A Guide to Self-Rescue in the Cultivation World - Chapter 6
Eldest Senior Brother’s Mountain gate was still framed by that endless stretch of peach trees, but spring was long over. Now, there was nothing left but bare, brittle branches.
She slowly landed on his peak.
Second Senior Brother followed her, landing beside her. Looking at the bare peach branches on the mountain, he sighed softly. “Do you remember when you first came to the sect, and you stumbled onto Eldest Senior Brother’s peak, picked a peach blossom, and said it was beautiful? He never let the blossoms wilt after that.”
He paused, then continued, “Unfortunately, he’s too severely injured now and doesn’t have the spare cultivation to maintain them. Not long after he was hurt, all the peach blossoms on the mountain withered.”
Zhou Suyao listened, bitterness in her heart, but she said nothing. She simply pushed open the closed door to the Eldest Senior Brother’s room.
The acrid smell of medicinal soup in the room made her cough slightly. The immediate stab of pain in her lower abdomen made her frown. Leaning on the wall, she walked over to the bedside.
Eldest Senior Brother still looked like the ethereal god she had seen in the Underworld, but now he lay with his eyes tightly shut, seemingly unable to find peace even in his dreams. Seeing the vulnerability that Eldest Senior Brother had never once shown her, an inexplicable ache suddenly tightened in her heart. She raised a hand and gently smoothed the furrow in his brow.
“The first time I saw Eldest Senior Brother look flustered was when I captured his long dragon during a game of Go,” Zhou Suyao chuckled softly, her voice trembling slightly. “He really shouldn’t have used ten years of cultivation to save a salted fish. It makes me feel so guilty that I’ll have to go seek revenge for him now.”
Qu Mingu immediately shot back, “Eldest Senior Brother won’t regret saving you. On the contrary, if he saw you looking like this—neither human nor ghost—he’d regret not teaching you better in the first place.”
“That’s not…”
Zhou Suyao wanted to argue, but for the first time, the usually quick-witted girl felt a panicked inability to justify herself.
Seeing her expression, Second Senior Brother felt a pang of sympathy. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and softly reassured her, “You don’t need to say more; I understand. I’m not truly criticizing you. I just hope you… won’t be too sad… alright.”
Qu Mingu struggled for words, realized he was making things worse, and just patted her shoulder, falling silent.
Just then, Third Senior Brother Zhou Zonglan pushed the door open.
He set the tray of medicine on the table, picked up a bowl, and walked over. Seeing the two of them leaning by Zhou Shanyuan’s bedside, he remained incorrigibly flippant, finding something to chuckle at even in the heavy atmosphere.
“What are you two doing? Anyone would think you rushed over here for Eldest Senior Brother’s funeral.”
His joke was profoundly ill-timed. The death stares from the two by the bed scared him into a sudden flinch, nearly sending the bowl of medicine flying. He quickly raised a hand in surrender. “Alright, alright, my mistake. But why are you two huddled so close? Just move aside and let me pour this medicine into him. Zhou Suyao, you come and drink a bowl too. I was lazy and only wanted to make one trip, so I grabbed two bowls. Master said this stuff is the absolute best for refining the Spiritual Seed. He went to great lengths visiting different medicinal sects for it, so don’t waste it.”
Zhou Suyao ignored Third Senior Brother’s rambling. Her gaze remained fixed on Eldest Senior Brother’s bloodless face. The warmth she had felt when she smoothed his brow earlier seemed to linger on her fingertips. The red-robed spirit’s words in the Underworld tormented her like a phantom: She has his aura. Who exactly is “he”?
It was all too confusing.
If the “he” really was Xuan Yangming, shouldn’t the chosen person be Mingluo? After all, Mingluo fit the description of the chosen “personal disciple” perfectly. Otherwise, how could she—who had only met Xuan Yangming two or three times—match all of the spirit’s claims?
Unless… unless there was a deeper, hidden secret.
Zhou Suyao felt her head spinning.
Before she came to this world, she was a true “salted fish,” just drifting along. After arriving here, the sect was harmonious and far from conflict. As the youngest disciple, her Senior Brothers always let her have the best of everything. She had always upheld her “salted fish” status, never causing trouble.
But now…
She stared at Eldest Senior Brother’s pale, celestial face.
“Second Senior Brother,” her voice was hoarse without her realizing it. “Tell me, how did Eldest Senior Brother… how did he break open the Underworld that day, and how did he destroy his Spiritual Core?”
Seeing her lost look, Qu Mingu couldn’t bring himself to describe the true horror of that day. But when he saw the redness in Suyao’s upturned eyes, he sighed softly and replied:
“Not only do I not know what forbidden technique Eldest Senior Brother used… even Master doesn’t know. But when he carried you all out, his spiritual energy was completely scattered, his body covered in bl00d. The path between Yin and Yang behind him hadn’t closed, and I could still hear the howling of a sea of bl00d and corpses.”
He paused again. “As for Eldest Senior Brother’s Spiritual Core… even though Master immediately sealed his five senses to prevent his spiritual energy from spilling out, the injuries he sustained were far too severe. The Core had already mostly shattered. The small remaining portion was riddled with cracks. It was only enough for him to tell us to ‘guard you because the Underworld has changed’ before it completely disintegrated.”
“His spiritual energy is dissipating at an alarming rate. If Master hadn’t used his most treasured medicine to protect the tiny bit of cultivation he has left, he would be no different from a mortal right now.”
Second Senior Brother’s words felt like a razor-sharp knife, slicing at her heart and making it harder and harder to breathe. Just as she was about to break down, the female spirit’s words echoed in her mind again:
“You look just like me… the one he chose… Do you… Want to be put out of your misery now?”
Xuan Yangming’s seemingly venerable face flashed through her mind.
