Six months passed in the blink of an eye. It was now late autumn in September.
At Wunian Sect’s Sea Valley, frost clung to the branches. More than 280 miles of golden rice fields rippled in the wind, while osmanthus trees blossomed along the mountainside of the main peak.
The wind carried the faint fragrance of osmanthus as it swept by, lifting red maple leaves from the mountaintop and scattering them over a Bamboo Courtyard on the slope, some distance from Sea Valley Main Peak.
An enormous osmanthus tree stood in the courtyard’s front yard, its bright blossoms in full bloom. Beneath it, tea simmered over a small brazier on the stone table. Wisps of steam curled from the spout, and the fragrance of tea filled the air.
“Elder Shen! Elder Shen!”
A young man’s voice rang out in the distance, drawing closer. Soon, a young man in ivory-colored disciple robes came running up to the stone table.
He must have run too fast. Zhou Jiangnan was out of breath, his still-round cheeks flushed red. His eyes shone as he stared at Shen Yueshan, but for a moment he couldn’t get a word out.
Shen Yueshan lifted the steaming teapot and poured him a cup. He tapped the side of the cup lightly with one finger. A thread of spiritual energy, cold as ice, instantly cooled the scalding tea to a comfortable warmth.
“Don’t rush. Have some tea first.” He pushed the cup toward Zhou Jiangnan.
Zhou Jiangnan gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, then set a spirit pouch on the table. “The Sect Leader sent this over. They’re all top-grade spirit herbs from apothecaries in the major cities!”
After six months together, Shen Yueshan had learned a little about Qu Xingyi. He was sociable, friendly, talkative, and fond of showing off his wealth. He never would have entrusted something he brought himself to anyone else.
“Where is he?” Shen Yueshan asked.
“I heard the Tianfu Tournament is coming up, so the Sect Leader’s been busy lately. He has to travel around and smooth things over.”
Zhou Jiangnan continued, “It’s the same every year. Our sect can’t compete with the big names, so we make sure to grease the wheels ahead of time. Then we can coast through the Tianfu Tournament.”
The Tianfu Tournament was held every three years. Countless cultivators hoped to make a name for themselves on the Long Bamboo Stele, but all Wunian Sect wanted was to find a way to coast through.
Shen Yueshan laughed. “You’re certainly taking it in stride.”
“The Long Bamboo Stele only has two hundred spots for the whole Cultivation World, and the rankings change every three years. Everyone who makes it onto the list is a big deal. Our sect just wants to keep our heads down, but the rules say every sect listed in the Immortal Alliance has to take part. So that’s what we do.”
Zhou Jiangnan sighed, then suddenly said, “I heard that back then, Immortal Lord Wuwang of Gengchen Immortal Sect made it to the top of the Long Bamboo Stele after only a hundred years of cultivation. He stayed at the top for a thousand years. Then he sacrificed himself to save all living beings, suppressed the evil ghost, and saved the Cultivation World from disaster. He became the snow that fell for five whole years…”
Shen Yueshan looked as though he were listening to a stranger’s story. Without a change in expression, he added some tea leaves to the pot and said nothing.
Zhou Jiangnan slumped over the table with a miserable whine. “Elder Shen, do you think Immortal Lord Wuwang was a really good person?”
“You never met him. How do you know he was good?” Shen Yueshan lowered his eyes and sipped his tea. “He sounds more like a fool to me. He was willing to throw his life away for people he didn’t even know.”
Zhou Jiangnan disagreed, but didn’t dare argue. He turned away and gave a quiet huff. “Elder Shen, you always have to rain on everyone’s parade.”
Shen Yueshan smiled faintly, untied the spirit pouch, and picked out a few herbs to strengthen Zhou Jiangnan’s constitution. He tossed them to him. “You’re too idle. Go brew these.”
“Got it.”
Zhou Jiangnan knew better than to neglect the task at hand. He took the herbs and went to brew them in the kitchen at the back of the Bamboo Courtyard.
