was almost sure she copied her amazing, ingenious, star-shining older brother.

    Taking a second to eavesdrop on the conversation happening in the seats near the top of the theater, Yan Mingliang sighed as he heard nothing interesting.

    [Alright, before we go into an ad-break and then onto the other top recruits of the year, we have to take a moment to talk about the true dark-horse of the class.] The host began as the camera centered on him. [Lin Songmei. An orphan, unheard of, but now disciple sisters with Yan Mingqing at Starlight Lake. Any thoughts, experts?]

    Raising his eyebrows at the transition, Yan Mingliang couldn¡¯t help but feel a touch disappointed. The Daoist Times really were slipping up on a good opportunity. Sure, Lin Songmei didn¡¯t have the same high-class background, so people wouldn¡¯t be as interested, but she still had an amazing narrative storyline they could emphasize.

    Just to add, Lin Songmei was the only one who didn¡¯t get extensive media coverage as she grew up. Therefore, pretty much all information about her was new information! Even someone like Han Youhong did interviews with reporters when he was fifteen! That¡¯s when he was hit with the ¡°no hunger¡± label!

    Well, for Yan Mingliang, he was pretty sure there wasn¡¯t any new information. He had the... inside scoop, one could say. The backdoor dealer, the primary source!

 134: Gossip Style Theorizing

    Close to being bored out of his mind, Yan Mingliang tried his best to pay attention. The problem was, like all shows, the Daoist Times liked to not only drag things out a bit, but also give a lot of useless information.

    In the end, the visuals were what kept Yan Mingliang attentive. With flashy colors, interesting graphics, and stunning pictures, they kept the eyes interested¡ªeven if the content was so boring that Yan Mingliang checked his ears to ensure they were still attached to his head.

    Deciding to propose a pause on the watch party once they finished Lin Songmei¡¯s part, Yan Mingliang took a moment to knead his eyebrows as the show continued to drone on about the most basic information about Lin Songmei. Her sect, her fighting style, whatever.

    Tuning out the broadcast, Yan Mingliang went back to his new pastime, eavesdropping on the important people sitting above himself. For Yan Mingliang, he was numb to how famous his parents were; however, it was still... jaw-dropping, to say the least, to see such esteemed figures bantering with his parents.

    [Now, I understand Lin Songmei¡¯s basic fighting style,] The host commented, [but I can¡¯t help but notice she¡¯s... not our usual damage-dealer or tank. Would you say then that she falls under the elusive category of support?]

    Tuning back in with a raised eyebrow, Yan Mingliang resisted the urge to call the host dumb until an expert corrected him.

    [Hmm... I wouldn¡¯t say elusive,] The expert began, pausing while taking a moment to figure out how to phrase it. [Support itself is a broad category. Most backline combatants in general can be considered support and really, they¡¯re incredibly useful. However, I¡¯d say what sets Lin Songmei apart is her natural cultivation path.]

    [Cultivation path?] The host exclaimed with an over-the-top incredulity. [Please, enlighten me.]

    Raising his eyebrows with how fake it sounded, Yan Mingliang shook his head as the expert continued, it really was a basic concept.

    [So, the cultivation path is just how the cultivation art will develop. For someone like... Yan Mingqing, let¡¯s say, her combat skills will skyrocket.] The expert shrugged, giving an easy example as a graphic popped up on screen. [Right now, her fighting style is quite limited by range, but us experts don¡¯t criticize or focus on it because we know that in the future, her cultivation path will naturally make her into an offensive juggernaut.]

    [Then, considering her... cultivation path, what makes Lin Songmei so unique?] The host asked, motioning for the expert to continue.

    [Well, as a support, we like to say you have to choose between being able to fight and being able to heal. However, Lin Songmei¡¯s able to cultivate a very unique art.] The expert explained with an interested gleam entering his eyes. [It starts off very fighting focused, very stereotypical. But later on it really blossoms, and here¡¯s where I have to praise Starlight Lake for choosing an art that fits Lin Songmei so well. In the later stages of the art, it really diverges, turning into a potent healing art while also still providing enough firepower to make an impact on any battlefield.]

    [Why do you say it''s so difficult then? Why doesn¡¯t everyone cultivate an art like this?] The host asked, posing an easy question most people should know the answer to just to guide the discussion along.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    [I think it¡¯s quite the easy answer, it¡¯s an issue of... aptitude really.] The expert reiterated. [By adding more things into a cultivation art, it takes more time and more Qi to cultivate to the next realm. That¡¯s why many top disciples, with the most complicated cultivation arts, advance at a similar pace to disciples at lower levels. The difference is just that they''re much more powerful at the same level.]

    [Interesting, interesting,] The host nodded as the conversation slowed, [I¡¯m still so amazed someone like her has rocketed so high. She¡¯s an orphan isn¡¯t she? Is anything known about her background?]

    [Well, her background, as publicized by Starlight Lake, is completely mundane.] An expert answered after a hesitant pause. [It seems like not even she or the sect know. However, some are in doubt because she has inherited some eye-related powers. It¡¯s rare to see, but it seems she¡¯s been training them ever so slowly.]

    [Ah... are people investigating then?] The host asked, curious as he began to smell the hook of a new story.

    Deflating the host¡¯s hopes, an expert waved him off. [There are people trying to do an investigation based on looks alone. However, because neither the sect nor Lin Songmei herself have addressed or shared any information regarding the topic, no third-party investigations have yielded any information. We also don¡¯t know if Starlight Lake is doing an investigation on their own. We assume they are, but as experts, we sadly still have no insight into the sects themselves.]

    [Understandable, the top sects are very mysterious after all,] The host nodded, pausing to try and find another segue to move into.

    Yan Mingliang, watching an awkward silence fall onto the conversation being held by the broadcast, could only facepalm. They were wasting the segment! Out of everyone in the broadcast mentioned so far, Lin Songmei was the only... really interesting one. At least for Yan Mingliang.

    Sure, he wasn¡¯t as interested in high-status young disciples because... he himself had been one and he had talked to many of them. But still! Wasn¡¯t it more interesting to follow the unlikely underdog than the already established, expected top prospects?

    Breaking the atmosphere of quiet murmurs, one expert jump-started the conversation. [Well, there is a rumor, it¡¯s not very substantial, and many people doubt it. However, there are some theories that Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing are dating.]

    Snorting the moment the broadcast shared the rumor, Yan Mingliang suppressed his laughter as a huge raucous broke out in the upper level.

    With two voices echoing above the rest, Yan Mingliang sighed as he looked back. Of course it was his father and mother. At least they had improved, Yan Mingliang himself remembered when he first brought home a girlfriend. Their reaction was... cold... at best.

    Now, both his father and mother were just astounded Mingqing managed to woo such a nice looking girl...

    Maybe that was more of a dig at Mingqing though...

    Listening to their mother go ¡°Little Mingqing? She¡¯s not social! There¡¯s no way...¡± Yan Mingliang tried his best to resist a facepalm. She did have a point though, Yan Mingqing was pretty social, it just... takes a little to open her up.

    Their father, on the other hand, having more of a private conversation with White Tiger, spoke just loud enough for Yan Mingliang to overhear. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I should feel good... I feel a little sad that my daughter is leaving the nest and growing up... but out of everyone, this Lin Songmei seems... not bad.¡±

    ¡°You should feel good,¡± White Tiger grinned and laughed, ¡°In previous generations of this clan, I¡¯ve seen many worse couples. Sometimes, I¡¯ve even wanted to separate them! Some of those spouses were just... demon-like! More so than the demons themselves! Not my business though, so I¡¯m glad the clan has survived to the present day.¡±

    Having a whiff of some family history he was not aware of, Yan Mingliang took a mental note. He¡¯d ask his father about it the next time he came by to learn more about family affairs as part of his training as the next head of house. ¡°Just who was so controversial in our past?¡±

    Remembering the group chat, Yan Mingliang shot a message to his team, maybe he could crowdsource the information...

 135: Female Anatomy Triforce

    Sipping some hot tea, bought from a new company she discovered called the Leaves of Dawn, Lin Songmei looked out onto the familiar cobblestone courtyard. Even though it was close to summer, it was a windy morning with a touch of chill. Unlike a year ago, the courtyard was now close to deserted.

    About a month prior, as tensions within the city heated up a little, the supplies outside of food given by the esteemed beasts had eased to a stop. Considering her master Liu Xueli still swung by the city every few weeks, Songmei, for some reason, had an inkling of a feeling Xueli was involved.

    After all, over the course of the year, with a slow investigation, a huge number of city officials had been rooted out and lost their positions. Songmei had no idea how many, but she felt like it was a lot. Every few weeks a new BREAKING NEWS article would pop up, with posters and billboards across the city talking about how some person she had never seen before had colluded with some demons she had... also, never seen before.

    Now, the courtyard had been repurposed under Wrath¡¯s name. Now it was the morning meeting spot for the most important mission Wrath would hand out. Now, it was the command center where Wrath handed out battlefield assignments.

    Very fancy.

    Songmei and the others had only recently been able to take on the missions. Yan Mingqing had been the first to open her seventh extraordinary meridian. Following another couple of weeks, which was only a few days ago, Songmei had opened her seventh.

    Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t opened their seventh yet though.

    It wasn¡¯t a big deal, their party as a whole had fluctuated, with some members getting stuck at some realms while others didn¡¯t.

    Songmei, herself, had gotten mega-stuck at her second extraordinary meridian, and fourteenth meridian overall. So stuck that everyone else had opened their thirteenth before she did. Then Youhong got stuck, then Mingqing, and so on and so forth.

    Getting pulled out of her thoughts, Songmei looked up as Mingqing walked back over, the steam of hot tea wisping out the top of her own thermos. ¡°Your ponytail is a mess... want me to tie it?¡±

    ¡°Ah? Hah? Wait wha?¡± Songmei swung her head around, trying to get a look before realizing the futility of her actions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You left half your hair down,¡± Mingqing raised an eyebrow. ¡°Let me do it, just hold my tea for me.¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± Songmei accepted with a gracious nod, taking a sip of Mingqing¡¯s tea as she handed it over. ¡°Sorry, just taking my payment.¡±

    ¡°... Why am I paying you to do your hair...?¡± Mingqing snorted with a laugh. ¡°And I have the exact same tea as you too...¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Songmei smiled, tapping the water bottles together like a fake toast. ¡°Anyway, what were you talking about with the others?¡±

    ¡°They were just talking about how you, well, both of us, cultivate at demon speed. And asked what our secret was.¡± Mingqing explained, shrugging as she pulled Songmei¡¯s hair up into a high ponytail. ¡°Your hair is so nice as always...¡±

    ¡°Have you touched your own hair? It¡¯s nicer,¡± Songmei raised an eyebrow, taking another sip from Mingqing¡¯s thermos. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that far behind us... We¡¯ll probably all end up getting out of Westriver around the same time.¡±

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said, they kept asking for a secret though.¡± Mingqing agreed with a sigh, hugging Songmei from behind now she had finished tying her hair. In a nice position, Mingqing grinned as an idea came to her.

    Leaning into Songmei¡¯s ear, Mingqing squeezed her from behind before whispering, ¡°I told them it was because of love.¡±

    Spinning and almost slamming her head into Mingqing¡¯s, Songmei let out a stream of stammers as a classic pink tinge crept onto her face. ¡°Did... did you have to do that?¡±

    ¡°Nope~ I wanted to though,¡± Mingqing sang with a laugh as Youhong, Taigang, and Liying walked over with unimpressed faces.

    ¡°I see you flirts are back at it again,¡± Liying groaned, tapping her foot against the ground as she leaned against the wall.

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re single,¡± Mingqing retorted as Taigang, Youhong, and Songmei began laughing.

    ¡°Ah... yeah... why are we so single Taigang?¡± Liying murmured, leaning her head against Taigang¡¯s shoulder as she watched Mingqing take her tea back. ¡°Cover my eyes Taigang, I can¡¯t do this!¡±

    Laughing, Youhong covered Liying¡¯s eyes as Mingqing gave Songmei a peck on the cheek with a tease. ¡°Sorry, just taking my payment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the oldest one here by a year, how am I so single Taigang?¡± Liying sighed, taking a lychee jelly from Youhong¡¯s outstretched hand. ¡°Why are you gay and why is Youhong so... just... generally uninterested in romance?¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just how it is,¡± Taigang comforted, electing to not remind Liying about how he had collected more numbers than her¡ªor about how Youhong was somehow averaging at least one person¡¯s number per excursion outside.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, sucks to be you,¡± Youhong grinned, popping a lychee jelly into his mouth. ¡°A girl gave me her number earlier this morning. It¡¯s not my fault you got no game. Just be like me, I get a number every time I leave my apartment.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh, it¡¯s just the heavens, they cursed me!¡± Liying lamented, shaking her head as she pushed herself back upright. ¡°Why can¡¯t they donate all the numbers Youhong gets to me! It¡¯s not like he needs them!¡±

    ¡°Yeah... I can¡¯t help you with that,¡± Youhong shook his head, motioning for the two lovebirds to walk over. ¡°So ignoring your, suspicious at best, cultivation secret, Mingqing, I also just wanted to ask what¡¯s the plan today? Are we willing to exert ourselves?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care¡±

    ¡°If you say so, lychee jelly addict.¡±

    Glaring at Liying for her last comment, Youhong shook his head. ¡°Let me finish. Don¡¯t just agree blindly, this is how we all got stabbed.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure we all got stabbed because we didn¡¯t pay attention,¡± Mingqing interjected, feeding off of the laughter in the group already. ¡°We¡¯re actually paying a lot of attention right now.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Songmei smiled, flashing two peace signs, ¡°It takes a lot of effort to find the perfect interjection point!¡±

    ¡°Just... listen.¡± Youhong groaned.

    Opening his mouth to continue, Youhong was cut off by Taigang as he gave Youhong¡¯s shoulder a few pats. ¡°You¡¯re fighting a losing battle. You¡¯re not going to win against the u... triforce.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping...¡± Youhong sighed before asking, ¡°Also, since when have you been afraid of saying uterus?¡±

    ¡°Dude, because we¡¯re in public. The u... triforce is just a game night thing,¡± Taigang defended himself, trying to shush Youhong.

    ¡°ANYWAY,¡± Youhong facepalmed, unwilling to take the conversation further. ¡°Stop distracting me. I overheard from a Wrath like... I don¡¯t know, one of those people under Wrath, that the Mayor¡¯s coming today with her. So if we take a bigger assignment, we¡¯ll probably get better rewards because the mayor¡¯s probably adding his own to the pool as well.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh!¡±

    ¡°I see...¡±

    ¡°Actually making sense for once...¡±

    ¡°So you do have a brain in that head of yours...¡±

    ¡°OH SHUT UP!¡±

 136: Where Do Some People Get Their Money?

    With their team meeting coming to a quick close, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing walked a few paces away, sitting down on a bench while Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying continued their own conversation. Clinking tea together, Songmei and Mingqing leaned back, relaxing as a couple of other groups trickled into the courtyard.

    ¡°Why do we always come so early?¡± Songmei yawned, sipping her tea while extending her legs out in front of her. ¡°I feel like every morning there¡¯s a moment of time where we sit idly, waiting for stuff to start...¡±

    ¡°I mean, being early is good, yeah?¡± Mingqing shrugged, sipping her own tea as she matched Songmei¡¯s movements.

    ¡°Yeah, being early is good, although I ask the question I¡¯d definitely still have the padding time to make sure we¡¯re not late.¡± Songmei agreed with a long sigh. She still was mortified thinking back to the time she walked into her second class twenty minutes late, unaware there was a special schedule making the classes shorter after having the first class of the day off.

    ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t have to wait too long today, isn¡¯t that Wrath and the mayor just over there?¡± Mingqing disrupted the silence as she held Songmei¡¯s hand. ¡°There aren¡¯t too many people today either, so our turn will come around quickly too.¡±

    Murmuring an ¡°Oh sh... you¡¯re right,¡± under her breath, Songmei sat up a little more, fixing her posture in hopes of making a good first impression to the mayor. There wasn¡¯t much need to worry about Wrath at least. At this point, she knew their party to an... amicable level. They could hold a conversation, for sure, but banter was out of the question still.

    In the distance¡ªwhich meant across the courtyard¡ªwas Wrath and the mayor. At the current distance, though her eyesight had improved with her cultivation, Songmei still couldn¡¯t get a clear view of the mayor¡¯s face.

    Wrath, as always, had her close to buzzed blond hair and a set of full plate armor on. Songmei didn¡¯t see the trusty halberd, but she was sure it was either close by, or just in a ring.

    The mayor, on the other hand... seemed to be a cultivator. One at the same level as Wrath, first level foundation establishment. However, his pudgy face and balding gray hair seemed to suggest otherwise.

    Maybe he had given up his cultivation dreams, deciding to pursue politics?

    Deciding to not ponder over why someone like the mayor would¡¯ve dropped cultivation, Songmei tried her best to size him up. As a first level foundation establishment cultivator, there was a close to insurmountable gap in power between him and Songmei¡¯s current level, nineteen opened meridians.

    Close to insurmountable because of a few reasons. It was total guesswork on Songmei¡¯s part, but if she and the rest of the party could trap one of heads of the underworld, they were pretty sure they could whittle them down eventually. Their techniques were stronger as direct disciples, and most of the people who ended up stuck at the first level of foundation establishment opened zero or one of their extraordinary meridians.

    The problem, instead, lay in circumstance. In Westriver, anyone at the first level of foundation establishment always had an entourage of people around them. In fact, Songmei¡¯s party might as well have been considered part of Wrath¡¯s entourage¡ªsure they were hired, but they played a similar role regardless.

    Getting a tap on the shoulder, Songmei leaned over as Mingqing murmured into her ear. ¡°Isn¡¯t the mayor kinda... muscular? I feel like his body doesn¡¯t match his face.¡±

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Replying with a quiet ¡°hmm?¡± Songmei took a closer look at the mayor. Mingqing... certainly had a point. With a pair of suspenders on, Songmei had sort of dismissed him as old, but his button up shirt and khaki pants were tight.

    Kinda like Taigang. In fact, similar to Taigang, Songmei felt bad for the shirt¡¯s buttons and sleeves. The mayor for sure had a lot of muscles under his clothes, they looked fat, but every time he bent his arm, the size of his biceps couldn¡¯t be hidden.

    Wishing the mayor would turn around so she could get a better look at his face, Songmei leaned back into the bench, opening her terminal as she leaned against Mingqing. She could just wait... Wrath and the mayor would eventually have to make their way over to ask how much fighting they¡¯d be willing to do and then give them an assignment...

    ----

    ¡°They¡¯re walking over,¡± Youhong called out as he, Taigang, and Liying walked over, standing around the bench. ¡°So, we¡¯re in agreement right? We¡¯ll take an entire neighborhood today?¡±

    Murmuring her own agreement as everyone else did as well, Songmei looked up as Wrath and the mayor walked over. Now they were side by side and face-on, Songmei could tell there was quite a height difference. Wrath, being a little taller than Liying, was already far above average, and her height was only bolstered by the small heel on her boots.

    The mayor, on the other hand, though muscular, was only a little taller than Songmei herself. He was closer to Songmei¡¯s height than Mingqing¡¯s...

    Pushing herself up off the bench, Songmei nodded her head as the two esteemed leaders made their way over. Flinching for a moment as she noticed Wrath with her halberd, Songmei tilted her head. When had Wrath pulled it out...?

    ¡°Greetings, young ones,¡± Wrath began, tapping her trusty halberd against the ground. ¡°Today¡¯s an important day. As you know, tensions have been rising with Greed, along with the rest of the city as well. All of us seven deadly sins are on the move now. The mayor here, Yang Tianshu, has warned me today will be a day of reckoning. Therefore, I hope you five can take on a larger role today.¡±

    ¡°I would just like to back up Wrath here,¡± Yang Tianshu chuckled, his arms behind his back as he tapped his foot against the cobblestones. ¡°Because today is so important, I, as the mayor, will be offering some of the city¡¯s resources as a reward as well.¡±

    ¡°Aha, I was right!¡± Youhong fist pumped, drawing a laugh from the mayor¡ªand surprisingly¡ªa smile from the stoic Wrath.

    ¡°Why help Wrath though?¡± Taigang inquired, hesitant as he apologized for his direct statement. ¡°You know, we¡¯re fighting Avarice and stuff, not to be rude or anything, but Wrath and Avarice, as famous and high-key as they are, are still ¡®underworld¡¯ figures.¡±

    Belting out a full-bellied laugh, a twinkle entered Yang Tianshu¡¯s eye. ¡°You all truly live up to your reputations. I admire it, and look forward to how you all grow in the future. Your keen minds will serve you well...¡±

    With Yang Tianshu heaping on some more praise, Songmei, though happy the mayor seemed to be a nice guy, was still apprehensive. It was nothing against the mayor, of course, his geniality was very much appreciated, and Songmei felt at ease with him.

    The twinkle though, the moment it entered Yang Tianshu¡¯s eyes, Songmei felt she saw a whole different side to him. Standing there with his arms behind his back and a slight eyebrow furrow, he seemed like a battle hardened veteran willing to do anything to achieve his goals. ¡°I like to have an amicable relationship with everyone, even those in the underworld. And Avarice? He... crossed a few lines. Remember when he attacked you all? He was one of my most trusted confidants, but now... no more. A stray horse needs to be tied down. A sheep led to its slaughter. A pig cannot be allowed to think it''s human.¡±

    Well... that was... gruesome. To be fair, the mayor had a point, Songmei could agree. Demons weren¡¯t to be collaborated with, but... dang, the mayor was rough. Well, the two matching scars running down each side of his face didn¡¯t help. They passed over his eyes like the marks of a predator, like a tiger waiting to pounce.

    Leaving Taigang, Liying, and Mingqing to continue the conversation and inform Wrath and Yang Tianshu of their plans, Songmei stood there, nodding along while making eye contact with Youhong every few seconds.

    How... in the world and heavens... was Youhong not dirt poor with less money than a literal random rock on the ground? Songmei watched as lychee jelly after lychee jelly disappeared into Youhong¡¯s mouth.

    The man had to have been eating a literal boat¡¯s worth every day...

 137: Promises For The Future

    Volunteering to defend an entire contested neighborhood for the day, Lin Songmei, along with Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying, all set out from the courtyard. Though the morning was still young, the neighborhood Wrath had given them was one of the farthest, and as... well, not broke direct disciples, they still hadn¡¯t bought transportation for themselves.

    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t they have given us a closer neighborhood,¡± Liying murmured, stretching as she munched on some breakfast while walking. ¡°Isn¡¯t there the one we fought in a couple of weeks ago? The one that¡¯s like... two minutes out from the courtyard?¡±

    ¡°Well, we were there pretty early today, so we have time to walk over, don¡¯t we?¡± Taigang chuckled, shrugging as he led the pack. ¡°Sometime, once we leave Westriver though, we really should all think about transportation...¡±

    With some murmurs of agreement filling the conversation, a silence fell onto the group. No one wanted to address the elephant in the room. Well, they were walking, so the elephant in the middle of the street might¡¯ve been more accurate.

