Consolidating the Foundation Establishment required time, and Du Xinghe didn’t think about anything else, focusing entirely on taking root.
To say this was merely sitting in meditation?
Before the advent of smartphones, people of later generations had to find a preferred reading material before squatting in the bathroom. If nothing could be found, they would even scrutinize the ingredient list on a shampoo bottle—
Sitting idly in meditation, striving to clear the mind of all distractions, went against human nature.
Moreover, she hadn’t yet broken through to the second level of Foundation Establishment, and her five senses remained so sharp that they troubled her. Pedestrians seemed to tread on her nerves. When she closed her eyes and lay flat on the floor, a three-dimensional map of the market materialized in her mind, even the flow of groundwater became part of her perception. In the alley, a kitten chased a rat, the rodent’s tail twitching, only to be silenced by the bark of a black dog kept by a security agency a street away.
In the empty room, it was as if a miniature market had risen, and she sat cross-legged like a giant amidst it. The daily lives of every household resonated with her eardrums.
“The predecessors weren’t without reason in cultivating far from the hustle and bustle.”
Du Xinghe thought.
But when faced with a problem, she preferred to tackle it head-on.
Du Xinghe employed the same method she had used to break through to Foundation Establishment.
Using a single thought to resist ten thousand distractions, supplemented by the Warm Passion Pill, allowed her to quickly enter a focused state of energy circulation. As she meditated, the miniature market gradually melted away but did not vanish entirely. It flowed like a tide beneath her seat, and she looked down upon the entire Yanjing County.
Unaware of how much time had passed.
Night fell, and dark clouds obscured the moon, making the night exceptionally deep.
Yanjing County had no curfew, but its residents were accustomed to sleeping early. The market stream beneath Du Xinghe’s seat seemed to stand still, with only the movements of cats, dogs, rats, and ants creating occasional ripples like tiny waves.
“Hah…”
Just as she completed one full cycle of energy circulation, the previously calm stream suddenly stirred.
A dim, dark glow lit up the streets shrouded in night, and a swift fish-like entity darted through the stream.
Such an anomaly prompted Du Xinghe to stand up and lean against the window to look.
Mortals were still deep in slumber; only cultivators could sense the piercing spiritual energy tearing through the air, rampaging through the streets and alleys. And only Du Xinghe, still in the highly sensitive early stage of Foundation Establishment, detected that this energy felt extremely familiar!
In an instant, she remembered where this familiarity came from.
It was the Maiden Tribute who had lifted the sedan curtain when Du Xinghe first entered Yanjing County.
Wherever the “fish” passed, a dense white mist spread across the ground.
Du Xinghe narrowed her eyes, vaulted over the windowsill while summoning the Qilin, and landed firmly on all fours.
…
Half an hour earlier.
“A Qi, having studied swordsmanship and possessing a Single Spiritual Root has, unfortunately, harmed you.”
The household official of Dongchang Prefecture ordered someone to press the young girl’s right hand onto the table and cut off her little finger.
A Qi had a beautiful voice. Fearing that her cries of pain might damage her vocal cords—like marring a precious jade—and disturb the other Maidens Tribute, unsettling their minds, the official placed a restraint on her before her first scream could escape. Thus, even if her resentment surged to the heavens, the room remained deathly silent.
The veins on her neck and the back of her hand bulged violently, but the household official comforted her:
“It is your blessing to enter the palace and serve the Profound Emperor. Once your thoughts are clear, the world will open up before you.”
The blood on A Qi’s hand quickly stopped flowing. She gasped for air in great, heaving breaths, like a tattered old bellows, the color draining from her face as she stared wide-eyed, pale as death, unlike a living person.
The household official coaxed persuasively, “If you can see reason, great wealth and honor await you ahead. Cultivation and sword practice are exhausting—with such beautiful hands, why suffer to develop thick calluses?”
Among the household officials of the Xuan Dynasty, his cultivation level was quite low. This time, his fellow villager had stumbled upon luck: a girl with a Water Spiritual Root had appeared in the village. Coinciding with the Profound Emperor’s selection of Maiden Tributes, presenting this young woman would not only bring him heavy rewards but also ensure a smooth path to official promotion. The household official harbored selfish thoughts—if he kept the girl for himself, she could bear him superior offspring. But that benefit would come too late; with his low cultivation and fear of death, he couldn’t afford to wait.
