After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Profound Ethereal Water – Shizun Gifts a Treasure

Su Lingqing reached out her left hand, hardened her resolve, and vigorously pinched her flushed cheek.

“Hiss~ It hurts! It’s really not a dream?”

“Of course not.” Ling Yunyue loosened her constraint on the girl and slowly sat up on the couch.

Listening to Shizun’s gentle voice reaching her ears, Su Lingqing gradually came back to her senses.

“Shizun, disciple… disciple remembers drinking Peach Blossom Brew with Senior Sister Xu at Wangyue Terrace. How is it that…”

Mid-sentence, her forehead was gently tapped.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get too close to Xu Miaoluo? Did Lingqing take your Shizun’s words as just idle talk?”

Ling Yunyue was somewhat angry. If she hadn’t arrived in time yesterday, it was hard to imagine what might have happened.

Although Bing Que had left a trace of her aura on Lingqing as a deterrent to prevent others from approaching her disciple, Xu Miaoluo seemed unaffected.

When she arrived at Wangyue Terrace, Ling Yunyue had observed carefully. The key to the problem lay in the ancient jade worn around Xu Miaoluo’s neck.

The origin of that ancient jade was unknown; it seemed she had never seen it before.

Matters of treasures involved personal secrets, so she did not inquire about it.

The drunk girl was completely defenseless. Ling Yunyue remembered that Xu Miaoluo was naturally attracted to women…

Su Lingqing, however, was unaware of these things. Hearing Shizun’s words, she only hesitated and said: “It was Senior Sister Xu’s first visit. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for this disciple to turn her away. This disciple promises to avoid Senior Sister as much as possible in the future.”

“I have already warned her. She is forbidden from approaching you again.”

Hearing the word “warned,” Su Lingqing was momentarily stunned. After realizing its meaning, she immediately said: “Shizun, Senior Sister Xu did not harm this disciple. She even offered a thousand-year-old Peach Blossom Brew for this disciple to drink. Senior Sister did not have malicious intent.”

The words implied a sense of defense, and the anger that had just subsided in Ling Yunyue’s heart flared up again.

“Although the thousand-year-old Peach Blossom Brew is rare, Lingqing’s current strength is still low. It made you drunk instantly and is not suitable for consumption at all. Lingqing says Xu Miaoluo had no ill intent, but I do not agree. Does Lingqing remember what happened after you got drunk?”

The girl concentrated, thinking back. A look of hesitation crossed her face, and she slowly shook her head.

“This disciple can’t recall it for now…”

“Precisely. Once one gets drunk on thousand-year-old spirit wine, their consciousness becomes blurred, and it’s difficult to remember what happened afterward. Does Lingqing know that when I found you, you were being intimately held in Xu Miaoluo’s arms?”

“What?” Su Lingqing found it hard to believe. “Senior Sister Xu she…”

Ling Yunyue continued to press: “Xu Miaoluo likes women. She is naturally proud and rarely seeks anyone out on her own. Once she does so, she must have an agenda. So, stay away from her in the future.”

“This disciple understands.”

Compared to Senior Sister Xu, whom she had just met, Su Lingqing naturally believed Shizun more.

Seeing that the girl had taken her words to heart, Ling Yunyue nodded in satisfaction, got off the couch, and brought over some spirit fruits newly picked last night.

“These are Nine-Twist Berries. Consuming them after drinking spirit wine can quickly dispel the effects of alcohol. Although Lingqing is awake now, the scent of the thousand-year-old spirit wine remains. You might as well eat some of these.”

“Thank you, Shizun!”

Su Lingqing picked up a spirit fruit and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. The taste was sweet and sour, much to her liking.

After eating a few in a row, she noticed Shizun was only watching. So, naturally, she picked up the largest one from the plate and offered it to Shizun’s lips.

When she realized this action was too intimate and inappropriate between master and disciple, she hesitated, wanting to withdraw her outstretched right hand. Just then, a slightly scorching warmth was transmitted to her fingertips.

