The Thousand-Layer Schemes of the Sickly Beautiful Master - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The next morning, Qing Zhuxue went to Lingsu Peak. She usually went there casually, but today she went properly, which was rare.

As soon as Bai Su saw her, she got nervous, worried that Qing Zhuxue was missing an arm or leg.

Qing Zhuxue explained clearly that she wasn’t injured or fighting this time; she just came to ask for medicine.

When Liu Xunqin heard this, she agreed without hesitation. As if afraid her niece would change her mind, she gave the herbs quickly and even told Bai Su to pick a few extra ones.

“Does Yun Shuchen know about this?”

Liu Xunqin suddenly asked.

“No.”

The Medicine Immortal’s expression was calm. “It’s best not to let her know; it might hinder this matter.”

The black and gold-patterned pipe twirled in her hand. Elder Liu pulled out a silver knife from her waist and handed it to Qing Zhuxue.

“Today, I only need your bl00d. Not much, just half a bowl will do.”

“Since it’s research on living people, we have to be cautious. You can rest assured; it won’t harm your foundation.”

That’s what she said. But Qing Zhuxue felt that Elder Liu’s cold eyes seemed to hold a hint of regret—regret that she wasn’t a dead person.

…

Back at Crane Feather Peak, it was quiet all around. A cat slept on the wall, its ears pressed against it.

At this hour, her master was probably still asleep. Qing Zhuxue practiced her sword for a while on her own, then, following yesterday’s memory, meditated in the pavilion, circulating the new technique she had learned through a small cycle.

Human memories, emotions, and scents intertwine. While meditating, Qing Zhuxue always caught a faint, elusive fragrance at the tip of her nose, though she knew it wasn’t really there.

Besides meditating, practicing martial arts, and reading, there didn’t seem to be much else to pass the time.

Qing Zhuxue liked peace. She watched the ripples on the water outside the pavilion, with koi fish swimming below, and could stare for half an hour without feeling bored.

“Sister—” Someone climbed the wall, more agile than the cat, mouthing words at her.

A figure in bright red clothes poked their head over. “Why are you alone?”

Luckily, it was just her. Ruan Mingzhu grew bold, slipping in openly, lightly stepping on the water’s surface, and reaching the pavilion in a few steps.

“Good timing.” Qing Zhuxue took out the glowing herbs from her robe and explained their uses in detail.

“Will it really work?” Ruan Mingzhu took the spiritual plant, pursing her lips. “I’ll try it back home. Swords and blades don’t have eyes, so I won’t hold it against you.”

“Hmm…” Qing Zhuxue saw she wasn’t leaving. “Do you have something else?”

“Nothing.” She propped her head up, crossing her legs. “I’m bored to death on my peak. The sisters are beautiful, but they’re busy with lessons and don’t have time to chat with an idle person like me.”

“So I came to hang out with you, or I’d grow weeds… By the way, I wasn’t convinced by my last loss. Want to fight again?”

She glanced toward the inner courtyard, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Oh, Master Yun is here.”

Yun Shuchen had just woken up and noticed an extra person on Crane Feather Peak. The red-clothed girl smiled brightly at her, while her own disciple had a cold face, forming a stark contrast.

Both were the same age, yet their personalities differed so greatly.

Yun Shuchen glanced from afar but didn’t come over, as if just passing by. Since she didn’t approach, Ruan Mingzhu stood up, seemingly about to go to her, but Qing Zhuxue stopped her. “She’s dressed formally; she’s probably going out.”

She was right. Ruan Mingzhu sat back down, watching Yun Shuchen’s figure disappear with regret.

“It’s really just you two on this peak.” Ruan Mingzhu clicked her tongue in amazement. “Do you talk much with her? Isn’t it boring?”

“Boring?” Qing Zhuxue shook her head. “Master likes quiet. Too many people give her a headache. For daily practice and reading, you need to be calm.”

Ruan Mingzhu felt they had little in common and let out a deep sigh.

“Why are all cultivators like this? Last time I went to Lingsu Peak, I saw a girl in green, young and pretty. I kindly tried to chat with her, but she was cold and fierce, telling me to get lost.”

Qing Zhuxue frowned. “You didn’t say anything offensive, did you?”

“Offensive?” Ruan Mingzhu guiltily touched her nose. “…No.”

“Good.” Qing Zhuxue said calmly, “Lingsu Peak doesn’t have many female disciples. Sister Bai Su wouldn’t talk like that. The one you met wasn’t some young girl; that was Elder Liu.”

“What?!” Ruan Mingzhu was stunned. “You’re messing with me. Why didn’t I see that elder at the disciple ceremony?”

“The ceremony we attended was a separate one. She wasn’t there that day.”

Besides, when Ruan Mingzhu was carried to Lingsu Peak, she was already unconscious. After waking, only Sister Bai Su tended to her, so she had no impression of Liu Xunqin.

