The Thousand-Layer Schemes of the Sickly Beautiful Master - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After a drizzly spring rain, the weather turned cold for a few days, then suddenly warmed up and stayed in that cozy atmosphere.

Crane Feather Peak saw no more snow.

When the last patch of snow melted away, green grass tips sprouted everywhere.

Qing Zhuxue’s days of wandering between peaks didn’t stop because she reached the Foundation Building stage.

Years of climbing mountains built her stamina. She used to leave in the morning and return home under the stars. Later, she caught the tail of the sunset. Now, she stepped into the evening glow to knock on Crane Feather Peak’s door.

A cat crouched on the wall, staring at her with eerie eyes.

Under that eerie gaze, she ate her dinner alone.

Perhaps it was the season for stray cats to be in heat, as her cat had no interest in work. Her meals these days were rather careless.

Qing Zhuxue poked at the rice ball in her bowl, roughly figuring out its ingredients. Bits of green pepper, pork liver, bamboo shoots, and some potato to hold it together, all mixed with rice and shaped into a round form. Everything came from lunch leftovers.

The taste was surprisingly decent.

After dinner, Qing Zhuxue headed to her room but paused at the corridor, gazing at the pond in the courtyard.

Clumsily, she used her limited spiritual energy to lift a ball of water from the pond.

When her focus slipped, the water fell, splashing ripples on the surface. She tried again, this time trapping an innocent koi fish in a shimmering water orb. It floated before her, the fish swimming anxiously inside, creating a wondrous sight.

She played like this secretly for a while until a familiar figure caught her eye. Distracted, the water orb dropped to the ground, the koi flopping on the floor, water splattering everywhere.

Qing Zhuxue quickly grabbed the koi and tossed it back into the pond, resolving the chaos.

Yun Shuchen stepped back, wary of the pond water splashing her clothes.

Indeed, all beginners who learned spells but lacked skill had some destructive tendencies.

“Did you master it?”

Should she nod?

Qing Zhuxue felt uneasy about agreeing.

Silence meant consent. Yun Shuchen passed by with a smile. “That’s good. From now on, watering and draining the potted plants in this courtyard is your task.”

After a few steps, she paused and looked back. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll be in seclusion again for a while.”

“No need to rush about things ten years from now. If you’re bored, you can attend classes at the outer sect or stay on the peak to read books.”

With that brief instruction, she left.

The familiar scent at her nose faded with the evening breeze.

After Yun Shuchen announced her seclusion, Crane Feather Peak grew quiet.

Qing Zhuxue used to hear a few words from others, but now her only companion was the cat that occasionally napped on the wall, tending to her daily needs with its meows.

She didn’t worry about three meals a day. Clean clothes appeared in her wardrobe without fail.

With nothing else to do, Qing Zhuxue watered the flowers and plants drop by drop using water orbs. Then she took a book from the shelf and found a bright but not glaring spot—sometimes the pavilion by the pond, sometimes under the old locust tree in the front yard.

She finished ‘Introduction to the Initial Path’, but there was no second volume. It wasn’t a serious cultivation manual, only a reference for beginners.

Drawing qi into the body, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Void Refining, Body Integration, Great Ascension, Tribulation Crossing.

The path to immortality was long.

A child’s heart wasn’t so pragmatic. Tales of Tribulation Crossing cultivators summoning winds and rains, revered as godlike figures dominating the Nine Provinces, left her unmoved.

Perhaps they weren’t as fun as a single water orb.

Tiptoeing, she returned the old book to the shelf and took down ‘On the Five Elements (Volume One)’.

Its gold-etched title and ornate binding stood out.

This book also belonged to Yun Shuchen. Her bookshelf wasn’t in her bedroom—perhaps because she lived so long and owned so many books, the square walls couldn’t hold them all. So, a separate room was set aside next to her bedroom.

Qing Zhuxue read a few pages when a voice interrupted. “Did you forget something?”

Looking up, she saw the cat leap onto the table, squinting at her.

“Before Yun Shuchen went into seclusion, she told you to attend outer sect classes if you had nothing to do. Water the flowers. Reading all day isn’t good for a child’s eyes.”

That last part was clearly the cat’s addition.

The outer sect, still within Taichu Realm, sat in a basin among immortal mountains. It was a lively, chaotic place compared to the inner sect.

