“Kill that demoness!”
“A heretic of the Inner Alchemy Path[1]A cultivation discipline related to the Daoist idea of neidan, or refining an inner elixir through internal practice. The precise methods in this fictional setting have not yet been explained. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });! Heaven and earth won’t tolerate you!”
“Demoness Mingdeng! Prepare to die—!”
Li Yijiu didn’t know how long she had been walking, or where she was. All she could see was blood-red everywhere and countless contorted faces. Shouts of condemnation rang out all around her.
Her sword had been drenched in blood for years. It had never once been clean.
She had forgotten the face of the last person she killed. She had forgotten how many people she had killed.
All she could do was swing her sword numbly, cutting down everyone in her way—no matter who they were, man or woman, young or old. She couldn’t stop for even a moment.
If she did, she would be the one to fall.
She couldn’t fall. That was what she told herself.
But there were more and more figures ahead, and the sky was growing darker. Her clothes were soaked with blood, stifling her until she could barely breathe. Everything before her eyes was swallowed by red.
“Rumble—”
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
Li Yijiu briefly lost consciousness.
Then she heard another set of curses, laced with murderous intent, coming from behind. Her vision was a chaotic black, and the road of her escape seemed endless.
“Su Liu! Stop!”
“You traitor who turns on your fellow disciples! I’ll purge the sect of you today and get justice for our little junior sister[2]A junior female disciple within the same sect; “sister” indicates a shared teacher or sect affiliation, not necessarily a biological relationship. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });!”
“Su Liu! Prepare to die—!”
Who’s Su Liu? I’m Ancestor Mingdeng!
Li Yijiu was getting a little angry. She already had more than enough people hunting her down. Why were there still people mistaking her for someone else?
Besides, wanted notices for her had long been posted throughout the Spirit Domain. Even kids in the remotest mountain villages could recognize her. How could these people get her mixed up with someone else? Did their village not have internet???
And these people were only at Foundation Establishment[3]A cultivation realm commonly reached after Qi Refinement, representing a firmer foundation for further spiritual practice. Specific advancement rules vary between novels. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
They were this weak, yet still dared to go around killing people?
She was just about to send these blind fools to the underworld to mooch off its Wi-Fi when everything went black against her will, and she lost consciousness again.
Wait—could she really be this weak???
“Rumble—”
The thunderclap was deafening. Li Yijiu jolted awake and instinctively reached for the sword at her waist. A sharp pain throbbed at her temples, making her frown. Had she been dreaming?
And who exactly was Su Liu?
Before she could figure it out, the handsome face of a young man appeared in front of her. He looked at her with concern. “Miss, are you all right?”
“Is anything else bothering you?”
“Have your injuries healed?”
Li Yijiu nearly swung her sword at him on reflex. She only managed to stop herself when she sensed no murderous intent, then eyed him strangely.
Miss? He was calling her miss?
Li Yijiu had heard “demoness” and “witch” so often that a normal form of address like this felt strange to her. He must not have recognized her.
Were there really that many people whose villages didn’t have internet?
“I’m fine, thank you.”
The young man let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”
He rose from beside the bed and bowed, his manner warm and friendly. “Hello, Miss. I’m Xie Lang, from Nanzhou. Since fate has brought us together, why don’t we become friends?”
“May I ask your name?”
Li Yijiu paused. Become friends? With her?
She looked him over. His clothes and accessories were elegant and expensive, and everything about his bearing spoke of a distinguished family. What kind of distinguished family raised a fool who wanted to befriend the enemy of the whole world?
Staring at his guileless face, Li Yijiu felt a sudden urge to tease him. She decided to show him how cruel the world could be and gave him her name outright.
“I’m Mingdeng. Pleased to meet you.”
Xie Lang froze. Li Yijiu thought he would turn pale with fright, but instead, a trace of pity slowly crept into his gaze.
Li Yijiu: “?”
Xie Lang shook his head. “Another one’s gone mad.”
Li Yijiu: “???”
Xie Lang sat down, picked up a book from the table that was nearly falling apart from use, and covered his face with it. The title on the cover read A History of Patriarch Mingdeng.
A weary sigh came from beneath the book. “To be honest, I’m about to go mad too.”
