CH 7

Su Baiche sat at the table with a thin hairpin in his hands, occasionally fiddling with the candlewick.

“Ye Bingran has left,” he snorted, speaking in a low voice with a hint of mockery on his face. “How am I supposed to get the Shengming1Raws: 圣明果, “divine” “understanding/consciousness/clear/bright” “fruit” fruit now?”

He had originally planned to let Ye Bingran stay in Qingling Sect for a few more days, but Ye Bingran was now injured and no longer qualified to compete for the Shengming fruit and therefore of no help to Su Baiche.

The Shengming fruit was a spiritual fruit that would only appear once every thousand years. The spiritual power contained within could make any cultivator’s cultivation skyrocket with no side effects. Every cultivator below the Soul Formation Realm would want to get their hands on it.

Now, that spiritual fruit was in the Qingling Sect. The competition to possess it would come to a close once the Sect Master returned. 

There was a short period of silence in the room, then a hoarse voice sounded out.

With the backdrop of dim candlelight, the voice seemed mysterious and eerie. “Ling Ye will obediently give you the spiritual fruit upon his return. All you have to do is follow my instructions and take good care of Ao Yue.”

“What use is there in taking care of a dog?” Su Baiche said with a cold face, tossing the hairpin onto the table. “Right now, hearing even a single bark is enough to cause me extreme irritation. Tong Xi, can you let me do something useful?”

“He’s a Heavenly Dog2天狗, Heavenly Dog, tengu. Kept it as Heavenly Dog since seeing “tengu” in a chinese novel might be a little jarring..”

“That’s still a dog!”

Tong Xi lost their3Tong Xi’s gender hasn’t been stated yet. Will use “their” for now. patience. “You just need to do as I say. Don’t forget to approach that disciple named Zhou Xuanlan as well.”

Su Baiche picked up the teapot. Disapprovingly, he said, “He’s just a small disciple. Even if he has extraordinary talent, he’s only in the Foundation Building stage right now. There’s no use in getting close.”

Tong Xi replied, “I can’t reveal too much information but I can tell you this: That disciple has an immense fate and will definitely reach the top of the cultivation world in the future.”

The tea was poured into a beautiful porcelain cup, emitting a slight warmth.

“Nobody can predict what will happen in the future.” Su Baiche rolled his eyes and laughed. 

“Rather than waste my time and effort on a little brat, why don’t I directly go after4“Go after” in this case means “curry favour with” (or more likely, seduce). The raws used 攻略 (“attack”). If you’re familiar with Chinese novels, you’ll see titles like “cannon fodder attacking the president”, etc etc, this is the same “attack”. Di Yunyu5The venerable emperor dad in the synopsis of the novel who’s been at the top of the cultivation world for hundreds and thousands of years?”

“Preposterous delusions!”6Ok, there’s some background to this. Raws used 萤火妄想摘皓月 which has similarities to 萤火之光岂能与皓月争辉. The second one means “Fireflies should not dream of outshining the moon”. The first is a creative spin on that phrase, “Fireflies should not dream of plucking the moon” → Su Baiche (firefly) should not dream of successfully seducing/gaining the favour of Di Yunyu (the moon)

Angered, Tong Xi continued, “The Lord of the Imperial Palace is someone standing at the top of the world. You’re still a long way off from being able to gain his favour!”7Raws: Still a long way off from being able to attack him

The underlying meaning of those words was clear: You’re not good enough.

Su Baiche smiled coldly. “I have no interest in other people. All I want is to improve my own cultivation.”

Tong Xi retorted, “I’m helping you to do that.”

Su Baiche picked up the teacup, slender fingers lightly rubbing at its exterior. A while later, he raised his head and finished the tea in a single gulp. 

Smiling, he said, “If you can’t help me get your wish, I will definitely drag you down into the hellish realm of carnage8Raws: 修罗地狱, used originally to refer to an arena/realm where asuras (Buddhism) fight eternally. Many cultivation novels use this as a term to describe a separate realm where a lot of bloodshed and fighting occurs..”

Tong Xi felt a slight chill and went silent.

Dark clouds covered the moon and the night sky was as dark as ink.