Homes were scattered about, but living conditions weren’t great. Several people squeezed into one space, with wooden basins and water jars casually placed outside.

Nobles or wealthy disciples studying here usually returned home. Those who stayed were often talented but poor.

A boy in fine clothes led Qing Zhuxue, explaining, “There’s no barrier to learning here. Anyone interested can listen. The teachers are outstanding senior brothers and sisters from the inner sect. They teach basic knowledge and manage just fine.”

“If you become an elder’s direct disciple, you might get such a chance too.”

Classes were held in one pavilion after another. The nooks and crannies below resembled mortal streets, with vendors selling candied hawthorns, cutting pastries, or hawking bundles of cabbages and radishes, brimming with worldly charm.

The crowd was dense, mixed scents filling her breath. Qing Zhuxue frowned and held her breath. The boy in fine clothes stopped. “Go explore on your own. There aren’t many rules here. Find a class you like and grab a seat. If there’s none, stand and listen.”

“Remember to come back for dinner.” He thought for a moment. “How about spicy fish head today?”

“Too spicy.” Qing Zhuxue, still holding her breath, had to say this.

“Alright, no spice.” He pondered how to make a non-spicy spicy fish head.

Qing Zhuxue climbed the pavilion alone. It was late, and the senior brother was already lecturing passionately. Being small, she slipped in through the back door, unnoticed.

The room was packed, with no empty seats. The back was a mess of standing people—young, middle-aged, even someone holding a grandchild.

Qing Zhuxue squeezed to a spot where she could see the teacher’s jade crown atop his head, though half her body was wedged between a large woman’s legs.

For the next class, she watched the jade crown sway with the teacher’s head. It moved more dramatically during lively moments and stayed still when the lecture turned dull.

Her view was limited, but the room was quiet, save for breathing, sniffling, and coughing. A baby started to cry, but its mother handed it to the father, who rushed out.

Qing Zhuxue listened clearly. The content was exactly from the ‘On the Five Elements’ she’d just started reading.

This sparked her interest. Having someone explain it was far easier than reading alone. From that day, little Qing Zhuxue attended outer sect classes every morning, day after day, month after month.

The senior brother occasionally demonstrated spells. The crowd watched for fun, but few learned anything, just going through the motions. For Qing Zhuxue, though, it was essential to mimic.

She had to grab front-row seats to see the teacher’s gestures clearly, just as she imitated Elder Yun.

Many young people in the outer sect came in groups. One would arrive early, claiming three rows of seats boldly.

After getting used to waking at dawn at Crane Feather Peak, Qing Zhuxue finally sat properly in the front row.

One early morning, Qing Zhuxue carried a book and a small lantern, its faint light guiding her as she pushed open the empty pavilion door.

Luck was on her side—the front-row desk was empty. She sighed in relief, set down her book, and stood up, only to hear a yelp as she bumped into something.

The lantern’s dim light revealed another pair of dark eyes. A girl, about her age, dressed oddly.

“Here for class?” the girl mumbled in a language Qing Zhuxue didn’t understand, then asked in halting Han speech.

“Hmm.” Qing Zhuxue set down her lantern.

“Waking early is tiring.” The girl sighed, slumped onto the seat beside her, and soon began snoring softly.

Qing Zhuxue, who slept early, wasn’t tired. She sat quietly, thinking about the question the teacher left yesterday, waiting for dawn.

When the sky showed a hint of white, the foreign girl woke, rubbing her eyes. Seeing Qing Zhuxue sitting upright, she said admiringly, “You’re impressive.”

“I’m Ruan Mingzhu.” A red-and-white headband adorned her forehead, her large amber eyes curving like moons. She seemed eager to connect. “Your name? Want to be friends?”

“Qing Zhuxue.”

“I come from far away to learn and apprentice. I heard Zhongyuan’s immortal sects are amazing.”

Their brief chat ended with the teacher’s first word. Qing Zhuxue focused completely.

Ruan Mingzhu seemed confused, likely due to the language barrier. Still, compared to the two dozing boys on the left, she was quite alert.

A month later, the classroom crowd changed repeatedly, but the two girls stayed firmly in the front row. Even the teacher recognized their faces.

Since they often met while claiming seats, Qing Zhuxue and Ruan Mingzhu grew familiar.