When Yu Luo mentioned yesterday that she would visit the next day, Mu Yin had assumed it would just be a casual visit with a few people in tow. But the moment she stepped out of her room, she was greeted by a courtyard filled with boxes of all sizes.
Yu Luo was directing people to set things down and, upon seeing Mu Yin, walked over with a smile, taking her hand.
“Mother?” Mu Yin eyed the items in the courtyard curiously. “I just got back, what’s all this?”
Yu Luo smiled. “These are specially prepared wood-element Magical Artifacts for you, along with nourishing spiritual fruits, herbs, and pills. These elders here are wood-element masters from the Five Skandha Sect, responsible for your future studies. These are the books they’ve prepared for you.”
Mu Yin glanced at the white-haired yet youthful-looking elders standing nearby. They bowed slightly and greeted her, “Greetings, Young Madam.”
“G-Greetings, Elders,” Mu Yin stammered before quickly returning the courtesy, only to see Yu Luo grinning at her with crescent-moon eyes.
Yu Luo then slipped a jade-green bracelet from her own wrist and placed it in Mu Yin’s hand. “This is a Storage Bracelet, it can hold up to an entire mountain’s worth of items. I’m giving it to you for future use.”
The bracelet felt cool to the touch. Though Mu Yin wasn’t an expert appraiser, she could tell at a glance that this was an extremely valuable item.
“Mother, this is too precious, I can’t accept it,” Mu Yin hurriedly declined. “I won’t even be leaving the Five Skandha Sect, what would I need such a large Storage Bracelet for?”
It was like giving someone 1000TB of storage when all they needed was a phone for calls, utterly excessive.
Yu Luo disagreed. With a light chuckle, she said, “Every disciple has storage tools. You’re the Young Madam of our household, we can’t skimp on these things. Besides, the bracelet isn’t that expensive; it’s just convenient.”
Seeing Mu Yin still hesitant, Yu Luo changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Hong Zhuang mentioned you handled Talismans quite adeptly at the Nine Stars Gate. Is that true?”
Mu Yin wasn’t sure if she counted as “adept”, she couldn’t do much else, but slapping Talismans as a basic attack method was within her skillset.
“Your spiritual power may be weak, but Talismans don’t require much to begin with, making them perfect for you.” With a wave of Yu Luo’s hand, three more large chests appeared in the courtyard with a whoosh, each packed to the brim with various finished Talismans.
“I wasn’t sure which type you specialize in, so I prepared some common ones for now. If you need others, just tell Hong Zhuang, and I’ll arrange for more,” Yu Luo said.
Surveying the courtyard overflowing with divine artifacts, rare medicines, and countless Talismans, Mu Yin once again felt she’d made the right decision.
Nothing was more comfortable than being a carefree slacker in the Five Skandha Sect!
After having the disciples tidy everything away, Yu Luo finally led Mu Yin back inside to discuss serious matters.
Mu Yin blinked. “Wait, none of that was serious?”
Yu Luo gave her a look as if it were obvious. “Those were just extras. What I need to talk to you about is your Yin Immortal Body.”
Ah. The Yin Immortal Body, that was definitely serious.
In order to continue living a carefree and healthy life, Mu Yin still needed to have a comprehensive understanding of her own body.
“Do you know what ‘Immortal Marrow’ is?” Yu Luo asked Mu Yin.
Immortal Marrow?
It sounded like something that could make one an immortal.
Yu Luo nodded and said to Mu Yin, “Immortal Marrow, as the name suggests, refers to a constitution with immortal destiny, one that makes it easy to attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality. Over thousands of years, there have only been a handful of individuals with Immortal Marrow, and without exception, they all became immortals and ascended. The Yin Immortal Body can also be considered another rare form of Immortal Marrow, capable of achieving immortality through cultivation.”
“However.”
Yu Luo looked at Mu Yin seriously and said, “There are many types of immortals. Some are celestial immortals, some are earthly immortals, and then there are yin immortals.”
“Yin immortals?”
“They are what we call the deities of the Underworld.”
Yu Luo sighed softly and said to Mu Yin, “After death, people go to the Underworld. And besides minor ghosts, the Underworld is naturally populated by deities. So, with your Yin Immortal Body constitution, even if you become an immortal, you can only serve in the Underworld, overseeing the cycle of life and death.”
Mu Yin couldn’t help but marvel after hearing this. “That actually sounds pretty impressive.”
Yu Luo gazed at her deeply and asked, “Aren’t you disappointed at all? After finally obtaining an immortal constitution, you won’t become an earthly or celestial immortal but a deity of the Underworld.”
“Mother, you said it yourself they’re still deities. Since they’re deities, each must have their own duties,” Mu Yin said with a smile. “Isn’t there a saying that every trade has its master? If I really can become an immortal, what’s the difference between going to the Underworld and going to the celestial realm?”
“Even so.”
Yu Luo sighed. After all, no one truly wanted to go to a place like the Underworld, filled with death and gloom.
Mu Yin, however, didn’t see it as a big deal. Being in the Underworld still meant being a public servant of the immortal realm, and it was far removed from the celestial realm, forming its own independent branch. With the heavens high and the emperor far away, free from direct supervision, it actually sounded quite comfortable.