At the bottom of Dawn Cloud Peak, Shen Liuxiang stopped Zhou Xuanlan, pointing at a bluestone path. “It’s this way. You’re heading in the wrong direction.”

Zhou Xuanlan continued to face the opposite direction. “This disciple should head back to rest.”

Only then did Shen Liuxiang remember that Zhou Xuanlan, unlike other direct disciples, still lived in the sub-Peak together with the ordinary disciples.9Direct disciples are disciples who are directly taught by their Shizuns. Ordinary disciples are disciples who are under an elder, but are taught by the older disciples

Tonight, he would be the sole occupant of the enormous Dawn Cloud Peak.

Shen Liuxiang looked up and saw that dark clouds were hanging low in the sky. Barely any lights were visible. The shadows of the trees shuddered, and the entirety of the peak was terrifyingly silent.

Shen Liuxiang wrapped his robe tightly around himself and said in a tone that brooked no argument, “From today onwards, you will stay with me in Dawn Cloud Peak.”

Zhou Xuanlan paused in his steps and frowned slightly.

He wasn’t picky about his place of residence, but staying at Dawn Cloud Peak was very troublesome—it was too far from the cultivation training grounds and going back and forth would waste a significant amount of time.

“This disciple is living well in the sub-Peak. There is no need to change.”

“I can teach you better if you come to Dawn Cloud Peak.”

Zhou Xuanlan stared at the person in front of him, unable to figure out how someone who had never once fulfilled his duty as a Shizun could have the face to bring up the topic of “teaching”.

His gaze grew colder. “What if this disciple refuses to?”

Shen Liuxiang blinked, thought for a moment, raised his eyes, and smiled. “Then I’ll just have to follow your wishes.”

The black-clothed youth was stunned for a moment. The coldness in his eyes dissipated and an awkward look appeared on his face. After a short while, he turned his head away. Thin lips hooked up slightly.

“This disciple is living well in the sub-Peak. Shizun need not worry about me.”

Shen Liusheng nodded: “Alright alright, be on your way then.”

Zhou Xuanlan looked at Shen Liuxiang again and turned to leave.

He didn’t get far. After a few steps, Zhou Xuanlan turned his head around to look at the person trailing behind him. “Does Shizun have any other matters?”

Shen Liusheng shook his head.

Zhou Xuanlan took a few more steps forward, turned back, and found that the distance between them had remained unchanged. “Why is Shizun following me?”

“I won’t stop you from returning, so don’t stop me from following you,” Shen Liuxiang said, placing his hands behind his back. His clothes billowed slightly in the wind. 

“Besides, the sub-Peak has accommodations. I can make do with one of them for a night.”

Zhou Xuanlan understood what Shen Liuxiang was playing at.

It wasn’t hard to imagine.

Rumours would spread through the entire cultivation world by the next day if Shen Liuxiang stayed overnight at the sub-Peak.

An immortal staying in a remote sub-Peak—the sect must be facing financial difficulties. Qingling Sect was finished!

And that Shen Liuxiang—experiencing heartbreak earlier in the day and now staying overnight in the disciples’ sub-Peak. Perhaps he’d already given up on himself and wished to ruin everything around him so that his misery would have company. The Qingling Sect disciples were in great danger!

Zhou Xuanlan returned to his room, packed up his items, and left with his bag.

Curious, a group of disciples hid behind the door and peeked at him.

“Wow. Now that he’s moving to Dawn Cloud Peak, I finally feel the aura of a direct disciple from Zhou Xuanlan.”

“Immortal Shen came to pick him up in person? My God, isn’t he treating Zhou Xuanlan way too well?”

“Was Immortal Shen smiling at me just now? Oh no… I think I’m starting to fall for him a little!”

“Do you have a death wish? Though, I gotta say, didn’t Immortal Shen look like this in the past? Why was he so hellbent on using transfiguration spells when he had looks like these?”

“That’s easy—he’d gone completely insane over Sword Venerable Ye.”

……

Two figures hiding amongst the disciples quietly withdrew and left the sub-Peak.

One of the two said, “Now that the Sword Venerable is gone, should we still stay?”