    Putting aside the other random factors, Songmei for sure didn¡¯t want to be the one to broach the topic. For one, she and Mingqing were¡ªwithout a shadow of a doubt¡ªin the best position. They were dating, had the same master, and would go back to the sect where they¡¯d... maybe move into the same room.

    They¡¯d be having more sleepovers for sure at least.

    But, in general, the party had been a little more subdued. Sure, Songmei was dense, but she wasn¡¯t dense enough to miss the awkward pauses and down looks cropping up during their game nights¡ªshe made them herself too...

    Sure, it¡¯d be nice to hang out with Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei once more, but... they really just weren¡¯t the same as the current party. And who knew how long it¡¯d be until they all saw each other again?

    ¡°I mean... I¡¯ll miss you all,¡± Liying broke the silence, deciding to poke the bear, ¡°I don¡¯t have many... well, really any genuine friends in my sect currently. So, I¡¯ll really miss you all... we should somehow organize ways to hang out...¡±

    ¡°We can try to figure some online stuff out?¡± Youhong murmured, his hands still at his sides for once as he strolled along. ¡°We can, at the minimum, call each other, yeah?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... true,¡± Liying murmured, a little comforted as Youhong walked beside her, comforting her as everyone else fell into a pensive silence.

    The general problem they were facing was... complicated. No one was really worried about falling behind. At this point, even Songmei herself, who was the most insecure about her cultivation, had confidence to at least keep up with her friends. The problem was, could they all remain friends?

    Cultivation, in general, had been split into four main chunks, beginning, middle, late, and end. Each section was divided based on two things, the major tribulation one had to face to cross the chasm, and the time frame in which realm progress was measured. As meridian cultivators, they were still in the beginning, of course, which meant they were disciples still shackled by their sects. That also meant progress still was fast¡ªthe largest unit of measurement was still years.

    Then there were the people in the middle. The middle was were lines began to blur. Depending on one¡¯s ambitions, or talent, this was already quite high. In the lower tiers, or levels, depending on which terminology was being used, sects could be founded if one was a cultivator who fell into the ¡®middle section.¡¯

    In fact, in rural areas, like where Songmei was from, where the cities were smaller, and non-cultivator focused, a middle-level cultivator was a super powerhouse. Ancestor of a sect type of thing.

    Then came people like Yan Mingliang. Songmei shuddered just thinking of him. He had such a famous reputation, and yet... she was dating his little sister. Songmei just crossed her fingers at night hoping he wouldn¡¯t blow her head off. He was known as a doting older sibling after all...

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    But Yan Mingliang, being a genius, stepped into the middle realms just after thirty years old. Though the progress in realms categorized in ¡®the middle,¡¯ was measured in decades¡ªa commonality in the early realms in ¡®late¡¯ as well, someone like Yan Mingliang was still very much a disciple. It wasn¡¯t until late in the middle stages when someone could even attempt to be an elder at a sect like Starlight Lake.

    And oftentimes they¡¯d be given something close to a janitorial position if they weren¡¯t a rising star, future of the sect, type of person.

    But, what mattered was the freedom given to disciples in the middle section. Once they passed the tribulation and entered core formation, they could journey to the central continent. Everyone planned on meeting up by then, their party could reform, but would their friendship last?

    ¡°So... what¡¯s the plan then?¡± Songmei ventured, breaking the silence as she could think of nothing. ¡°We¡¯re not going to just all be long distance for twelve or so years are we?¡±

    ¡°I mean, the plan is to not do that,¡± Youhong shrugged. ¡°At the minimum, because we¡¯re all near the top of our year, we¡¯ll all be sent to sect competitions, so we¡¯ll see each other then?¡±

    ¡°Oh, maybe we should start signing up for realm expeditions then? You know, the ones where you go into some pocket dimension?¡± Mingqing interjected, stroking her chin as she looked down at the pavement. ¡°I just remembered they exist, we¡¯re probably way too young for the vast majority of them, but some of them have realm restrictions. So only lower realm people can go in.¡±

    ¡°YOU¡¯RE SUCH A GENIUS!¡± Liying cried out, bolting over and hugging Mingqing, ¡°Wait, we could totally do that. Do you think they¡¯d let us form a party even though we¡¯re part of different sects?¡±

    ¡°We have history,¡± Taigang nodded along, getting into the idea. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we think of this before? Are we all dumb?¡±

    ¡°I think most of us were trying to figure out some strategies with stuff unrelated to cultivation... and also realm expeditions are so painful, haven''t you heard?¡± Youhong sighed, looking around as they strolled along the empty, post¨Cmorning rush streets. ¡°They¡¯re still the leading cause of death for all cultivators.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you improve fast,¡± Liying raised a point, ¡°that¡¯s something isn¡¯t it? Yan Mingliang was practically solo¡¯ing those for five years. That¡¯s how he improved so fast.¡±

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s my point,¡± Youhong pondered out loud. ¡°It¡¯s not very fun reuniting with your friends if you¡¯re all running away at full speed from a bear the size of a house, you know? And it doesn¡¯t help that the bear is probably part of a pack of two hundred.¡±

    Looking down to check his watch, Taigang got everyone¡¯s attention with a loud clear of the throat. ¡°Let¡¯s talk more about this the next time we have a game night. We¡¯re running behind schedule so let¡¯s... uh... run I guess.¡±

    ¡°You right, you right,¡± Youhong agreed as everyone put away everything they were holding, breaking out into a light jog¡ªone aided by their techniques of course.

    Hopping over a rock and leaping onto a ledge to run along, Songmei sighed as she thanked herself for staying consistent with her cardio. ¡°No matter when we meet up again, we better all have vehicles. These morning runs have been getting old really fast.¡±

    With a chorus of agreement sounding out from the rest of the group who was just as annoyed as her, Songmei looked over towards Taigang. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to buy a tank?¡±

    ¡°I feel like that¡¯d be too over the top...¡± Taigang sighed, ¡°I¡¯d have to wait until I¡¯m older and famous. If I¡¯m still alive when we¡¯re older and like... I don¡¯t know, a war breaks out, I think I could get away with it. I¡¯m just thinking about a four-wheeler heavier, bulkier car for now. How about you all?¡±

    ¡°Sports car,¡± Youhong answered with a short burst, keeping his breathing intact as he watched Taigang clutch his side from a cramp. ¡°Don¡¯t talk so much you smooth-brained gym bro.¡±

    Raising an eyebrow as Taigang had no breath to retort, Mingqing shrugged. ¡°Motorcycle. Taigang, you go to the gym so much, do you ever use the treadmill?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he does...¡± Songmei trailed off. She might¡¯ve started much later than most with training cardio, but she¡ªwith a few exceptions¡ªonly did cardio, so she was fine. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about car too, sorta similar to Youhong I guess...¡±

    Speeding up a touch with an annoying grin plastered across her face, Liying flashed a peace sign to Taigang as she tapped her chin. ¡°Probably a sports car, or a motorcycle. Something cool and hopefully fast. I¡¯ll be sure to have the moment I leave Westriver, so I can show it to you all whenever we meet up again.¡±

    Taigang, just trying to not die from his cramp, could only nod along as everyone made similar promises, swearing in his mind he¡¯d do more cardio in the future.

 138: Return Of Some Plebs

    Arriving in their neighborhood with a couple minutes to spare, Lin Songmei leaned against a wall, closing her eyes and concentrating on her breathing as everyone else did their own recovery process.

    Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, and Zhao Liying, from what she could see, were in pretty good shape. Wang Taigang, on the other hand, seemed to have died a little inside during their run. Songmei wasn¡¯t sure though, of course¡ªmaybe Taigang¡¯s preferred recovery position was the splayed-out-on-the-ground starfish.

    Cracking her eyes open, Songmei looked around. Like many of the contested neighborhoods where battles took place, everything was falling apart. The buildings were cracked and tilted, the windows devoid of any glass, and the roofs and walls were caved in.

    And... for some reason, Songmei couldn¡¯t see a single door. Maybe they were just too inefficient. Maybe people preferred a more direct connection to the outside world...

    With a long street all to themselves, Songmei stretched a bit, pulled out her now well-worn bow, strumming the string a few times as everyone else went through their own pre-fight routines. Walking over to Taigang, Songmei helped him off the ground, asking ¡°What¡¯s the plan? Are we just going with the usual?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s tried and true, I don¡¯t see why not. Just be on alert, I don¡¯t like what the mayor hinted at.¡± Taigang nodded, talking loud enough for everyone to hear. ¡°Everyone got it?¡±

    Crossing his arms and nodding as everyone replied with their confirmation, Taigang shrugged. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going then.¡±

    Jogging off to her customary position, Songmei looked around for a stable building near the center of the street. Channeling Qi into her legs, Songmei, still in stride, leapt up without much difficulty, camping out as she loosened up her arms.

    Taigang did have a good point, the mayor seemed... vindictive. Today, for one reason or another, Songmei felt, was going to change the course of many lives in the city. A day of reckoning.

    Still, even after Avarice¡¯s failure, not even the people from the sect managed to do anything major. Avarice was still up and about, running without a care in the world. Songmei couldn¡¯t see how the mayor and Wrath were going to achieve a different result...

    Snapping an iridescent, crystal arrow into existence, Songmei grinned. Her crystal generation practice had begun to bore its fruit. No longer would Songmei ever need another quiver. Her arrow supply, at least, was now just powered by her Qi.

    Twirling the arrow in her fingers, Songmei looked around, beginning her job as the scout as Mingqing, Youhong, Taigang, and Liying took their own positions near the edges of the neighborhood.

    ¡°Anyone have any sightings?¡± Mingqing¡¯s voice buzzed to life through the call everyone was connected to. ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone either,¡± Songmei added, speaking into the terminal on her wrist as she scanned every direction and dimension around her. ¡°Taigang and Youhong, anyone on  your side?¡±

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°Not yet,¡± Youhong reported as the distinctive sound of footsteps crunching against gravel was also passed through the call. ¡°Just stay alert I guess...¡±

    Sighing as the neighborhood seemed deserted, Songmei tapped her feet, cycling her Qi into her legs, preparing to run towards whichever side reported an enemy first. Tugging her jacket forward, Songmei stared off into the sky, bow still in one hand, arrow in the other.

    Just as her mind began to wander back towards lunch plans, Songmei was yanked back into the present as Mingqing and Liying¡¯s voice came through the call, reporting a swarm of land bound enemies¡ªboth human and machine.

    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s get this party started,¡± Songmei laughed, spinning on her heel and breaking into a run. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Songmei channeled more Qi to strengthen her legs and keep in stride as she burst forward with superhuman speed.

    Being the first wave of reinforcements, Songmei whistled as arrived, unlike usual, she could spot a couple of actual cultivators at the back of the pack, directing its movements to try and wear down Mingqing and Liying.

    ¡°Reporting, some cultivators in the back, not usual underling help, but hired help like us.¡± Songmei reported, coming to a skidding stop and planting her feet.

    Pulling her bow back until it was taut, Songmei let loose a crystal arrow, lasering it towards the back of the pack. Snapping another arrow into existence, Songmei chuckled as Taigang¡¯s voice came through the call. ¡°Today¡¯s really important then, if Avarice is willing to spend money to hire attackers not just defenders.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess we shouldn¡¯t be surprised if we¡¯re called to support another neighborhood once we¡¯re done here.¡± Youhong added with a long sigh. ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a couple of seconds.¡±

    Letting loose another couple of arrows from her rooftop, Songmei shook her head as the cultivators in the back noticed her presence. Jumping down from the rooftop, Songmei disappeared from her spot as a couple of long range attacks landed where she was just standing.

    Making her way across the street to leap onto the other rooftops, Songmei paused for a second, watching as a shining golden and an inky black figure bolted past her eyes. With Taigang being able to use his primary sun technique across most of his body now, Songmei whistled as she watched a golden sun bulldoze its way deep into the enemy lines.

    Leaping up onto the rooftop, Songmei let loose another couple of laser beams¡ªwell, arrows, but same difference¡ªas she watched Youhong¡¯s figure blend into a haze and disappear.

    Clenching her hands, Songmei focused up. It was her job to occupy and distract the party in the back so they didn¡¯t direct the army with manual directions. Songmei was... pretty sure she knew them too. They were from the Flame Ocean Palace who kept trying to get with her or Mingqing.

    Peeling back the restriction Xueli had placed onto her eyes just a touch¡ªto the safe levels Xueli had allowed her to¡ªSongmei confirmed their identities with their Qi signatures.

    ¡°What are they doing here...¡±

    At least they¡¯d be easy to beat. Tracking them with the Qi steaming off their bodies, Songmei squinted her now amethyst-colored eyes, letting loose arrow after arrow towards the idle party in the back.

    Reinforcing her arrows to enhance their strength, piercing power, and speed, Songmei grinned as she tore through the lines of machines guarding the party.

    Sigh.

    With her arrows now scattered across the ground deflected by the party, Songmei could only spare a thought of remorse. She had fought them before, had they forgotten?

    Channeling a whirlpool¡¯s worth of Qi into her fist, Songmei clenched it, pressing her lips together as she detonated the scattered arrows. Sending crystal shards beaming out in every direction, Songmei channeled more Qi into the distant arrows, tucking herself behind a wall as she left herself vulnerable for a moment.

    By using more Qi, Songmei could keep her arrows non-lethal. The shards, instead of piercing, with the addition of her Qi, melted upon impact, expanding into larger blocks of crystal to immobilize, distract, and slow down the opposing party.

 139: Simple-Minded Domination

    Lin Songmei, with her arm moving in a rhythmic dance, kept herself on the move as she occupied the enemy party alone while Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying fought through the horde. Songmei knew, as long as she could just keep the equilibrium, they¡¯d win. After all, she and Mingqing alone could whoop this party¡¯s... backside.

    She just had to wait. Patience.

    Taigang, being the tank of the party, plowed his way through the hordes of enemies. For once, he could disregard the words of his master, Yuan Muyun. As a needle-user, all she did was yell at Taigang to think as he fought, to use his strength and fists in a delicate, focused manner.

    Doesn''t matter now! Taigang swung his fists, threw kicks, and launched himself forward as golden arcs of light streamed out from his blows, burning the machines through their circuitry. Keeping his eyes open only to not punch his teammates, Taigang kept himself in the same area as everyone else, throwing himself in the way of ranged blows whenever they came.

    The long hours in the gym had paid off! Flexing every muscle in his body as he let out loud yells, Taigang grinned as he felt the adrenaline run through his body. With his Qi sprinting through this body, Taigang¡¯s body shined gold as he reinforced it. With beams of sun-like Qi emanating off his attacks and his body, Taigang stamped his presence onto the battlefield.

    Not far from Taigang, though, was Liying, commanding her own section of the battlefield with her trusty spear in hand. Without a visible body-enhancement technique, Liying looked normal, maybe a little sweatier than usual with all the flames, but still... normal.

    Liying¡¯s fighting, however, was anything but normal. Perched atop a roof, Songmei glanced at the battle below her between the arrows she fired towards the enemies. Letting loose arrow after arrow, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but see Liying throw her spear forward every few seconds. Her spear, coated in fire, resembled a roaring dragon as it rushed forward, creating a bolt of flame jetting through the enemy lines every few seconds.

    The most disgusting thing though, in Songmei¡¯s opinion, was when Liying saw she had no enemies around her, and began directing the spear from a distance. It only took a couple of wrist flicks before Liying¡¯s spear began moving like a taxi driver weaving through traffic. Leaving a trail of fire behind it, Liying¡¯s spear would make its way back to Liying through a different path.

    Maximum disgustingness if Songmei had any say.

    Liying was also planning on learning an auxiliary set of martial arts to use her ¡®I¡¯m going to spear you from across the battlefield¡¯ technique more! Songmei wanted to know who gave her these ideas... and give them a firm and gracious ¡°thank you,¡± of course. Like how people online would ¡°thank¡± the opposing party¡¯s family, descendants, and ancestors when feeling the fire of anger burning in their gut.

    Letting loose another couple of arrows, Songmei leapt off the roof, slipping between the other dilapidated houses in the area to find a new hiding spot from which she could harass the party they were fighting.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Watching ranged attacks crash down onto her previous hiding place, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but raise an eyebrow and murmur ¡°were their ranged attacks this bad?¡± The ground wasn¡¯t even cracked! These houses were about as strong as single-ply toilet paper! How could they not even create some dust?

    With a couple extra moments of time, Songmei pulled out a water bottle, taking a couple sips before launching herself back into battle.

    Now on the other side of the battlefield where Mingqing and Youhong were fighting, Songmei¡¯s eyes swept the area, taking a couple glances at the others before letting out a low whistle. Hiding behind a corner, Songmei took a second to form a handful of arrows out of crystal, putting them in the empty quiver by her waist.

    Peeking out, Songmei let off a barrage of arrows before slipping behind the corner once more. With closed eyes, Songmei concentrated on her faint, but constant connection to the arrows as they zipped through the air.

    By tapping her finger to keep an estimate of how long the arrows had been flying for, Songmei clenched her fist as she guesstimated the distance. Peeking out, Songmei shrugged as she saw her scattered arrows. A couple of them had detonated quite close to the enemies, but a couple hadn¡¯t been close enough.

    Changing her location for the sake of caution, Songmei ran by where Mingqing was fighting, ducking as she didn¡¯t want to distract her girlfriend. Mingqing, on the other hand, did not care, or even know, Songmei had run by.

    With her hair tied back, Mingqing breathed out a starry, yet icy mist with every breath as she carved through the pack. Unlike Liying, Mingqing had no issues regarding sweat, in fact the opposite.

    Liying and Mingqing had learned how to maximize their fighting styles though: fight as far from each other as possible. It was a little counterintuitive, well... for the temperature of their bodies; however, it was still basic logic.

    Mingqing, with her sword in hand, just plowed through the enemies with no regard to their attacks or their defense. With a body strengthening technique straight out of the heavens, Mingqing could shrug off most attacks. The rest? Well, she¡¯d cut down the enemies before they had a chance to even try the rest.

    As a side effect of her combat style, clouds of mist obscured the area Mingqing fought in. For someone as... experienced... as Songmei, traversal wasn¡¯t an issue. Slipping through the fog, Songmei recited the classic line everyone in the party abided by: ¡°Avoid the screams, and you won¡¯t be the one screaming.¡±

    For this particular battle, it was metal, so the ¡°screams¡± part didn¡¯t quite match up, but it worked nonetheless.

    Back atop a roof, Songmei let loose some more arrows, lasering them towards the enemy with pinpoint accuracy. Yet, with the army beginning to thin, Songmei could spare a couple more moments to look at Mingqing.

    Dang, she was cool. So indescribably cool...

    From above, Songmei could see Mingqing¡¯s figure. Though Mingqing¡¯s fighting style sent mist in every direction, her strikes¡ªand accompanying Qi blasts, blades, and waves¡ªcleared out an area of clarity around her.

    Reminding herself she had to keep fighting, Songmei created some arrows as she stole some glances at Mingqing. Mingqing¡¯s fighting was graceful. In Songmei¡¯s, definitely very educated, super expert with swords, cultivation teacher extraordinaire¡¯s opinion, it looked to have a blend of everything!

    There were maniacal slashes, gruesome cleaves, graceful twirls, rat-like rolls, unexpected jabs, and best of all, powerful movements behind each and every stroke. Mingqing looked like she had been born with a sword¡ªwhich, from what Songmei had heard, might as well have been true.

    Maybe the only thing missing was defense... But did it really matter? When Mingqing was leaving behind a trail of destruction in her wake, dissecting and eviscerating everything in her path?

 140: Roadside Culinary

    With the fight beginning to wind down a little, Lin Songmei took a few glances at the last member of the party, Han Youhong. Songmei didn¡¯t have much to say about him. He was great! Out of everyone in the party, he was the most independent. He didn¡¯t need support, help, or defense, all he needed was an area to go to work.

    For the most part, in smaller battles, Songmei noticed Youhong kept to an assassin like role, disappearing in and out of shadows, releasing a short burst of attacks to decimate an enemy before disappearing again. In bigger battles, ones where there were just waves of fodder, where the goal of the enemy was to just wear them down, Youhong could then demonstrate his... keen ability to use chain blades.

    Fighting as if the enemies had committed war crimes against a lychee jelly factory, Youhong would twirl his blades while gripping the center of the chain, creating a straight up zone of death around himself.

    During spars, Songmei would be spared, she¡¯d just stick to a distance and annoy Youhong with her arrows. She could add chunks of crystal to his blades, throwing his rhythm off before finishing him off.

    Well, that had worked for a while until Youhong had learned. At least her strategy served as great practice for when machine parts would get stuck to Youhong¡¯s blades... Now, as ¡®training,¡¯ Songmei would just aim for Youhong¡¯s eyes and head with non-lethal arrows.

    With a couple extra free moments, Songmei kept a curious eye on Youhong¡¯s battle. With a new crowd of enemies crashing down on Youhong, Songmei watched Youhong spin his chain blades before twirling them forward. With Youhong sprinting forward through the crowd, Songmei took a half-step back as she grimaced. Youhong, with his cold expression as usual, just... particle-ized a crowd of machines!

    Songmei was one-hundred percent sure she made up ¡°particle-ized¡± but she didn¡¯t care! It fit with Youhong¡¯s ruthless domination... machines were being carved up, the pavement was being carved up, and every house in the general vicinity was being carved up. It was almost as if Youhong was training himself to become one of the lychee jelly cutting machines working non-stop at the factories.

    Sighing, Songmei went back to her own job, launching arrows at a constant rhythm towards the enemy, harassing them as everyone else cleaned up their last enemies.

    With the first, and main stage of the battle coming to a quick close, Songmei¡¯s primary job was over. Instead, she could go back to her preferred role: sitting around in the back doing nothin-... supporting.

    Watching from behind, Songmei did her best to participate in the battle. However, the party from Flame Ocean Palace didn¡¯t put up much resistance. It wasn¡¯t out of Songmei¡¯s expectations either. Her party had already warmed up and had plenty of gas still in the tank¡ªone built from all the excruciatingly long battles they had fought¡ªso Yan Mingqing, Wang Taigang alone could steamroll the party. It just... didn¡¯t help, of course, when Zhao Liying and Youhong decided to pitch in to help.

