Cilantro was a wonderful thing.
As long as you sprinkled a handful of cilantro into a steaming bowl of soup, its overbearing flavor would immediately steal most of the attention from the soup’s original fragrance.
For a ginseng spirit traveling the world, it was an essential treasure.
Tian Luo stuffed a large handful of cilantro into her mouth, chewed it quickly, then spat it out and smeared it over the wound on her face.
The scent of blood had already begun spreading, but fortunately, cilantro’s power was formidable. The moment it covered the wound, it immediately masked the smell of her blood.
Tian Luo sniffed the air hard.
The tension on her small face finally eased.
As long as there wasn’t someone nearby who was familiar with the scent of a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng, nobody should notice anything unusual.
That had been way too close!
She had almost lost her life as a ginseng!
She was angry now.
Very angry.
And when a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng got angry, the consequences were serious!
Tian Luo pulled out the sword hanging at her waist and turned around viciously.
Huang Ren, looking filthy and disheveled with blood at the corner of his lips, glared at her just as fiercely.
“Junior Sister Tian, the inner sect is not a place someone like you should go. I’ll give you two choices. First, I’ll pay you, and you hand over the jade token. Second, my Huang family beats you until you’re forced to hand it over. You should know who I am. I’m from the Huang Family of the cultivation world. The current family head is my maternal uncle. My grand-uncle is Elder Huang of Xingluo Sect under Tianyan Sect. Offending me won’t end well for you.”
Oh?
Another landmine stepped on.
So he was connected to Xingluo Sect after all.
Tian Luo ground her teeth, but her face remained serious and thoughtful.
Then she asked, “How much can you offer, Senior Brother?”
Huang Ren thought, Just as I expected. The way she looked collecting spirit stones earlier made it obvious she’d never seen much of the world.
Filled with confidence, he declared,
“One thousand high-grade spirit stones!”
Tian Luo sized him up and muttered,
“Senior Brother, you’re so poor. That’s all you can afford? Earlier, Senior Brother Qian offered me five thousand high-grade spirit stones, and I still didn’t sell it.”
Of course, she was lying to fool an idiot.
No matter how much money he offered, she wouldn’t sell it.
Sure enough, the idiot’s competitive spirit was immediately triggered.
“I’ll offer ten thousand high-grade spirit stones!”
Damn it.
She should have named a higher number.
Tian Luo blinked her big eyes.
“Then give me the spirit stones first, Senior Brother. Once I finish counting them, I’ll hand over the jade token.”
Huang Ren frowned.
“You hand over the token first.”
Tian Luo replied, “When you buy something, you pay first, don’t you? When Senior Brother goes shopping, you pay before taking the item, right?”
Huang Ren felt there was nothing wrong with that logic, but…
Tian Luo continued,
“I’m so hurt. Senior Brother actually thinks I’d break my word? We sword cultivators never lie.”
Huang Ren’s expression grew fierce.
“…Money and goods exchanged at the same time.”
Tian Luo nodded sweetly.
“Okay, okay!”
Huang Ren took out ten thousand high-grade spirit stones and handed them over.
Tian Luo accepted them.
Then she immediately—
Immediately smacked Huang Ren into the ground with her sword.
And that wasn’t enough.
Just because his grand-uncle was an elder of Xingluo Sect, she viciously beat him several more times on behalf of the original ginseng spirit.
She only stopped after turning him into a swollen pig-headed mess with barely a breath left in him.
The last thing she saw was Huang Ren’s furious, wide-eyed glare.
“I’ll have my grand-uncle come right now—”
Before he could finish speaking, he unwillingly fainted.
As for mustard-seed pouches, unless the owner died, other people couldn’t freely take the contents inside.
Tian Luo found that extremely regrettable.
Then she searched around Huang Ren’s waist and found a communication jade slip.
Communication jade slips were cheap. Ten low-grade spirit stones could buy one.
Before today, however, she had been too poor to afford one.
According to rumor, this thing was basically the cultivation world’s version of a mobile phone, complete with discussion forums.
What a wonderfully gullible fool.
If there were more fools like this in the world, how rich could she become?
Without even bothering to count the spirit stones, Tian Luo stuffed them into her mustard-seed pouch.
Then she touched her cheek.
The wound had already healed.
Her constitution really was amazing.
Feeling delighted, she happily continued toward the inner mountain.
However, the moment she reached the foot of the mountain and raised her head to look at the towering peaks disappearing into the clouds, her legs suddenly started trembling.
So the inner mountain she’d seen from the outer mountain had been hidden behind an illusion all along?!
For example, she had thought the mountain was only three hundred meters tall.
But now that she stood beneath it, she realized it was at least three thousand meters high!
And she needed to cross three mountains like this before reaching the true inner mountain.