The other was a youth standing slightly taller. Holding a sword in his hand, he sternly said, “Of course. Shen Liuxiang caused the Sword Venerable to suffer such indignity. We must have our revenge!”

Ye Yi replied, “But his cultivation is already at the Nascent Soul Stage. Trying to fight him at our cultivation level would be no different from an ant trying to shake a large tree.”

“Don’t be fooled by appearances,” Ye Er10Author made a pun here. The “Yi” 意 character in Ye Yi 叶意 sounds like “一”, which means “one” in Chinese. The “Er” 尔 character in Ye Er 叶尔 sounds like “二”, which means “two” in Chinese. retrieved a book from his storage bag. 

“According to confidential records, Shen Liuxiang has not fought against anyone for a full decade. This shows that his injuries have not yet fully recovered and that his body is empty of spiritual energy.”

Ye Yi responded, “Your meaning being…”

“Kidnap him while he’s deep in slumber and give him a good thrashing.”

“There’s no way you can succeed! Do you take the Immortal as an idiot?”

Ye Er didn’t say more. Rage had long clouded his rationality. Turning around, he headed straight to Dawn Cloud Peak.

There were many rooms in Dawn Cloud Peak. Zhou Xuanlan chose one to stay in and Shen Liuxiang stopped bothering him, heading back to his own room

He closed the door. Right as he was about to drink some water, the voice transmission device tucked in his robes suddenly heated up.

“I’ve received news that the Sect Master will be back soon,” Ling Hua said lazily. He seemed to be drinking. Two gulps of wine later, he continued. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Shen Liuxiang was puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Weren’t you planning to ask for the divine fruit for Ye Bingran upon the Sect Master’s return?”

Shen Liuxiang suddenly had an idea.

Shengming fruit was the most useful spiritual fruit to all cultivators below the Soul Formation Realm. In the novel, Shen Liuxiang did manage to get it, but he immediately gifted it to Ye Bingran, who then presented it to Su Baiche.

After some twists and turns, Su Baiche became the biggest winner.

“I won’t give it to him. I want it for myself.”

Ling Hua stiffened and sat up straight from his slouching position on the roof. Putting down his jug of wine, he demanded, “Say that again!”

“Fertilizer shouldn’t be used on someone else’s field,”11Raws: 肥水不流外人田, means to keep good things to yourself Shen Liuxiang declared. “I will never give it to him. I’d rather let you have it as a snack.”

“Thank you for that thought, but my constitution is different and I have no use for a spiritual fruit.” Moved, Ling Hua almost wanted to cry.

“I’ve been so worried about the Shengming fruit falling into an outsider’s hands lately that I can’t sleep at night. It seems like you finally know to treasure such items!”

Over the years, every good thing that was given to Shen Liuxiang would end up in Ye Bingran’s hands by the following day.

This issue had caused Ling Hua no small amount of rage.

Right now, Shen Liuxiang was the most suitable person to give the Shengming fruit to. He would likely get the fruit if he asked for it from the Sect Master.

“How should I request it?” Shen Liuxiang asked.

Ling Hua pondered for a moment. “Previously in Lingxiao Hall, the Sect Master wanted to chop off that lock of hair. It was you who forced the Sect Master to take a step back and not pursue the issue any further.”

Shen Liuxiang was surprised.

Ling Ye, his Senior Brother and current Sect Master of Qingling Sect, was one of the most renowned figures in the cultivation world—a monster whose cultivation was beyond the Soul Formation Realm.

Shen Liuxiang was filled with doubts. How could he have forced Ling Ye into taking a step back?

“I was so terrified at that time. The Sect Master also received a nasty scare,” Ling Hua said, taking a sip of wine. “You placed Zhao Yao upon your neck and pressed it down so firmly. Blood splattered in the blink of an eye. We almost lost you.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…Oh.”

Using suicide as a threat.

What a powerful tool.

“However, you don’t need to resort to such tactics to get the Shengming fruit.” Ling Hua chuckled and continued, “All of us hope for you to step into the Soul Formation Realm as soon as possible. At that time, our Qingling Sect will become stronger. Being the number one sect in the cultivation world will be a dream no longer.”