    ----

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°What now?¡± Taigang asked the group, sitting on the now pulverized pavement. ¡°Battles over, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll actually get anyone else today, will we?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either...¡± Mingqing murmured, glancing over her sword with practiced looks. ¡°When they send this many people, it¡¯s usually a whole day thing. I don¡¯t think they expected Wrath to assign such a strong party to this unimportant neighborhood.¡±

    ¡°So... what now?¡± Taigang repeated his question, falling back and splaying out against the ground. ¡°I mean, technically we do have to guard the neighborhood for the whole day. Even if we know nothing¡¯s going to happen.¡±

    ¡°Well, what if something does happen?¡± Youhong retorted, raising an eyebrow as he nodded with a grin. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t even believe myself when I say it. Want to set up something nice for lunch?¡±

    ¡°What do you have...?¡± Liying groaned from her own starfish position. ¡°I¡¯m beat, I just want something unhealthy... I have some instant noodles in my ring if someone has a stove and pot...¡±

    Just nodding along to the conversation, Songmei closed her eyes, sending some Qi into her spatial storage ring to see what was inside. ¡°I have a stove, it¡¯s solar powered so we¡¯re good to go on that front. I don¡¯t have a pot though, just a pa-¡±

    ¡°I have a pot,¡± Youhong answered without hesitation, pulling one out of his ring and handing it over to Songmei.

    ¡°Well... I was also going to ask if we wanted to... uh... buy something? Or eat something a little healthier or nicer than instant noodles? I¡¯m fine either way, but I have some vegetables in my ring as well.¡± Songmei continued, taking the pot from Youhong with an awkward nod.

    Flicking over a packet of instant noodles, Liying gave a weak thumbs-up from her position. ¡°Just instant noodles for me... and also sorry I don¡¯t have the energy to cook today...¡±

    ¡°What made you so tired?¡± Youhong asked, poking Liying¡¯s limp body. ¡°Also take out some more packets, we all want instant noodles.¡±

    With a small mound of instant noodles appearing beside Liying, Youhong pushed them toward Songmei. ¡°Want to cook? I can if you want to, of course.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m fine,¡± Songmei shrugged, grabbing Mingqing¡¯s hand and tapping on it like a water faucet. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything really during the battle, I¡¯m quite full of energy.¡±

    Watching a small stream of water come out of Mingqing¡¯s fingertip, Songmei sighed¡ªshe had forgotten how icy cold it always came out as. ¡°Do you have another pot though, Youhong?¡±

    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Youhong answered, handing over another pot while bowing. ¡°Please cook our instant noodles to perfection!¡±

    ¡°I... I¡¯ll try my best...¡± Songmei murmured, turning toward Mingqing and pulling out some vegetables from her spatial storage ring. ¡°Want to help me cut these up? I might as well add these in for some extra flavor.¡±

    ¡°Sure,¡± Mingqing nodded, her head still a little absent as she stowed her sword. Taking the vegetables with one hand, Mingqing put them down on a cutting board before pulling out half-a-dozen knives.

    Watching Mingqing fan them out, then look at them with an inquisitive stare, everyone in the party fell quiet as Mingqing pondered which knife to use.

    ¡°Why... do you have so many knives?¡± Liying broke the silence, rolling over and pushing herself up. ¡°And putting aside you have so many knives, why don¡¯t you know how to use them?¡±

    ¡°I do, I do,¡± Mingqing nodded, storing away five of the knives. ¡°I¡¯m just tired so I zoned out.¡±

    ¡°You know what,¡± Youhong laughed, deciding to splay out after Liying got up. ¡°Out of all the answers you could¡¯ve given, that one was probably the best. If you said something like ¡®I wanted to admire them,¡¯ I would¡¯ve booked it as fast as I could outta here.¡±

 141: A Jokes Karmic Retribution

    Even if they were chowing down on instant noodles in the middle of the street¡ªwith no cover, no scouts, or general regard for their own safety¡ªLin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying couldn¡¯t deny they had a good time.

    With each of them holding a steaming bowl of noodles, they had all sat in a circle while in various states between ¡®indistinguishable from a corpse¡¯ to ¡®actually sitting upright.¡¯ Slurping, sipping, and downing their noodles with no regard to the potential heart problems the extreme amounts of salt could cause, they all chatted, forgetting any of their worries for the future for just a little while.

    With their beyond-early lunch over, the five cultivators sat around, leaning against various pieces of rubble¡ªor each other¡ªwhile passing the time with idle conversation. At one point Youhong and Mingqing played some video games, at another Taigang somehow managed to pull himself to do another upper body workout.

    And so, eleven in the morning came and went, noon came and went, and one in the afternoon came and went.

    Without too much to do, everyone began mulling around. They couldn¡¯t leave, of course. Surrendering their reward after all the fighting would¡¯ve been about as close to a catastrophic fatal error as one could get.

    It wasn¡¯t until later, just a little past one when interesting things started to happen once more. With a shockwave, Songmei bolted to her feet as she watched three figures fly by. Scrambling to pull out her bow as everyone else in the party searched for their weapons, Songmei watched as Avarice, Wrath, and the mayor all climbed out of the rubble of a building.

    With her halberd in hand, Wrath stood a few steps ahead of the mayor while facing Avarice. Avarice, with his customary smug grin, twirled around a pair of twin blades while the mayor readied himself, extra-large great-sword in hand.

    Backing away from the battle, Songmei slid her way next to the others as they watched from a safe distance. They couldn''t make out the exchange of words but... some heated words were being hurled no doubt.

    Stroking his chin, Youhong provided some dead-pan color commentary while looking at the scene. ¡°As we can see here, Wrath and the mayor have put themselves in a favorable position, pushing Avarice out into contested territory where his subordinates can¡¯t support.¡±

    ¡°Here, Avarice is faced with a couple of avenues of action,¡± Songmei hopped in, draping an arm over Youhong¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Avarice can either run or fight.¡±

    ¡°Oh... my... what a dire situation,¡± Liying hopped in, deciding to act as an amazed audience member, ¡°Run or fight?? So crazy... I can¡¯t imagine... cultivators? Such ascendant beings.¡±

    Pushing an invisible set of glasses up his nose, Taigang, in the most nasal voice he could, added in as well, as a classic know-it-all. ¡°Don¡¯t you know? In a situation like this, the only correct action is to begin running. Since the chances of winning are so slim when fighting against two other people in the same realm as you. You have to be some sort of cultivation novel genius in order to win. And we all know those don¡¯t exist in reality. Heh.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, Mingqing just turned away. Crossing her arms, Mingqing continued to watch the scene in silence, leaving her four friends to crumble into heaps of laughter.

    With Wrath, Avarice, and the mayor raising their weapons once more, everyone fell into silence as they raised their own weapons as well. Songmei, snapping an arrow into existence, sent some Qi into her eyes, causing a deep amethyst color to fill her irises.

    Watching their Qi signatures flare up, Songmei squinted her eyes to block out some of the discomfort. Yet, contrary to her all expectations, Songmei watched as Avarice lowered his swords, stowing them before running.

    It wasn¡¯t out of her expectations Avarice would run; however, Avarice running towards Wrath and the mayor without weapons was a little strange.

    With everyone in the party confused, the silence became a thick goo. Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and hesitant backward steps were taken.

    Squelch.

    That... was... a lot of blood.

    With Wrath screaming, Songmei covered her mouth as she watched the mayor¡¯s great-sword puncture straight through Wrath¡¯s armor like it was wet tissue paper. Coming out the other side with a healthy¡ªwell, unhealthy if looking at the situation¡ªdose of blood and chunks of what seemed to be... intestines, the mayor¡¯s sword was dyed red as the mayor grabbed Wrath from behind.

    ¡°The... the what just happened...¡± Youhong murmured, quiet as Greed and the mayor walked towards each other, giving each other a high-five and handshake.

    ¡°We gotta do something.¡± Taigang interrupted in a hushed whisper, pulling everyone in close as he began rapping out some orders. ¡°Okay, we have to rescue Wrath. Songmei uses that arrow to crystalize the mayor¡¯s sword into Wrath so he can¡¯t pull it out. Then we¡¯ll rush them, get Wrath, and book it to the hospital.¡±

    With everyone giving a short ¡°yes!¡± Songmei took a couple steps back, rotating to try and get a better view of her target. She¡¯d only have one shot. Taking a deep breath, Songmei drew her bow back as everyone else did a weird... well, stealthy, half-crouched run towards their own positions.

    In.

    Out.

    Relaxing her shoulders and lining it up just a little more, Songmei let the arrow loose, channeling a ton of Qi into it as fast as she could. The more she channeled the more crystal it¡¯d blossom into.

    With her arrow zipping through the air, Songmei did a fist bump as the arrow found its mark, encasing the sword and a little bit of Wrath¡¯s torso.

    ¡°GO!¡± Taigang shouted not a second later, bursting out from behind a rock and charging at the now bewildered duo. Drawing all the attention to himself by illuminating himself with his main technique, Taigang glowed golden as he trucked the mayor, giving him a newfound appreciation for the pavement he walked on everyday.

    With the rest of the party using their most powerful techniques right off the bat, Songmei followed suit. They just needed to stave the mayor and Avarice off as fast as possible and book it to the hospital. They couldn¡¯t win a protracted battle, not yet at least.

    Snapping arrow after arrow into existence, Songmei let them loose, bothering Avarice and the mayor for a few moments so they couldn¡¯t pull out their weapons. With Youhong and Liying¡¯s most powerful attacks crashing down on Avarice, they pushed him back while Mingqing sent her own barrage of attacks onto the now possibly concussed mayor.

    ¡°Taigang, you''re in charge of Wrath!¡± Mingqing growled, holding off the mayor as he scampered backward, trying to find a moment to climb to his feet. ¡°Liying! You¡¯re rear! Songmei! Middle!¡±

 142: A Hospital With A Lack Of Hospitality

    Sprinting down the street, Lin Songmei took a few glances backward as the mayor and Avarice began to chase. Wang Taigang was sprinting up ahead, Wrath slung over his shoulder as his legs glowed golden. Behind Wang Taigang was Yan Mingqing, having booked it after Wrath was picked up. Behind Songmei herself were the other two: Han Youhong and Zhao Liying.

    ¡°I never knew Taigang had it in him to run this fast,¡± Songmei murmured to herself as she accelerated to close the gap between her and Mingqing. With the gap between everyone closing, Songmei tapped Mingqing on the shoulder to motion for her to speed up as Youhong and Liying closed in from behind.

    Snapping an arrow into existence, Songmei took a glance over her shoulder.

    A new problem had arisen.

    How was she supposed to fire an arrow while sprinting at full tilt?

    Channeling more Qi through her legs, Songmei decided to use a bit more of an... advanced solution if anyone could catch her drift. It was as they said, unfair problems required unfair solutions. She just had to use her body enhancement technique to the fullest. Because it prioritized speed far more than strength, Songmei was sure she could outrun the rest of the party if Qi was allowed.

    Overtaking Mingqing, then Taigang, Songmei continued on, running ahead, snapping a few more arrows into existence as she ran. Glancing over her shoulders to find the mayor and Avarice, who were also doing a mad-dash towards them, Songmei came to a skidding stop.

    With everyone else in the party realizing her intentions, they all swerved to the side as Songmei let loose her handful of arrows.

    Firing as many arrows as she could, with a couple being normal penetrating arrows and others being explode-into-bunches-of-crystal-upon-impact arrows, Songmei stored her bow in her spatial storage ring once more as Taigang and Mingqing ran by her. She had slowed the two down just a little more, and every bit counted.

    Pushing herself back into a run, Songmei sprinted beside Taigang and Mingqing as Youhong and Liying caught up bit by bit.

    ¡°Alright, Taigang, want me to take her?¡± Songmei asked, extending her arms out as Taigang clutched his side with a cramp.

    ¡°No... it¡¯s fine.¡± Taigang nodded with labored breaths. ¡°I need the training. And she¡¯s really heavy. I¡¯m the only one who can¡¯t fight at range so you all need to be free.¡±

    Taigang had a fair point. Everyone would slow down because of how heavy Wrath, her plate armor, and new appendage weighed. Giving a thumbs-up, Songmei looked up ahead. ¡°We just need to make it to inhabited areas.¡±

    ¡°Yeah...¡± Mingqing murmured as she turned back with a squint. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re already beginning to slow, they must really not want to be seen...¡±

    ¡°Something¡¯s up,¡± Youhong mused, having caught up. ¡°Let¡¯s walk once we get to the intersection up ahead.¡±

    ¡°O...kay...¡± Taigang labored, putting his head down and accelerating just a little more. After two runs full of suffering, Taigang swore to himself, more than ever before, to strap himself to the treadmill and run like crazy once their current situation resolved itself.

    A couple minutes later¡ªwell, closer to one minute later¡ªeveryone slowed down as Avarice and the mayor disappeared from view. Songmei, doing fine, spun on her heel, taking a quick look around as Taigang passed Wrath to Mingqing before clinging to the wall like a brand new lover. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    With sweat pouring down Taigang¡¯s face, Songmei made eye contact with the others, making a tacit agreement to give Taigang some time to recover before continuing.

    ¡°So... what¡¯s the plan? I know we¡¯ve been doing some quick thinking,¡± Liying took over, stepping up as the vice-leader while Taigang tried to relearn how to breathe. ¡°We can drop Wrath off at the hospital, she¡¯ll be safe there. She¡¯s unconscious right now, right Mingqing?¡±

    ¡°Yep, out cold.¡± Mingqing nodded, taking a moment to check once more. ¡°She was barely awake earlier, thanking Taigang and stuff, but right now, yeah, out like a light.¡±

    ¡°Alright, so we drop Wrath off at the hospital. She¡¯s set since it¡¯s a third-party organization, so we can¡¯t interfere, but, more importantly, the mayor and whoever else is aligned with him can¡¯t either.¡± Liying proposed, getting a murmur of agreement from Songmei, Mingqing, and Youhong and a thumbs-up from Taigang. ¡°Taigang, can you walk?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡± Taigang answered, pushing himself up and putting his hands on top of his head, ¡°Let¡¯s... yeah, let¡¯s get going... we can talk more about what we should do while moving...¡±

    Walking along the deserted sidewalks, the five cultivators made their way towards the hospital with a mix of caution and worry.

    What... had happened?

    All they could do was count their lucky stars now with the absolute scarcity of information they had. At least it had happened during the middle of the working day. Carrying a bloodied body down the street wasn¡¯t... great... by many metrics. So, the fewer the amount of people seeing them the better¡ªless rumors after all.

    Well, whatever the mayor did would be made public soon enough. Songmei guessed it¡¯d be around dinner when no one got a reward for the work done earlier in the day.

    ¡°So, obviously, a betrayal happened,¡± Liying pondered, a rare serious expression on her face as she delved into thought. ¡°But on what scale?¡±

    ¡°Wrath whispered revolution before she passed out,¡± Taigang answered, still a little out of breath as he walked along. ¡°So, I¡¯d assume something on that scale...¡±

    ¡°That... does not sound fun.¡± Youhong groaned as the hospital came into view. ¡°Sounds like we¡¯re going to have a lot of work to do. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be safe for us to be alone, so... let¡¯s all group up?¡±

    ¡°Probably the safest idea...¡± Liying agreed, drumming her fingers against her thigh. ¡°Okay, Mingqing and Songmei have the biggest place, so we crash there, you two? Can we swing by? You¡¯re also the closest to the hospital.¡±

    Getting a double thumbs-up from Songmei and a stoic nod from Mingqing, Liying thanked them with a heartfelt nod. ¡°So, we¡¯re good to go in that area. Again, thank you. Taigang and Youhong, you two swing by your place and pick up everything you need. I¡¯ll run to my place after we put down Wrath.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good...¡± Songmei murmured, nodding as she looked off into the distance. Frowning, she shook her head. Songmei could feel it.

    A long couple of days were in her future...

    Focusing back on the task at hand as they walked in through the front doors of the hospital, Songmei tapped Mingqing on the shoulder, thinking of how helpful Liu Xueli was last time. ¡°We should call Xueli, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°No doubt about it,¡± Mingqing nodded back, still carrying Wrath as Youhong and Taigang walked over to the front desk to ask them to take Wrath from them.

    With Mingqing¡¯s agreement, Songmei slid back over to Liying, tapping her on the shoulder as well. ¡°Mingqing and I, once we get back to our apartment, are going to call our master Xueli. We won¡¯t be discussing super secret sect stuff, so feel free to just ring the doorbell then walk in. We¡¯ll update her on the situation and ask her to update the others.¡±

    ¡°Mkay, sounds good,¡± Liying agreed, her eyebrows furrowed as she sank into her thoughts, trying to mull over the situation from as many angles as she could. ¡°How abou-¡±

    ¡°Alright, thank you for bringing us the patient. We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± A nurse thanked with a bow, interrupting the conversation with a loud voice, Wrath now slung over his shoulder. ¡°If possible, could the crystal be removed? Or was it caused by an enemy?¡±

    ¡°No, no, I can get rid of it,¡± Songmei rushed over, swiping her hand across the crystal, melting it back into Qi. ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Mhm,¡± The nurse nodded, a disinterested look clear on his face. ¡°You all are free to go now.¡±

    Shaking her head in surprise, Songmei took a few steps back. The nurses from the last time had been a lot nicer...

    Who pissed off this man...

 143: The Cruel Weight Of Responsibility

    Closing the door with a soft click, Lin Songmei slid her shoes off, following behind Yan Mingqing to the living room. Faced with a mess of blankets and other miscellaneous objects, Mingqing stood there, hands on her hips. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to put this stuff away. They¡¯re going to be sleeping in this area.¡±

    ¡°I mean, they could also sleep in the unoccupied bedroom,¡± Lin Songmei offered, leaning against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But, yeah, we need to clean this area up.¡±

    Tapping her chin and sighing, Mingqing shifted her weight from one foot to the other before patting Songmei on the head. ¡°I¡¯ll set up the call, you just start folding the blankets, I¡¯ll join you in a sec. We can always organize while on call.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re so right,¡± Songmei laughed, giving Mingqing a brief hug before doing a half-jog towards their blanket pile. It had been a couple of weeks since they had spoken to Liu Xueli, so it was a good opportunity. Of course, one not in the best of circumstances, but an opportunity to talk nonetheless.

    [Helloooo~ You two are calling for once! No scheduling or anything! What have I done to earn such an honor~?] Xueli¡¯s voice transmitted through the call. With her terminal sitting flat on the couch, Mingqing tapped a button, allowing for a video projection of Xueli to pop up in the air above.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re in a bit of a pickle.¡± Mingqing began, walking back over towards Songmei and pitching in to help with the clean up. ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure the entire city is in a bit of a pickle.¡±

    [Well, I¡¯m not there... so you have to give me a little more than that.] Xueli pondered, a serious light back in her eyes as she saw the urgency with which Songmei and Mingqing moved. [First of all, are your lives in danger?]

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so...¡± Songmei tapped her chin, looking over at Mingqing who also shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re at a pretty high cultivation. We can hold our own against the city¡¯s top hitters, and can at least run away. This year¡¯s disciples might be in a bit of trouble though.¡±

    ¡°So, for context, the mayor backstabbed Wrath. Now he¡¯s hanging out with Avarice, it seems they¡¯re planning something. We managed to rescue Wrath and deliver her to the hospital. On the way back from the hospital though, the mayor sent out a message to the whole city, saying he¡¯s going to do an emergency speech a few hours from now.¡± Mingqing explained, her hands folding a blanket as she talked.

    [That¡¯s... certainly not what we expected.] Xueli sighed, massaging her eyebrows. [Alright, I¡¯ll make a trip over to Westriver soon. Given the fact that Avarice has a track record of contact with the demons, I¡¯ll make the sect do an emergency recall to all disciples in Westriver.]

    Taking the blanket from Mingqing, Songmei walked over to the closet, stowing it as Mingqing began to fold another blanket. ¡°Recall? Are we going back to Starlight Lake?¡±

    [No, no, it¡¯s still too early, and you all should be fine.] Xueli shook her head, putting on some glasses as she pulled out another to begin messaging other people in the sect. [It¡¯ll just be an emergency call to return to the Starlight Lake owned housing until more information is known. Hopefully, it¡¯s just a false alarm, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to be safe.]

    Falling silent as Xueli raised a finger to have a moment, Songmei and Mingqing continued their cleanup. Organizing as much as they could and putting the more private items in a basket to take upstairs. Throwing all the random items into a bin, Songmei¡¯s heart twinged as she looked at the mess in the bin. There was no consistency among the items, there were journals they didn¡¯t need others seeing, there were random bits of money they didn¡¯t need others taking, and more.  Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    [I¡¯m done!] Xueli called out, taking off the glasses (that Songmei was pretty sure didn¡¯t do anything) and grabbing Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s eyes and ears once more. [You two should be getting a message in a couple of seconds, so you can disregard it. Now that we have some time, can you two fill me in exactly on what the situation was? Why do you say backstab, that type of stuff. I just want a clearer picture of the situation.]

    With an obnoxious mix between buzzing and ringing sounding out from her and Mingqing¡¯s terminal, Songmei dismissed the notifications first before tapping her chin. ¡°Just... where to begin?¡±

    Getting a shrug from Mingqing, Songmei bent down, picking up another blanket, folding it as she and Mingqing began retelling the story so far. Word vomiting all their thoughts out and drowning Xueli with any and all relevant and irrelevant knowledge they had on the subject, Songmei and Mingqing spent a solid few minutes talking.

    Having only given Xueli enough airspace to slip in a couple of ¡°mhm¡±s and ¡°I see¡±s Songmei and Mingqing finished off their final few thoughts before sitting down on the couch, the living room now clear of all debris.

    [A rebellion... huh.] Xueli sighed, feeling a headache starting to come on with the impending work she¡¯d have to do. [Okay, I¡¯ll make sure to tune into the mayor¡¯s speech later tonight as well. For now, I just have a few thoughts, preliminary ones. But, to be honest, it¡¯s not likely that they¡¯ll change.]

    Stroking her chin and kicking back in her chair, Xueli watched as Songmei went to the closet, pulling out a vacuum and duster. With Songmei handing the duster to Mingqing, Xueli couldn¡¯t help but nod. They had grown so much! They really looked like independent adults now!

    [Okay, it¡¯s time for some... sort of brutal honesty. I still think it¡¯s quite soft, but I¡¯m sure some would disagree,] Xueli murmured out loud. Songmei, on the other hand, not a second after hearing those words, felt an immense atmosphere of worry drop onto her and Mingqing¡¯s shoulders.

    [Well, I think, I... well, maybe someone else in the sect, but probably me. Since I want to see you two in person again.] Xueli smiled, shooting a pair of finger guns through the projection. [Considering the situation, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if most masters with direct disciples under them actually come to the city... It¡¯s just that I¡¯m just pretty high-ranked, so I¡¯ll probably get saddled with some stupid bureaucratic responsibility again...]

    With Xueli beginning to diverge from her original line of thought, Songmei and Mingqing gave each other a look and imperceptible shrug. Without a doubt, they wanted to get the ¡®brutal honesty¡¯ over with sooner, but... hearing Xueli blabber on like this was par for the course.

    [Actually!] Xueli grinned, slapping her own knee as she began laughing. [Wu Sen is probably going to be there because Lu Qiang and Cai Yufei are his disciples! He¡¯s the head of the disciplinary bureau, I¡¯m sure I could push the work to him! I¡¯m in charge of the Martial Pavilion, I can¡¯t be trusted with this stuff!]

