A Guide to Self-Rescue in the Cultivation World - Chapter 30

The mountain gate of the Chengxian Dao was wreathed in mist. The few bamboo huts in the distance were shrouded within it, appearing somewhat hazy and indistinct.

Zhou Suyao returned to the Chengxian Dao, her heart heavy with concern. Ming Luo’s words still echoed in her ears:

The truth of the Qi brothers’ imprisonment, the Rao Tian Dao’s ambiguous attitude… and that mysterious barrier surrounding the Chengxian Dao.

These matters weighed on her chest like heavy stones.

Unconsciously, she found herself standing before the cliffside bamboo hut where her Master, Zhou Xuqing, often stayed. Sure enough, before she even stepped inside, she heard a grunting sound and the impatient barking of Wang Cai (Prosperity).

Pushing the door open, she saw Master bent over, struggling to force a chair with a broken leg back into position. After several failed attempts, he sat down on the floor, panting. Wang Cai, beside him, was impatiently bumping its head against his back, seemingly annoyed that he was blocking the way.

“Master.”

Zhou Suyao called out.

Zhou Xuqing instantly stood up at the sound, perhaps too quickly, because with a sharp “crack!” he grabbed his lower back.

“What are you trying to do! Appearing out of nowhere! Are you trying to scare your good Master to death so you can inherit his mountain sect?!”

Today, however, Zhou Suyao was unusually quiet. Ignoring his playful banter, she walked silently over, took out a pre-prepared yellow paper, drew a Restoration Talisman, and, after a long silence, finally spoke: “Master, I saw Ming Luo.”

“Oh?” Zhou Xuqing rubbed his waist and responded casually, all the while sneakily observing her expression. “How is that girl? Did she cry when the two of you met?”

“She’s fine. She’s busy rebuilding the Xinchong Sect.” Zhou Suyao paused, then continued, “Master, the Qi brothers have been confined by the Rao Tian Dao Elders.”

A strange look flashed across Zhou Xuqing’s face, but it was concealed just as quickly. He continued to rub his waist, saying without haste, “Hmm, this matter, this old man has heard a little about it.”

“You actually know, Master?” Zhou Suyao looked up at him sharply. “Why…? They clearly didn’t…”

“You want to say they didn’t do anything wrong?” Zhou Xuqing interrupted her, a look of mockery on his lips. “They are big families, after all. Lots of rules, and even more schemes.”

“More important than right and wrong are gain and balance.”

He glanced at Zhou Suyao, then continued slowly, “Those two boys stirred up quite a mess. Being confined might not necessarily be a bad thing for them.”

Zhou Suyao stared at her Master. In his words, she heard a similar undertone to Ming Luo’s.

The issue behind this seemed to run much deeper than what appeared on the surface.

She wanted to ask more, but Master suddenly acted as if he remembered something important. He abruptly stood up, leaned closer to her, and lowered his voice, looking secretive: “Right. My dear disciple, there’s something absolutely critical I need to tell you, in case I forget to properly warn you before the assessment begins, with all the chaos going on.”

Seeing Master’s seriousness, Zhou Suyao couldn’t help but tense up. She held her breath and asked cautiously, “What is it, Master?”

Master looked left and right, his careful expression suggesting fear of eavesdroppers. He lowered his voice even further, leaving only Wang Cai’s panting audible in the hut.

“For this Disciple Assessment, remember to tone down your edge. Don’t try too hard; just do enough, alright?”

“Huh?” Zhou Suyao was completely taken aback, utterly surprised by his suggestion. She instinctively countered, “Why? Isn’t the Disciple Assessment meant to showcase our cultivation and strive for a good rank?”

She was hoping to use this chance to see where her true strength stood among the disciples of the various sects.

“Aiya, silly disciple!” He curled his finger and firmly tapped her on the head, scolding her out of genuine concern: “Think about it! If you perform too dazzlingly, overshadowing everyone else, those major sects will certainly not let go of such a promising talent, will they? They’ll definitely try every possible means to poach you! Our Chengxian Dao is small and humble; we definitely can’t protect you.”

He leaned in even closer, looking pitiful and even a little whiny—a very odd look for an old man: “Can you really bear to leave your Master? Leave your few good-for-nothing Senior Brothers? Or leave our comfortable, carefree den?”

He paused, then suddenly sounded very certain: “I know! You must be willing to leave your Senior Brother Wang Cai, right?”

Zhou Suyao hadn’t even recovered from Master’s pathetic act when she was jolted by his calling her Senior Brother’s good-for-nothing. Just as she was about to object, Master even dared to express his disdain for the dog, Wang Cai!

“My good disciple! Can you bear to see your Master lonely, with no one to care for him in his old age?”