Seeing her junior sister’s complex expression, falling silent, scratching her head awkwardly, Ruan Mingzhu grabbed the herbs and left sheepishly.

Qing Zhuxue looked at her strangely.

She sat alone in the pavilion, reading a bit more, continuing her “boring” day.

The sky was clear earlier, but now it turned overcast.

Suspecting rain, Qing Zhuxue moved indoors. She opened the window slightly; the air wasn’t damp, but the gloom made her uneasy.

Her spiritual energy stirred restlessly for some reason.

This unfamiliar feeling matched a theoretical memory in her mind—was she about to break through to the Golden Core?

Qing Zhuxue forced herself to stay calm and went outside into the cool wind.

The time from thunder forming to striking was only a few moments, and she couldn’t leave Crane Feather Peak to face the tribulation. She hurried away from the courtyard, running toward the forest to avoid damaging her home.

The chaotic spiritual energy made every step difficult. She finally sat cross-legged, trying to calm the raging energy. Above, the clouds swirled grandly, forming a giant eye-shaped vortex over her head.

Meanwhile.

The Sect Leader was drinking tea when a loud explosion shook the air. His hand trembled, spilling the tea bowl.

He looked northwest in shock, just as a purple thunderbolt struck, shattering Crane Feather Peak’s barrier completely.

Such a powerful tribulation thunder was almost comparable to the Nine-Turn Thunder of ascension.

Was Yun Shuchen undergoing tribulation?

The Sect Leader quickly realized that wasn’t right. Yun Shuchen said she was visiting Penglai Pavilion today and should be at the East Sea.

“It’s that child…”

A thunder tribulation could only be faced alone. Even as Sect Leader, he was powerless.

Standing at the Main Peak’s summit, he watched anxiously as the first thunder shattered the barrier, the second destroyed the protective array, and the third seemed to gather strength, delaying its strike.

Dark clouds swirled, as if an unseen beast lurked within, growling before its final attack.

Finally, torrential rain poured down. The thunder struck, turning the world white, shaking the peak beneath the Sect Leader’s feet.

Crane Feather Peak collapsed halfway. Flames flared briefly before the rain extinguished them.

He said gravely, “Lianqing, quickly send a transmission talisman to your Master Yun. I’ll check Crane Feather Peak.”

No message was needed. Yun Shuchen sensed something wrong from the first thunder. She had tied a red string with a wisp of her soul to Qing Zhuxue, which hid her aura and sensed her state in life-or-death moments.

The East Sea was far from Taichu Realm. When she returned, she saw a crumbling Crane Feather Peak and her unconscious disciple on the ground.

The Sect Leader and other elders stood in the desolation, congratulating her. “Don’t worry, your disciple is fine. She successfully broke through to Golden Core.”

With a cold face, Yun Shuchen anxiously lifted her skirt, nearly stepping on her disciple, and strode into the centuries-old courtyard—now just ruins. She followed her memory to the storage and bedroom.

Her cherished rouge, antiques, fine bracelets, hairpins, and exquisite, valuable clothes were all charred, indistinguishable from one another.

Fortunes vanish so suddenly.

Elder Yun’s hands trembled. Coughing in the ashes, she picked up a piece of broken porcelain and fell silent.

“Let her be,” the Sect Leader stopped Yue Changge from comforting her.

If Lingsu Peak’s herbs were burned, Liu Xunqin would probably grind the culprit into fertilizer. Taking a slow puff of her pipe, she expressed her sympathy with one word: “Tragic.”

Out of compassion, the Sect Leader quietly ordered disciples to carry Qing Zhuxue away before Yun Shuchen could pursue the cause.

Saving a life was worth building a seven-story pagoda.

When Qing Zhuxue woke, she wasn’t in a familiar place. The Sect Leader looked at her kindly. “My niece is finally awake. You formed your core, but you need to stabilize your realm…”

“Uncle, what about Crane Feather Peak?” Qing Zhuxue ignored manners, struggled up, opened the window, and looked out. She saw a half-collapsed Crane Feather Peak.

She froze, paused, and softly asked, “…My master?”

The Sect Leader was silent for a moment, then said tactfully, “Stay at the Main Peak for now to avoid trouble. Your master might need time to sort her feelings before seeing you.”

Seeing her niece lower her head, looking downcast.

“A thunder tribulation is an accident,” the Sect Leader comforted. “Or perhaps visit the neighboring immortal sect to learn? I have a few spots…”

At that moment, the Sect Leader’s hall door swung open.

Light slanted in from outside.

Qing Zhuxue looked against the light. A woman’s graceful figure approached step by step from the doorway, her expression unreadable, exuding pressure.

She gave a faint smile.

“My dear disciple, where are you rushing to hide from me?”