Chapter 44

Stone chamber.

Zhou Yi activated his mana, making the Mountain and River Cauldron materialize in his hand out of thin air.

With a gentle toss, it swelled to the height of a person in the wind and slammed fiercely against the stone wall.

Boom!

The ground shook, and rocks burst into flight.

A large hole appeared in the cave’s stone wall, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks that extended two to three zhang outwards.

“With just an initial refinement, it possesses such power. Indeed, a cultivator cannot be without a magic artifact. The difference is like a martial arts expert armed with heavy firearms!”

Zhou Yi, having refined the Mountain and River Cauldron with his own blood, could command it as easily as his own limbs, controlling its size and direction with his thoughts and will.

“However, the consumption of mana is somewhat great!”

After just over a dozen breaths, the mana inside Zhou Yi’s body was nearly depleted. As he was about to retract the treasured cauldron, suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

He leaped, soaring into the Mountain and River Cauldron.

In this way.

The Mountain and River Cauldron danced in the air, and with it, Zhou Yi flew, not as fast as qinggong, but truly detached from the ground!

“Pity it’s not a magic tool for flight, it can only be considered a ride.”

Zhou Yi retracted the Mountain and River Cauldron into his belly before his mana was completely exhausted, to nourish it internally.

The constant nurturing of the magic artifact with mana over time would slowly strengthen the power of the Blood Refinement of Spiritual Weapons, binding it closely to the master’s flesh and blood, and decrease the consumption of mana when activated.

“Even if the spiritual weapon’s growth is slow, one day, it will transform into a true Mountain and River Cauldron.”

“One cauldron to dominate the mountains and rivers, the sun and moon, heaven and earth!”

Zhou Yi had high hopes for the Mountain and River Cauldron, planning to refine it further with spiritual materials and objects in the future, even if it took thousands, tens of thousands of years, to ultimately transform it into the strongest supreme treasure between heaven and earth.

“Now that I have a magic artifact, not even an Innate Grandmaster can withstand a blow from the cauldron. Is it time to indulge a bit?”

“No! I’m only at the second layer of Qi Refinement, like an ant in the Cultivation World.”

Zhou Yi quickly suppressed this dangerous thought and repeatedly admonished himself that staying low-key was the way to survival, and caution was the path to longevity!

He pushed the massive rock that blocked the cave entrance aside.

Amid the mountain’s mist and the howling cold wind, his daoist robe rustled loudly.

Zhou Yi used his qinggong to leap and fly down the mountain, following the forest path.

In the ten years that had passed, he’d never ventured into the secular world. When thirsty, he drank mountain spring water, when hungry, he roasted wild game—a true ascetic detached from the world.

Pengshan County wasn’t far away; using qinggong, the round trip only took an hour or two. However, Zhou Yi deliberately used this to temper his mind.

“The path of the master is lonely! Only by enduring boredom and solitude can one truly achieve the great Dao of longevity!”

While Zhou Yi practiced in the mundane world, he would not let himself sink into it. With a detached perspective, he observed the changes of the imperial court and the transformations of the world.

This detachment from the secular world provided him with many insights when contrasted with his secular experiences.

Wandering the mundane life could preserve his humanity and prevent him from becoming a cold stone.

Isolation in seclusion was to stabilize the Dao heart, to protect the Longevity Dao Fruit.

An hour later, the official road was visible ahead.

The constant chatter of travelers, the turning sound of wheels, gradually reached Zhou Yi’s ears, like a soundproof glass shattering suddenly, the silent picture became real in an instant.

At this time.

Zhou Yi should have composed a poem to express his insights, to exude an air of immortal charm.

However, the man had no cultural refinement; struggling all the way from the mountaintop to the foot, he managed only the disjointed phrase “once returned to nature,” and could not fathom anything more.

So, he let out a loud, long cry.

“I, Zhou the Old Demon, am back!”

Startled a forest full of birds!

…

The tenth year of Jing Long.

Laba Festival.

Bai Residence.

Curved corridors and pavilions, rockeries and strange stones—a residence in the Divine Capital worthy of being called grand.

In recent years, Emperor Jinglong had relied more on the Imperial Clan. Many from the Imperial Clan held important positions. Prince Anhua, who headed the Capital Garrison, held a position of high authority, and by extension, his only legitimate daughter also gained much splendor.

As for the former commander, Sun Xiangming, who was executed for embezzling a hundred thousand taels of military provisions. His entire family was exiled to the Northern Border to serve in the military.

After all, having once rebelled and been spared the execution of the Nine Clans, it was already the emperor’s mercy!