    Resisting the urge to tell Xueli her joke about not being trusted had a fair possibility of being true, Songmei instead whispered it to Mingqing who snorted before murmuring ¡°I must concentrate on dusting... dusting, not laughing.¡±

    [Ai... stop laughing, you two! I know your master might not be the most elegant all the time, but she knows what she¡¯s doing!] Xueli reiterated with a couple self-assured nods. [Okay, back to brutal honesty. It¡¯s quite simple. Unlike last time, where I saved you two from a pretty problematic situation, I think you two... I think you all should figure it out on your own.]

    Getting a pair of confused head tilts and raised eyebrows, Xueli pursed her lips and sighed to herself. Why were they so in tune with each other?

    [Well, think about it. Last time, it was something far beyond your capabilities. The plant was something out of reach for even the mayor.] Xueli motioned, miming out a little plant in the air. [However, the problem this time... really is just the mayor and other powerful figures in the city. You two, though a little below him right now, with the rest of your friends, could certainly resolve it!]

    With both Mingqing and Songmei seeming a little apprehensive, Xueli reassured the two. [I¡¯ll talk it over with all the other masters, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll agree! It¡¯s a great learning opportunity! To be honest, it¡¯s due time you youngsters had some real hands-on growing opportunities! We¡¯ll be there to make sure you don¡¯t die, and you all will be there... to solve the problem!]

    Feeling their own headaches come on with how busy their future was shaping up to be, Songmei and Mingqing could only think of one thing: Xueli really was good at pushing off work.

 144: The Classic Slacker Disappearance

    With the bulk of their conversation over, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing did some idle catch up with Liu Xueli while waiting for Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying to show up. It was only a couple of minutes before the doorbell rang.

    Cracking the door open, Liying¡¯s red hair flashed into view as she peeked into the crack before walking into the apartment. Getting waved over to the living room by Mingqing and Songmei, Liying did a half-bow towards Xueli as she walked into view. ¡°Greetings esteemed elder.¡±

    [No need!] Xueli laughed, propping her chin onto her hands. [So you¡¯re the new addition to the team... not bad, not bad.]

    Flopping onto the couch behind Songmei and Mingqing, Liying¡¯s formality disappeared as she gave a weak thumbs up. ¡°Thank... you?¡±

    [It¡¯s a compliment!] Xueli reassured, laughing as she leaned back in her chair. [I¡¯m really quite amazed you all managed to put aside your egos to work together. I remember fighting a lot while I grew up. If only I could¡¯ve collaborated with you all...]

    ¡®Maybe then I¡¯d be married,¡¯ Songmei finished Xueli¡¯s sentence in her mind. There was only a fifty percent chance her little joke was actually right, but it didn¡¯t hurt to make it in her mind.

    [Anyway,] Xueli cleared her throat, checking the time, [I have to run, so have fun you all, okay? Stay safe~ I¡¯ll see you all in a day or two!]

    With Xueli hanging up before she or Mingqing could murmur any sort of goodbye, Songmei sat back onto the couch, taking a moment to make sure she wasn¡¯t sitting on Liying¡¯s legs. ¡°You¡¯re here awfully quickly, do you have any updates from Youhong and Taigang?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they just messaged the group chat,¡± Mingqing answered, sitting down on one of the other couches.

    Stretching out and getting comfy on the couch, Liying nodded, using her hand to prop her head up. ¡°They said they¡¯re waiting for Liu Liping-¡±

    ¡°Who? Wait what... the name sounds familiar,¡± Songmei murmured, tapping her chin. ¡°She¡¯s the third direct disciple from the Pavilion from our year...?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Liying nodded, using her foot to pat Songmei on the shoulder. ¡°Yeah, they said they¡¯re going to bring her over. But she explicitly said she doesn¡¯t want to room with us... so I guess she¡¯ll ask the receptionist to see if there¡¯s any free rooms?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know...¡± Songmei shrugged, grabbing Liying¡¯s ankle and lowering it back down to the couch with a careful nudge. ¡°I don¡¯t know her that well. All I¡¯ve really gathered is that she has no interest in being affiliated with us.¡±

    Opening the door with a flair and interrupting the conversation, Youhong and Taigang walked in with smiles on both of their faces. Youhong, with a pair of sunglasses on¡ªweird since they were inside¡ªtossed lychee jellies at everyone in the room. ¡°Liu Liping has been dropped off at the receptionist''s desk and we¡¯re here to hang out!¡±

    Doing a double take, Songmei shook her head, catching the lychee jelly as Youhong and Taigang made themselves at home. Liying, on the other hand, waving from her lying down position on the couch pocketed the lychee jelly tossed towards her before waving towards the two boys. ¡°We were just talking about Liu Liping. You two know her better, do you know why she doesn¡¯t want anything to do with us?¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°No clue,¡± Taigang shrugged, munching on the lychee jelly from Youhong. ¡°The Pavilion is partitioned into a Yang side and Yin side, and Liu Liping is on the Yin side with Youhong, so... ask him, yeah.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have no clue either,¡± Youhong shook his head, juggling a handful of lychee jellies as he kicked his feet up. ¡°To be honest, I really only know what Taigang knows. She really knows what she wants. And what she wants is to marry rich, settle down, and have a family. Well... I¡¯m not sure about the family part, but she really wants to marry rich.¡±

    ¡°Dang, we have so many rich people in this party though,¡± Songmei pondered out loud, ¡°Literally everyone here is rich except me.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I¡¯m just as confused as you,¡± Youhong shrugged, pushing it out of his mind. ¡°We have more urgent things to talk about though. We found out that all the inner disciples from the Pavilion... like all of them from the year before us, our year, and the most recent year, have all been independently caught.¡±

    Songmei froze. What?

    With a sudden silence falling over the group, anything from a pin drop to a cough could be heard clear as day. How? Why?

    ¡°Okay, well I should give some explanation,¡± Taigang interjected, seeing as Youhong kicked his feet back up and slid the sunglasses back on. ¡°They were caught by the mayor, Pride, and Avarice respectively. Also, randomly Pride made a big declaration of ¡®I go by Vainglory now¡¯ so uh... yeah there¡¯s that.¡±

    ¡°Well... that answers one question,¡± Liying shrugged, pushing herself back up. ¡°Guess we know a couple of the people we¡¯re going to be going up against. And that we¡¯re targeted, so I guess that¡¯s two questions answered actually.¡±

    ¡°What about the other direct disciples from the Pavilion then?¡± Mingqing asked, her hand raised just a little before she realized she wasn¡¯t in school. ¡°Are they safe?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we brought them with us,¡± Youhong nodded, giving a thumbs-up as he continued his lychee jelly feasting session. ¡°Liu Liping is going to be rooming with them. The receptionist said your sect¡¯s housing opened up a lot since all the inner disciples from last year left recently.¡±

    ¡°Ohh... yeah that¡¯d certainly allow for a lot more space,¡± Songmei agreed, tapping her fingers against her thighs. ¡°Any other news from your three? If not, Mingqing and I can fill you all in on what our master told us, since we gave her a call just a few minutes ago.¡±

    With a moment of silence falling onto the group, Mingqing opened her mouth to begin conveying information when Liying gave a long sigh, putting a finger up in apology. ¡°Actually... I have some stuff to share.¡±

    Checking her terminal, Liying raised her eyebrows before sliding it away. ¡°So, a message from my sect or my family hasn¡¯t come in yet; however, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they give me the choice to just leave. After all, one of the islands in the west is... really similar to Westriver in terms of its unique Qi structure. When I decided to come here, transfer here really, they told me, if anything sketchy or threatening starts to happen, I¡¯d be given a choice to leave because... not my place, you know?¡±

    ¡°I expected that...¡± Mingqing nodded along, musing out loud before everyone turned to look at her. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m literally from Starlight Lake, and my parents said the same thing. Our families are similar so I wasn¡¯t surprised.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they really are,¡± Liying laughed, giving Mingqing an air high-five. ¡°Well, my sect officially offered too. So... yeah I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re really quite overprotective so I was surprised a message hadn¡¯t come through yet. Maybe the information just passes over there slower...¡±

    With Youhong motioning for Liying to continue, Liying couldn¡¯t help but snort. ¡°Sometimes I still see that cheeky little bastard ten year old Youhong in you. Anyway, yeah, I was just going to say I¡¯ll be sticking around since... we¡¯re a party~ woooo, you know? I was considering hiding it, but... a little more openness never hurt anyone.¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re glad you shared,¡± Taigang extended a hand, offering a handshake with his classic warm smile. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Liying raised an eyebrow, slapping Taigang¡¯s hand away. ¡°And stop being so formal, I¡¯m still the older sister of the party. So you all still have to listen to what I have to say. You¡¯re stuck with me! Hah!¡±

 145: Disasters In The Kitchen

    Having spent some time relaxing and unwinding from their long day of work, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying had a short planning session before beginning their work once more as the sun dipped below the horizon.

    Calling up every single direct disciple they knew was in the city, the apartment was filled with chatter as all five of them worked to form a hasty coalition against the people targeting them. Having contacted Lu Qiang while Mingqing contacted Cai Yufei, Songmei hung up after getting their confirmation.

    Sighing, Songmei slumped back onto the couch. What was the point? Why did these... actually she didn¡¯t know how old they were. Why did these middle-aged, probably younger than Liu Xueli, greasy weirdos have to target them?

    They were only seventeen... or sixteen, or eighteen! According to Xueli, they were still pipsqueaks! According to Xueli, she still couldn¡¯t distinguish them from toddlers!

    Songmei, of course, held some doubt towards the veracity of Xueli¡¯s second claim, chalking it up to exaggeration. But... she still didn¡¯t know Xueli¡¯s age. So maybe it was true...

    With the calls coming to a stop, everyone reconvened in the living room, taking various seats on the couches. Taigang, defaulting to his leadership role, waited for Mingqing to adjust the lights and sit down before talking. ¡°Any updates? Did everyone agree? Let¡¯s just go in a circle.¡±

    ¡°Well, on my end, I didn¡¯t really have people to recruit. I did send a message to Sloth, but... considering it''s Sloth, I¡¯d have some patience.¡± Liying shrugged, kicking her legs up onto the table. ¡°I did call my sect though, and told them to piss off... well I said it in a much nicer way. But the gist of it was that I¡¯m staying.¡±

    Doing some mock bows and laughing, Liying pushed her hands out with a sarcastic laugh as she imitated politicians. ¡°No need to thank me. It was only natural. I just truly believe in this cause. It¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. I¡¯ll work my hardest.¡±

    ¡°Alright, my turn?¡± Youhong asked, getting a few nods before continuing. ¡°Okay. So... we kinda got Liu Liping¡¯s consent or affirmation, whatever you want to call it. I just got it for real after being blunt about the situation and what we saw so far. It was a real pain though, but yeah, everything is set on her side. She said she¡¯s willing to work with us and would contact Lust to try and get her in contact with us.¡±

    Motioning towards Songmei, Youhong prompted her with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m done now. I¡¯m really dry over calls so I don¡¯t have any other updates to share. All of our inner disciples have all been captured anyway.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... okay, I did a lot of calling...¡± Songmei started off, trying to remember everything she was told. Drawing a blank, Songmei pulled out a stack of sticky notes where her scrawled notes sat. ¡°Okay, I got Lu Qiang¡¯s affirmation, he¡¯s totally on board. He¡¯ll be useful since he¡¯s a tank like you Taigang. I then tried to reach out to the inner disciples in our year. They gave a hesitant yes.¡±

    Putting her notes away, Songmei shook her head. ¡°I have a theory, and if true, I think it¡¯d be pretty foolish on their part. However, I think they¡¯re going to try and work independently from us because there¡¯s some... animosity between us direct disciples and them. I thought they might¡¯ve overcome it, but there might still be an urge to prove something... I don¡¯t know.¡±  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°That¡¯s... annoying,¡± Taigang shook his head, sighing as he pursed his lips. ¡°We could, honestly, really use their help. Every hand, every set of eyes, and every mind will be useful in the upcoming few days... or even weeks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the inner disciples are really annoying. I still want to beat them up. I already did! But I want to again.¡± Mingqing groaned, massaging her eyebrows. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to add. I talked to Cai Yufei, the last inner disciple from our year. He¡¯s like... on board. I don¡¯t know, he said he still wanted official permission to collaborate from his master, but he¡¯s kinda got a stick up his behind like that.¡±

    With Liying having a laughing attack and everyone else snorting, Mingqing waited for them to stop before shrugging. ¡°Starlight Lake¡¯s direct disciples from this year were captured, but I got in contact with the inner disciples. I was just blunt with them. They¡¯re not going to be helpful combat wise. But I said they should cooperate with us to stay safe. Pretty much that means they¡¯re not going to go outside.¡±

    ¡°And... ending off with me.¡± Taigang tapped his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say either, so I¡¯ll keep it brief. I talked with the direct disciples who are staying with Liu Liping right now. They expressed that they really, really want to help. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll actually be of much use since they¡¯re not very powerful yet. Maybe we could have them do some scouting? I also sent messages to Envy and Gluttony. I kept the one to Envy really vague though on purpose because we¡¯re still not sure about which side Envy¡¯s on. Pretty much what we discussed earlier.¡±

    With the discussion falling into a lull as everyone calmed down and reoriented themselves, Youhong tossed a lychee jelly into the air. Catching in his mouth with a practiced neck stretch, Youhong nodded. ¡°Coool... great to hear guys.¡±

    Silence.

    Shaking her head, Songmei tried her best to suppress a laugh as Youhong sat up, spreading his arms in disbelief as to how everyone left him hanging. Taking a moment to just sit in the silence, Songmei rested her head against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder as Liying gave her the stink eye.

    One stuck out tongue later, Songmei was faced with a snort and a playful middle finger from Liying.

    Expected. It wasn¡¯t Songmei¡¯s fault Liying was single.

    Well, Songmei couldn¡¯t deny it was her fault Liying felt single in the moment, but who was she to resist the comfort of Mingqing¡¯s shoulder and arm? Mingqing¡¯s arm had become just a touch more muscular so having it wrapped around her was just that bit nicer.

    ¡°Well, we still have to watch the mayor¡¯s speech, right?¡± Mingqing broke the silence in a rare occurrence of social outreach. ¡°It¡¯s not for another several hours though... Soo... dinner? We can have a fun dinner, then play some games? Someone¡¯s just gotta set an alarm.¡±

    With everyone nodding along and murmuring their own version of ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be great!¡± Songmei squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand. ¡°Look at you being social.¡±

    Getting a hand squeeze back from Mingqing, Songmei raised an eyebrow at the eyebrow wiggle Mingqing replied with. Shaking her head and looking away, Songmei raised her voice just a touch. ¡°I¡¯ll set an alarm, but someone¡¯s gotta figure out the dinner plan. I already cooked lunch so it''s not my job this time.¡±

    ¡°Just look forward to a gourmet meal from the GODLY cooking duo!¡± Youhong smirked with a loud laugh, slinging his arm over Taigang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No need to worry at all! We gotchu covered. We gotchu.¡±

    ...

    Raising her finger, Songmei sighed, ¡°On second thought, maybe I''ll pitch in to help... or at least supervise.¡±

 146: A Quick And Fast Makeover With Definitely Zero Side-Effects

    Lin Songmei had to pat herself on the back. Under her supervision, she prevented Han Youhong and Wang Taigang from causing a disaster in the kitchen. In fact, Yan Mingqing and Zhao Liying had already patted her on the back for how well she did.

    It was really a mystery. Some reason, Youhong didn¡¯t know how to cook a dish that didn¡¯t involve lychee. Great for Youhong, sure, but no one else was really looking for a five course lychee-based meal. Taigang, on the other hand, kept trying to add protein powder into everything they were cooking. Sure, more protein didn¡¯t hurt, but a protein powder infused steak was... just not what anyone else was looking for.

    It didn¡¯t matter now though. Dinner had been good and there wasn¡¯t much else to say. Following their meal, the party had spent some time playing the bricklaying game in a coop multiplayer mode. It wasn¡¯t the main game, but an auxiliary mode where it was a lot shorter and private. Sort of like a civilization building game?

    At least, that¡¯s what Songmei had heard Mingqing and the others describe it as.

    Fun nonetheless. That''s all Songmei had to say about it. She wasn¡¯t experienced enough with gaming to offer any sort of further input, opinion, or just thought in general.

    However, with the alarm she set on her terminal going off, Songmei had steered everyone away from playing more games and into listening to the mayor give his speech.

    ¡°Why is it so... late?¡± Youhong ventured, propping his chin onto his hand as he took a seat on the couch. ¡°To talk like that one character from earlier ¡®I ain¡¯t ever seen a mayor talk this late.¡¯¡±

    Shrugging, Mingqing pulled Songmei just a little closer to her¡ªsomething Songmei of course had no complaints about¡ªand pointed to the projection now floating in the air. ¡°We¡¯ll find out won¡¯t we? I¡¯m glad they¡¯re progressive enough to at least live stream it.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the city I¡¯m from never did that...¡± Songmei murmured before looking towards Taigang. ¡°You¡¯re recording it aren¡¯t you?

    Nodding, Taigang pointed to the small red dot at the corner of the projection. ¡°Better to be safe than sorry, yeah. Who knows what wild stuff the mayor¡¯s gonna say. I feel like he¡¯s probably gone wacko.¡±

    Giving Taigang a double thumbs up, Songmei ignored the look Liying was giving her and snuggled up a little closer to Mingqing.

    With the livestream¡¯s waiting screen counting down the seconds before the mayor began his speech, the screen shifted to the Central District¡¯s vast city hall. A podium sat in the center of the frame, planted in the middle of the stage with a microphone jutting upward. Still empty for now, the only sounds being conveyed through the livestream were the nervous and confused murmurs of the audience.

    For the most part, Songmei assumed the audience was made up of media people, but, as someone who was never very civic-minded, she had no clue who was attending in person.

    As the timer¡ªnow in the top left corner¡ªhit zero however, camera flashes began showing up on screen as the mayor strode out from the side with a slight swagger and confident gait. Coming to a stop by the podium, a small posse followed the mayor, lining up in a horizontal line behind him. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Planting one hand on either side of the podium, the mayor¡ªnow with a very... different... look¡ªleaned over the microphone, proclaiming. [I have some large news to announce. I have achieved what no mayor before me has. I have begun a new era of Westriver.]

    Shaking her head, Songmei had to take a moment to register the mayor¡¯s words. The problem was... he looked so different. His hair, though still gray, was now a full-head of hair. His eyes were sharper. His body was leaner. More than anything though... were the scars. His two matching scars? The ones running down each side of his face?

    Gone.

    Of course, the sense of slight discomfort didn¡¯t end there. Songmei couldn¡¯t help but notice a couple new figures standing at the front of the posse with wide smiles on their faces.

    Avarice and Pride. Both had their arms behind their back and stood there with smug smiles, ones reminiscent of a child who managed to sneak into an off limits area.

    [I know I look different,] The mayor shrugged, speaking with his usual slow, casual tone. [I have taken some medication given to me by our city¡¯s new benefactors. And and... calm down, calm down. I know you all may be surprised to hear the words ¡®new benefactors¡¯ come out of my mouth.]

    Waiting for the crowd¡¯s murmurs to die down, a slight grimace of annoyance flashed across the mayor¡¯s face. [I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware of the gargantuan sects that currently... or well, did sponsor us: Starlight Lake and the Pavilion of Radiant Shadows. However, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re also aware of the injustices they inflict upon our city. Every. Single. Day.]

    Turning her head to look at the other four disciples in the room with her, Liying was greeted with four faces of confusion as her ¡°What injustices...¡± trailed out of her mouth.

    ¡°Yeah, I have no clue either to be honest,¡± Youhong tapped his chin. ¡°The sect¡¯s provide the city with a lot of manpower, a lot of economic stimulation, safety, and more? There¡¯s a lot of benefits to be had...¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s talking about the disciples with big egos who annoy or metaphorically step on everyone else?¡± Mingqing pondered out loud. ¡°Then again, they don¡¯t do it to non-cultivators, which is the main audience base the mayor panders to...¡±

    With the mayor continuing on with some fluff, Liying shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We all know the mayor¡¯s speech is going to be an empty power grab. So no need to analyze it too much.¡±

    As the mayor fell quiet though, Songmei listened in as the conversation in the apartment died down as well. [I¡¯ve enacted what some may call... a drastic change. I don¡¯t want to worry any of you though. None of it will have a negative impact on you all. You, the common person, the backbone of the city, the true residents of the area, have nothing to worry about.]

    Taking a deep breath, the mayor cracked the sides of the podium with the strength of his grip. [I will be freeing the city. I will be purging all the upstart cultivators who step on our land. Starlight Lake, Pavilion of Radiant Shadows? Take this as a warning. I will be capturing all your disciples. Everyone else? Just stay inside for the next few days, weeks, or months, depending on how long this takes. As long as you are not affiliated with any sects, you will be fine.]

    ¡°He seems kinda delusional, don¡¯t you think?¡± Youhong broke the silence as the mayor let his words fall. ¡°Like... isn¡¯t he barely in the realm of foundation establishment? The moment any of our masters get here, it¡¯s all over. In fact, all it¡¯d take is some of the older disciples of our sects could resolve this all on their own...¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s not dumb... and I assume he¡¯s not delusional. Maybe the medicine he took messed with him?¡± Songmei murmured, squinting her eyes at him. ¡°He¡¯s probably got a backup plan... or some ulterior motive.¡±

    With everyone agreeing, a long sigh escaped everyone¡¯s mouths. Alertness was now the minimum, but beyond paying attention to their own safety, they also had to now figure out whatever plan the mayor was trying to enact behind the scenes.

    If only Songmei had Liu Xueli¡¯s power to dodge troublesome work...

 147: A Morning Of Preparation

    With the mayor¡¯s proclamation coming to an end after just a couple of minutes, he moved on to talk about other... mayor-ly things. Updates with the city, plans for infrastructure. Those types of things.

    Yet, they had to watch, just in case¡ªit never came, of course, but a little more caution never hurt anyone.

    Coming to an end after a long hour, the talk closed with a few boring closing remarks. Empty words meant to inspire confidence in the mayor¡¯s message. Closing out of the livestream and storing the recording, the five cultivators¡ªLin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying¡ªwith a little more free time in the night, spent it all hanging out.

    Gaming, snacking, cultivating, it didn¡¯t really matter. As they hung out though, they made a plan, discussing, brainstorming, and just spitballing ideas for how to move forward.

    The annoying thing was, with Liu Xueli¡¯s idea of independent work, all the other masters of all the direct disciples in Westriver had agreed. With their own ideas as to how to make it harder as well!

    Xiao Feng, Youhong¡¯s master, had even called them, just to reinforce the fact they¡¯d have to work through it themselves! Songmei''s only solace was how mad Youhong had gotten. Never before had Songmei seen Youhong use so many expletives. Xueli, on the other hand, like the life-saver she was though, staved off all the masters, and rejected their suggestions to make it harder.

