The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 994 - 544: Nine-Revolution Ascending Lotus

Those absurd grand ambitions, if said by anyone else, would only make her laugh. Yet, when he spoke them, they left her quietly chilled inside.

Huangfuming immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said with a grin, "Sister knows me best, unlike Senior Brother Quan who always wants to drag me into lectures. What happened tonight will be our secret, I won’t even tell father everything!"

She could only reply, "Alright." Only this odd boy would treat such a murderous deed as a secret between them. But then again, this world is inherently cruel; those who lack strength yet insist on standing out may end up being crushed, just like Bitter Old Woman and others.

Next, Huangfuming led the people of the Chaoyun Sect to seek out the Mirror Sea King, while Ning Xiaoxian returned to her Yiqing Garden. She had expected that since it involved Huangfuming, the Mirror Sea King would surely come to her for details, but surprisingly, the later part of the night was quiet and peaceful until dawn. It seemed that Huangfuming handled his father with ease.

After the maidservant attended her washing, she left, and while changing clothes, Ning Xiaoxian let the restless Qiongqi out.

The pill furnace, now smaller in form, paced back and forth humanely on the table for two laps, then shook its head and said, "Mistress, the transformation of Bitter Old Woman’s corpse is very unusual, as if someone is controlling it."

Ning Xiaoxian buried herself under the high bed’s brocade quilt, then closed her eyes comfortably: "I know. If there was any doubt before, seeing no one came to question me tonight basically confirmed it. Besides, Quan Shifang probably guessed it too. He is naturally honest and kind, yet also very clever, just... choosing to turn a blind eye."

As a person, Quan Shifang actually understands how to be flexible and not stubborn.

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Afterwards, it remained calm and peaceful.

The incident with Bitter Old Woman at the Music Palace seemed to have been lightly brushed aside, no one brought it up to her again. With such cultivation as Bitter Old Woman, she would be an important force in any Immortal Sect, yet she died so insignificantly. She was very curious how the Mirror Sea King’s Mansion would handle this matter?

But this was none of her business. Having entered the land of wealth and honor, how could she not indulge a bit? The days that followed were quite leisurely.

The Mirror Sea King’s Mansion was built magnificently, encompassing more than half of Ling City’s scenic spots, yet where could ordinary people see these beautiful scenes? Not to mention anything else, just the green mountain outside her garden and the sea and lake always presented at least a view of the mountain reflecting the setting sun and the sky meeting the water every day.

As the Grand Dowager’s birthday approached, the mansion became increasingly lively with guests, and she often saw many unfamiliar faces and heard about many unheard-of new sects while walking in the mansion. The entire Duling City was also tightly guarded, with squads of city guards frequently patrolling, and the inspection at city gates became much stricter.

On this morning, she leaned against a small boat on Little Mirror Sea. The gentle splashes of water lightly striking the boat had accompanied her the entire night, with silence surrounding, only seemingly broken by this one sound.

In this tranquility akin to the beginning of the world, Ning Xiaoxian still had her eyes closed, when she suddenly spoke: "Even you have learned to tail?"

Her face was covered with a banana leaf, blocking the sun and others’ sight. Quan Shifang, who stealthily approached by water, couldn’t see her expression, only her head full of black hair pouring down like a waterfall, as if gently caressing it. His hands felt itchy, wanting to remove the leaf to see that face capable of both reproach and joy.

"No. I came to your garden looking for you, and the maid said you went out to the lake for a night without returning. I was worried and wanted to see if there were any man-eating fish in the lake."

Even Quan Shifang has learned to joke? Ning Xiaoxian removed the leaf, and with her movement, the brocade quilt that had covered her all night slipped off her shoulders, her fluffy hair fell down behind, and her almond eyes narrowed slightly, still carrying sleepy mist.

The sun had already risen. Quan Shifang sat at the stern, his back to the light, so when she looked at him, she could only see a tall and handsome silhouette, with his facial features indistinct. She could feel the intensity of his gaze but found it inexplicably comforting.

Quan Shifang is a man who gives women a great sense of safety. She lazily said, "You picked a bad time to find me, now I am disheveled and unkempt, how can I meet guests?" She casually cast an Ice Mirror Technique in front of her and started to comb her hair with a comb from it.

At this time, it was quiet all around, besides the faint sound of water. With no people passing by the lake in the early morning, Quan Shifang felt that between heaven and earth, only he and the woman combing her hair remained, with gentle sunlight spread on her face, casting a faint golden glow on her crystal-clear skin. As she pulled up her long hair, he saw her slender and graceful neck, like a swan looking at its reflection by the lake. At this moment, he very much wanted to reach out and touch her delicate face.

He saw her red lips move slightly, and his heart felt a slight itch.

Ning Xiaoxian didn’t hear a reply and asked him again.

Quan Shifang awoke as if from a dream and said with an "ah": "What did you just ask me?"

Would even he become absent-minded? Was it that she wasn’t fully awake, or him? "I said, coming to find me so early, is there something on your mind?"

Quan Shifang was momentarily stunned before saying, "Actually, I wanted to come to you yesterday, but I was entangled by Junior Brother Huangfu and couldn’t get away."