As Ling Hua talked, he slowly began to digress and started to go through Qingling Sect’s glorious history.

On the other side, Shen Liuxiang lay on the couch and silently closed his eyes.

“Just a little while longer!”

Ye Er listened to the steady breathing of the room’s occupant. Seizing the golden opportunity, Ye Er was just about to flip over the half-opened window and into the room when his path was blocked by Ye Yi’s outstretched arm.

“The immortal must be doing this on purpose. He’s probably luring us in so that he can catch us both at one go.”

Ye Er shook him off. “According to the confidential records, Shen Liuxiang doesn’t have much to back up his title as a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. There’s no need to fear.”

After saying these words, Ye Er leaped through the window.

Ye Yi’s face immediately paled. However, there was already no turning back. He could only bite the bullet and follow behind.

Ling Hua babbled on for a long time before he finally realized that there was no response from the other side of the voice transmission device. Dark-faced, he yelled, “Wake up right now!”

The deafening roar went right into his ears. Shen Liuxiang jolted from fright and opened his eyes…

Only to meet the gazes of the two disciples standing at the foot of the bed. 

“……”

Ye Er did not say a single word and immediately raised his hands to throw a dirty black cloth bag over Shen Liuxiang’s head.

Ye Yi was so frightened that he was about to faint. He couldn’t help but scold Ye Er.

“You fool, shouldn’t you at least use a sword?! How much use can this tattered bag picked off the ground be?! A single backhand from Immortal Shen will… will… Eh? Why isn’t the immortal moving?”

Shen Liuxiang was seeing stars.

He was hit by a bout of dizziness the moment that black cloth bag was thrown over his head. It was as if he’d been forcibly pulled into another time and space. His vision soon darkened and he lost consciousness.

A drop of water fell on his cheek and Shen Liuxuan woke up.

Ye Yi, who was flicking water at his face, immediately reacted like a frightened bird and scrambled backwards in a panic.

“Im…Immortal.”

After Shen Liuxiang had fainted, the two Sword Sect disciples had carried him over to a patch of forest nearby and tied him to a thick and sturdy tree stump.

Ye Er then found a stone and focused on sharpening his sword.

Ye Yi, on the other hand, was a ball of nerves.12Raws: As anxious as an ant in a hot pan.

He’d never thought that the foolish Ye Er would actually succeed in kidnapping Immortal Shen.

They’d gotten themselves into huge trouble now!

There was no way that Qingling Sect would let them go—they’d probably return to the Sword Sect as corpses.

No.

They couldn’t let that happen! The fact that they were from Beilun Sword Sect had to be kept under wraps. Otherwise, it could very well lead to a war between the two immortal sects!

“I am a disciple of the Beilun Sword Sect—Ye Er.”

Ye Yi was stunned silly and gaped at Ye Er like a fish.

Looking at the tall youth, Shen Liuxiang had confusion written all over his face.

Ye Er held his long sword against Shen Liuxiang’s neck. Pausing every so often, he furiously said, “Shen Liuxiang, do you know your wrongdoings?”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

The hand holding the sword trembled slightly and Ye Er’s eyes were red from anger. “You dared whip the Sword Venerable. Absolutely intolerable!”

A flash of insight and Shen Liuxiang recalled who this person was.

Ye Er—Ye Bingran’s number one fanboy.

Love me, love my dog;13Raws: Love the house and love its crows. They both mean the same thing: Love someone, and love everything about them Ye Er, on account of Ye Bingran, also took care of Su Baiche in every possible way, later dying in order to save him. In a way, he could be considered an important character who had promoted the relationship between Su Baiche and Ye Bingran.

Shen Liuxiang blinked a few times.

Ye Er was a person who did things recklessly. There was no doubt that if Shen Liuxiang were to criticize Ye Bingran at all at this moment, his neck would roll. 

“You’ve misunderstood,” Shen Liuxiang leaned back against the tree trunk. “This was what Ye Bingran and I had negotiated. We’re just acting it out for the public.”