Once Zhou Jiangnan was gone, the front yard seemed especially empty. A gentle breeze brushed Shen Yueshan’s face, carrying a hint of the chill that came before winter.
The Guiding Lantern that always floated beside him suddenly swayed. It darted a few feet forward, then floated back and rocked from side to side, drawing Shen Yueshan’s surprised gaze.
The Guiding Lantern was the first artifact he had made after waking. He had no sense of direction, so he couldn’t do without it. A sliver of his soul was contained in its blue-gray flame, enough for the lantern to find its way on its own. Only he could command it.
But now, the lantern had moved without him telling it to.
Something was wrong.
After swaying for a moment, the Guiding Lantern shot toward the back courtyard. It moved so quickly that Shen Yueshan couldn’t keep up. Fortunately, their souls were linked, so he could sense where the lantern was. He made his way there at a slow pace.
Perhaps he had sat outside too long and caught a chill. By the time he reached the back courtyard, a stabbing pain had started in his chest.
Oh no.
His vision went dark. He braced himself against an osmanthus tree in the courtyard and bent over, coughing violently. A flush spread over his usually pale face, and tears glimmered on his long lashes from the force of his coughing.
It took a long time for Shen Yueshan to catch his breath. He hadn’t even wiped the blood from his lips when he pinched a wisp of Ghost Qi between his fingers and crushed it to nothing.
Whenever this body threatened to give out, Ghost Qi was usually to blame. Tiny traces of it loved to hide in the gaps between his meridians, where they were difficult to clear away.
Over the past six months, the spirit herbs had helped him deal with the Ghost Qi in his body. There was little left there now. But he hadn’t been able to clear much from his soul. All he could do was find an opportunity to seize one wisp and destroy it at a time.
A few osmanthus blossoms fell onto his shoulder in the wind. Shen Yueshan looked toward the Guiding Lantern, which hovered motionless above a clump of orchids.
There’s someone here.
He lowered his gaze to the orchids beneath the lantern.
He had carefully tended the orchids and planted a spirit formation around them. Now, bunches had been pulled up on one side and others on the opposite side. The bluebells, which had only just bloomed, were surrounded by grass that looked as if a pig had rooted through it. Roots jutted from the earth, soil lay scattered everywhere, and the broken stems were streaked with blood.
He had spent six months tending them, and the flowers had only just bloomed.
Now they were all ruined.
Shen Yueshan said nothing.
He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
When he opened them again, frost seemed to gather in the depths of his usually untroubled gaze.
Shen Yueshan stepped closer and followed the bloodstains, parting the orchids with his fingers. Beneath the Guiding Lantern, he found a small child curled up on the ground.
The child looked three or four years old. His clothes were in tatters, and blood seemed to seep from his skin. He was covered in blood and mud, and badly injured.
Shen Yueshan furrowed his brow and bent to feel for the child’s pulse. Before his fingers could reach the boy’s neck, the child suddenly opened his eyes. A cold light flashed in them. He clamped his teeth down hard on the web of Shen Yueshan’s thumb, then glared at him without loosening his bite, a fierce and vicious aura radiating from his small body.
Shen Yueshan hadn’t expected a toddler to ambush him. Caught off guard, he felt sharp pain as the child’s teeth broke his skin. Blood seeped out in a thin line. Compared with the constant pain of his ruined body, the bite was nothing.
Shen Yueshan glanced at the wrecked orchids. The frost in his eyes deepened, and his voice turned icy. “Let go!”
He grabbed the child by the back of his collar and lifted him up. The child promptly shut his eyes and passed out, limp and near death, as helpless as prey.
Half of Shen Yueshan’s anger vanished.
“…”
He looked from the barely conscious child to the orchids that were all but beyond saving. His brow furrowed, and he muttered in irritation, “You little wolf.”
But when he saw the child’s wretched state, he rubbed his brow with a headache.
He’d picked up a problem.
Never mind. He could deal with the child later. Saving him came first.