Precisely because of his low cultivation, he wanted to monopolize the credit yet feared mishaps. So, he severed one of A Qi’s fingers, rendering her unable to grip a sword and cutting off her aspirations for cultivation. He assumed that as a mere peasant girl, she wouldn’t know that the cultivation world had countless methods to regenerate withered bones.
A Qi’s right hand hung limp on the ground, hidden under her wide sleeve, trembling violently.
Just as the household official was vexed over her injury, a sudden mutation occurred—
Blood surged from every inch of A Qi’s skin, instantly shattering the official’s protective aura and striking fiercely toward his brow, severely wounding him!
Inside her, a force not her own rampaged wildly, making it nearly impossible for her to maintain human form. Driven solely by the desire to escape, she transformed into a water arrow and shot out of the prison.
Escape from Yanjing County, escape from Jingzhou, escape beyond the borders of the Great Xuan Nation!
The water arrow evaporated into mist, but just one step from leaving the city, it collided with a previously invisible barrier on the city walls. A bright yellow light formed a net-like cover enveloping the inner city.
Without official permission, no one could flee the city unauthorized!
Drenched, A Qi lay prone on the ground, her right sleeve hanging empty.
“Are you that Maiden Tribute with the Water Spiritual Root?”
Suddenly, a woman’s voice sounded from above.
Was it pursuers?
A Qi lifted her head, wet strands of hair messily clinging to her cheeks. Her right eye socket was hollow, blood seeping out and tracing a line of bloody tears down her face.
Her remaining good eye blinked hard, using the faint light to discern the figure of the newcomer. The other was tall and slender, the city wall’s illumination highlighting half of her exquisitely beautiful face while the other half melted into darkness. She rode a mystical, chimerical immortal beast, steps steady and demeanor composed.
Moments later, the clouds obscuring the full moon shifted away, casting a clear radiance upon her form and outlining a divine golden halo.
Her voice was clear yet gentle:
“If you don’t wish to enter the palace, come with me.”
A Qi knew this might be leaping from the dragon’s lair into the tiger’s den.
But she understood even more clearly that once the authorities reacted, there would be no chance of survival. She could only gamble. A Qi threw herself to her knees, pressing her forehead to the mud in a forceful kowtow, her voice hoarse: “Immortal, save me! I dare not forget this life-saving grace. A Qi is willing to serve you with the loyalty of a dog or horse!”
“Quite savvy, aren’t you? Let’s go!”
The immortal chuckled lightly, and an invisible force lifted A Qi, settling her securely onto the back of the immortal beast.
The bloodstains on the ground vanished, and the mist dissipated into the air.
Before leaving, she patted the immortal beast’s head. Understanding its master’s intent, the beast conjured a burst of flames that shrieked as it devoured the city wall’s barrier.
Just as A Qi thought the immortal was going to break through the wall to escape with her, the immortal beast instead rushed toward the city center.
Before she could ponder further, weakened from excessive blood loss, she finally lost consciousness and fainted against the immortal’s back.
……
“Hah!”
Back in the room, after setting down the Ninth Maiden, Du Xinghe recalled the Qilin back into her arm.
Her expression remained calm. From noticing the disturbance to deciding on the rescue, she had taken only three minutes, swiftly searching through the system mall—guided by the idea of smuggling consorts and palace maids out, she found a useful item.
【Disguise Talisman: Allows the user to mimic another’s appearance and aura for ten days. Since “Wanwan resembles Qing,” why not make it your tool to compete for favor and rise in status? The living can never outshine the dead, but only the living can enjoy boundless riches—promotion in life is better than posthumous honors.】
An item meant to impersonate a lost love and please the emperor, yet Du Xinghe intended to use it to hide a Maiden Tribute.
This time, she wasn’t after palace intrigue points.
It was only because of that fleeting glance—Du Xinghe couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
If she turned a deaf ear tonight, she knew it would haunt her in the future.
What was done was done. Du Xinghe couldn’t be bothered to weigh right or wrong; she wanted to act, so she did.
