Chu Mingyao’s heart tightened. She lowered her head even further, her cascading black hair falling forward to shield her expression.
After Perfected Ziqiong had fled their earlier encounter, Perfected Zizhu had asked her that exact question. To Perfected Zizhu, she could tell the truth. She had even tried to return the ten top-grade Spirit Gathering Pills he had given her, but Perfected Zizhu had simply flicked her forehead in mock annoyance. He insisted that once a gift was given, it could not be taken back. Her ability to break through without them was her own merit, and his decision to provide them was his own choice.
However, Perfected Zizhu had then turned serious, subtly warning her that under no circumstances was she to tell anyone she hadn’t used pills. To the outside world, she had to maintain that her smooth breakthrough was thanks entirely to his top-grade Spirit Gathering Pills.
The massive spiritual energy vortex she had stirred up was too large to ignore. While hidden from outsiders, the sect’s upper echelon had certainly felt it. Yet, there was a vast difference between breaking through purely by absorbing an energy vortex and doing so with the aid of medicinal potency.
Chu Mingyao possessed a Nine-Turn Golden Core.
According to ancient records, an Eight-Turn Core had a high probability of triggering a vortex upon shattering to form a Nascent Soul— but in those cases, the vortex was merely a heavenly phenomenon, a natural byproduct of the transformation.
Nine-Turn Cores, however, were so rare that they were the subject of centuries of debate. Some argued their vortex was also just a phenomenon, while others claimed it was the result of the cultivator absorbing external energy at such a violent rate that the world itself reacted.
The implications were worlds apart. In the first scenario, the cultivator didn’t actually internalize the energy. In the second, they truly devoured the entire vortex, becoming terrifyingly powerful the moment they stepped into the Nascent Soul realm.
Because Nine-Turn geniuses were far too wise to shout their secrets from the rooftops, and because some historically underperformed, the consensus had shifted— both scenarios were possible. The easiest way to tell the difference? Whether or not the cultivator required pills during the breakthrough.
If a cultivator needed pills to replenish their energy, the vortex was a mere decoration. Only those who had no need for medicine were the true powerhouses of the cultivation world.
As Perfected Ziqiong’s question hung in the air, Chu Mingyao recalled Perfected Zizhu’s ‘guidance’.
“Little Mingyao, you want to give your master a surprise, don’t you? I already told him I gave you top-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, so he’s already assumed you took them. But think about it. If you tell him the truth now, where’s the surprise in that?
You should focus on your cultivation first. Ideally, wait until you’ve reached his level and can apply for a position as a sect elder. Only then should you tell him you didn’t actually need pills. That is what I call a surprise!
Besides, the cultivation world is far from peaceful. Evil entities are watching us like tigers stalking their prey. Your talent is so outstanding that you’re a natural target. Sometimes, hiding your true strength is the only way to avoid an early grave. Let your master believe you relied on pills. It’s a story others will find much easier to swallow.
As for the truth, you and I knowing it is enough. Keep it buried in your heart until you are certain you can deliver that surprise— and until you no longer need him to shield you from the endless assassination attempts of the Demon Realm. Only then should you speak.”
Perfected Zizhu had been deeply worried that Chu Mingyao still harbored a naive, single-minded devotion to Perfected Ziqiong. On the surface, his advice sounded like it was for Perfected Ziqiong’s benefit, but in truth, he was teaching her to keep a life-saving card hidden even from her own master.
Chu Mingyao understood the subtext perfectly and chose to follow it to the letter.
Now, as Perfected Ziqiong demanded to know about the pills, her body began to tremble. She put her acting skills into full gear. “M-Master…… this disciple……”
She stammered, looking utterly terrified.
Seeing her distress, Perfected Ziqiong felt a surge of reassurance, though he maintained a harsh exterior. “What? You don’t dare say it?”
Borrowing Xiang Qingyun’s methods is indeed effective, Chu Mingyao thought coldly. She forced herself to meet Perfected Ziqiong’s gaze, her eyes already brimming with panicked, frightened tears. After a fleeting second of eye contact, she dropped her head again in flustered disarray.