The Bixi Secret Realm would open tomorrow morning at Chen Hour.
How was she supposed to make it in time?!
Tian Luo pondered for three seconds.
No panic.
She had money now.
And she also had a communication jade slip she could use to ask for help.
Immediately, she activated the jade slip she had taken from Huang Ren.
After quickly figuring out how it worked, she found a forum called Bishui Immortal Forum and made a post:
[Help! Looking for a Senior Brother or Senior Sister willing to give me a ride to the inner mountain. Transportation fee: 100 low-grade spirit stones!]
She had hesitated for a very long time before carefully writing down one hundred low-grade spirit stones.
Although she had money now, saving where she could was still important.
All she needed was a ride into the inner mountain.
If nobody helped her, she could always raise the offer later.
Who would have thought that the moment she posted it, her private messages exploded?
Countless messages flooded in.
[Pick me! My sword is strong and sturdy—very stable to sit on!]
[My sword is your guarantee of safety, Junior Sister!]
[Old Shen Brand Flying Sword! Stable and fast!]
[If we’re brothers, choose me!]
…
Tian Luo clicked on the first message.
[Pick me! My sword is strong and sturdy—very stable to sit on!]
After all, he had been the fastest to accept the job.
The man had worked so hard to grab the request. She had to give him a chance.
Tian Luo expected to wait a while.
Instead, she only blinked a few times before she saw a young man in a green robe flying toward her on a sword.
The young man had a handsome but serious face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an unsmiling expression.
After arriving, he looked around.
Within a hundred li, there was only one Junior Sister bundled up like a bear at the foot of the mountain.
He hesitated for a moment.
“Are you Ah Huang?”
Tian Luo nodded with difficulty.
“…”
Huang Ren’s nickname really ruined a person’s image.
A tactical mistake.
She had forgotten to change the account name first.
The young man nodded.
“I’m Su Miantang. Junior Sister, payment first, then the ride.”
Tian Luo obediently handed over the money.
Then she watched as Senior Brother Su counted every spirit stone with complete seriousness before saying,
“Please take your seat.”
“Wait.”
Just as Tian Luo was about to step onto the sword, Su Miantang pulled out a piece of cloth from his mustard-seed pouch and carefully spread it over the sword.
Then he looked at Tian Luo’s feet with obvious disgust.
That gaze seemed to say:
Please do not use those filthy feet to harm my beloved wife.
“…”
There was a reason sword cultivators remained single for life.
And there was also a reason why Senior Brother Su was such an insignificant background character in the original novel.
Tian Luo smiled politely.
“Senior Brother Su, the Bixi Secret Realm opens tomorrow, right? If I arrive at the inner mountain tonight, where am I supposed to wait?”
Her original plan had been to climb through the night and arrive before morning.
Now that she was riding a flying sword instead, she had no idea where she would spend the night.
The inner mountain was home to inner sect disciples.
There was no place for her to stay.
Su Miantang sighed mournfully.
“Our sword sect isn’t exactly wealthy. Building even a single thatched hut on the inner mountain costs a lot of spirit stones…”
Tian Luo sighed as well.
“Taking a flying sword has already used up all my savings. In that case, I’ll just sleep in the mountains tonight. I’ll use heaven as my blanket and earth as my bed. Anyway, that’s what I did every day in the outer mountain.”
Su Miantang thought:
Why can I never meet a rich Junior Sister and fleece a little money out of her…?
“…”
Tian Luo saw the look in Senior Brother Su’s eyes.
It seemed to say:
Poor sword cultivators deserve nothing more than heaven as their blanket and earth as their bed.
“…”
…
Tonight, Zixu Sword Sect was not as quiet as usual.
Inside the sect’s only grand and fully intact main hall, several guests from Tianyan Sect had arrived to discuss how to deal with the demon races that were showing signs of resurgence as spiritual energy in the cultivation world continued to decline, as well as how to preserve the cultivation world’s spiritual energy.
Zixu Sword Sect’s Sect Master, Wuyinzi, sat below the honored seats. Leaning back in his chair with half-closed eyes, he looked as though he was about to fall asleep, merely listening to the people from Tianyan Sect chatter on.
Seated in the place of honor was Guo Lin, Sect Master of Xingluo Sect.
He casually played with a string of prayer beads in his hand, wearing the expression of a kindly elder who was perfectly content no matter how the discussion unfolded.
Xingluo Sect Elder Huang Qi sat below as well, but he was the first to speak.
“The depletion of spiritual energy affects the entire cultivation world. Zixu Sword Sect cannot remain uninvolved. Sending disciples to search for spiritual sources and spirit veins is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed!”
Wuyinzi nodded.
“You’re right!”
Guo Lin glanced at Wuyinzi and smiled.