Emperor Jinglong followed the last words of Chancellor Zhang, employing his kinsmen and eminent nobles, to compete with the Officials.

The emperor mediated from the center, allowing neither the eastern wind to overpower the western wind, nor the western wind to overpower the eastern wind. His throne was as stable as Mount Tai.

Dawn was breaking.

Chen Jinyu had gone early to Rongning Hall to greet her adoptive parents and chat with Princess Rongchang for a while before returning to her own courtyard.

The plum blossoms in the courtyard had bloomed.

The flowers were white with a hint of red, and the petals were moist and translucent. Perhaps because the soil where the plum tree grew was so fertile, one could smell a delicate fragrance from a distance, a scent that penetrated the heart and spleen.

Chen Jinyu sat on a stool by the window, watching the plum blossoms in the courtyard, and closed the “Military System” she held in her hands.

“Miss, there is a breeze, put on a cloak!” Lu Zhu, the maid, came over with a satin cloak.

The standard accompaniment for the young masters and misses of the Bai family included a wet nurse from infancy, four mamas to guide and teach, two personal maids, and five or six servant girls to sweep and clean the rooms.

Chen Jinyu was only staying with the Bai family, but she was extremely cherished by her adoptive parents and thus received the same treatment.

At that moment.

Voices of response came from the doorway.

“Good day, Mama!”

“Qingmei, is the miss here?”

“She is!”

Shortly after, an old woman came in furiously. She was Chen Jinyu’s nurse.

In her forties, dressed in a blue cotton shirt, her wrinkled face resembled tree bark.

“Miss, those harlots in the kitchen are outrageous. I went to ask for a bowl of Laba porridge, and they said there was none left. When the second master’s maid went to ask, they immediately served her with a food box. I’m living without dignity…”

The old woman cried out in frustration, but seeing Chen Jinyu’s indifferent expression, her voice gradually lowered.

After letting her finish, Chen Jinyu waved and said, “Mama Hu, go take my portion of Laba porridge and leave.”

“Ah? Miss, I…”

Hearing this, Mama Hu’s face twitched, unsure of what to say.

A cold flash crossed Chen Jinyu’s eyes, and Mama Hu felt the temperature in the room drop suddenly, shivering as she quickly retreated.

“What a gluttonous old thing.”

Lu Zhu pursed her lips, unable to resist mumbling, her voice just loud enough for Chen Jinyu to hear.

“You may leave as well.”

Chen Jinyu shook her head slightly. Thanks to the extra care from her adoptive parents, such as staying the longest in the Rong’an Hall and receiving treats whenever her adoptive father went out.

Perhaps the value was not comparable to a meal in the mansion, but the significance behind it fueled envy among the legitimate young masters and misses.

Envy, when excessive, becomes jealousy!

“If only I were born a son!”

Chen Jinyu continued to read the “Military System,” a treatise on Fengyang Country’s military structure that she had earnestly requested her adoptive father to find for her—a volume of military secrets not even seen by the top families in Divine Capital.

Immersed in the book’s strategies of commanding troops, as for competing with the young masters and misses in the house?

Utterly boring!

Chen Jinyu knew she was a guest and would have to leave the Bai family sooner or later. Why bother making things difficult for her adoptive parents.

…

Night fell.

The north wind swept across the land.

Outside the window, the branches swayed, casting shadows on the paper like specters.

Squeak!

A faint sound was heard, and the sleeping Chen Jinyu suddenly awoke, her eyes shining brightly in the dark.

“Since you’ve come, why act like a gentleman on the beams!”

While speaking, several streaks of light flew out, thunking into the wood.

“Quite capable for a young girl, but your hand is too cruel.”

A figure dropped from the rafters, with white hair but a childlike ruddy complexion, wearing a cyan Daoist robe worn white from use, as if it hadn’t been changed in many years.

“Breaking into a lady’s boudoir without permission is a crime punishable by death without trial!”

Chen Jinyu swung her arm, and three more streaks of light shot out; only then did she see clearly that the concealed weapons were silver needles as thin as cow hair.

“Your technique isn’t bad, but unfortunately…”

The old Daoist spoke calmly and unhurriedly, not dodging or moving as the silver needles targeted the vital points of the philtrum, heart, and groin.

“…strangeness does not overcome orthodoxy, a waste of such a fine talent!”

As his words ended, the three silver needles could no longer advance by even a hair’s breadth, stiffly suspending in midair as if held by an invisible force.

Chen Jinyu’s complexion turned slightly pale, and she couldn’t help but cry out.

“An Innate Grandmaster!”