“The Patriarch[4]In cultivation fiction, a title for a founding or highly revered ancestral master of a tradition or sect, rather than necessarily a family patriarch. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); was incredible. Of the three thousand Great Daos[5]Dao means “Way” or “path.” The phrase “three thousand” conventionally evokes the countless possible paths of cultivation, not necessarily an exact number. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, the alchemical path, the talisman path, the artifact path[6]These cultivation disciplines commonly involve refining pills or elixirs, creating spiritually empowered talismans, and crafting magical implements, respectively. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });—she left her legacy in every one of them. Cultivation methods, sword arts, formations—she was involved in them all. We revere her deeply, but there’s just so much we have to memorize!”
“I’ve been studying all the general knowledge about the Patriarch until my eyes are spinning. I even dream about her appearing to enlighten me and help me ascend[7]Ascension in cultivation fiction means reaching a higher state of spiritual existence or transcendence; the specific requirements vary by setting. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, but when I wake up, I’m still only at the Qi Refinement[8]An early cultivation stage involving gathering or refining qi, a concept of vital energy in Chinese traditions. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); stage—and tomorrow is the Qingxin Sect’s entrance exam, and I haven’t finished memorizing my book!”
“Patriarch, Patriarch, please appear!”
“Patriarch, Patriarch, save me!”
Xie Lang pressed his palms together in prayer, the book between them, his expression devout.
“…”
Li Yijiu couldn’t make sense of what he was babbling about and began to wonder about his mental state.
She got up to leave, but a peal of thunder sounded outside. Her expression changed.
Wait. Hadn’t the Heavenly Dao[9]The “Way of Heaven,” a concept referring to the cosmic order or principles governing existence. In cultivation fiction, it may be associated with heavenly trials, though its precise workings … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); struck her with an extra bolt of lightning, causing her tribulation[10]A dangerous heavenly trial in cultivation fiction, often involving lightning and associated with advancing to a higher realm. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); to fail?
By all rights, her body and spirit should have been destroyed.
So now…
Xie Lang finished his usual prayer and remembered her again. He asked with concern, “Miss, try to think carefully about what your name is, all right?”
“If you really can’t remember, that’s fine. I’ll find you some pills to treat your brain.”
“…”
There was nothing wrong with her brain.
Her name really was Mingdeng.
But that was the name she had used in her previous life.
And now… Li Yijiu frowned, sensing this unfamiliar body and its low cultivation level. She was beginning to realize the truth—
She seemed to have transmigrated[11]A common Chinese web-fiction premise in which someone moves into a different world, time, or body, usually retaining their memories. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); again.
Fragments of memory surfaced in her mind.
Her name now was Su Liu. She was Tianyan Sect’s little junior sister, with mediocre talent and cultivation, and a lukewarm reception from her sect. Her life had been dull and peaceful until a new disciple named Liu Susu arrived.
Liu Susu had upended Su Liu’s peaceful life and taken her place as the new little junior sister.
Meanwhile, Su Liu had somehow incurred the dislike of her masters and elders, and somehow been labeled the culprit in an attempt to kill the little junior sister. She was punished by her sect and even faced execution.
Su Liu escaped while gravely injured, then died by the roadside.
After that, Li Yijiu had transmigrated into her body. Thanks to her years of experience on the run, she had just barely escaped the pursuit—then promptly fainted.
And Xie Lang had rescued her.
This was a far more complicated start than her previous life.
Li Yijiu spent a full two seconds processing it. Why did this plot sound so much like those formulaic, angst-filled cultivation novels she’d read before transmigrating in her life before last???
So the clichéd melodrama was late, but it had finally arrived, huh?
Had the Heavenly Dao hit her with an extra bolt of lightning just so this transmigrator could get her long-overdue dose of melodrama?
Li Yijiu calmly accepted the truth. She also calmly accepted the fact that she had lost all her cultivation and was now a weakling at the Qi Refinement stage—damn it.
Xie Lang misread her silence. His expression grew even more sympathetic as he tried to reassure her. “Don’t panic. Even if there’s something wrong with your brain, it can be treated. I’ll go find some pills for you right now!”