“I’ve heard that Zixu Sword Sect will open the Bixi Secret Realm tomorrow and send its inner sect disciples inside for training and treasure hunting?”
Hearing this, Wuyinzi widened his eyes, his face practically saying Wow, you know so much!
“Of course we are!”
Guo Lin waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Yet the old man showed no intention of continuing the conversation.
The smile on Guo Lin’s face stiffened slightly.
He quickly shot Huang Qi a look.
Huang Qi immediately darkened his expression.
“As far as I know, once the Bixi Secret Realm opens, those who enter cannot leave for half a month. In my opinion, Zixu Sword Sect should advance and retreat together with the cultivation world. The survival of the cultivation world is at stake. Searching for spiritual sources should take priority!”
Wuyinzi put on a troubled expression.
“Our Zixu Sword Sect is just a small sect. Our disciples are all quite dull. Waiting half a month won’t make much difference. Besides, with Tianyan Sect’s talented disciples around, what need is there for us?”
Huang Qi: “…”
Among all young cultivators below the Spirit Transformation Realm on the Tianying Rankings, Zixu Sword Sect occupied the top two spots.
Tianyan Sect’s strongest disciple had been stuck in third place for years.
And this old man had the nerve to call his disciples dull?!
Guo Lin no longer wanted to waste time.
Maintaining his benevolent smile, he said,
“The Soul Pearl is the source of spiritual energy for the entire cultivation world. Zixu Sword Sect once possessed one as well, which is why this treasured land became a self-sustaining spirit vein. Surely you know what will happen to Zixu Sword Sect if no Soul Pearl can be found.”
He paused before continuing.
“Furthermore, don’t forget Tan Gu, the Demon Ancestor, imprisoned within the Abyss of the Deep Valley. Do you really wish to watch spiritual energy dry up, the forbidden curse barrier lose its effectiveness, and see him return to the world? Do you want him to plunge the cultivation world into endless chaos and leave all living beings suffering? Do you want this spiritual paradise to become corrupted by demonic energy?”
Wuyinzi picked at his teeth.
“Half a month.”
Huang Qi slammed his hand against the table and stood up.
“We are here as representatives of Tianyan Sect!”
Wuyinzi simply closed his eyes and pretended to be dead.
No persuasion worked on him.
Guo Lin merely smiled.
“Coincidentally, I was once a sword cultivator of Zixu Sect myself. In fact, I’m your martial uncle. Tomorrow, let’s visit the disciples together and see what kind of bearing and spirit today’s sword cultivators possess.”
Only then did Wuyinzi open his eyes.
He looked over.
A smile quickly appeared on his stubble-covered face.
“Sure!”
Seeing that Wuyinzi refused to budge, Huang Qi became so angry his beard practically stood on end.
“You know exactly what kind of person Tan Gu, the Demon Ancestor, was! Back then, imprisoning him cost the lives of over two thousand eight hundred and sixty cultivators. More than two hundred of them were at the Void Refinement Realm or higher! Have you forgotten his countless methods, his cruelty, his viciousness, and his meticulous schemes? If he returns, the world will fall into chaos!”
Wuyinzi scratched his hair, picked at his teeth again, then looked up at Huang Qi and smiled seriously.
“Of course I know.”
“If you know, then why don’t you—”
“I know.”
Wuyinzi interrupted him.
“The cultivation world owes him.”
The moment those words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
So silent that even the sudden acceleration of someone’s heartbeat could be heard.
The meeting ended in complete discord.
After leaving the hall of Zixu Sword Sect, Guo Lin’s expression immediately darkened.
Huang Qi walked beside him, looking equally unpleasant.
He couldn’t help glancing at Guo Lin.
The Ancestor’s decision to send Guo Lin here had carried special significance. After all, Guo Lin could be considered Wuyinzi’s martial uncle.
Yet Wuyinzi had refused to give face to either Tianyan Sect or Guo Lin himself.
Three hundred years ago, following that unspeakable incident and the sealing of Tan Gu, the Demon Ancestor, at the bottom of the Abyss of the Deep Valley, the source of Soul Pearls had disappeared.
To find Soul Pearls, there were only two options.
Either release Tan Gu, the Demon Ancestor.
Or search every corner of the continent—the Mortal Realm, the Cultivation Realm, and the Demon Realm.
From the Demon Forest in the east.
To the deserts in the south.
To the Demon City in the north.
To the western coastline.
And find traces of the Soul Clan.
If they could obtain the support of Zixu Sword Sect, things would naturally become much easier.
“What should we do now?” Huang Qi asked quietly.
Guo Lin let out a cold laugh.
“Then we’ll destroy the Bixi Secret Realm.”
With a flick of his sleeve, he took flight.