    Worn, bored, and stressed, Songmei and the others decided to not hang out too late into the night. Retiring for the night well before midnight, the five of them made a promise to work and be productive the next day.

    ----

    With the morning sun creeping its way through the window, Songmei¡¯s eyes fluttered open as the alarm she and Mingqing set began blaring its lungs out without any regard to their well-being.

    Sighing, Songmei laid there for a few more minutes, staring up at the ceiling and out the window as Mingqing pushed herself up and began doing some morning stretches.

    It wasn¡¯t until a couple of deep breaths, hugs with Plum¡ªher lovable, amazing, divine stuffed animal¡ªand some more annoyance from her still blaring alarm, did Songmei worm her way out of bed. Waving towards Mingqing, Songmei greeted her with a yawn. ¡°Morning, Mingqing~¡±

    ¡°Morning~¡± Mingqing sang back, coming over and hugging Songmei. ¡°Ready to do some work?¡±

    ¡°...Yes...¡± Songmei sighed, shaking her head. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how you function so much better than me on the same amount of sleep.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know... I just... am awake. Energetic~¡± Mingqing laughed, pulling Songmei to her feet. ¡°But really only with you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s an established fact,¡± Songmei agreed, resting her chin on Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Should we go check up on the others?¡±

    Content to just stand in the morning sun with Songmei in her arms, Mingqing stood there for a moment, silent before nodding. ¡°We should... though before that, washing our faces and doing our morning routine would be good. We¡¯re both disheveled messes right now.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Okayy...¡± Songmei murmured, squeezing Mingqing as they stood there, motionless even after their declaration.

    Standing in the morning sun for another five minutes¡ªand sharing a few soft kisses¡ªSongmei and Mingqing decided to move to the bathroom after they both began feeling the chill, having been standing in their room dressed only in their sleepwear.

    Hurrying through their washing routine, the two got dressed in some semi-presentable outfits before wandering out towards the living room and kitchen area.

    ¡°The other bedroom¡¯s door is already open...¡± Songmei murmured as they walked down the stairs. ¡°Youhong and Taigang slept in that room, yeah?¡±

    ¡°No, they gave it to Liying at the last minute,¡± Mingqing shook her head, dipping her head over the stair¡¯s railing to peek into the kitchen, ¡°They¡¯re all sitting around in the kitchen...¡±

    Nodding and murmuring an ¡°I see...¡± Songmei did the classic half-jog, momentum carrying stair descent. Channeling some Qi into her legs, she hopped over a couch and walked into the kitchen with Mingqing right behind her. ¡°Morning~ How are you all doing?¡±

    ¡°Fine...¡± Youhong groaned, an air of gloom weighing down on his shoulders. ¡°Had a bad dream...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine,¡± Liying shrugged, taking a sip from a cup of coffee, ¡°I slept quite well, thank you for having me over!¡±

    ¡°Of course, it was no issue,¡± Songmei nodded, patting Youhong on the shoulder as she looked into the kitchen. Taigang, for a change of pace, was chilling in the kitchen. Wearing a light-pink apron¡ªone that really didn¡¯t fit his image, but still was pulled off well¡ªTaigang concentrated on cooking some eggs, hands by his sides.

    With Mingqing walking past her into the kitchen to make some conversation with Taigang, Songmei looked back towards Youhong. ¡°Liying, do you know what he dreamt about? Or well... I should say, is it alright for me to know? Did he share it with you?¡±

    Snorting, Liying set down her coffee, putting a hand on Songmei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a big deal to me!¡± Youhong complained, interjecting Liying¡¯s words as the air of gloom intensified as he buried his face into his arms.

    ¡°Anyway, Songmei,¡± Liying continued, unfettered as Youhong continued his unintelligible stream of words. ¡°He just dreamt that his favorite brand of lychee jelly... like... their main, biggest manufacturing plant got hit by a meteor.¡±

    ¡°Ohhhhh... yeah... huh.¡± Songmei trailed off, patting Youhong on the shoulder. ¡°You know, I mean, I guess... Well, yeah, that¡¯s bad... yeah... Sorry to hear Youhong...¡±

    With Taigang and Mingqing plating the breakfast, Youhong pulled himself up. Making space on the table, he pat Songmei on the shoulder while suppressing some laughs. ¡°I know you have the heart of an angel Songmei, and can¡¯t bring yourself to be harsh, but that was about the fakest comforting ever. You tried your best, but really, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s okay to make fun of me like Liying does heartlessly every single day. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±

    ¡°Heartlessly?¡± Liying retorted, raising an eyebrow as she helped clear some space. ¡°I do it out of love, Youhong. Love!¡±

    Unsure what to say, Songmei just stayed silent, letting another bantering war start between Liying and Youhong. Helping Taigang put down the plates, Songmei smiled and gave him a small wave. ¡°Morning, Taigang!¡±

    ¡°Morning, Songmei,¡± Taigang nodded, taking some utensils from Mingqing after putting down the final few plates of food. ¡°You¡¯re bubbly this morning.¡±

    ¡°Woke up... energetic, I guess,¡± Songmei chuckled, extracting herself from the bantering warzone and sitting next to Mingqing. ¡°Thanks for making the food!¡±

    ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t even add any protein powder,¡± Taigang joked with his signature sun-like, beaming smile while taking a seat next to Liying.

    ¡°Good job,¡± Mingqing murmured, piling some food onto her plate. Pausing for a moment as Songmei¡¯s earlier words registered in her brain, Mingqing leaned over, whispering in her ear. ¡°Woke up ¡®energetic,¡¯ now? I don¡¯t remember that from earlier...¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up,¡± Songmei whispered back, a pout flashing across her face before Liying and Youhong stopped their ¡®friendly banter.¡¯ Giving a thumbs-up to Taigang, Songmei grinned, grabbing Mingqing¡¯s hand under the table. ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡±

 148: House Visits

    Blazing through their breakfast, Lin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying did some final, quick preparations before heading out the door. With the mayor¡¯s speech the night before being... provocative, to say the least, the five cultivators had made a plan of action.

    Judging from who had been in the mayor¡¯s posse, Liying had proposed they try and coordinate their efforts with the other big hitters in the city. Going along with their plan from the night before, the five of them split into two groups.

    Songmei and Mingqing were considered ¡®group one.¡¯ The general itinerary was to first check if Wrath had woken up and was able to talk or fight. Then, they were to go to gluttony and just... try and gauge where his heart lay.

    Youhong, Taigang, and Liying made up the other group, a simple two group split. Their general plan was to first drop by Lust¡¯s territory, then make a quick run to Sloth¡¯s place. Overall, simple goals! Small steps, small steps. They just needed to find out whether or not the two underworld leaders could be reasoned with or convinced to help.

    Envy, as the only one not planned with a visit was just left to sit. Similar to his namesake, the man was known to flip-flop sides to whichever benefited him the most. Therefore, their plan was to just let Envy... be envious and do whatever he wanted. Taigang, with a quote for the ages, just said to ¡°treat Envy like his emotional counterpart. As an expendable resource to not get attached to.¡±

    What a line. Their team leader Taigang was truly one of the cultivators of all time with such culture and philosophy swirling in his mind.

    Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Songmei squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand as they strolled down the street. ¡°So... it took us a week to heal. We were a lot weaker back then, but our wounds were also easier to treat.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and we also got some medicine from Xueli.¡± Mingqing added, squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand back as they turned the corner to face the hospital. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect much. Wrath probably has a different perspective, so just... getting that might be useful. She could also put us in contact with her subordinates?¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Songmei nodded, leaning her head against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s nice to just work with you again. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve just been alone.¡±

    Lifting Songmei¡¯s head off her shoulder, Mingqing laughed. ¡°It¡¯s hard to walk like this, and aren¡¯t you one who¡¯s not a big fan of PDA? You know, publicly displayed affection? But yes, it really has been a while... Life is a lot easier with the other three, but alone time is also just... nice.¡±

    Agreeing with Mingqing¡¯s second statement and trying to dodge the first statement with an awkward cough, Songmei squeezed Mingqing¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s because there¡¯s barely anyone on the streets right now... You know? Mayor told everyone to stay home and everything.¡±

    ¡°I guess...¡± Mingqing agreed, swiveling her head to look around. ¡°That¡¯s true though. It¡¯s usually rush hour right now, but it¡¯s practically empty. I wonder why the mayor said that though... it¡¯s not like he¡¯s able to fight in the main parts of the city anyway, that¡¯d just cause a lot of unnecessary destruction.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Shrugging as they walked through the double doors of the hospital, Songmei had nothing to offer or explain with. ¡°Probably just has something to hide.¡±

    With the receptionist looking up from her work though, Songmei and Mingqing put their little conversation on hold. Asking for directions to Wrath¡¯s room, Songmei and Mingqing went through a mini-interrogation before getting permission.

    Like... good job to the receptionist, but... really? The doctors in the hospital were all far past foundation establishment! No hospital room assassination could occur, even if someone tried!

    Taking the elevator up a couple of floors, Songmei and Mingqing were greeted once more with the classic hospital view: desaturated colors, linoleum floors, and artificial lighting. The long hallways dotted with identical wooden doors didn¡¯t help either. It was like the hospital had been transported straight out of the past.

    With small metal plaques on each door, Songmei and Mingqing made their way through the winding halls, looking for room three-hundred and forty-four.

    ¡°There!¡± Mingqing shouted with joy after five minutes of torturous walking and searching. Pulling Songmei with her, Mingqing knocked on the door, asking, ¡°Can we come in?¡±

    With a faint ¡°Come in,¡± being passed through the thick door, Mingqing cracked the door open, walking through it with Songmei before closing it with a click.

    ¡°Just you two... huh,¡± Wrath nodded, turning to face the two girls. ¡°Thank you for saving me the other day.¡±

    Taking a seat beside the bed Wrath sat on, Songmei frowned as she saw the melancholic smile sitting on Wrath¡¯s face. Of course, it was understandable, most people would be sad after getting a sword straight through the chest... but Songmei just felt it wasn¡¯t very... wrathful.

    The hospital room though, was neat, sterile as all hospital rooms were. A television sat in the corner atop a small table and a window let in golden beams of sun.

    Wrath, on the other hand, sat against a mini-wall of pillows. Her usual full-set of plate armor was nowhere to be seen as bandages wrapped around her chest, peeking out from under her hospital gown.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the other three didn¡¯t come with you, are they busy?¡± Wrath asked, her melancholic look disappearing, replaced with a small flicker of curiosity. Seeing Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s surprise as to how well Wrath remembered them, she explained. ¡°You all have been working under me for over a year now. It¡¯d be weird if I didn¡¯t recognize some of the most productive people, right?¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Songmei nodded, shifting her sitting position. ¡°They¡¯re trying to get in contact with the other underworld leaders. We have a lot of... stuff to do you could say. A lot of new enemies. Did you see the mayor¡¯s speech last night?¡±

    With her expression hardening, the Wrath¡¯s Qi flared up, causing a hulking momentum to crash down upon Songmei and Mingqing before Wrath grimaced in pain, the pressure disappearing just as fast as it came.

    ¡°... I did.¡± Wrath growled, her mouth pressed in a thin line as the fiery tongues of angry fire roared to life behind her eyes. ¡°That bastard. Gao Kunshan, I¡¯ll remember you forever. I¡¯ll murder you with my own hands if the heavens allow.¡±

    Taking a deep breath, Wrath shook her head, calming herself down before apologizing. ¡°Anyway, yes, I have seen the speech. Pride and Avarice are siding with the mayor, but the other four are not. I would love to help. However, I¡¯m afraid to tell you, I¡¯m in no condition to fight right now.¡±

    ¡°No, no, that was expected,¡± Mingqing reassured with a couple nods, clenching Songmei¡¯s hand as she forced herself to not freeze up like usual with strangers. ¡°We¡¯re actually here just to gather information, coordinate, and just learn more. So... any advice?¡±

    Stumping Wrath, Mingqing and Songmei sat there for a few moments as Wrath tapped her chin. ¡°Give me a moment... I do have some stuff I can share. Where to start though, and how much confidential information am I willing to give up...¡±

 149: Relaxing While Others Sufferâ€”Classic Inequality

    Having a fruitful conversation with Wrath, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing exited the hospital ahead of schedule. It was only ten in the morning!

    High-fiving, Songmei and Mingqing walked down the still empty streets, wondering what they should do next.

    What... was there to do anyway?

    Starting off with a text update to the group chat, Songmei and Mingqing gave their invisible condolences as Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying explained how they were still struggling to get a clear read on whether Lust was agreeing to help or just trying to flirt...

    ¡°Want to go to a cafe? Like that one over there?¡±  Mingqing proposed, pointing to a cafe just across the street with its sign flipped to open. ¡°We can sit there and just... organize our notes? We can then like... send something to the group chat. Something simple and able to be understood quickly. Since Wrath gave us a lot of nice, but probably unnecessary information.¡±

    Agreeing with a ¡°sure, sure,¡± Songmei grabbed Mingqing¡¯s hand and ran up to the crosswalk just a few steps ahead of them. Crossing the... empty street, once the signal changed¡ªsomething Songmei felt was a little ironic but abided by anyway¡ªthe two made their way into the cafe.

    With the entry area fully automated, Songmei¡¯s eyes flicked around the room as Mingqing got them a table. For a cafe, the area it took up and facilities it had were both... unexpected.

    Reminiscent of the place they went to when they first arrived in Westriver, Songmei and Mingqing got their own little booth, one decked out with automated ordering and a private layout to allow the customer to feel like they were in their own little bubble of the world.

    With home-y, wooden, but cushioned chairs, Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s little nook of a spot greeted them with a cute window giving them a sheltered view of the park on the other side of the cafe. Their little¡ªwell decently-sized if Songmei was being honest¡ªtable was made with a polished, spotless wood. Sitting down, Songmei and Mingqing rested their arms against the table, and... to Songmei¡¯s surprise, the table felt beyond solid.

    Maybe because everything in the orphanage was wooden... but Songmei, for one reason or another, always felt wooden tables had to have a slight wobble to them.

    Making some idle conversation about... some idle topics, Songmei and Mingqing took a moment to order some drinks and some confectionery snacks. Because of Taigang¡¯s breakfast, which had actually been mouth-watering, plate-loading, shoveling worthy, both of their stomachs were still quite full.

    A shame really, in Songmei¡¯s opinion, because of the numerous cute cookies and snacks catching her eye as she scrolled through the menu¡ªof course, she was still happy Taigang¡¯s cooking was good though.

    Sending the orders off, Songmei steered the conversation back to their original goal. ¡°So... organizing the notes. We should probably organize them into two different documents, yeah? One for like... quick viewing, relevant to them three while they talk to Lust and Sloth. Then, the other for a more extensive review tonight?¡±

    Nodding and murmuring an ¡°mhm, mhm,¡± Mingqing drummed her fingers against the table. ¡°Well, I think it¡¯s just any notes we don¡¯t put into the first document will go into the second, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... But we probably want to organize it a little...¡± Songmei agreed, thinking back to the few times Wrath went on an anger, or melancholy, driven spiel. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Getting their terminals to project both their documents onto the table, Songmei and Mingqing began the painstaking task of sorting through all the different points Wrath made. Engrossed in their work, the two almost missed the cute little delivery robot as it rolled up to their table, delivering their food.

    Grinding out the work for about an hour, Songmei and Mingqing leaned back into their chair, rubbing their eyes as they sent off the two documents for Youhong, Taigang, and Liying to peruse.

    With her work done for the moment, Songmei leaned back into her chair as she sipped some of her now room temperature tea. Free until the afternoon¡ªwhich was when their appointment with Gluttony was¡ªSongmei could just hang out with Mingqing...

    Life was good.

    Sorting, in all honesty, had been easier than expected!

    The information, for the most part, fell into two simple categories: backstory and advice. Backstory about Wrath and the city¡¯s situation and advice about how to move forward.

    For backstory, Songmei really felt bad...

    Wrath, while still a starry-eyed child growing up in the country, had watched her parents sacrifice themselves to give her a chance for escape during the war against demons. Being born to two ordinary civilians, Wrath¡¯s cultivation aptitude had come as a total surprise, but Wrath swore to use it for revenge.

    Well, revenge never really happened as the war was over by the time Wrath entered a sect.

    Then, Wrath wanted to become a politician, make change from the inside as they say. As an awkward speaker, Wrath tried her best, but... didn¡¯t really have the connections. It was the mayor though, who reached out and offered her a position in Westriver. Proposing she could be a watchdog, order keeper of sorts, ruling over the underworld.

    Now though, those words didn¡¯t mean much. Anyone with eyes could see how genuine the mayor had been with that statement...

    All in all... not the ideal situation if Songmei had any say...

    After all the drama was over, as just a small bonus, Songmei wanted to instill Wrath as the new mayor. Of course, she didn¡¯t mention it to Wrath, but she did whisper it to Mingqing as they walked out of the hospital.

    It was the least they could do...

    The other category was just general advice. There wasn¡¯t much detail they had as of now, but Wrath gave some nice jumping off points.

    For one, she advised them to just use her base and prison for anyone they captured. Wrath urged them to try and get the other underworld leaders to just put aside their bases and all work together to defend Wrath¡¯s.

    Wrath had admitted it was a bit of a selfish desire to see her base survive the most; however, there were some solid reasons. It went along the lines of not having anyone have too much power, and needing to band together to resist the mayor¡¯s group if they came all at once.

    Another nice piece of advice Songmei could remember off the top of her head was the small crack in the mayor¡¯s forces. Wrath emphasized to not trust the underworld bosses too much, because at the end of the day, she herself included, had a lot of hidden pieces in the shadows.

    However, because of that, the politicians didn¡¯t trust the underworld bosses either. The crack formed because the politicians were the ones with influence and power in the city, while the underworld bosses were the true manpower and power players in the group.

    Useful advice...

    Very useful advice actually.

    Shelving her thoughts, Songmei reached out to grab a cookie, stealing it from Mingqing¡¯s plate and sticking her tongue out. ¡°How are you doing?¡±

    Raising an eyebrow, Mingqing placed one of her hands on top of Songmei¡¯s while grabbing a cookie off Songmei¡¯s plate with her other hand. ¡°I¡¯m doing great. You know Youhong, Taigang, and Liying are still talking to Lust? Sucks to be them...¡±

    ¡°Really? Still?¡± Songmei murmured, incredulous as to how Lust was being so difficult.

    ¡°Yeap,¡± Mingqing answered, popping the ¡®p¡¯ and laughing as she took a bite out of the cookie.

 150: Gluttony... In More Ways Than One

    With their notes all organized and their meeting scheduled for after lunch, Lin Songmei and Yan Mingqing had... nothing to do. Nothing important, anyway. They had a plate full of confectioneries, a pot of tea, and a beautiful view of the park.

    Making some light conversation, the two spent the next couple of hours chatting, holding hands, eating, the classic couple stuff. Lazy and comfortable, Mingqing proposed they eat lunch at the same cafe, save some trouble, save some energy, the likes.

    Wanting to try some more, Songmei had agreed, and so... they ate!

    There really wasn¡¯t anything worth talking about in those couple of hours... Songmei was just happy she had some time to spend with Mingqing in their hectic schedules.

    Oh, well, there was one thing. They called Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying to laugh at them¡ªlike all friends did out of love¡ªonce those three finally managed to get a concrete answer out of Lust. Tired and worn, the call was, for the most part, a virtual lunch where some light words were exchanged.

    Done with their food, though, Songmei and Mingqing were, once more, walking down the street together, hand in hand, towards Gluttony¡¯s office.

    ¡°Why does he have an office? That doesn¡¯t feel very... underwordly¡± Songmei asked, tapping her chin as they walked down the street.

    ¡°He does a lot of restaurant management... I think?¡± Mingqing answered to the best of her knowledge. ¡°To be honest, I feel like all of the underworld bosses have an above world footing, you know? For the most part they just have some... illegal or nepotism stuff going on? Like dodging fines, or taxes maybe...¡±

    ¡°Or they¡¯re just committing crimes,¡± Songmei sighed, shielding her eyes from the sun. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know for sure, and I¡¯d prefer if it wasn¡¯t that they were like... kidnapping people, but the chance of that... isn¡¯t low is it?¡±

    Beginning their trek across one of the large bridges spanning the West River¡ªthe river Westriver was named after¨CMingqing shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Apparently it was a lot worse in the past. Like a couple of generations back. For the past couple of years, apparently each generation has done less and less illegal stuff.¡±

    ¡°Dang... What incisive knowledge.... Where did you find this out?¡± Songmei asked, curious as to where Mingqing got this new knowledge from. ¡°You¡¯re not really one for research, and I never saw that stuff when I was doing my comb through all the articles about Westriver when we first arrived.¡±

    Coughing, Mingqing fake stumbled, grabbing onto the bridge¡¯s railing. ¡°I... I¡¯m not that lazy... Well, maybe I am... but still! I saw it while scrolling through the news this morning at breakfast. Apparently, it¡¯s because the sects have taken more... controlling roles in the management of the city. It¡¯s just one of the things they¡¯ve done to make their disciples safer. But yeah, it¡¯s been spawning some discontentment.¡±

    ¡°Ohhh,¡± Songmei murmured with newfound enlightenment, ¡°That¡¯s interesting... Sort of annoying though. why do the politicians in the city have to be so power hungry...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, maybe because a lot of them have been around for a long time? They just don¡¯t like change in general?¡± Mingqing pondered out loud as they both hurried their pace to speed across the bridge. ¡°Everyday I relate more and more to Xueli.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Noo... don¡¯t start reading newspapers! I like you being in my generation!¡± Songmei teased as they slowed once more as the bridge ended. ¡°Well, who knows. We don¡¯t really know their motivations without talking to them. I won¡¯t judge... Sad though that we¡¯ll just have to defend ourselves against being ransomed or like... sold to demons or something.¡±

    With Mingqing giving an agreeing hum, the two changed topics, chatting about some random, unimportant topics as they made their way through the Southside of Westriver.

    A couple of minutes of walking and reminiscing on the few times they went to the Southside later, Songmei and Mingqing agreed: their next date would be in the Southside. After all, they hadn¡¯t been to the Southside much, and it... really was pretty.

    Dotted with parks, restaurants, and a more relaxed feel than the North, the South¡¯s only detriment was its stores. Less variety, worse prices, but Songmei and Mingqing didn¡¯t mind too much.

    Coming up to a stout, concrete office building, one mundane out of this world and boring beyond imagination, Songmei and Mingqing paused.

    ¡°This is it, right?¡± Songmei asked, raising her eyebrow as Mingqing pulled out her terminal.

    ¡°...Yes,¡± Mingqing confirmed, a similar confusion painted across her face. Squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand, Mingqing motioned forward with her chin. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    ¡°After you, milady,¡± Songmei laughed, squeezing Mingqing¡¯s hand and motioning forward.