This barrage of questions made Zhou Suyao jump. She was left speechless by this sudden, completely out-of-character display from her Master. After a long moment, she finally managed to find her voice, questioning him with disbelief:

“No way, Master! You’re telling me this now?!”

Last time, Master had strongly encouraged her to aim for first place! He even told her that winning the championship came with thirty taels… twenty taels… well, anyway, there was money to be won!

Zhou Xuqing heard this, straightened up again, and stroked his messy beard with an air of profound wisdom. He chuckled: “Last time? Last time, this old man was quite certain! With your amateur skills and lazy temperament, who besides your Eldest Senior Brother and me would tolerate you? Let alone those arrogant major sects.”

Zhou Suyao:

She was momentarily speechless.

But thinking about it, she was indeed a Supreme Salted Fish during the last assessment. It’s the Master’s fault for being so lax.

“But now…” Zhou Xuqing changed his tone, narrowing his eyes as he assessed Zhou Suyao. “Things are different now. Almost everyone in the Spiritual Dao knows you went through the Underworld, stirred up trouble in the Imperial City, and fought a fierce battle with Xuan Yangming. The noble families will naturally look at you more closely.”

“Most importantly…”

Zhou Xuqing’s eyes darted around. He drew out his words slowly: “Now that you know so many secrets you shouldn’t know, and have seen so much of human malice and monsters, this old man is actually a little worried. Will your little head think our Chengxian Dao is too small, the water too shallow to hold you, and that you’ll want to find a better opportunity elsewhere?”

For the first time, she detected a mixed tone of half-jest and half-serious probing in her Master’s voice.

Zhou Suyao looked into his eyes and suddenly understood. He wasn’t joking, nor was he truly afraid she would leave. He was speaking in code, using this way to tell her that the times had changed. Too many things were tied to her. If she became too conspicuous in the assessment, it would certainly draw attention from all sides.

At that point, it would likely be difficult for her to escape unscathed.

Hiding her edge was a means of protecting her.

Her seemingly unreliable Master had always been protecting her in his own careful way.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning emotions, and deliberately put on a straight face, scoffing:

“It seems Master doesn’t genuinely care about me. Isn’t it a little too late to play the emotional card now? What if I happen to want to stun everyone this time and see what it feels like to be fought over by the major sects?”

Hearing this, Master immediately covered his chest and put on a look of profound sorrow, wailing: “Oh no! Ungrateful disciple! Ungrateful disciple! All for naught, this old man raised you from nothing…”

Wang Cai, startled by the commotion, jumped up and barked several times.

The man and the dog howled in unison, like a demonic symphony.

“Alright, alright!” Zhou Suyao interrupted him, unable to suppress a slight smile. She feigned impatience: “I know, I know! I’ll handle it myself… I’ll try not to cause you trouble, okay?”

Zhou Xuqing immediately dropped his hands and burst into laughter, the speed of his change of expression astonishing: “Ay! That’s my good disciple!”

He then added cheekily, “Don’t worry! Even if you perform terribly, Master won’t dislike you. After all, the main feature of our Chengxian Dao is freedom. Right, Wang Cai?”

Wang Cai barked twice at him.

Zhou Xuqing chuckled, pulled a palm-leaf fan from somewhere, and leisurely reclined back on his old bamboo chair, humming an off-key tune as he closed his eyes slightly.

He said nothing more to Zhou Suyao, as if the conversation they had just had never happened.

She shook her head helplessly and walked out of the bamboo hut.

The mist around the mountain seemed to have cleared a little. The lingering glow of the sunset painted the sea of clouds with a golden fringe.

Zhou Suyao couldn’t help but recall her Master’s words.

“Disciple Assessment, tone down your edge.”

Should she hide her edge…?

The Rao Tian Dao’s refusal to intervene, and her Master asking her to be reserved.

It only further confirmed that the Spiritual Dao was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface.

There must be secrets hidden within.

The use of mortals to refine elixirs for spiritual cultivation Master said, a goddess had once carved an insurmountable law with her flesh and bl00d centuries ago. Yet, why does this method of cultivation persist today?

Furthermore, judging from Ming Luo’s tone, it was clear that this kind of cultivation was an unspoken, mutually accepted practice among the major sects.

Why would this be the case?

Does her Master secretly engage in it, too?

If Master did, were his words in front of the Imperial City mass grave merely for emotional effect?

Zhou Suyao shook her head.

The truth was, even now, she was willing to trust her Master.

She looked towards the distant, undulating mountain range, her gaze growing resolute.

Perhaps she should keep a low profile, but when the time came to draw her sword, she would absolutely not back down.