Besides, given Mu Yin’s meager spiritual power, she didn’t believe she could actually become an immortal.
“I don’t even think I can become an immortal, so it’s a bit premature to start being picky,” Mu Yin reassured Yu Luo. “Maybe I’ll just be an ordinary person in this lifetime, staying in the Five Skandha Sect without going anywhere. That wouldn’t be so bad either.”
Yu Luo disagreed, glaring at her. “Don’t say such things. Your father and I have already made plans. Since you’ve married into our Five Skandha Sect, you’re my daughter now. From now on, rare treasures and resources will be provided for your cultivation. Our Five Skandha Sect is vast and prosperous. As long as there’s a chance, nurturing a yin immortal isn’t impossible.”
Yu Luo spoke with such conviction, her tone brimming with determination to mold Mu Yin into a success, that Mu Yin found it both amusing and touching.
Still, her heart warmed. She had originally thought that being alone would inevitably bring hardship, but she hadn’t expected Yu Luo and the Sect Leader to be such kind people. Not only had they not treated her coldly, they had even given her many precious items, truly treating her like their own daughter.
As Mu Yin looked at Yu Luo, she even felt the urge to tell her that Si Lingqing was still alive.
If Yu Luo knew her daughter wasn’t dead, she would surely be overjoyed.
But Mu Yin hesitated again, because Si Lingqing didn’t seem to want her parents to know she was still alive. And Si Lingqing had said it herself.
When the time came for them to know, they would know.
Mu Yin decided not to interfere with Si Lingqing’s affairs and let her handle them herself.
Yu Luo spoke with Mu Yin again, mostly arranging her studies for the next few days. Although Mu Yin’s mutated spirit root was the seemingly useless mushroom spirit root, her destiny as a Yin Immortal Body meant she couldn’t be given up on no matter what.
For several days in a row, Mu Yin stayed in the study learning magical arts, conjuring various mushrooms every day, it was honestly a bit boring.
Strangely, Si Lingqing hadn’t returned during this time, leaving Mu Yin feeling oddly unsettled.
The several boxes of talismans Yu Luo had given her earlier were now all sorted out. Among them, Mu Yin’s favorite was the creation-destruction thunder talisman.
Talismans were incredibly useful tools, just a slight infusion of spiritual power allowed them to be thrown at will. The creation-destruction thunder talisman was an offensive thunder talisman. According to the elders, this thunder was a type of heavenly lightning. Though not as deadly as tribulation lightning, it was still formidable. Against ordinary people or evil spirits, it was usually enough to make them comply.
Normally, a single talisman was enough to summon lightning, let alone the countless talismans Mu Yin possessed. With a wave of her hand from her storage bracelet, the sky could be filled with creation-destruction thunder talismans enough to flay even a Nascent Soul cultivator who tried to evade them.
Mu Yin felt this suited her perfectly and had been particularly diligent these past few days.
However, during her studies, Mu Yin discovered something interesting.
“Concise Sword Sect Methods, compiled by Si Lingqing.”
“Miscellaneous Records of a Hundred Herbs, compiled by Si Lingqing.”
“Introduction to Beast Taming, compiled by Si Lingqing.”
“Five Skandha Sect Beginner Fundamentals, compiled by still Si Lingqing?”
Mu Yin looked at the various textbooks on her desk and realized that the standard teaching materials for all five branches of the sect were written by Si Lingqing. Even the few textbooks not compiled by her were based on studying her works.
Was Si Lingqing really that impressive?
Noticing Mu Yin’s expression, Hong Zhuang chuckled lightly and said, “Young Mistress, you probably don’t know this yet, but the Eldest Young Miss could recite the Four Books and Five Classics by age three. In her teens, seeing how difficult it was for newcomers to learn under the newly established Five Skandha Sect’s unconventional teachings, she compiled and revised these books, which became the sect’s designated introductory materials.”
Thinking of Si Lingqing’s face, Mu Yin hugged the books and sighed, “She’s really that amazing?”
“Of course.” Hong Zhuang was clearly a devoted admirer of Si Lingqing and launched into an enthusiastic explanation. “Our Eldest Young Miss was incredibly talented. If not for her frail health and constant illnesses since childhood, she would have been one of the Nine Provinces’ top female cultivators.” At this, Hong Zhuang sighed. “It’s just a pity she passed so young, at only nineteen.”
Seeing Hong Zhuang on the verge of tears, Mu Yin quickly comforted her, “Don’t be sad. Maybe she’s doing well now.”
Hong Zhuang glanced at Mu Yin and rallied herself. “You’re right, Young Mistress. The heavens envied her brilliance. If there really is an underworld, she must have reincarnated by now. I hope she gets a healthy body in her next life and doesn’t leave the world so soon.”
Mu Yin thought to herself that the “Eldest Young Miss” was alive and kicking, healthier than anyone, but she just smiled and nodded along.
“By the way,” Hong Zhuang put down what she was holding and said to Mu Yin with a cheerful smile, “Young Mistress, shall I show you something wonderful?”
Mu Yin asked curiously, “What wonderful thing?”
Hong Zhuang smiled until her eyes curved, “Naturally, it’s the statue of the Eldest Young Miss!”
Mu Yin: “?”