    -----

    Walking past the receptionist who didn¡¯t even bother looking up, the two climbed a couple floors before coming to a stop before a well-worn wooden door. One with paint-chips and a few dents from... heavens knew what.

    With a golden plaque emblazoned with ¡°GLUTTONY¡± on the front of the door, Songmei looked at Mingqing. ¡°...I guess this really was the right place.¡±

    Knocking on the door, the two were let in by a cheerful baritone voice. ¡°Welcome! Come in, come in! You¡¯re so on time, what a good trait to have!¡±

    Letting go of each other¡¯s hands, Songmei and Mingqing cracked the door open, walking into a... unique sight to say the least.

    Gluttony, for one, wasn¡¯t sitting behind the large desk present on the far side of the room. Instead, he was sitting on the desk. With braided hair, the rest of Gluttony¡¯s outfit gave no semblance of neatness.

    Propped up on one arm, Gluttony¡¯s other arm sat on his knee as his light eyes drew a firm contrast to his tan skin. With an unbuttoned white dress shirt revealing his chiseled abs, Gluttony gave a lazy wave to the now frozen Mingqing and Songmei as he shifted his legs off the desk and into a sitting position. ¡°Heya! Surprised? I even buttoned up my dress pants to see you all. Didn¡¯t want to seem too indecent after all.¡±

    ¡°M...hm.¡± Songmei murmured with a few nods. ¡°Hi... yeah. Hello. Thanks for meeting with us.¡±

    Gluttony¡¯s room as well, wasn¡¯t what Songmei expected for someone as successful as him. It looked like a bomb had gone off for goodness sake! There were papers strewn across the ground, weights and workout equipment filling more space than desks or cabinets, and a few too many posters of food hung on every bit of wall.

    ¡°Of course!¡± Gluttony laughed, throwing the few remaining papers on his desk to the floor. ¡°I won¡¯t need these for now. So... how is it going? I see it¡¯s only you two. I kinda wanted to meet the famed Lychee Jelly consumer. You know, there was one struggling lychee jelly business under my company, but he alone revitalized it somehow... with his personal spending and just his influence.¡±

    ¡°Int..eresting...¡± Songmei held the conversation, giving Mingqing time to unfreeze from her surprise and unwillingness to talk to strangers. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to introduce you next time. I¡¯m sure he has a lot to say to you.¡±

    ¡°HAHA, thank you! I appreciate it!¡± Gluttony grinned, clutching his abdomen as he laughed. Wiping a tear from his eye, Gluttony clapped his hands. ¡°So let¡¯s get this party started. I have a general gist as to why you two are here, but why don¡¯t you spell it out for me? Shall we get this party started?¡±

 151: Food Puns

    Lin Songmei didn¡¯t have much to say about Gluttony. She had braced herself for a long, torturous ordeal after hearing what happened with Lust; however, the conversation she and Yan Mingqing had with Gluttony proceeded... buttery-smooth.

    Gluttony pledged to help in any way he could. Confused as to why he was so agreeable, Songmei and Mingqing had poked and prodded a bit before Gluttony shrugged and came clean.

    As it turned out, the vast majority of Gluttony¡¯s business relied on the stream of cultivators coming and going year after year. Without the cultivators, the restaurant business would go under in a matter of years.

    Explaining their plan to try and gather their efforts and base their operations around Wrath¡¯s base, Gluttony assented without too much of a fuss. In fact, because he didn¡¯t know Wrath too well, Gluttony asked for Wrath¡¯s number, wanting to schedule a time to visit her in the hospital.

    What an agreeable man...

    If Songmei had to take issue with anything, if she had to needle something out, it¡¯d be Gluttony¡¯s lack of ability to help. Gluttony, with one of the largest territories out of all the underworld leaders, naturally, had one of the largest organizations under him.

    Songmei and Mingqing had hoped he could offer a lot of his people to help, but due to the nature of his work, Gluttony scratched his head and apologized. With so many restaurants, Gluttony spent the vast majority of his manpower staffing regular patrols and watch posts to ensure the restaurants stayed out of any conflict.

    It was too bad, but it was understandable.

    Sighing, Songmei grabbed Mingqing¡¯s hand, beginning a stroll back to their apartment. ¡°What now? We¡¯ve... again... finished before the other group.¡±

    ¡°I have no clue either, I mean, it certainly helped that we lucked out, getting the easier side of things, but maybe we¡¯re just better,¡± Mingqing tapped her chin with a smug grin. ¡°I guess we go back and chill? If the other three manage to convince Sloth, the real stuff starts tomorrow after the underworld leaders temporarily work from Wrath¡¯s base.¡±

    ¡°Yeah... but it just... feels too relaxed,¡± Songmei stared off into the sky with a groan. ¡°The mayor¡¯s side is just laying low while we scramble to try and assemble some allies. How are we even going to solve this issue?¡±

    Squeezing Songmei¡¯s hand, Mingqing raised it to give it a light kiss. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let¡¯s talk more once we get back to our apartment. We¡¯ll figure it out somehow, I promise.¡±

    A faint pink climbing onto her cheeks, Songmei pursed her lips and looked away. ¡°Since when have you been so optimistic... isn¡¯t that my job...¡±

    ¡°We can always rotate~¡± Mingqing teasing voice sang, pulling Songmei along as she dragged her feet.

    With Songmei trying her best to tease Mingqing back, the two continued on their little stroll, climbing up the bridge to return to the Central District sat atop the floating island. Making their way through the now familiar streets, the two continued their conversation, raising their eyebrows in surprise as Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying proclaimed the completion of their business as well. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Back in the apartment, Songmei and Mingqing belly-flopped onto different couches. Songmei, with her drive gone, raised her hand, twirling a small piece of crystal into existence to fidget with. ¡°Want to discuss a little? Brainstorm a little? While we wait for the others to return?¡±

    ¡°Sure...¡± Mingqing¡¯s muffled voice groaned from her facedown position on the couch. ¡°Well, I think we start from where we kinda... thought to yesterday. What would we have to do to say the situation is resolved? Then we work backward from there...¡±

    Pushing herself upward with a groan, Songmei stared out the huge window making up one wall of their apartment. ¡°So... what did we say again... Either we have to install a new mayor.¡±

    ¡°Which is really hard,¡± Mingqing sat up with a grimace. ¡°But it¡¯s the preferable solution. Just that we have to win over the general populace of Westriver. And... They kinda all don¡¯t like us right now. Or, at least they are ambivalent towards us.¡±

    ¡°And the other solution is that we make the current mayor take back what he said.¡± Songmei pinched her cheeks, glaring at the buildings outside as she mulled over the problem at hand.

    ¡°Which is also really hard,¡± Mingqing added again, shifting her seat to sit next to Songmei as the door cracked open.

    Taking a moment to catch Youhong, Taigang, and Liying up to speed, the five of them sat around in a loose circle, spread across several couches.

    ¡°Yeah, so the problem with making the mayor take back what he said is we have to... convince the mayor. Which I don¡¯t really see happening. After all, this... plan, I guess... seems to have been in the works for quite a while now.¡± Youhong pressed his palms together, sitting in a cross-legged position. ¡°Also, on a personal level, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all more biased towards the first  plan than the second.¡±

    With murmurs of agreement coming from everyone else, Songmei leaned forward, propping her chin in her hands as her elbows sank into the couch in front of her crossed legs¡ªa casual show of flexibility to say the least. ¡°Mingqing and I were talking today, but it¡¯d honestly be really nice to have Wrath become the mayor...¡±

    ¡°Ohhh... yeah, I saw that part in the notes you sent over.¡± Taigang laughed, raising a finger and shaking his hand. ¡°We still haven¡¯t organized our notes neatly, but there isn¡¯t too much to say. We can just verbally catch each other up after this. Let¡¯s just have a concrete plan with some overarching objectives first, then we can sort out the fine details. Anyone want to add to the... truly barebones plan we have so far?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I have some ideas,¡± Liying started with a gleam in her eye. ¡°Trust this older sister, mhm. So, I was thinking-¡±

    ¡°Wowwww, what a rare occurrence!¡± Youhong raised his eyebrows as a devious grin sprouted onto his face. ¡°Anyway, continue.¡±

    Giving Youhong the middle finger, Liying ignored, turning to look at the others. ¡°So, no matter what it¡¯s going to end up in a big fight. I feel like, given who has the power here, if we manage to beat and capture the mayor, we¡¯ll be good, we¡¯ll just have to... not look like massive villains.¡±

    ¡°So we have to do a marketing campaign?¡± Youhong snorted, shrugging though as he recognized Liying¡¯s point. ¡°I mean we just have to make the populace lose faith in the mayor. So dragging it out helps us in multiple ways. For one, we can continue cultivating. For another though, it looks bad for the mayor when the thing he swore to enact has had no results.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡¯s already captured a bunch of people.¡± Mingqing pointed out, getting up to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

    ¡°So... we gotta rescue them, step one, I guess?¡± Taigang proposed as he turned to ask Mingqing for a glass of water as well.

    ¡°¡°¡°¡°Yeah.¡±¡±¡±¡±

 152: To-Do Listing

    With Yan Mingqing returning from the kitchen with five glasses of water¡ªone for everyone¡ªthe discussion continued. In the end, Lin Songmei was... satisfied. Well, to be more accurate, feeling a lot better about their prospects.

    Wang Taigang had kept everyone on track. Zhao Liying and Han Youhong, though throwing snide comments towards each other as banter, provided a lot of good ideas. Mingqing, well... though not talkative, she did take notes and got everyone snacks halfway through.

    Songmei, herself, also helped, and in the end, though it felt like some people did more of some things than others, everyone contributed towards everything.

    Fun stuff.

    Their plan too, boiled down to a few¡ªhopefully¡ªachievable goals. Looking over the list, Songmei was impressed, they had narrowed it down to five things, for now at least. More things would come up, but for now, they had thought of the following.

    [1. Rescue the captured disciples.]

    Right now, Songmei and the others didn¡¯t even know where they were detained, so some scouting was needed first. However, one thing working in their favor was the illegal detainment of the disciples. Because there wasn¡¯t¡ªas of now¡ªany legal reason behind it, a ¡°breakout¡± of sorts, wouldn¡¯t put them under the watchful gaze of the law.

    Another idea they had was to try and capture a few of the politicians, but... even Taigang who proposed it knew it was a bad idea. Just because the mayor¡¯s group had broken a couple of laws to do their illegal detainment didn¡¯t mean they could. After all, the mayor¡¯s side had a powerful tool called nepotism on their side when it came to dodging the legal system¡¯s prying eyes.

    Youhong, though, had brought up the very real possibility the disciples were detained in the city. For the most part, fighting in the city, they had agreed, was to avoid. It¡¯d cause destruction, and brew some really spiteful feelings in the populace. Which wasn¡¯t their goal, they needed to win over the populace. Therefore, fighting would be stealthy, made up of covert strike groups when in the city.

    It was as Mingqing said: ¡°slow and steady.¡± Which led to their next point:

    [2. Drag it out and widen the rift between the politicians, the mayor, and the two underworld bosses]

    Time, surprisingly, was on their side. The general non-cultivator people in the city didn¡¯t like having their lives disrupted by the mayor. If they could drag it out, not only would the mayor¡¯s already unstable alliance fracture, they could force the populace to push the mayor. If enough resentment grew, the current populace in a pseudo-quarantine would fight back against the mayor.

    Who knew though, the second part of their plan was to just force a stalemate of sorts? They¡¯d try and eat away at Avarice and Pride¡¯s territories and chip away at their manpower. The last benefit of dragging it out was also their third goal:

    [3. Get to the peak of body enhancement and prepare for the foundation establishment tribulation.]This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    It was a little unrealistic to have everyone in the party challenge it at the same time, but if they could just get one or two people into the foundation establishment realm, the tables would turn. They¡¯d be able to smack around every single person on the opposing side without too much trouble.

    They¡¯d then go onto the offensive. Simple as that.

    Songmei and others knew though, the mayor wasn¡¯t stupid. He¡¯d do everything he could to capture people on their side or to convert people to their side. To... counter, the best they could at least, there was number four:

    [4. Establish a base of operations in Wrath¡¯s base. Depending on the condition of the rescued disciples, house them there.]

    They were just planning on having everyone near each other. If the mayor launched an attack, they needed the numbers advantage and the preparation advantage to stave the opposition off.

    On the other hand, for the disciples, it depended on their condition. If everyone was still healthy, the pavilion disciples could return to their housing. Otherwise, it¡¯d be smarter to just move everyone to Wrath¡¯s base and check the people who needed it into the hospital.

    The sect would pay the medical fees anyway!

    Their last bullet point though, took a little more brainstorming. It worked but needed a lot more investigation.

    [5. Expose the mayor and/or find concrete evidence for his wrongdoings]

    Being an upright dude, Songmei and the others weren¡¯t expecting to find something like... human trafficking. Something which could turn the entire populace against the mayor immediately.

    They did, however, very much so suspect the mayor had dealings with the demons. Though this wasn¡¯t something they could use to leverage the public against the mayor, it would allow them to have the sects¡ªor, well, the cultivation world as a whole if needed¡ªback them in installing a new mayor for the city.

    They¡¯d need time anyway, to spy around for this type of stuff. The goal was¡ªas said before¡ªto just let the public¡¯s opinion worsen as time went on in a more natural progression.

    Pushing herself up off the couch, Songmei wandered off toward the kitchen. Everyone had agreed to a break, a quick recharge before they decided whether or not to discuss more. With some time on their hands, Mingqing, Youhong, Liying, and Taigang were planning on booting up the bricklaying game and playing some more.

    Songmei, though, was worn to the bone and didn¡¯t have the energy to join in. She was content to just sit around snacking, watching, and maybe cheering for Mingqing. Walking further into the kitchen to grab a bowl of fruit, Songmei listened to the conversation happening in the living room.

    ¡°You know, I still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re actually doing stealth,¡± Youhong pumped his fist as he moved couches to have a better seat. ¡°I¡¯m so pumped. I can finally use my assassin skill set.¡±

    ¡°I mean, that also means you have to teach us some of your assassin skill set,¡± Taigang added, patting Youhong on the back. ¡°Which probably won¡¯t be that easy.¡±

    ¡°No, no, it¡¯ll be great!¡± Youhong grinned, popping a lychee jelly into his mouth. ¡°For beginners, you really only need to be able to walk silently. With an experienced person, like me~, I can take care of the rest like scouting around corners!¡±

    Fake gagging as Youhong sang ¡°Like me,¡± Liying shook her head. ¡°Well, I¡¯m looking forward to it. We¡¯ve done a couple of scouting missions, but this will be the first time we¡¯re sneaking into buildings and stuff. Do you think any of the underworld bosses would be willing to help?¡±

    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask... but I feel like we shouldn¡¯t rely on them too much.¡± Songmei returned with a bowl of fruit and a bonus bag of chips. ¡°I feel like we could do it alone, and the sects would probably prefer that.¡±

    ¡°True...¡± Youhong nodded. ¡°It¡¯ll be a long while, but a fun one. Watch and learn, babies.¡±

 153: Staring Into the Sun

    Several days had passed. Liu Xueli, Xiao Feng, and a plethora of other masters had arrived in the city. The wave after wave of masters arriving marked the ending of the most volatile part of the current predicament.

    The situation as a whole though, was far from over. None of their outlined goals had been achieved yet. Well, none except one.

    Having concentrated all their efforts into scouting for the past few days, their investigation had paid off: the disciples were found!

    As expected, they weren¡¯t being held in some official jail. Instead, the disciples were all clumped together, sitting in a few unmarked, makeshift prisons thrown together in Pride¡¯s territory. As far as Lin Songmei could tell, the prisons were warehouses, repurposed for more... nefarious means.

    With the sun setting though, everyone was getting ready to enact their operation. Well, when Songmei said everyone, she meant all the direct disciples. She, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, Zhao Liying, Lu Qiang, Cai Yufei, and Liu Liping were all gearing up.

    ¡°Okay, so how are we going to leave undetected in full combat gear?¡± Youhong leaned against the wall. All eight of them were gathered in Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s apartment, chilling out as they waited for the sun to set. They had instructed the other disciples, the inner disciples from Starlight Lake, to standby.

    Though not able to help too much combat-wise, the disciples would be good manpower in case there were incapacitated people who needed physical aid in escaping. After all, they were all stronger than the average person already.

    ¡°I just texted the Starlight Lake inner disciples from both years, they¡¯ll be trailing us. Once we... Well, no guarantees, but once we hopefully break them out, we¡¯ll signal for them to come and pick up as many people as they can.¡± Songmei looked up from her terminal, collapsing it back into a bracelet to wear on her wrist. ¡°Also, I have no idea, Youhong.¡±

    ¡°Are they even watching us?¡± Lu Qiang leaned his head back while lazing on the couch. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen signs of being watched yet.¡±

    ¡°They should be. It would be unwise if they weren¡¯t.¡± Cai Yufei pressed his lips together, crossing his arms as he stared out the window into the setting sun.

    ¡°First of all, how are you not torching your eyes right now,¡± Liying raised an eyebrow, looking at Cai Yufei from across the room. ¡°Second of all, I¡¯m pretty sure they don¡¯t have the manpower. Most of the cultivators working under Avarice and Pride are in a lower realm than us, so they¡¯d be easily found out if they were spying on us. The few that are in a similar realm to us, on the other hand, are all being preoccupied by the other higher realm cultivators under the underworld bosses on our side.¡±

    Nodding along to Liying¡¯s points, Taigang crossed his arms. ¡°It still wouldn¡¯t hurt though, to try and figure something out... A little more caution wouldn¡¯t hurt. Also, yeah, how are you not going blind, my guy.¡±

    Another fifteen minutes of planning allowed Songmei and the others to come up with a new plan. It was simple. With an even number of people in the room, they¡¯d split off into pairs and act like they were going out for a late dinner, walk in the park, or whatever else people did at night. By keeping a keen eye on their surroundings, they¡¯d check for people tailing them. After confirming there was nobody or losing the tail, they¡¯d all meet up on the agreed rooftop overlooking the target warehouse. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Being part of the first¡ªand most innocent looking¡ªpair, Songmei left the apartment first, hand-in-hand with Mingqing.

    Because they left the apartment in this exact manner pretty much everyday¡ªwith the other days being arm in arm¡ªSongmei and Mingqing¡¯s objective consisted of scouting the area for everyone else and also making a quick trip to the supermarket to pick up some snacks for the others.

    Who knew? Maybe a quick refuel pre-battle or mid-battle could be the difference maker! That¡¯s what Youhong said at least, and he was the snacking expert...

    That did imply though that he had snacked mid-battle before and it had made a difference...

    All Songmei could hope for was that the battle Youhong took a mini-snack break in wasn¡¯t a duel. If so, the disrespect to the opponent to take a break and snack must¡¯ve been palpable. Songmei knew, even if she was a spectator, she would¡¯ve wanted to run onto the field and give Youhong a beating.

    Buying a mix of chips, sweets, cookies, jellies, and more, Songmei and Mingqing exited the convenience store without a hitch. With the snacks procured, Songmei scanned the area like she was looking for motivation in life.

    No one. It was deserted. It was what Liying had predicted, but still annoying nonetheless. It meant one of two things, either there was actually no one, or there was someone, but they were just not heaven-defying-young-master enough to detect them.

    Messaging the others it was safe, Songmei and Mingqing disappeared into the darkness, taking a long route towards the designated meeting place. They had time anyway, the planned start time was midnight, over three hours away.

    It¡¯d take a while though, for everyone to leave without arousing suspicion. To give the enemy minimal time to react, they decided on spreading it out while also going in order of ascending suspicion.

    Therefore, after Songmei and Mingqing, the order was as follows: Cai Yufei and Lu Qiang, Youhong and Taigang, and last of all, Liying and Liu Liping.

    With their job done though, Songmei and Mingqing turned off their notifications, ignoring the group chat as they enjoyed a nighttime stroll. While on their stroll, Songmei and Mingqing had even run into a few brave people. These people, to Songmei¡¯s surprise, had begun disregarding the mayor¡¯s imposed quarantine.

    It couldn¡¯t be denied either that the police just standing around and not enforcing anything didn¡¯t help. At first, Songmei and Mingqing would take routes through alleyways, dark corners, or even on top of rooftops to avoid the police. After a while though, Songmei and Mingqing noticed the police only nodded and said ¡°stay safe¡± to the passers by.

    Without much else to do, Songmei and Mingqing decided to take a chance.

    With a police officer standing at the street corner just up ahead, Songmei and Mingqing had looked at each other before shrugging.

    Walking by a police officer with some groceries in their hand instead of in their spatial storage rings, Songmei and Mingqing had both given the officer a nod to which he nodded back and tipped his hat. ¡°Have a nice night ladies. Stay safe out here.¡±

    Resisting the urge to snort and bust out laughing, the two had paused for a moment. Songmei, apologizing for the irony of her question, asked why the police officer wasn¡¯t enforcing the quarantine. Shrugging, the police officer leaned against the light pole. ¡°I¡¯m not paid enough to care. None of us are. The police department is not funded well. Why do you think we have seven underworld bosses? SEVEN! They¡¯re treated like royalty too!¡±

    Speechless, Songmei nodded as she and Mingqing bade the police officer a goodnight, walking off without much trouble. The police officer did have a good point though, Pride and Avarice had sauntered up and stood as the next two most important figures during the mayor¡¯s most recent address...

    That wasn¡¯t very underworld-ly of them...

 154: Can Delusions Manifest Into Reality?

    As midnight drew near, the eight cultivators¡ªLin Songmei, Yan Mingqing, Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, Zhao Liying, Lu Qiang, Cai Yufei, and Liu Liping¡ªgathered on a rooftop overlooking their target.

    With the warehouse¡¯s exterior looking benign, it was hard to imagine the interior had been converted to a prison. Yet, Youhong¡¯s scouting and picture-taking abilities had revealed a grotesque inside.

    From his discovery, he hadn¡¯t seen anyone injured, but everyone seemed tired, hungry, and dirty.

    ¡°So right now the guard patrols are at the minimum,¡± Youhong scanned the warehouse with a pair of binoculars. ¡°I estimate we¡¯ll have ten minutes at most after the alarm sounds before help arrives.¡±

    ¡°We have eight people though, how long will it take?¡± Lu Qiang flexed his arms, doing some light stretches to warm up.

    Too shy, or too lazy, to participate in the conversation most of the time, Liu Liping shook her head. ¡°Lu Qiang, didn¡¯t you listen earlier? We¡¯re going to be defending and holding off the opposition until everyone has escaped from Pride¡¯s territory.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡± Lu Qiang sighed, the smile on his face dimming a few notches. ¡°Yeah, okay, that¡¯s going to be pretty hard.¡±

    With her terminal buzzing, Songmei stored the snacks back into her spatial storage ring. ¡°The inner disciples have just informed me they¡¯re in position. So we¡¯re good to go at any time. Who wants to make the call?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Youhong propped his arms up, the binoculars scanning the warehouse. ¡°Just remember to keep quiet.¡±

    Songmei had to agree. In their planning, they had checked and found the nearest inhabited neighborhood. Though it wasn¡¯t too close, a battle too flashy or too noisy would still draw attention. However, because it was an unmarked warehouse, it did work in their favor because the battle would be taking place in an industrial district.