Shizun had eaten the spirit fruit she offered.

At this moment, Su Lingqing froze. Her heart hammered wildly, and she dared not look at the divine figure in her heart again…

To distract herself, she shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Shizun’s cave dwelling was very beautiful. Probably because of the ice spiritual root, all the furnishings in the cave dwelling were made of cold ice, with the jade couch beneath her being the only exception.

She did not know that this jade couch was temporarily crafted by Ling Yunyue last night from an expensive piece of warm jade.

“What is Lingqing thinking about?”

The gentle voice reached her ear, instantly pulling the girl’s thoughts back.

Su Lingqing uncontrollably recalled the previous events. She instinctively rubbed her fingertips and said against her true feelings: “This disciple is thinking, the temperature in the cave dwelling doesn’t seem low. Will the objects made of cold ice melt?”

Ling Yunyue answered with a smile: “Of course not. This is not ordinary cold ice, but ten-thousand-year Profound Ice. Even if it were thrown into an alchemy furnace, it would not melt in the slightest unless burned by an exotic flame.”

“Shizun, what is an exotic flame?”

“It is a miraculous flame naturally born between heaven and earth. Each type contains special power and form. There are currently six known exotic flames in the Xuan Tian Realm, led by the Red Lotus Karma Fire.”

“Presumably, these exotic flames can be subdued by fire spiritual root cultivators?”

“That can be said, however, the probability of successfully subduing an exotic flame is very low. Once failed, it results in death and the destruction of one’s cultivation. The process is extremely dangerous. But if one succeeds, with the help of an exotic flame, their strength will advance rapidly and will be incomparable to before.”

“From Shizun’s description, exotic flames are very formidable. If this disciple encounters one in the future, how should I effectively deal with it?”

“Everything in the world has a mutual restraint. Profound Ethereal Water is the nemesis of exotic flames. As long as one possesses this water, exotic flames are not to be feared.”

Ling Yunyue formed a spiritual seal with one hand, and a mass of dark blue water instantly appeared.

“This is Profound Ethereal Water. A single drop weighs over a hundred jin (approx. 50 kg). With Lingqing’s current strength, you can control a maximum of two drops. More than that will harm your body in return. The water can extend infinitely. If you encounter an exotic flame, as long as you have enough spiritual power, building a defensive barrier with the heavy water to protect yourself will keep you safe.”

At this point, Ling Yunyue separated two drops from the dark blue water, controlling them with her divine sense to float in front of the girl.

“Next, I will impart a set of incantations to Lingqing. Once mastered, you can control it at will.”

“Shizun, this disciple has a wood spiritual root. Can I still cultivate this method?”

“Of course. Profound Ethereal Water is one of the spiritual objects of heaven and earth. Although it is named after water and its form is similar, it is not a water-attributed treasure but is un-attributed. Furthermore, it cannot be recognized as a master, so any cultivator of any spiritual root can control and deploy it.”

“If that is the case, wouldn’t it be easily snatched away by others?”

“Indeed. Profound Ethereal Water is rare in the world. If a strong person obtains it, it would be difficult to keep it if one’s strength is insufficient while traveling outside and it is spotted.”

Listening to Shizun’s words, Su Lingqing secretly vowed to protect the Profound Ethereal Water well in the future.

As long as it was gifted by Shizun, no one could take it away from her!

The incantation to control the Profound Ethereal Water was quite complex. Su Lingqing spent two full days before she successfully cultivated it.

It was then that she learned that the Profound Ethereal Water could not only be used to counter exotic flames but could also be transformed into any shape of weapon to directly attack enemies.

The moment the incantation was successfully cultivated, Su Lingqing withdrew the spiritual power surrounding her body, and a sensation of hunger instantly came from her abdomen.

In the Qi Refining stage, one could not abstain from eating. Without spiritual power to sustain her, her stomach was rumbling.

Shizun was right beside her. She bit her lip, feeling a little ashamed. The desire to quickly reach the Foundation Establishment stage was stronger than ever at this moment.