Yet as he passed through the boundary between Zixu Sword Sect’s inner and outer mountains, he suddenly stopped.
His brows furrowed tightly as he looked downward.
The next second, he shot straight toward the ground.
Huang Qi had no idea what was happening, but he followed.
Soon, both men arrived at the boundary between the outer and inner mountains.
A person lay on the ground.
A bruised and battered disciple at Foundation Establishment.
And within the air lingered faint traces of a subtle fragrance.
Guo Lin narrowed his eyes, hiding the excitement and fanaticism in them.
Then he took a deep breath.
The essence blood of a ten-thousand-year-old ginseng spirit!
The ten-thousand-year-old ginseng spirit he had searched for all these years!
Huang Qi despised cilantro.
The strong cilantro smell hanging in the air was making him feel faint.
“What is it?”
Guo Lin didn’t answer.
He crouched down and searched the area.
Soon, he found a sword.
There was a trace of blood on it.
Very little.
Almost insignificant.
Yet that tiny streak of red shone brilliantly in Guo Lin’s eyes.
He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
His fingers lightly brushed across the bloodstain.
His hand trembled uncontrollably.
He wanted to lick it.
But catching the confusion on Huang Qi’s face out of the corner of his eye, he forcefully suppressed the urge.
Lowering his gaze to the disciple on the ground, he clasped his hands behind his back.
“The belt this disciple is wearing bears the Huang Family crest. Is he one of your clan members?”
Huang Qi looked down.
To be honest, he couldn’t recognize anything from that face, which had been beaten into the shape of a pig’s head.
His brows knitted together.
Then an unpleasant memory surfaced.
The Huang Family did indeed have a collateral branch disciple who had been expelled from the inner sect of Zixu Sword Sect due to poor conduct and relegated to the outer sect.
If not for the Huang Family’s influence, that disciple would have been expelled from Zixu Sword Sect altogether.
What was that disciple’s name again?
“Take him away. I have questions for him.”
Guo Lin’s voice was low and heavy.
The two men carried the unconscious Huang Ren away from Zixu Sword Sect and headed for an inn in Qingyin City outside the mountain gates.
…
When Wuyinzi returned to Tenth Peak, he found a fat bear standing in the courtyard.
His eyes instantly lit up.
In a panic, he rushed toward the kitchen, grabbing a roasting tray, cumin, and chili powder while shouting excitedly to his disciple.
“Goudan! Are we having extra food tonight? Did you hunt a bear? Are we eating braised bear paw or roasted bear meat tonight?!”
Wrapped up like a bear, Tian Luo forced a sweet smile onto her face.
Turning around, she found herself staring at the suddenly returned Sect Master while holding her Bixi jade token.
Wuyinzi stared back while holding a bottle of chili powder.
The two looked at each other.
“Outer sect disciple Tian Luo greets Sect Master.”
Only now had Tian Luo learned that Tenth Peak was where Sect Master Wuyinzi lived.
Wuyinzi was known for being lazy and sloppy, but his talent was unquestionable.
At only two hundred years old, he had already reached the Void Refinement Realm.
One sword strike had frozen Zixu.
He had personally led over three hundred and eighty members of the sect away from Tianyan Sect and established Zixu Sword Sect as an independent force.
For the past three hundred years, Zixu Sword Sect had survived steadily within the cultivation world.
Independent.
Self-governing.
Free from Tianyan Sect’s rules.
Yet stronger than most small sects by a hundredfold.
The disciple known as Goudan—Su Miantang—was currently wiping his sword nearby.
Hearing his master call him, he immediately looked up and asked eagerly,
“Master, where’s the bear?”
Tian Luo: “…”
The sweet smile on her face was beginning to crack.
Wuyinzi had already realized the moment Tian Luo turned around that she wasn’t a bear.
Instead, she was a bright and lively young girl with an innocent and charming appearance.
What he couldn’t understand was why his eternally single disciple had brought this outer sect Junior Sister to Tenth Peak.
Didn’t he know Tenth Peak was so poor they didn’t even have an extra bed?
Where was the girl supposed to sleep?
Looking at his disciple’s reasonably handsome face, Wuyinzi suddenly realized something.
Tian Luo, meanwhile, understood nothing.
Under the scrutiny of those sharp phoenix eyes, her heart thundered nervously.
She had the unsettling feeling that he had seen through her.
Wait… did he figure out I’m a ginseng spirit?
Probably not.
According to the novel’s setting, ginseng spirits were born from the essence of heaven and earth. Their human forms were no different from ordinary people.
Unlike demons, they revealed their identity only when they bled.
Then Wuyinzi spoke.
He raised one finger and pondered for a moment before declaring,
“The bride price is only one hundred spirit stones. This strong, young, highly functional sword cultivator is hereby promised to you!”