    The industrial district was an ideal location for two simple reasons. For one, they could unleash more... destructive attacks, without fear for collateral damage. If Pride¡¯s goods or supplies were lost or damaged in the fight, it was a bonus for them!

    Songmei, herself, was planning on having a few arrows miss their mark ¡®by accident.¡¯ In fact, her arm¡ªfor definitely no reason at all¡ªjust had been feeling a little off. As a total coincidence as well, everyone else had also been reporting troubles with aiming over the past few days...

    The second reason the industrial district was an ideal location was just because Pride¡¯s industrial district was located at the edge of territory. Simple as that.

    ¡°Alright, final review,¡± Taigang whispered as everyone but Youhong gathered around in a circle. ¡°Stealth is not on our side due to the plethora of guards. Even if it¡¯s the least amount of guards right now, the alarm is going to get triggered no matter what. We¡¯re going in guns blazing. Lu Qiang and I will charge towards the front doors and distract the guards. Liying will blaze a clean hole through the door and the rest will charge into to free the hostages. We¡¯ll... improvise from there really. Understood?¡± Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    With everyone giving their hushed agreement, Taigang walked over to Youhong. ¡°Anytime. Just give the signal.¡±

    As Youhong nodded, everyone got into position, gathering their Qi, preparing their weapons, and loosening their bodies.

    A few torturous minutes later, Youhong raised his hand, counting down from five.

    Lowering his last finger, Youhong watched as seven figures flitted by him, leaping off the rooftop and into battle. Stowing his binoculars, Youhong followed suit, pulling his coat tighter and melting into the shadows.

    -----

    Zhang Xiaoping was a normal dude. He was just an honest to good man! Lighting a cigarette, Zhang Xiaoping reflected on his life. There wasn¡¯t too much of note. He had no house, no car, and his girlfriend had broken up with him a couple days prior.

    Zhang Xiaoping was unfettered. It was his zen mindset.

    Smirking to himself, Zhang Xiaoping couldn¡¯t help but look around. His mindset was just one reason why he was heaven¡¯s favored child. Pulling his coat forward and puffing his chest out, Zhang Xiaoping continued his patrol with a strut.

    If it wasn¡¯t obvious, he was a cultivator. Which, of course, meant he was intrinsically better than the non-cultivators. It was a bit of an unpopular opinion, but Zhang Xiaoping had the talent to back it up. He had already opened up eleven of his main meridians as he came up on thirty years old.

    He had come to Westriver because he had heard of its unique Qi. To find some work though, he had been bouncing around from job to job. Tonight, he was working under this... Vainglory person? To guard a warehouse.

    Zhang Xiaoping had no idea what was in the warehouse, but cash was cash.

    With his sword at his waist, Zhang Xiaoping was confident, danger was coming. It was only natural for him¡ªas a protagonist¡ªto run into trouble. He had done some extreme calculations in his head, pondered every angle, and was ready.

    Strutting around the warehouse, Zhang Xiaoping whirled around as he heard a crack.

    It was his time! The fodder had arrived! This was where he could continue his meteoric rise!

    Unsheathing his sword, Zhang Xiaoping grinned as he watched the other guards rush forward towards the sounds.

    How stupid.

    Zhang Xiaoping had seen the videos about those up-and-coming disciples. He knew it was propaganda. There was no way they were actually in those realms. Lin Songmei? Yan Mingqing? They all looked WEAK! They had nothing on him!

    With unknown enemies in the darkness, Zhang Xiaoping had an infallible plan. He¡¯d wait for them to reveal themselves and use up their energy early dealing with the other guards. He¡¯d then rush in, with the element of surprise on his side, wipe the floor with whoever came! He could take credit, gain recognition from this Vainglory person and even the mayor!

    Zhang Xiaoping, though from a mundane background, was confident he had just as much talent. Any talent he didn¡¯t have? He made up with his heaven-blessed luck and his unique, zen mindset.

    Half a moment later, crouched behind a crate with his sword out, Zhang Xiaoping¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched two figures rush out of the darkness and plow through a group of guards. One was radiant as the sun and the other was powerful like a tsunami.

    Circulating his Qi through his body, Zhang Xiaoping clenched his sword. These were some powerful enemies...

    He¡¯d have to use his secret technique, one honed over ten years of training. As a creative genius and zen cultivator, one with the heavens, Zhang Xiaoping had created his own technique: Star Heaven¡¯s Thirteenth Cataclysmic Celestial Star Cyclone-Dragon Falling Through The Heavens Cleaving Storm Slashes.

    Keeping a keen eye on the enemies, Zhang Xiaoping began focusing his Qi as he watched a blazing spear fly past the guards, plowing the warehouse¡¯s double doors open.

    Patience. He¡¯d have his moment soon enough.

 155: The Inevitable Return To Reality

    Zhang Xiaoping was stunned. The enemies weren¡¯t strong¡ªat least not in his opinion. Just, everyone else on his side was so weak! They were all being bowled over in seconds! Following the leading two guys appearing and drawing all the attention, Zhang Xiaoping had watched as another group of four ran by the guards and into the warehouse.

    Among the group were four people, two guys and two girls. Zhang Xiaoping didn¡¯t care about the guys, they were boring anyway. However, among the girls, one had caught his attention. One girl with silver-white hair and purple eyes had run in with butterflies trailing behind her.

    Zhang Xiaoping believed she was called Lin Songmei... She was EXACTLY his type too! Focusing on his Qi circulation, Zhang Xiaoping had a thought. Maybe... maybe if he beat up all the attackers and captured her, she¡¯d fall in love with him! Awed at his strength!

    Still crouched behind some crates, Zhang Xiaoping peeked out from his hiding spot. Who would he have to beat? Scanning the area, Zhang Xiaoping felt a bolt from the heavens strike down, blessing him with the knowledge.

    Wang Taigang! Lu Qiang! Zhao Liying! Yan Mingqing! These were the four people left outside the warehouse! No wonder Lin Songmei had run in earlier! The others must have been Han Youhong, Cai Yufei, and Liu Liping!

    Tapping his head, Zhang Xiaoping praised himself. What a genius deduction as always. No one could match his peerless mental acuity.

    Grinning, Zhang Xiaoping put down his sword, closing his eyes and clasping his hands together, thanking the heavens for their kindness. He had been wishing to test these ¡®geniuses¡¯ with his own hands. He wanted to teach them the true meaning of peerless talent.

    Already thinking towards the conclusion of the battle, Zhang Xiaoping felt a wide grin blossom on his face. He could see it already! Four manservants, cowed by his power, itching to learn from a true master. Then, four beautiful ladies by his side, swarming and fighting for a chance to cling onto his arms. He only had two after all! They¡¯d have to fight for a position!

    Grabbing his sword, Zhang Xiaoping leapt out from behind the crates, charging towards the nearest cultivator: Yan Mingqing.

    Oh how she was sexy. Her long navy blue hair, her sharp eyes, her cold, aloof, pointed demeanor! Zhang Xiaoping could already imagine her breaking down into a blushing mess, begging to hold his arm as they sauntered down the streets!

    Forcing himself to focus and dismissing his more... imaginative... thoughts, Zhang Xiaoping crouched down into a ready position, raising his sword and activating his body enhancement technique. ¡°Mingqing! I, Zhang Xiaoping, heaven¡¯s favored child, challenge you! Today, I will teach you the true dao of the sword!¡±

    With Mingqing kicking another guard into what seemed to be another dimension, Zhang Xiaoping grinned as she turned to face him. She didn¡¯t even know what was about to hit her!

    Mingqing, on the other hand, was not impressed. She had noticed some weirdo trying to burn a hole into Songmei earlier from behind the crates. Now he had leapt out, challenging her to a duel? What was with the ¡°Mingqing¡± too? They were nowhere near close enough to address each other by their first names only...Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Socking a poor guard in the stomach and tossing him towards Liying who was looking over at the ¡®duel¡¯ with interest, Mingqing mouthed a ¡°Can you believe this guy?¡± before turning around.

    Watching him rock in place, ready for a fight, Mingqing sat back on one foot. ¡°C¡¯mon, you first, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll let you have a move.¡±

    Clenching his jaw, Zhang Xiaoping fumed as he squinted his eyes. THE EGO! Who was this upstart eighteen year old to treat a duel like this?! When he pounded her into the ground and wooed her over, he¡¯d teach her a lesson!

    Zhang Xiaoping¡ªwith his ever-fast, zen but genius mind¡ªcame up with a fitting punishment within a quarter of a second. He¡¯d ensure the other girls always were favored before her! She¡¯d be the lowest member of the harem until she learned!

    ¡°Hehehe... you¡¯ll regret this,¡± Zhang Xiaoping scowled, raising his sword. ¡°Etch this name into your mind! Star Heaven¡¯s Thirteenth Cataclysmic Celestial Star Cyclone-Dragon Falling Through The Heavens Cleaving Storm Slashes!¡±

    Leaping into the air¡ªafter fifteen seconds of announcing his technique¡¯s name¡ªZhang Xiaoping fell towards Mingqing, unleashing a barrage of Qi slashes. Laughing as he felt all his Qi drain out through his blade, Zhang Xiaoping¡¯s face froze as Mingqing shrugged and sighed, waving her sword to counter every slash with picture-perfect precision.

    ... H-How did she block it???

    With Mingqing scowling, Zhang Xiaoping took a fist to the stomach as he came face to face with an angry Mingqing. ¡°Your face is even uglier up close you buffoon, pig-faced, bastard. Never even look at, no, even dream of Songmei again, you got it?¡±

    Nodding as he coughed up a mouthful of blood, Zhang Xiaoping took another twenty blows¡ªover the course of a couple seconds¡ªbefore falling to the ground. Struggling as he felt stabbing pains all over his torso, Zhang Xiaoping laid on the ground. ¡°My ribs... my internal organs! How is this possible!?!¡±

    Hearing Mingqing laughing, Zhang Xiaoping cracked his tear-filled eyes open as she grinned, saying ¡°try this technique on for size... scrotum SMASHER!¡± before a heavy kick swept up and decimated his pelvic region.

    With a shrill scream escaping his lips, Zhang Xiaoping laid on the ground sobbing. ¡°Why... heavens... why!? Weren¡¯t Songmei, Mingqing, Liying, and Liping promised to me... Why...¡±

    In the middle of walking off, Mingqing did a double take as Liying motioned with her head and hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can cover for you, go let off some steam on that guy.¡±

    ¡°I owe you one,¡± Mingqing spun on her heel, making long strides back towards Zhang Xiaoping before hoisting him up into the air. ¡°Did you not hear what I said earlier?¡±

    Still feeling sharp pains in his torso and a dull pain in his crotch area, Zhang Xiaoping spat his blood onto the ground as he grinned with a maniacal laugh. ¡°Of course I did... but I don¡¯t care! You! You don¡¯t understand the mindset of a chosen one! It won¡¯t be long until I stumble upon a hidden opportunity, allowing me to soar up like a hidden dragon! I¡¯ll stomp you into the ground. Then, your only place left, your only avenue of survival, and your only hope will be to join my harem!¡±

    ¡°Uh... huh.¡± Mingqing nodded with an unimpressed expression. ¡°Right...¡±

    Winding up, Mingqing landed one more solid punch onto Zhang Xiaoping before throwing him back onto the ground. ¡°With how delusional and empty your head must be, I bet brain-eating amoeba think they¡¯re being punished in the afterlife with eternal torment when they enter your head.¡±

    Stepping over him, Mingqing jogged off, returning to action as the inner disciples swarmed the area and captured disciples began streaming out of the warehouse.

 156: Smooooth Extraction

    Unaware of the drama happening outside the warehouse, Lin Songmei had rushed into the warehouse through the now blasted open double doors. With Han Youhong, Cai Yufei, and Liu Liping trailing just a few steps behind her, they had destroyed the locks and bars trapping the various disciples.

    Nodding towards some of the disciples who were thanking her, Songmei paused for a moment, expanding her terminal to send a quick message to the inner disciples to come onto the scene.

    With most of the disciples uninjured, Songmei was glad. Out of everything possible, Songmei, for the most part, only saw ripped up clothes and injured egos. Scanning the room, Songmei¡¯s eyes landed on a girl sitting in the corner, nursing a bandaged ankle.

    Jogging over, Songmei strengthened her body with Qi, hoisting her up. ¡°Are you okay? Anything we¡¯re missing?¡±

    ¡°Our spatial storage rings and our terminals.¡± The girl clung to Songmei, murmuring a ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s our job.¡± Songmei looked around the room. ¡°Where are all your terminals and spatial storage rings? Are they still in the warehouse?¡±

    The inside of the warehouse seemed bare. For the most part, the entire interior was filled with sizable cages. Though Songmei was pretty sure the cages were meant to hold larger beasts and the like, they had been repurposed to hold groups of people.

    However, their sheer size meant there wasn¡¯t much room for anything else. Helpful bins labeled ¡°Terminals¡± and ¡°Spatial Storage Rings?¡± None. Boxes? None. Staircase to a different level? Also none.

    As far as Songmei could tell, there wasn¡¯t anything but cages.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re in the neighboring warehouse,¡± The girl pointed out as they made their way out of the warehouse. ¡°It¡¯s where they store the food they gave us as well.¡±

    ¡°I... see...¡± Songmei put the girl down just outside the doors. ¡°The other disciples and I will go look for your stuff, but sit tight here, okay? We have a bunch of inner disciples coming to pick all the injured up.¡±

    With the girl hobbling off to rejoin her friends, Songmei turned to look for Mingqing. Having seen Mingqing run into the warehouse earlier, Songmei spun on her heel, flinching and taking a few steps back as Mingqing was already right behind her. ¡°H... Hi!¡±

    ¡°Hi!¡± Mingqing laughed and followed Songmei as Songmei walked towards a nearby warehouse. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°We gotta break into this one as well,¡± Songmei pointed towards the rescued disciples now being carried off by the inner disciples. ¡°Apparently all their terminals and spatial storage rings are in here.¡±

    Letting out an ¡°Ahhh,¡± of enlightenment, Mingqing walked forward, slashing the lock and door with a heavy strike. Waving for some of the others to join them, Mingqing cracked the now busted door open. ¡°After you, Songmei.¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Thank you?¡± Songmei mused, slipping in through the door after Taigang began running over.

    Leaving the door open behind them, Songmei and Mingqing took a few slow steps and entered the warehouse. What greeted them was a sight of grandeur. Not in the traditional sense, maybe, but grandeur nonetheless.

    With boxes stacked high, the warehouse was filled to the brim with unmarked and marked crates of all shapes and sizes. Meandering over to one side, Songmei cracked a crate open. ¡°It¡¯s full of food, as expected.¡±

    ¡°Wait why is it expected,¡± Taigang¡¯s voice interjected as he slipped through the door and entered the warehouse. ¡°Wow, that''s a lot of boxes though.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re stealing... well... ¡®accidentally destroying¡¯ them all.¡± Songmei pointed to the stacks on stacks. ¡°There should be a metal box somewhere in here. It should be full of the captured disciples¡¯ terminals. Metal because the signal¡¯s been blocked. Then, there should be a box full of spatial storage rings. The rest are full of food.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right back, I¡¯m calling over Youhong, he has an extra large spatial storage ring.¡± Taigang bolted, running back outside while shouting, ¡°I¡¯ll be right back!¡±

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s just start. No need to wait for them.¡± Mingqing jogged forward, beginning to store piles of boxes. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to store the box full of spatial storage rings.¡±

    Joining Mingqing, Songmei only looked up as Youhong and Taigang returned, Taigang giving a brief explanation before they too began working. With progress hastening by leaps and bounds after Youhong joined in, the four of them managed to empty close to half the warehouse in a couple of minutes. Yet, with Youhong finding the box full of spatial storage rings, the four of them stopped.

    ¡°Alright, Taigang, you grab the box full of spatial storage rings. Just hand it off to an inner disciple.¡± Youhong handed the box over with an ¡°umph¡± escaping Taigang¡¯s lips. ¡°We¡¯re going to destroy a few boxes to give an illusion of accidental destruction.¡±

    With Taigang leaving, the three of them followed him out. Glancing over at the neighboring warehouse, all three of them shrugged before turning back to the supply warehouse they had just ransacked.

    The others had the situation under complete control. Without anything to say, all Songmei could think was ¡°good on them!¡±

    ¡°So attack from the outside, pierce the front and just destroy some of the boxes?¡± Mingqing asked Youhong, who seemed to have a good idea on how to do it.

    Sending a few Qi slashes through the wall and into the warehouse, Youhong grinned. ¡°Yeah, just like how I did it. Don¡¯t do too many though, we want to keep most of the food under the first layer intact. We also should get back over to the main battlefield even if it looks stable for now. Reinforcements for the other side should be arriving in just a couple of minutes.¡±

    With Youhong advising them to also use neutral Qi attacks, to keep it just a little more anonymous, Songmei and Mingqing followed suit. Mingqing, similar to Youhong, waved her sword around without too much thought, sending Qi slash after Qi slash in through the warehouse¡¯s front.

    Hearing the warehouse creaking due to its new open floor plan, Songmei backed a few steps away, sending a few Qi arrows into the warehouse as well.

    Even if she was using crystal arrows, Songmei wasn¡¯t too bothered. Following each arrow¡¯s trajectory with her activated eyes, Songmei squinted as they came to a stop. Lodged in place after puncturing a few boxes, Songmei snapped them out of tangibility, letting the arrows return to their original form as formless Qi.

    It was a little bit of an inefficient use of Qi, but Songmei had enough Qi to waste just a little here.

    Finishing their little bonus warehouse escapade, Songmei, Mingqing, and Youhong jogged back over to where the rescued disciples and inner disciples were running off. Coming to a stop next to the other direct disciples, Songmei pat Liying on the back. ¡°So, ready for the hard part?¡±

    ¡°Ready as I¡¯ll ever be...¡± Liying shook her head, tapping her spear against the ground as a few figures came running from the heart of Pride¡¯s district.

 157: Chronic Disorganization

    With the handful of figures coming to a stop in front of them, Lin Songmei counted four people, dressed head to toe in black garbs emblazoned with Pride¡¯s symbol. Seeing as they only sent four people, Songmei couldn¡¯t help but feel Pride was underestimating them.

    ¡°There¡¯s EIGHT?!¡± One of the hooded figures shouted, pulling out a terminal and tapping some buttons.

    Scratch her earlier statement. Maybe Pride¡¯s warehouse guards had just given some unreliable information...

    Sliding to the back of the group, Songmei did a quick count. Wang Taigang and Lu Qiang at the front? Check. Yan Mingqing and Cai Yufei? Check. Zhao Liying and Han Youhong next? Check again. Looking to her side, Songmei gave Liu Liping a small thumbs up as the four figures crouched down into battle positions.

    With the leader pulling out a pair of chainblades similar to Youhong¡¯s, a baritone voice escaped from under his mask. ¡°Tremble before us! Vainglory special forces! Today, you won¡¯t be escaping without some injuries at the minimum. Etch our numbers into your memory. Today you face numbers one, three, four, and six.¡±

    As his weird monologue came to an end, number one¡ªor so Songmei presumed based on the fact he seemed to be the leader¡ªmade a couple steps back, the others following suit.

    Were they waiting for Songmei and the others to attack first? They were the ones trying to buy time...

    Deciding to not attack and wait for the other party to make the first move, Songmei and others stood there as silence fell onto the battlefield. With the only sound coming from some random dude rolling around on the ground bemoaning how the heavens had betrayed him, everyone stood around for a couple more seconds.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you guys? Haven¡¯t you heard of us? Why won¡¯t you make the first move?¡± The person Songmei assumed was number one provoked, holding his weapon in one hand as he tried to wave them over.

    With more silence and stone-faced expressions, Songmei¡¯s party stood there. Youhong¡ªwho Songmei assumed was trying to start a career in standup comedy¡ªlooked to the side and nudged Liying as the stalemate dragged on. ¡°So... You ever heard of them?¡±

    Having, in fact, actually heard of the group, Liying almost nodded before catching onto Youhong¡¯s bit. ¡°No... never. Who are these weirdos?¡±

    Snorting, Songmei looked away as the girl next to her, Liu Liping, covered her mouth as well, catching the laughs and pushing them back down before they clawed their way out. With another awkward silence falling on the battlefield, this time only punctured by faint snorts, giggles, and laughs, Songmei and the others continued standing there waiting.

    Time was on their side. The moment the inner disciples messaged them, the plan was to bolt and disappear like the wind.

    The black robed figures on the other hand seemed to have a different sort of conflict going on as one of the figures tapped the leading figure. ¡°Zha... Zhang S-¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP, FOUR! WE¡¯RE ON A MISSION ARE YOU DUMB?!¡± The leading figure shouted, threatening his underling by pressing a blade to his throat.

    ¡°B... Boss, you know, we¡¯re here to capture them, right? They made off with the hostages...¡± Number four lowered the boss¡¯s blade with a cough. Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°What are you talking about, the hostages are right the...re... ¡± The boss froze, his jaw-dropping as the two wrecked warehouses registered in his brain. ¡°Why in the world did you not say something sooner? Are you trying to get us all fired?!??¡±

    Running forward at Taigang and Lu Qiang, the boss¡ªwho Songmei arbitrarily decided was number one¡ªsent a barrage of attacks forward, surprising not only Taigang and Lu Qiang, but his own subordinates as well.

    With attacks beginning to stream out of everyone, Songmei pulled her bow back, letting loose a couple of arrows as she heard one of the subordinates retort with a ¡°I was under the impression you weren¡¯t blind!¡±

    Unsure if this was a third-party comedy group coming to crash a random battle they saw or actual reinforcements from Pride, Songmei decided¡ªafter more than a moment of deliberation¡ªto push the thoughts aside and focus on hitting her shots.

    Sending one man crashing to the ground after encasing his legs in blocks of crystal, Songmei felt a pang of worry as the battle dragged on. Even if no one on either side had been injured yet, Songmei squinted her eyes as the seconds ticked by.

    Shouldn¡¯t the inner disciples be done? Shouldn¡¯t they have finished escaping from Pride¡¯s district?

    They had bought so much time after all. The fighting had been managed to a perfect stalemate while the pre-battle¡ªwhether intentional or not¡ªhad been dragged out an extra couple of minutes due to... weird misunderstandings, miscommunications, or just plain stupidity.

    Channeling Qi into her eyes, Songmei¡¯s gray irises fell away to reveal a rich amethyst as she scanned the surrounding area. Hiding behind Liu Liping who caught onto her intentions, Songmei took note and called out the approaching presences traveling towards them from the interior of Pride¡¯s district.