“No, that’s wrong,” she suddenly looked up. “There’s something wrong with what that spirit said.”
Both brothers were startled by her sudden declaration and looked at her simultaneously.
“Who is that female spirit, and what do you mean?” The Second Senior Brother asked.
“I met a female spirit in the Underworld that day. She told me she sensed ‘his’ aura on me, and that she was the one chosen as a personal disciple by this ‘he’ before eventually being consumed as a vessel.” Zhou Suyao’s voice was fast, but her thoughts were clearer than ever. “If the ‘he’ she refers to is Xuan Yangming—Mingluo’s Master—then the detail about the ‘personal disciple’ fits Mingluo more closely. Why would it be me, someone he’s only met two or three times?”
Third Senior Brother frowned, clearly unable to keep up with her logic. Second Senior Brother’s eyes narrowed as he said gravely, “Are you suggesting…”
“If this whole conspiracy in the Underworld was truly masterminded by Xuan Yangming, what is his motive? What is my connection to all this? Does this ‘vessel’ really refer to me, or did the female spirit confuse my aura with Mingluo’s, and did she mean Mingluo was the vessel? If that’s not the reason, then why did Mingluo approach me to ally? Is it because she discovered another problem, and one that threatens her own life?”
The more she spoke, the thicker the fog of mystery seemed to become, though this was the most reasonable explanation she could form.
“So she chose to betray her Master and form an alliance with you?” Second Senior Brother frowned. “That’s not impossible.”
“It’s the most logical explanation right now. So, five days from now, I have to meet Mingluo at the Golden Thread Pavilion.”
Zhou Suyao looked at the unconscious Eldest Senior Brother on the bed, her tone utterly firm. “I cannot let go of this chance to understand the conspiracy in the Underworld. Sitting here won’t bring us the truth, nor will it save Eldest Senior Brother.”
Seeing her unwavering resolve, Second Senior Brother’s heart softened. He knew Zhou Shanyuan best; if Suyao were the one lying there today, he would be just as determined to find the truth.
“Alright,” he finally said softly. “No matter what, I will support you. I’ll go with you to the Golden Thread Pavilion in five days.”
“I’m coming too!” Zhou Zonglan nodded vigorously.
“No,” Qu Mingu flatly refused. “The incident in the Underworld has spread throughout the various sects. No one can say what might happen. With the Eldest Senior Brother severely injured, what would happen if we encountered danger here? Trusting that unreliable old man, Master?”
“Fine,” Zhou Zonglan grumbled unhappily.
“In any case, spend these next few days healing,” Qu Mingu instructed. “In five days, I want to see a completely recovered Zhou Suyao. Otherwise, I won’t let you set a single foot outside this Second Mountain Gate.”
Seeing the deep concern in his eyes, Zhou Suyao felt a warmth spread through her heart. She had been an orphan in her previous world, never having experienced such worry and care from others. And now…
She nodded solemnly.
Third Senior Brother, though left behind, didn’t complain much. Instead, he brought the other bowl of medicinal soup to Suyao. “Drink this quickly. The efficacy will weaken if it gets cold.”
She nodded, taking the bowl. The medicine was repulsive. She closed her eyes tightly and quickly downed the whole thing in one gulp.
“Ugh…”
Instantly, a mix of pain and warmth surged from her Dantian and converged on the wound in her lower abdomen. It was a searing, bone-deep pain. She felt as if the Ghost Soldier’s spear was piercing her abdomen thousands of times again. Her vision blurred, and she nearly passed out.
“Little Sister, hold on,” Zhou Zonglan supported her. “You have to endure it. This medicine forcibly awakens your Dantian. It will be very painful during the process, but once your Dantian recovers its spiritual power, you won’t suffer as much.”
Zhou Suyao bit her lip, sweat beading on her forehead. Even so, she managed a strong nod. “I know. Good medicine tastes bitter.”
Not long after saying that, she felt a warmth rising within her body. It traveled through the various veins for a while before settling steadily into her Dantian.
“Feeling better?” The Second Senior Brother asked.
“Yes,” she nodded again.
Seeing that her lips were indeed less pale than before, both brothers felt relieved. The Third Senior Brother was the first to stand and bid farewell. “I still have to go down to Master’s peak to brew medicine, so I’m leaving now.”
A while later, Second Senior Brother offered to take her back to her peak, but Zhou Suyao refused. She raised her hand, shaking the string of old keys. “Master gave me the keys. I want to stay with Eldest Senior Brother a bit longer.”
“Don’t stay here too long, then. Go back and rest early,” Qu Mingu knew he couldn’t persuade her, so he relented. “Your spiritual power is unstable right now; you really need rest.”
“I understand,” she replied.
Before leaving, Second Senior Brother looked back one last time. Seeing her sitting quietly by Zhou Shanyuan’s bed, he sighed. “Those two are truly the most stubborn people I know.”
Even though she had seen his bloodless face countless times, every time she looked at him, Zhou Suyao felt a sudden, agonizing tug in her heart.
She reached out and took Eldest Senior Brother’s cold hand, attempting to send a bit of the spiritual energy she had just recovered to him. But the energy circulated in her body several times and failed to pass into his. She finally gave up.
“Eldest Senior Brother,” she pressed his cold hand against her forehead and said softly, “You always told cultivators to cherish life, but you…”
She stopped, a feeling she couldn’t quite name clogging her chest. After a long moment, she continued, “You rest well and heal. Trust me, I will definitely find all those evil creatures hiding in the dark and return the suffering you endured to those who wronged you.”
With that, she closed her eyes, trying to stop her tears from falling, failing to notice that the peach branch outside the window suddenly trembled.
It was like a gentle breeze, yet it also felt like a heart quietly beating.