No wonder she sensed Huangfuming had calmed down; it turns out he went to play with him. That’s right, boys should play with boys; why stick to her all the time?

She smoothed her hair, casually picked up a white jade hairpin to loosely tie up her long black hair, then hugged her knees and looked at him with a smile, "You’ve been looking for me for two days, what big matter is so important?"

"No... big matter." He just wanted to see her, so he randomly found an excuse, "I recalled the transformation of Bitter Old Woman’s corpse that day doesn’t belong to any known Divine Skills."

She gave a gentle smile, "Even a top disciple of Chaoyun Sect like you can’t find out where such Magic comes from?" She roughly knew who did it, Quan Shifang probably figured it out too.

"It’s unlike normal Divine Skills." Talking about serious matters, he slowly relaxed, "Instead, it seems like Witch Evil Skill. When I traveled with Master, I’ve seen similar Magic before; that peculiar feeling is the same."

"Do you suspect someone?"

Quan Shifang remained silent.

Ning Xiaoxian didn’t press further, just changed the topic, "I’ve heard during my months at Hidden Stream that Chaoyun Sect and Guangcheng Palace don’t get along well now?"

Quan Shifang nodded, "Indeed. Master has been investigating Guangcheng Palace since more than half a year ago, discovering that for the past two years, Guangcheng Palace frequently increased troops on the Northern Front and often meddled in disputes among small sects, not only failing to mediate but causing sects involved to fight bloodily. Not long ago, Master took people to Guangcheng Palace, but returned furious, and among the elders who went, two were injured; it seems there was disagreement. Since then, friction between the two sects has been continuous."

He continued, "Only from about half a month ago, Master entered closed-door seclusion in preparation for Heavenly Tribulation, and others in the sect are advocating peace, slightly mending the relationship with Guangcheng Palace."

Ning Xiaoxian understood: Nangong Zhen’s last words were significant. Given Bai Qing’s personality, he probably didn’t tell many people. During his seclusion, others in Chaoyun Sect would want to settle things peacefully, possibly even sending envoys to cozy up to Guangcheng Palace. In another half year, Bai Qing, the Sect Leader Bai, will be Crossing Tribulation. If he fails, the newly elected sect master of Chaoyun Sect will surely seek to improve relations with Guangcheng Palace.

She didn’t want to see this happen.

Her eyes shifted, and she suddenly took out a Jade Bottle from her bosom and handed it to Quan Shifang, "If Sect Leader Bai doesn’t mind, this is for him."

Quan Shifang asked curiously, "What is this?" Something named and sent specifically to Bai Qing must be extraordinary.

Ning Xiaoxian smiled, "Nine-Revolution Ascending Lotus."

What? His gaze tightened, thinking he heard wrong.

"You didn’t hear wrong. This is indeed the Ancient Elixir Nine-Revolution Ascending Lotus, which can help cultivators suppress cultivation up to nine transitions." This elixir was refined by Changtian, and due to the extremely rare materials, only four successful pieces exist now, each worth a fortune, "This is Hidden Stream’s collection; the entire Ba Snake Mountain Range has no more than three pieces."

In Quan Shifang’s eyes gradually turning to ecstatic delight, she said, "This elixir can only be taken once in a lifetime, but it’s estimated to suppress Sect Leader Bai’s cultivation by at least six transitions. Meaning, he’ll have an extra ten years for cultivation, preparing for Heavenly Tribulation!"

In the Early Stage of Tribulation Crossing, the deeper the cultivation, the more fiercely suppressed, the more agile against tribulation thunder. With Quan Shifang’s current insight, he naturally knows what this elixir signifies for him, for Bai Qing, and for the entire Chaoyun Sect. Even with his always good composure, he couldn’t help his heart from racing, "Miss Ning, you’re giving this elixir to Chaoyun Sect so freely?"

This sounded so partial; if Elder Liu Yunfeng of Chaoyun Sect were here, he might jump and curse him for being ungrateful.

Ning Xiaoxian chuckled, "Such a precious elixir is certainly not given unconditionally. I want to exchange it for Bai Qing’s promise!"

Talking about formalities, Quan Shifang didn’t mind her directly calling Master Bai’s name, "Please speak?" The girl before him was always cunning. This time, she took out an invaluable Spirit Pill that Chaoyun Sect cannot refuse, wondering what outrageous demand she’ll make?

She said firmly, "I want him to swear that during his tenure as sect leader, Chaoyun Sect will form an alliance with Hidden Stream, sharing weal and woe, advancing and retreating together." By offering such a precious elixir, her aim was singular: to keep Chaoyun Sect occupied with Guangcheng Palace, occupied with Yin Jiu You, to prevent them from turning their focus to Hidden Stream, to her.

She needs to buy more time and more allies.

"That’s all?" Quan Shifang pondered repeatedly but didn’t find the condition harsh. It didn’t fit his understanding of her at all.

She nodded, affirming again, "Yes, that’s all!"

Quan Shifang solemnly said, "I will send this message to Master shortly for his decision. If he refuses, I’ll immediately return this Spiritual Medicine to you." (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to visit at Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets; your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com for reading.)