There was no way Ye Er could believe this. “The divine whip split the Sword Venerable’s flesh—was that an act too?”

“My heart ached with each lash that fell upon his body,” Shen Liuxiang said with a solemn tone. “But this was what he’d requested of me—I had no other choice.”

Ye Er said coldly, “Nonsense. Why would the Sword Venerable want others to beat him?”

Shen Liuxiang’s black eyelashes lowered slightly and he looked to be in a dilemma. After a long struggle, he sighed. “Alright. Telling you shouldn’t be a problem.”

Ye Er was taken aback. “What?”

Shen Liuxiang gritted his teeth and said loudly, “Your Sword Venerable actually loves it when others beat him. The more painful it is, the better he feels!”

Ye Er frowned, digesting the meaning of the words.

On the other hand, Ye Yi reacted immediately to his words and instantly flew into a rage. “Don’t talk nonsense! How could the Sword Venerable have such a… such a disgraceful hobby?!”

“I know that you won’t be able to accept it for a while,” Shen Liu said slowly. “Actually, I learnt about this very recently. That’s the reason why I made such a ruthless attack on Bingran in front of everyone’s eyes. Think about it! I admire your Sword Venerable so much—how could I bear to hurt him!”

Ye Yi’s expression gradually stiffened. It seemed as if he vaguely believed Shen Liuxiang’s words.

The disciples of the Sword Sect knew fully well how deep Shen Liuxiang’s admiration for Ye Bingran ran. For him to act so ruthlessly against the Sword Venerable was too illogical—it was as if he had suddenly switched personalities.

However, if they interpreted events in this way, everything would make sense.

Shen Liuxiang had in fact whipped the Sword Venerable so heavily in order to satisfy him and gain his favour…

Ye Yi shuddered.

Could it be that the Sword Venerable…really…?

“No,” Ye Er retorted, “Sword Venerable was furiously glaring at you when he left. If he really liked the way you hit him, why would he do this?”

“That’s our secret code,” Shen Liu said calmly. “It’s his signal to me that he’s very satisfied, and that he’ll come back for more.”

Ye Er was stunned silly and slowly lowered his sword. “Is that true?”

Shen Liuxiang had a serious look on his face. “If the two of you don’t believe me, I’ll vow here and now that, should even half a word of what I’ve said be false, in this life, I will no longer have anything to do with Ye…”

“That’s enough! I believe in Immortal!” Ye Er shouted, moved to tears, and immediately went to untie the rope.

Ye Yi was also instantly convinced.

Shen Liuxiang had previously declared that he would rather enter the Yellow Springs14=rather die early early than live without Ye Bingran by his side as his partner. Shen Liuxiang actually daring to now make such a vow was even better proof than his swearing upon his own life!

The ropes loosened and Shen Liuxiang stood up, rubbing at his wrists, before his gaze fell upon the black cloth bag on the ground.

He recalled an artefact.

The star cluster bag gained renown in the hands of Su Baiche in the later parts of the novel. Its power was extraordinary—even cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm were powerless against it.

Shen Liuxiang was just about to go over to take a look.

However, his body abruptly trembled and his spiritual power became restless. He took a deep breath and tried to control the flow of spiritual power within him to no avail.

“Immortal, what’s wrong?”

Ye Yi wanted to support Shen Liuxiang but was strongly pushed away by an invisible force, flying a great distance away.

Ye Yi vomited out a mouthful of blood.

Ye Er hurried over in a panic and helped him up.

Ye Yi was in severe pain. He covered his chest and struggled to raise his head. All of a sudden, his eyes widened.

“This is… He’s about to have a breakthrough?!”

“Soul Formation Realm!!!”

All the spiritual energy from the surrounding peaks vanished in an instant and gathered above Dawn Cloud Peak.

The world changed colour. 

No one was able to approach Dawn Cloud Peak.

The disciples in the sect opened their doors one after another, their gazes fixing upon the area where the spiritual energy was most concentrated. A frightening pressure fell upon them. Terrified, the disciples couldn’t help but tremble in fear, their expressions tense with horror.

“I have never experienced such terrifying pressure. Who’s the one breaking through?!”