“…”
Li Yijiu pressed her fingers to her brow. “Don’t bother, thanks. I remember my name. I’m… Li Yijiu.”
That was the name she had used before transmigrating.
Almost no one in her previous life knew it.
Li Yijiu looked out at the curtain of rain pattering beyond the window and took a deep breath. Even though she now bore Su Liu’s karma[12]Karma refers to cause and effect arising from past actions; here it suggests that Li Yijiu has inherited unresolved ties or consequences from Su Liu’s life. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, this time she had decided to use her own name. If she didn’t, she might forget it altogether.
Besides, if she introduced herself as Mingdeng, people would immediately think something was wrong with her brain.
Had she really been struck by lightning and sent ten thousand years into the future?
And people now regarded her as the Patriarch of the righteous path[13]In cultivation fiction, the “righteous path” denotes traditions considered orthodox or legitimate by the cultivation world; the label does not by itself establish moral goodness. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });?!
Ten thousand years ago, she had been a heretic condemned by the entire world, living every day amid blood and violence, hunted wherever she went. But after she died, the world had started venerating her?
Was there something wrong with this world?
What had she ever done to it?
Why couldn’t she enjoy any of this while she was alive?
“Li Yijiu…”
Xie Lang repeated her name, his eyes lighting up. “A cup of wine in the spring breeze amid peach and plum blossoms; ten years of lamplight on a rainy night in the jianghu[14]Literally “rivers and lakes,” jianghu evokes the wider world of wanderers beyond formal official society. This couplet comes from Song-dynasty poet Huang Tingjian’s “To Huang Jifu,” … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. What a lovely name! We’re friends from now on!”
Li Yijiu: “…”
Were people in the future all this sweet and innocent?
Ten thousand years ago, every encounter with another person had been a matter of life and death.
Friends? What a novelty.
But, all things considered, Xie Lang was someone worth befriending.
When he saw Su Liu collapsed by the roadside, he had rushed to help without a second thought. He hadn’t managed to save her, but now her body was in good condition, so he must have used quite a few pills. Yet he had completely put it out of his mind and hadn’t brought it up once. He only cared whether she was all right.
Could someone really be this kind?
She hadn’t met anyone like that since transmigrating.
Suppressing her discomfort at being around someone she didn’t have to kill, Li Yijiu managed a somewhat awkward friendly expression. “Thank you for saving me, Fellow Daoist[15]A respectful form of address between fellow cultivators, reflecting their shared pursuit of the Dao or cultivation. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3716964_1_15').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3716964_1_15', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. I’d love to repay your kindness many times over, but I’m completely broke right now.”
“…”
“Friends should help each other out. There’s no need to thank me!” Xie Lang said, unconcerned.
Then he hurriedly picked up A History of Patriarch Mingdeng and started flipping through it. “Fellow Daoist Li, how much of the general knowledge have you memorized? The Qingxin Sect’s entrance exam is tomorrow, and I heard they set the hardest papers!”
As he said this, he suddenly realized something. Looking a little uneasy, he asked, “By the way, Fellow Daoist Li, what happened to you before? Are you here to take the Qingxin Sect’s entrance exam?”
Since he was taking it himself, he had instinctively assumed everyone else was too.
What if she wasn’t here for the exam?
Would his new friend soon be parting ways with him?
Li Yijiu considered it briefly.
Right now, she was only at the Qi Refinement stage, and she had the original owner’s unfinished business to deal with—the Tianyan Sect was hunting her.
The Qingxin Sect was one of the top sects in the cultivation world, a good place to lie low for a while.
So she nodded. “Yes.”
Xie Lang smiled and was about to commiserate with her about the misery of memorizing books when she added, “But I don’t need to memorize anything.”
Li Yijiu glanced at the brick-thick copy of A History of Patriarch Mingdeng in his hands and the small mountain of books piled on the desk. At last, she understood one of the beauties of this world.
She gave Xie Lang a sympathetic look, then lay back down at ease. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”
She was Patriarch Mingdeng herself.
No one knew Patriarch Mingdeng better than she did.
Taking a test on herself? She’d laugh all the way to ascension.
She could pass that thing with her eyes closed.
References[+]