CH 9

Xie Jiuze downed his last sip of tea at his wooden seat in Alkaid Palace. He set down his cup, and there was a clear and abrupt sound as it knocked against the table. 

“Who’s there?” Chi Ning immediately straightened up his body, letting out his magic horn to frighten this uninvited guest. 

A tall figure closed in from the darkness, and Chi Ning relaxed upon feeling the familiar spiritual power. “Senior brother, when did you arrive?”

“Before you entered.” Xie Jiuze’s handsome eyebrows were slightly wrinkled. “I’ve already finished a cup of tea in your Alkaid Palace.”

“Why didn’t you light a lamp?”

Only after Chi Ning asked this question did he think it silly. Xie Jiuze’s cultivation was so profound, and the night didn’t affect his vision. Like walking on flat ground, he went unhindered.

Unlike himself…

After Chi Ning was reborn, he found that his current body’s internal energy had been stilled, unable to move freely.

Upon asking Xie Jiuze, Chi Ning discovered that in this life, not long before he was reborn, he failed to raise his cultivation rank, and his body received backlash from his water spiritual energy.

Chi Ning’s cultivation was greatly reduced. It wasn’t obvious for the most part, but once he transferred spiritual energy too quickly, this sickly and weak body would be unable to support itself.

Xie Jiuze flicked his fingers, and the Alkaid Palace gradually lit.

“You…” After investigating his junior brother’s pulse, Xie Jiuze shook his head, displeased. “Your foundation has become so empty, and you still don’t take care of your body. This dantian and lingxu were nearly completely exhausted.” (1)

A shoot of spiritual energy was conducted into Chi Ning’s body, spreading throughout his meridians, like water flowing into a parched and cracked riverbed. 

“That’s enough, senior brother.” Chi Ning shrank back in discomfort.”That’s enough, senior brother.” Chi Ning shrank back in discomfort.

The effect of transferring spiritual energy was decided by the compatibility of two cultivators’ spiritual roots.

He and Xie Jiuze’s cultivation paths were too different. Even if Xie Jiuze gave him more spiritual energy, it was like trying to put out a burning cart of firewood with a cup of water. The symptoms were cured, but the root cause was left untouched.

Xie Jiuze couldn’t help but say, “Was this for your eccentric disciple again?”

How could he say Gu Lingxiao was eccentric? Chi Ning’s mouth twitched, rather protective of him. “He’s very good in front of me…”

“It’s not worth it.”

Xie Jiuze felt that it wasn’t worth it in place of Chi Ning.

In Xie Jiuze’s eyes, his little junior brother was unyielding and unrestrained, with unsurpassed talent.

Treading flowers with a sword in hand beneath the spring breeze, with the horse tied between a high building and a weeping willow. At the age of sixteen, he took first place in the Yangxi Martial Gathering.

Such a proud person, yet he bent over backwards just to keep Gu Lingxiao, kneeling at their martial ancestors’ memorial tablets for an entire day and night.

That day, the rain came down heavily, and when Xie Jiuze passed through the solemn and simple wooden door, he saw Chi Ning’s kneeling form.

As straight as a pine tree, colder than the snow and frost.

“Chi Yunqing, don’t you regret it?” Xie Jiuze asked his little junior brother.

“I don’t.”

Chi Ning kowtowed towards the memorial tablet, his eyes bloodshot, “The Green Maple Arahant of Clustering Jade Peak’s direct disciple, Chi Ning, is willing to offer up his life.”Xie Jiuze heard that, that day was the day Chi Ning personally carried that disciple named Gu to Alkaid Palace.

Xie Jiuze heard that, that day, Chi Ning personally carried the disciple named Gu to Alkaid Palace.

“Senior brother.” Chi Ning’s five fingers waved in front of Xie Jiuze’s face, motioning him to wake up.

Xie Jiuze’s gaze lingered on Chi Ning’s snow-white hair for a while. “What is it?”

“I would like to borrow some spiritual stones.” After receiving that spiritual energy, Chi Ning looked much more lively. He got off the bed and took out a black wooden box from under it. “I won’t ask for it for free. I’ll give you night luminous pearls in exchange.”

The box opened with a click. Night luminous pearls of all sizes glowed softly inside.

They were very beautiful, but…

Xie Jiuze rubbed his forehead. He already had piles of these pearls lying around in his palace. Since he was young, any time Chi Ning was short on spiritual stones, he’d exchange for them with these night luminous pearls.

“Alright, alright.” Like a well-tempered old man, Xie Jiuze said, “What do you need this many spiritual stones for?”

“Isn’t Scattering Star Mountain opening soon? Many disciples will go choose their spiritual weapons. Gu Lingxiao’s cultivation is still progressing, so he probably won’t be able to get a powerful weapon. I want some stones to forge him a spiritual sword in my copper furnace.”

“You really care about Gu Lingxiao.” Xie Jiuze huffed coldly.

Chi Ning said, “A teacher for a day, ahem… A father for life, you know.”

“Then why don’t you let me see your true form?”

Xie Jiuze wanted to use the spiritual stones to coax Chi Ning to shift into his true form.

It’d been so long since he last saw that… fluffy little white bird.

(1) Lingxu is an acupuncture point.