“Did someone break through to the Nascent Soul Stage? Though that shouldn’t warrant such an intense reaction… Unless… someone’s trying to break into the Soul Formation Realm?!”

“Dawn Cloud Peak is in that direction. Could it be Immortal Shen?!”

In the blink of an eye, Dawn Cloud Peak was filled with restriction spells.

Ling Hua was the first to arrive at the scene and quickly set up a barrier to prevent Shen Liuxiang from being disturbed while he tried to break through to the Soul Formation Realm.

Ling Hua’s face was split between two emotions—exhilaration and agonised worry.

Shen Liuxiang’s cultivation had not had a single ounce of improvement in the past ten years, but now, he was suddenly about to break through to the next realm, giving Ling Hua quite the scare.

Shen Liuxiang successfully breaking through to the Soul Formation Realm tonight would deserve a celebration like one never seen before.15Raws: An incredibly, incredibly happy event. Chose to word things this way to bring across this idea. And if he failed… the consequences would be nothing short of disastrous.

Time flew by.

The atmosphere in Qingling Sect became more and more solemn. Even the air itself seemed to be tinged with anxiousness. The tension in their hearts was so strong that it could be cut with a knife.

The night slowly ended without notice.

The first ray of light shone down on Dawn Cloud Peak. The spiritual energy gathered above slowly stabilized. The surroundings were filled with dead silence.

Stepping on the leaf-covered ground, Zhou Xuanlan looked everywhere for Shen Liuxiang’s figure.

There were two disciples lying on the ground. It was unknown whether they were alive or dead. Zhou Xuanlan stepped over them and continued forward. 

A distance away, he spotted a pile of bulging clothes hanging on the thick roots of a tree.

They were Shen Liuxiang’s clothes, but the person himself was nowhere to be seen.

“Shizun.”

Zhou Xuanlan called out.

Suddenly, the bulging robes moved.

A fair-skinned, rosy-cheeked and innocent-looking little boy poked his head out of the robes with great difficulty.

He stretched out those white and tender little hands and wrapped the overflowing robes around his bare body before turning to look at Zhou Xuanlan. Dark, lively eyes blinked a few times.

“Oh. You’ve come,” Shen Liuxiang’s sweet, child-like voice sounded out.

Raws: 圣明果, “divine” “understanding/consciousness/clear/bright” “fruit”

天狗, Heavenly Dog, tengu. Kept it as Heavenly Dog since seeing “tengu” in a chinese novel might be a little jarring.

Tong Xi’s gender hasn’t been stated yet. Will use “their” for now.

“Go after” in this case means “curry favour with” (or more likely, seduce). The raws used 攻略 (“attack”). If you’re familiar with Chinese novels, you’ll see titles like “cannon fodder attacking the president”, etc etc, this is the same “attack”.

The venerable emperor dad in the synopsis of the novel

Ok, there’s some background to this. Raws used 萤火妄想摘皓月 which has similarities to 萤火之光岂能与皓月争辉. The second one means “Fireflies should not dream of outshining the moon”. The first is a creative spin on that phrase, “Fireflies should not dream of plucking the moon” → Su Baiche (firefly) should not dream of successfully seducing/gaining the favour of Di Yunyu (the moon)

Raws: Still a long way off from being able to attack him

Raws: 修罗地狱, used originally to refer to an arena/realm where asuras (Buddhism) fight eternally. Many cultivation novels use this as a term to describe a separate realm where a lot of bloodshed and fighting occurs.

Direct disciples are disciples who are directly taught by their Shizuns. Ordinary disciples are disciples who are under an elder, but are taught by the older disciples

Author made a pun here. The “Yi” 意 character in Ye Yi 叶意 sounds like “一”, which means “one” in Chinese. The “Er” 尔 character in Ye Er 叶尔 sounds like “二”, which means “two” in Chinese.

Raws: 肥水不流外人田, means to keep good things to yourself

Raws: As anxious as an ant in a hot pan.

Raws: Love the house and love its crows. They both mean the same thing: Love someone, and love everything about them

=rather die early

Raws: An incredibly, incredibly happy event. Chose to word things this way to bring across this idea.