Seeing the girl lower her head, clearly showing restraint, Ling Yunyue smiled inwardly.

“The meals are all ready. Don’t be shy. Come quickly and eat.”

The gentle voice reached her ear. Su Lingqing subconsciously looked up, only to see delicious spiritual meals spread across the exquisite small table built with Profound Ice.

“Shizun, these are…”

“Does Lingqing remember Mu Xin, the girl from the dining hall?”

“Of course, I remember. Could it be that these spiritual meals were sent by Xin’er?”

Ling Yunyue nodded with a smile: “A day ago, Mu Xin and her older sister, Mu Yao, found their way here. That girl was worried about you. Seeing that you hadn’t been to the dining hall for a long time, she was afraid something had happened to you.”

Hearing this, Su Lingqing was both touched and a little confused: “The peak is thousands of zhang (approx. 3.3 meters) away from the dining hall. How did they…”

Ling Yunyue already guessed the unspoken meaning.

“There are many spiritual cranes kept in the spiritual beast field on the peak. If you feed them a single Spirit-Feeding Pill, the spiritual crane can carry you for a ride. Coming to the peak is not difficult. The round trip only takes two incense sticks’ time.”

“Shizun, what is a Spirit-Feeding Pill?”

“It is a kind of elixir specifically used to feed spiritual beasts. It contains Spirit-Inducing Grass, which is extremely attractive to spiritual beasts. It can substitute for food and serves to satisfy hunger, but the nutritional supplement is not as high as that of spiritual meals.”

Mentioning spiritual beasts, Su Lingqing immediately thought of Ruozhu.

A few days had passed, and she wondered how the little fox was doing.

With the spiritual beast contract, she tried to contact it with her divine sense. A soft response quickly came from her sea of consciousness.

“Master, don’t worry. Ruozhu is fine. Miss Xin’er brought a lot of food. The food container can keep it fresh, so it won’t spoil. It’s enough for Ruozhu to eat for many days.”

Relieved by this answer, Su Lingqing felt a little more at ease, while secretly remembering Mu Xin’s kindness.

“Shizun, after eating, this disciple wants to continue practicing sword techniques.”

Ling Yunyue nodded: “I had this plan as well. The fifth set of sword techniques, Cloud Water Boundless, and the control incantation for the Profound Ethereal Water have similarities. Since Lingqing has mastered the latter, practicing the Cloud Water Boundless sword technique will be much simpler. Once successfully cultivated, the sword techniques for the Qi Refining stage will be sufficient.”

“This disciple will certainly work hard!”

During the meal, Su Lingqing thought of how long it had been since she last saw Bing Que. She hesitated for a moment and cautiously opened her mouth: “Shizun, since the seal on the Soul Devouring Abyss is over, has Aunt Bing returned?”

Upon mentioning this, Ling Yunyue’s expression was strange. She looked deeply at the girl. “Does Lingqing want to see her?”

“I’m just a little curious if Aunt Bing is here.”

As soon as her voice fell, a flash of spiritual light appeared before her eyes. A woman with ink-black hair like a waterfall and clothes as white as snow appeared not far away.

The face she saw was completely unfamiliar. Although also extremely beautiful, it was fundamentally different from Shizun’s.

She had distant, elegant eyebrows, a splash of red makeup adorning her forehead, and a pair of long, captivating phoenix eyes, each with a small red mole at the outer corner. Her red lips and white teeth lent a touch of seductiveness to her otherwise cold and aloof demeanor.

Seeing the girl stare at her blankly, the sword spirit smiled, pursing her lips: “How is it? Does Lingqing like this appearance?”

Before Su Lingqing could answer, Ling Yunyue’s slightly cold voice reached her ears first.

“It is merely a projection of illusionary art, not your true appearance. Even if it looks good, it is still illusory, not your own.”

Bing Que retorted with dissatisfaction: “It is Master who does not allow me to appear before Lingqing with my true appearance anymore. I can only switch to one that is just as beautiful. If Master thinks this is not good, let me switch back. How about that?”