Zhong Wuxi opened his mouth and greeted the little creature in his heart: “Half a year has passed, why haven’t you grown taller at all? Although I haven’t grown much either, I have at least gained a few centimeters.”
The little creature could not hear his inner voice; it merely cupped its chubby cheeks with both hands, glaring at him with a pout. Zhong Wuxi imagined his Master pouting with his hands cupping his face, and he could not help but chuckle.
The little creature became even more unhappy. It pulled at its hem to cover its eyes, turned around, and presented its backside to Zhong Wuxi.
This was the first time Zhong Wuxi had seen the little creature angry. He climbed off the bed slowly, feeling as if he had become a rag doll, soft and devoid of strength. He was exhausted. Zhong Wuxi collapsed back onto the bed, turning his head to look at the Red Crystal Cloud Bottle on the nightstand.
Jimo Peak was winter all year round, and his only companions were the endless snow. However, starting last year, a small, pale gold flower suddenly began to bloom in the ice and snow. It was called the Frost Flower, or the Fortune Flower. Since then, Zhong Wuxi had picked a bouquet of Frost Flowers every day to decorate his snow hut. The flowers were like tiny suns, lighting up the entire room.
However, today, there were no Frost Flowers in the Red Crystal Cloud Bottle. In their place was a strange flower—a flower that exuded cold air, carved entirely from ice.
Zhong Wuxi rolled to the edge of the bed and reached out to touch the ice flower. The moment his fingertip brushed the petals, the entire flower dissipated into the air. Zhong Wuxi froze, and in the next second, overwhelming pain flooded his body, invading every limb and bone. He twitched as he pulled his hand back, cold sweat soaking his clothes.
The little creature pounced over, shedding tears. Zhong Wuxi, pale-faced, comforted it: “Do not worry, I am not hurting anymore.”
It really did not hurt anymore.
He lacked the strength to move his body, so he turned his head slightly to look. Sure enough, the ice flower had reappeared in the vase, intact and exuding a faint chill. It seemed this flower was some kind of magical artifact with the miraculous effect of suppressing pain.
The Dragon Bone Grass lived up to its reputation as a supreme herb for physical tempering. Zhong Wuxi recalled the pain from moments ago, as if every bone in his body had been hammered into fragments and quenched in fire, until they were forged into a body of steel. Now that his body had been tempered by the Dragon Bone Grass, he would certainly be able to reach Foundation Establishment successfully. His Master would surely be pleased to see him succeed.
But where had his Master gone?
Zhong Wuxi glanced at the little creature, which was crying inconsolably. Although he did not know the connection between his Master and the little creature, the creature seemed unable to stray more than a hundred meters from his Master, so he must be nearby.
As his strength slowly returned, Zhong Wuxi sat up on the bed. He tried to circulate his spiritual energy, only to find that it was completely sealed, and his sea of qi was empty. Zhong Wuxi panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down. With his Master nearby, no one would dare invade Jimo Peak to harm him; therefore, the issue must lie with himself.
Could it be that he truly came from the Yaoguang Realm, and people from that realm were unable to consume the medicinal herbs of the Qingyuan Realm?
Zhong Wuxi pondered for a long time without finding an answer. Fortunately, after a qiankun bag recognizes its owner, it can be opened without spiritual energy. He took out all his cultivation-related books and began to flip through them slowly.
The little creature floated over and rolled around on the table. Zhong Wuxi immediately understood its creature-speak and comforted it: “I really am not hurting at all; I do not need to rest.”
The little creature tilted its head and stared at him for a while. Satisfied that he was no longer in pain, it floated to the edge of the table to help him flip through the books.
The sheer curtain at the window was lifted by the breeze, faintly revealing the snowy landscape outside. Zhong Wuxi rubbed his eyes and looked up, realizing the sun was already high in the sky.
Familiar footsteps sounded behind him. He threw down the book and rushed over, hugging the person’s legs: “Master!”