    Taking another look towards their escape route, Songmei tilted her head as she tried her best to guess and estimate the distance at which the escaping disciples were at.

    As far as Songmei could tell they were already a ways out... If Songmei had to guess, she would¡¯ve guessed the disciples had already exited the territory close to a minute prior. They weren¡¯t being chased either...

    With everyone¡¯s terminal buzzing, Songmei dismissed her thoughts¡ªit was hard to guesstimate distance through Qi signatures alone, not to mention the buildings in the way. Opening her mouth to call everyone, Songmei closed it again as everyone disengaged one-by-one.

    Deciding to just bolt before the next wave of reinforcements arrived, Songmei disappeared, leaving only a few butterflies in her wake to signal she had even been there in the first place.

    Channeling all her Qi into her legs, Songmei slowed a touch to run beside Mingqing. ¡°Injured?¡±

    ¡°Not at all,¡± Mingqing shook her head, leaping onto the rooftops while following Songmei. ¡°The others split off. They¡¯re taking their own routes down these few parallel streets. So don¡¯t worry about them. Even if it took longer than we expected, everyone still has plenty of leeway.¡±

    Turning her head to see Youhong zipping along a nearby street¡¯s rooftops while popping lychee jellies into his mouth, Songmei didn¡¯t need Mingqing¡¯s words to tell: they were fine. Accelerating a bit to keep up with Mingqing, Songmei looked back at Mingqing while pointing to her eyes. ¡°On the topic of longer than expected though, I feel like we need to be more vigilant and use the inner disciples less...¡±

    ¡°Hm? Why¡¯s that?¡± Mingqing looked back over her shoulder, checking to see how many, if any, pursuers there were.

    ¡°Well, I know I¡¯m bad at using my eyes, but I felt like they were like... a minute out from Pride¡¯s territory before they messaged us...¡± Songme sighed, looking over her shoulder to check as well. ¡°Disregard it for now though. We don¡¯t need to bring it up either because it¡¯ll just cause distrust. Unless we collaborate with the inner disciples again that is... then we should just be a little more on guard. Maybe design a better plan or something.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll keep that in mind...¡± Mingqing nodded, giving Songmei a few pats on the back as they slowed their pace to a jog. ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about it for now, and it¡¯s not like they¡¯re bad people.¡±

    Nodding, Songmei gave a double thumbs-up before shrugging off her worries. She didn¡¯t want to distrust the inner disciples... It was easier to just trust them. Plus, they seemed nice-ish...

    Being friends would always be nicer after all...

 158: Feeding The Bystanders With Dog Food

    With their little midnight escapade going well, Lin Songmei and the others all reconvened in the same apartment they started off in. Having arrived first with her girlfriend, Yan Mingqing, Songmei plopped onto the couch, motioning for Mingqing to join her.

    Snuggled up, Songmei had a clear view of the front door and watched as everyone else trickled in one-by-one. First, Han Youhong sauntered in, his all-black outfit looking cool as always as his red-eyes gave him a serious impression as always¡ªuntil he opened his mouth anyway.

    With Youhong being the third-wheel, as usual, he sat down on one of the other couches, giving them a ¡°really?¡± look as Cai Yufei walked in next. Arriving earlier than expected, Cai Yufei took half a glance at Songmei and Mingqing before sitting next to Youhong. ¡°You see these two?¡±

    ¡°Sadly, I see them everyday,¡± Youhong massaged the bridge of his nose as Songmei and Mingqing both stuck their tongues out in unison.

    Cracking the door open with a wide yawn, Liu Liping arrived next with Wang Taigang in tow. Together they walked in, each taking a seat on one of the free chairs in the living room where everyone was gathering.

    The last couple of people, Lu Qiang and Zhao Liying, stumbled into the door, out of breath while both asking for some water and saying the same thing. ¡°Why did I take such a long route... there weren¡¯t even people chasing me...¡±

    With everyone gathered, Taigang, having become the de facto leader as usual, started off the conversation. ¡°Good job everyone, we managed to splendidly achieve our goal of rescuing the hostages. Woohoo!¡±

    Getting a chorus of tired ¡°Woohoo¡±¡¯s from everyone, Taigang paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. ¡°I don¡¯t have much to say... We probably should keep this short though, considering it¡¯s one in the morning. Anyone have anything to say? Now that we¡¯ve rescued the hostages our own moves can be a touch more aggressive as well.¡±

    Opening the floor to the rest of the group, Taigang lost some steam as no one piped up. With a quiet silence descending on the living room and its occupants, the room was filled with the faint sounds of breathing and shifting as everyone struggled to stay energetic¡ªor awake¡ªas the adrenaline crash began to hit them one by one.

    Breaking the silence, Liying pushed herself up. ¡°Let¡¯s just all go to bed, how about that? We all got up early as well? We can have a couple hours free in the morning and reconvene after lunch?¡±

    ¡°We could do a potluck?¡± Songmei proposed from her contorted position, having slid down towards the ground and been too lazy to push herself back up. ¡°Well... actually we¡¯re all sharing rooms so we don¡¯t have enough kitchens for that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s just reconvene after lunch,¡± Lu Qiang scratched his head with a sheepish laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to cook...¡±

    Giving a thumbs up from her new position¡ªhalf on the ground, half on Mingqing¡¯s legs¡ªSongmei waved and bade everyone goodnight as Lu Qiang, Cai Yufei, and Liu Liping all filed out of the apartment with yawns and slow steps.

    With Youhong, Taigang, and Liying deciding to still sleep in Mingqing and Songmei¡¯s apartment, they stuck around, giving their thanks and appreciation to their two temporary landlords once more. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Reassuring her three friends with an ¡°it¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine, no need to thank us, it¡¯s really what¡¯s natural,¡± Songmei climbed the stairs with Mingqing, disappearing into their bedroom to collapse and fall asleep.

    Their day had been way too long! In the future, Songmei hoped all midnight operations could just not exist. Sure, she was stronger and needed less sleep from the cultivation, but it just felt... wrong to not sleep. Not to mention the fatigue would still build up nonetheless. At least, sometimes, she could substitute sleep with some deep, meditative cultivating sessions...

    Tucking herself into bed and falling asleep faster than Youhong could finish a lychee jelly, Songmei knocked out for the night, returning to the realm of awakeness close to eleven in the morning.

    Groggy and disheveled, Songmei came back to consciousness with a groan as she got woken up by Mingqing getting out of bed. Exchanging a few morning wishes and half-asleep words, Songmei and Mingqing both stumbled through their morning routine. Making their way downstairs, the two tip-toed past their still fast-asleep friends and wandered their way into the kitchen.

    ¡°Want to make some food for everyone?¡± Songmei whispered as Mingqing opened the refrigerator. ¡°I mean the sound of cooking and smell of food has a good chance of waking everyone up anyway.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I think we should. It isn¡¯t too much effort for us to make more food anyway.¡± Mingqing grabbed a handful of eggs, bacon, and other ingredients. ¡°I¡¯m feeling an egg and bacon style breakfast... Maybe some sausage too?¡±

    Squeezing her way past Mingqing as Mingqing walked towards their cabinet full of pans, Songmei bent down, checking the freezer. ¡°Sure, I can grab you some sausage while I¡¯m over here. Though, it¡¯s not really breakfast right now...¡±

    ¡°We can just call it a brunch, even if it¡¯s half-past eleven,¡± Mingqing tapped her chin, grabbing a pan out of the cabinet and some oil out of her spatial storage ring. ¡°Who cares though? I just like my breakfast food. It¡¯ll taste better when it¡¯s not breakfast time anyway.¡±

    She had a point there, Songmei couldn¡¯t deny. Some reason, back when she had more time and her sleep schedule was two to eleven¡ªwhile the party was just grinding quests and having party game nights every few days¡ªthey had a tradition of midnight breakfast.

    They called it ¡®extra-early breakfast.¡¯

    Some reason, cereal, sausage, pancakes, and more all tasted better during the middle of the night. They were just fresher, more flavorful, and more fun!

    Of course¡ªthinking logically¡ªSongmei guessed it was something about having the same good-tasting breakfast, but without the stress of the upcoming day. That ruined the fun though. Instead, Songmei preferred the classic ¡®must be something the heavens decided¡¯ explanation.

    Grabbing some food for herself, Songmei followed in Mingqing¡¯s footsteps, grabbing a pan of her own out from the cabinet before joining Mingqing at the stovetop. Leaning her head against Mingqing¡¯s shoulder as they began cooking their respective breakfasts¡ªjust at a larger portion size to have some for the others¡ªSongmei gave Mingqing a side-hug. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. Did you know that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard it plenty of times from you,¡± Mingqing hugged back, squeezing and pulling Songmei just a little closer to herself. Pulling Songmei¡¯s head off her shoulder, Mingqing tilted Songmei¡¯s chin up just a touch, planting a kiss on her lips. ¡°I still think you¡¯re more beautiful though...¡±

    ¡°Really? Reaaaally?¡± Youhong¡¯s dry voice interjected with a flat tone. ¡°We... well I, since I don¡¯t know how long you two have been awake. I literally just woke up.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, Youhong,¡± Mingqing pursed her lips with a glare. ¡°Let me fuss over my girlfriend. We¡¯re cooking you all breakfast anyway.¡±

    ¡°Alright...¡± Youhong sighed, he didn¡¯t have a response for Mingqing¡¯s retort anyway. He appreciated the breakfast, and it wasn¡¯t like the third-wheeling bothered him as much as the others, he didn¡¯t care for romance.

    Turning his chair to look at the living room and out the window instead of the lovebirds in the kitchen, Youhong sat back and sipped on some morning ice-cold water with only one thought: If only Taigang or Liying had woken up... at least then he¡¯d have a conversation partner...

 159: A Small... Excursion Of Sorts

    With the hostages rescued, Lin Songmei and the others fell into a simple routine. They¡¯d go out, do some scouting and maybe end up in a fight with some people who worked under Pride or Avarice. Unless they had an overwhelming advantage though, the goal was just to escape unscathed.

    Time flew and before Songmei realized, she and Yan Mingqing were a week away from the cultivation record set by Yan Mingliang. Everything, though, had settled into place. Because of the added pressure weighing down on their daily lives, everyone found their cultivation speed accelerating.

    Songmei and Mingqing were gearing up and doing their final preparations, trying their best to break into foundation establishment. Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying, on the other hand, had just opened their eighth and last extraordinary meridian.

    The three of them, as far as Songmei could tell, would need just a little more time to solidify their gains before they could challenge the tribulation. They wouldn¡¯t break Yan Mingliang¡¯s record, but they¡¯d be just around there.

    Records didn¡¯t matter much either anyway. They were quite arbitrary and staying alive and being safe was¡ªat least in Songmei¡¯s opinion¡ªwas a lot nicer than being good at cultivating. At least cultivating did help with those two things.

    Today, though, was the day Liu Xueli had decided Songmei and Mingqing were going to challenge the tribulation. Having been in the city throughout the entire situation, Xueli had been hanging around, sipping tea, and reading the news to pass the time.

    Once Songmei and Mingqing had opened their last meridian however, Xueli had begun to take a more active role in teaching.

    ¡°You¡¯ll never feel ready, trust me, so I¡¯ll just monitor your internal situation. I¡¯ll know when you¡¯re strong enough to pass the tribulation without issue. Just believe in me, but more importantly, believe in yourself.¡± Xueli had explained, patting both their shoulders with a rare motherly gaze¡ªrare, of course, because Songmei and Mingqing were used to the grandmotherly gaze.

    Having kicked Youhong, Taigang, and Liying out of their room to go... do whatever, Songmei and Mingqing were now sitting in the living room. Cross-legged with their lips pressed in tight lines, Songmei and Mingqing took slow deep breaths to focus themselves as the afternoon sun glowed, showering its golden beams onto the world below.

    Cracking her eyes open, Songmei reached out and grabbed Mingqing¡¯s hand. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± Mingqing shrugged with a slow exhale. ¡°I won¡¯t deny though, my hands are a little clammy and shaky.¡±

    ¡°Mine too...¡± Songmei sighed, giving Mingqing¡¯s hand a squeeze before pulling it up and giving it a kiss. ¡°Hey, it¡¯ll all be over by dinner at least.¡±

    Opening her mouth, Mingqing froze as the toilet flushed. Letting go of Songmei¡¯s hand, Mingqing, along with Songmei, sank back into her meditative state as the bathroom door opened once more.

    With Xueli trudging out of the bathroom, Songmei was amazed. Before Xueli, Songmei had never met anyone who had such fine control over the sound they produced; at the same time, Songmei was even more astounded when she found out Xueli, of all people, was as loud as an elephant in the bathroom. Throat clears, toilet flushing, hand-washing, soap bottle moving, if there was an action done in the bathroom, Xueli could make it five times louder by just existing. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Relaxing her shoulders, Songmei made an imperceptible head shake, taking a few deep breaths as her mind refocused on preparing and sharpening itself for the upcoming tribulation.

    ---

    With a golden plane flying out of Westriver late in the afternoon, no one suspected a thing as five direct disciples left Westriver for the first time in over a year. Landing on a deserted flat area, far from any prying eyes, the plane touched down and released Songmei, Mingqing, Youhong, Taigang, and Liying.

    Having looked out the window on the way here, Liying walked around with wide eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the rest of the plateau had this much area... I knew it had been closed off, but now I realize why Westriver could house two sects at once.¡±

    Liying¡¯s words, of course, had no chance¡ªabsolutely none at all¡ªof being heard as Songmei, Mingqing, Youhong, and Taigang all ran around cheering ¡°FREEDOM! FREEDOM!¡±

    Crossing her arms and leaning against a tall rock, Xueli stood there with a small smile as she waited for everyone to calm down. Unable to resist the urge to spoil her two precious disciples a little, Xueli had decided to bring the two, plus their three friends and party members, out for a nice dinner and party night.

    They deserved it after all the stress they had been put through.

    Surveying the area with her eyes, Xueli found a workable, already-deserted area for the two to challenge their heavenly tribulation in. Xueli, with her ever-wise intuition honed over years and years¡ªor decades and decades depending on who was asked¡ªhad felt she needed to find a larger than normal deserted area.

    Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s cultivation¡ªfrom what Xueli had seen¡ªwas intertwined to an eerie degree. The two always joked they cultivated so fast because of the ¡®power of love,¡¯ but Xueli was starting to wonder if the heavens really had a special eye on those two.

    Therefore, Xueli felt the Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s tribulations would go much smoother should they challenge the tribulation at the same time.

    ¡°Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying! You three! Get your butts over here!¡± Xueli waved them over, snapping a table into existence. ¡°Go into the plane and gather the food. You¡¯re in charge of setting the table for when those two finish their tribulation. I want you three to watch though. It¡¯ll be useful information for when you three go through your own respective tribulations.¡±

    ¡°Yes Elder Liu!¡± Liying saluted, dragging the other two towards the plane. ¡°We¡¯ll get right on it! Also, thank you again for bringing us.¡±

    Waving Liying off with an ¡°It¡¯s only natural,¡± Xueli began meandering over towards Songmei and Mingqing who had¡ªto absolutely no one¡¯s surprise¡ªimmersed themselves in their own little world again.

    With the two sitting on a rock and staring off into the distance, Xueli walked up behind them, placing a hand on both their shoulders. ¡°You two ready? It¡¯s a big day.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re as ready as we¡¯ll ever be,¡± Mingqing nodded with a long exhale before craning her neck to look up at Xueli. ¡°Have you decided on an area yet?¡±

    ¡°Of course I have!¡± Xueli laughed with a smug grin. ¡°Your genius master has everything prepared. No need to doubt!¡±

    ¡°Uh... huh.¡± Mingqing murmured with a hesitant nod.

    ¡°Definitely,¡± Songmei agreed with another hesitant nod and knowing glance towards Mingqing.

    ¡°Well, I sense another two approaching people, so we¡¯ll wait for them to start. But I¡¯ll guide you over to your spots so you two can start getting comfortable.¡± Xueli patted the two on the back, pushing them forward with a bright smile. ¡°Just remember, it¡¯ll be twenty bolts, okay? One for each meridian you two opened. Believe in yourselves. It¡¯ll go great.¡±

    Getting pushed along by Xueli, both Songmei and Mingqing¡ªas they agreed upon earlier¡ªdragged themselves to a stop before turning around. Giving a small bow each, they took turns giving Xueli a hug. Having stunned Xueli, both Songmei and Mingqing paused.

    ¡°¡°Thank you for all the help you¡¯ve given us. Really, thank you for everything so far.¡±¡±

 160: An Anxious Held Breath

    Settled into position, Lin Songmei sat a fair distance away from Yan Mingqing. Not too close, but also not too far. If it was inside, they¡¯d be across the room from each other. Facing each Mingqing, Songmei gave a small smile and wave as they waited for Liu Xueli to give them the signal.

    As a couple minutes passed, Songmei and Mingqing craned their necks and watched as another vehicle flew over. Descending and landing on the ground with a soft hiss, two new figures walked out: Xiao Feng and Yuan Muyun.

    Surprised, Songmei did a bit of a double take. She wasn¡¯t opposed to having more people hang around. The party later, on the other hand, was organized by Xueli, so she could invite whoever she wanted.

    Songmei was more surprised they even showed up. Watching some disciples go through their tribulation didn¡¯t seem like ultra-exciting entertainment after all.

    With Xiao Feng and Yuan Muyun joining Han Youhong, Wang Taigang, and Zhao Liying at the table Xueli had set up, Xueli walked back over. Standing on a small rock equidistant from the two areas Songmei and Mingqing sat in, Xueli let out a long sigh and looked at the two of them in turn.

    Giving the two a thumbs-up each, Xueli backed off towards the table of food and mouthed ¡°you two got this!¡± as Songmei and Mingqing closed their eyes and focused inward.

    ¡°Doing them at the same time, huh...¡± Yuan Muyun commented as Xueli came back within earshot. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see. Any specific reason?¡±

    Spinning on her heel and disappearing, Xueli reappeared in one of the seats at the table facing the two disciples. ¡°Intuition told me too. You might not know, but these two do... almost everything together.¡±

    ¡°Really...?¡± Yuan Muyun raised her eyebrows, nodding with an intrigued glance at the clouds now gathering overhead. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard too much about these two, Taigang do you have any thought-... Taigang? What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    With Youhong, Taigang, and Liying all suppressing the urge to laugh, Yuan Muyun looked back towards Xueli and Xiao Feng with bewildered eyes. Xiao Feng, with a shrug and a knowing glance, raised his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I only know a little more than you.¡±

    Placing his hand on his master¡¯s shoulder, Taigang interrupted while trying to speak between laughs. ¡°We just... find it funny. To us, Songmei and Mingqing go through daily life attached at the hip. They¡¯re literally always together, so it¡¯d only be natural for them to go through the tribulation together.¡±

    Hesitating before glancing over at the two girls once more, all Yuan Muyun could say was ¡°Interesting,¡± before falling silent.

    ¡°Well,¡± Xiao Feng continued the conversation, patting Youhong on the back a few times. ¡°Watching this will be good for you. Once you see it once, you¡¯ll have a good idea of what to expect. The atmosphere, the power, and more. Of course, the strength will vary from person to person, the heavens decide that on their own.¡±

    ¡°The classic thing you see in novels? Where having a stronger cultivation leads to a stronger tribulation?¡± Youhong looked up at the sky, furrowing his eyebrows as clouds continued to gather and darken. He didn¡¯t have much experience with tribulations¡ªexactly zero, in fact¡ªbut the clouds really were taking their time gathering. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Yeah, you got it,¡± Xiao Feng agreed. ¡°Cultivation novels have made our jobs so much easier these days. I barely have to do any explaining.¡±

    ¡°Please keep explaining things.¡± Youhong rolled his eyes as Xiao Feng leaned back and put his hands in his pockets.

    ¡°Just watch and you¡¯ll see,¡± Xiao Feng laughed as arcs of lightning began to appear in the sky.

    With the tribulation taking its sweet time before getting started, everyone in the area fell silent as the faint sound of buzzing filled the area.

    It wasn¡¯t long though before it started. The first bolt fell with a crash. Appearing without any warning or signal, the tree trunk-like bolt disappeared as fast as it came, leaving the ground below lined with faint cracks.

    With the bolts jumping around and forming in the clouds, the bolts began falling in a rhythmic heartbeat. Each subsequent bolt fell with more and more power while lasting for longer and longer.

    Looking over at Xueli who had her eyes glued to the scene, Yuan Muyun nodded with a knowing expression. Having guided a number of disciples in the past, Yuan Muyun was well aware of the anxiety a master would go through as their disciple went through a tribulation.

    Yuan Muyun, herself, still teared up and looked on in worry every time, even after close to a dozen disciples.

    Passing some tissues, Yuan Muyun motioned for Xueli to dab her red eyes of the tears beginning to form. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Don¡¯t worry, I can tell, your disciples will be fine.¡±

    Clenching the tissues in her hand, Xueli chewed on her bottom lip as another lightning bolt fell. Yuan Muyun¡¯s words were great, but Xueli couldn¡¯t stop the emotions no matter how she tried. Worry just plagued her like a mosquito on a hot summer night.

    Not to brag or anything, but Xueli had one of the more powerful first tribulations recorded in the sect¡¯s history, not top of the top given the history of the sect, but still up there. Xueli had also been around to witness some of the other most powerful recent tribulations¡ªa recent example being the crazy bonkers one Yan Mingliang had.

    Even having seen those, though, Xueli¡¯s mouth dried and hands clammed as she watched Songmei and Mingqing¡¯s tribulation. As far as Xueli could tell, there was an aspect of additive force going on, where their tribulations were feeding off each other, but they were both... strong. Heart-rumbling, blood-rushing, type of strong.

    Without the power to stop the heavens though, Xueli could only sit there, counting the bolts, dabbing her eyes, and clenching her fist as the shower of blinding lightning continued to fall.

    Counting out the last few bolts, Xueli looked up, shaking her head and furrowing her eyebrows as the last bolt geared up to fall. Her two disciples already looked worse for wear, Xueli hadn¡¯t seen any blood yet¡ªwhich was good because blood on the first tribulation never boded well for a disciple¡¯s future¡ªbut she could tell they were roughed up a little with their clothes getting a little ripped up.

    If anything, the heavens were kind as to how they let the lightning bolts fall. If anything, they were just floods of Qi to test a cultivator¡¯s body and internal system with an added dosage of pain. Unlike normal lightning, tribulation lightning didn¡¯t cause fires, incinerate clothes, or torch a person¡¯s hair.

    Seeing a pair of twin white-gold dragons coiling in the sky with sparks arcing across their scales¡ªone for Songmei and one for Mingqing¡ªXueli inhaled as it screamed towards the ground with an earth-shattering roar. Crashing down on top of the disciples, each dragon¡¯s head disappeared as the rest of its body followed suit.

    With the last bolt falling, Xueli and the rest of the party squinted their eyes as each dragon began emanating a blinding, white-hot, radiant glow.