Though she acted before fully planning, Du Xinghe was not reckless. She deliberately had the Golden Core-stage Qilin create a disturbance at the city wall. The momentary weakening of the barrier would lead officials to assume the Maiden Tribute had been taken by a Golden Core cultivator. And what did the deeds of a Golden Core cultivator have to do with a Foundation Establishment early-stage rogue cultivator like her?
Du Xinghe didn’t seize the chance to leave the city because she knew she couldn’t escape far.
No one would likely suspect that the person was still inside the city.
After tending to A Qi’s injuries, Du Xinghe noticed she was missing an eye and an arm. Frowning, she muttered, “They were sending her into the palace—is it acceptable to be missing parts?” The thought of treating a Water Spiritual Root cultivator as a breeding tool deepened her disgust for the Xuan Dynasty.
【Mother, she might have invoked the Remnant Breath of Gonggong in her moment of life and death.】
Ye Qi shifted along Du Xinghe’s arm, reaching toward the unconscious A Qi on the ground.
“Gonggong?”
Du Xinghe was astonished.
That was a descendant of the Flame Emperor, son of Zhurong—how could someone summon him so casually?
Who exactly was the protagonist here?
【It’s only a very faint, very faint wisp of breath—perhaps a remnant exhalation left in this realm. It can’t truly be considered summoning Gonggong… As an innate Water Spiritual Root, it’s not impossible for her to burn her true blood and resonate with Gonggong. It’s just a pity for such fine talent.】
As if Ye Qi had absorbed all the compassion and sensitivity from the womb, while it grieved for A Qi’s plight, Ning Lin calmly analyzed:
【Even summoning just a wisp of breath cost her an eye and her right arm as the price. If she had truly summoned Gonggong, she wouldn’t have survived! Keeping her life now is for the best—she can repay Mother’s kindness!】
Hearing this, Du Xinghe felt even more convinced that she had done the right thing.
The Maiden Tribute had tried to save herself; Du Xinghe had merely given her a hand.
When A Qi awoke, she was still trapped in the terror of having her finger severed, disoriented and about to cry out in fear. Du Xinghe covered her mouth and pulled her close: “Quiet, we’re not out of danger yet.”
Recognizing the immortal’s voice, A Qi whimpered and stopped struggling.
Du Xinghe explained everything that had happened and outlined her plan. Once A Qi understood, Du Xinghe loosened her grip slightly and said, “I’m just a rogue cultivator—I don’t deserve the title of immortal.”
“I beg you to take me as your disciple. I wish to learn immortal arts.”
A Qi kowtowed once more, remembering she had lost one hand. Not being left-handed, she could no longer properly hold a sword.
And there was more…
When invoking that great power, she knew the price she had paid. She had permanently lost even the “most valuable” part of being a female cultivator with a Water Spiritual Root.
Pressing against her waist and abdomen, she felt a dull, dragging pain in her belly, yet she held no regrets.
Du Xinghe helped her up: “I’m still exploring the path myself, how could I teach others? But I do need someone to handle miscellaneous affairs. Would you be willing to serve as my palace maid?”
“Your Highness is a princess?”
A Qi was astonished.
“No, I have no connection to this damned imperial dynasty whatsoever. But being an unofficial member of the rear palace is my personal interest. Are you willing? If not, I’ll find a way to safely send you away later.”
A Qi remained dazed for a moment, then her expression grew increasingly resolute. She performed a grand salute to the immortal once more: “A Qi is willing to become an immortal’s servant, even if it means ten thousand deaths!”
[Acquired one palace maid, obtained +100 points!]
[Host, please actively engage in imperial harem intrigue! More daily tasks will be unlocked for you!]
…
The next day, in everyone’s eyes, Immortal Du on the second floor had gained a small kitten as company.
Though the kitten was small, it followed closely behind Immortal Du, incredibly loyal.
Unfortunately, it was missing one front limb, making its steps unsteady, and its right eye was also blind.
“Who would check a kitten’s Spiritual Root?”
The Disguise Talisman could theoretically perfectly conceal one’s aura, but Du Xinghe wanted to minimize all risks.
Facing the System’s doubts about why the emperor’s white moonlight would be a kitten, Du Xinghe remained composed:
“I told you it’s about species diversity in the rear palace, but you just wouldn’t believe it.”
Follower little sister +1!