The refreshing scent of flowers and trees mixed with the snowy scent of Jimo Peak, soothing Zhong Wuxi’s restless emotions. He suddenly felt a dull ache in his head, hands, back, and legs, and he felt immensely wronged: “Master, physical tempering is so painful.”
“Is it?”
The cold, faint trailing tone dissipated into the wind, leaving the room feeling empty and silent. Zhong Wuxi sniffed, let go of Yin Jiuli’s legs, and walked aside to cry silently.
Yin Jiuli lowered his eyes, his gaze landing on a water stain on his robe. Zhong Wuxi wiped his tears with his sleeve, using it to shield his face while sneakily glancing at his Master’s expression.
Yin Jiuli swept a glance at him: “Come here.”
Zhong Wuxi moved over slowly: “Master, are you angry?”
His little disciple’s eyes were rimmed with red, his fine, soft hair sticking to his cheeks; his cautious appearance was very much like a kitten he had once saved.
Yin Jiuli reached out and patted the little kitten’s head.
“Master, I did not intentionally hide this from you,” Zhong Wuxi said, standing on tiptoe and rubbing his head against the cool palm. “I just wanted to reach Foundation Establishment quickly to surprise you, so I used the Dragon Bone Grass for physical tempering without telling you.”
He looked up at Yin Jiuli’s expression: “Master, if you had not fetched that ice flower, I would have died of pain.”
“Cultivating techniques refines the heart. Cultivation must be gradual and follow reason; one must never be impetuous or overly eager for success.”
Yin Jiuli spoke calmly: “You did not remember my words.”
Zhong Wuxi pursed his lips: “But Senior Sister said my cultivation had already reached the early stage of Foundation Establishment, but my body could not keep up, which is why I used the Dragon Bone Grass.”
“Fourth Senior Brother also said one could use Dragon Bone Grass for tempering.”
“You will grow up.”
“But I want to reach Foundation Establishment quickly.”
According to the original plot, Zhong Wuxi died at eighteen, twelve years from now. Twelve years sounded long, but for a cultivator, it was just a fleeting moment. Zhong Wuxi could not reveal his transmigration, so he dragged Zongzheng Lan into it: “Sect Leader Sect Brother’s personal disciple, Zongzheng Lan, has already reached Foundation Establishment. I am the Sixth Elder of the Xuanqing Sect; I am older than him, but my cultivation is not as high as his.”
“I am afraid of losing face for you, Master.”
Yin Jiuli gave him a faint glance: “How have I treated you?”
Zhong Wuxi nervously tugged at his sleeve: “Master treats this disciple very well, like a teacher, a friend, a brother, and a father.”
“And how have I treated him?”
“Him? Do you mean Zongzheng Lan?” Zhong Wuxi blinked in confusion. His Master had never met Zongzheng Lan; why would he ask such a question?
The air fell silent again. Zhong Wuxi could not bear the stillness. He walked over and stored all the books from the table into his qiankun bag: “Master, my spiritual energy seems to be…”
“I sealed it.”
Zhong Wuxi felt relieved. So, there was nothing wrong with his body; his spiritual energy had simply been sealed by his Master.
Wait, this sentence sounded vaguely familiar.
Zhong Wuxi slumped on the table, resting his chin in his hand, thinking for a long time. Finally, he spoke hesitantly: “Earlier, Senior Sister said the spiritual energy in my body seemed to be suppressed by an unknown force. But Master, why did you seal my spiritual energy?”
Yin Jiuli did not answer. He formed a seal, and blood-red light surged from his fingertips; the cinnabar flame on his forehead shimmered as if about to ignite.
Zhong Wuxi stood up abruptly and looked out the window. In the darkening sky, the entire Jimo Peak glowed with a blood-red light, and even the white snow was dyed crimson, only returning to normal moments later.
He took a frightened step back: “Master, what is this?”
Yin Jiuli bent down and patted his little disciple’s head, his fingers staining his fine silver hair with blood: “This is the Yin-Yang Barrier.”
“Your body is currently damaged. I will not allow anyone to disturb your recovery.”