“This disciple…… I took the pills. I consumed all ten of the Spirit Gathering Pills Martial Uncle Zizhu gave me. I even…… I even secretly drank a jar of his Green Bamboo Spirit Wine. That is the only reason I managed to break through. Master, I know I was wrong! I will never again recklessly force a breakthrough just because of a spat with my fellow disciples. That is why I am begging to go to the Siguo Jue Valley to repent!”
“Green Bamboo Spirit Wine?” Perfected Ziqiong’s pupils contracted. “He still keeps that in his cave dwelling?”
Perfected Zizhu was notorious for his love of alcohol. When off-duty, he drank the mortal version of the wine like it was water. As a child, Chu Mingyao had often played pranks in his courtyard and dug up those very bottles. But Perfected Zizhu also possessed a rare spirit version, brewed from high-level medicinal plants, specifically designed to bolster one’s cultivation.
The Green Bamboo Spirit Wine was a versatile treasure, tailored to different stages of the path. Perfected Zizhu had brewed it throughout his own journey, refining the formula step by step as he ascended through the realms. To him, mortal wine was for hydration, but spirit wine was medicine. That was simply the life Perfected Zizhu lived.
“Yes.” Chu Mingyao replied, her voice low but unwavering. “When I was a child, I often dug up Martial Uncle’s wine to drink, so I knew exactly where he habitually buries his stash. When he lent me his cave dwelling, I searched those familiar spots and found several jars he had kept from his own Nascent Soul breakthrough.”
Perfected Ziqiong nodded inwardly. It made sense. Perfected Zizhu never brewed in small batches; he produced hundreds of jars at a time. It was entirely plausible that leftover spirit wine from his earlier years remained hidden beneath the earth.
Chu Mingyao continued with the story she and Perfected Zizhu had carefully rehearsed.
“During the breakthrough, I found that although the external spiritual energy was abundant, my rate of absorption was limited. Even after consuming the Spirit Gathering Pills, it wasn’t enough. It was only after I secretly took— I mean, borrowed— a jar of Martial Uncle’s Nascent Soul-grade spirit wine that I finally had the surge of power needed to complete the transformation.”
As the words left her mouth, Perfected Ziqiong’s internal tension finally snapped. Relief washed over him, though he quickly masked it with a display of righteous fury.
“Nonsense! When you were a mischievous child, you at least had the decency to only steal ordinary wine. Now you’ve graduated to stealing spirit wine?”
“This disciple knows her fault.” Chu Mingyao lowered her head obediently, absorbing the reprimand without a word.
She had no choice. At her current level, she still couldn’t defeat Perfected Ziqiong. To tear the veil now would only lead to her own destruction. Perfected Zizhu was right. Only when her strength eclipsed Perfected Ziqiong’s could she afford to confront him openly.
Until then, she had to maintain the charade. She had to remain the Chu Mingyao who trusted and admired her master unconditionally. She had to frame her disruptions as mere ‘impulsiveness’ or a ‘failure to handle provocation’, making it seem as though every act— even those that thwarted his plans— was done with his best interests at heart.
It wasn’t a difficult performance. She knew her old self well enough to mimic her, she understood exactly what Perfected Ziqiong craved, and she had Perfected Zizhu as a silent partner in the deception.
She didn’t know how long she could sustain the act. Perhaps by the Dao Discussion Assembly, when she would be forced to reveal her true power to survive the return journey, the mask would finally crack. But as long as Perfected Ziqiong still needed her to enter the Jiujue Secret Realm to fetch the Sword Heart Grass for Chu Mingdong, she could buy the time she needed.
In her nightmare, she had never been able to seek her own fortune within that secret realm. This time, everything would be different. Every second bought was a second used to grow stronger.
Finally, Perfected Ziqiong finished his tirade.
With a frost-covered face, Perfected Ziqiong spoke, “You have only just entered the Nascent Soul realm, yet you consumed an entire jar of Zizhu’s specialized spirit wine. Fully digesting that much medicinal power will take considerable time. Given your reckless temperament, I no longer dare grant you the resources I previously prepared. I fear you would act foolishly again and ruin your very foundation. Therefore,” He continued, his tone shifting to one of feigned righteousness, “since your junior brothers and sisters are still mostly at the Golden Core stage, I shall place those items into the treasury to be distributed to them. We will treat it as your personal contribution to the sect. Do you have any objections?”
Chu Mingyao had long expected this move. Hearing the words aloud, she felt only a faint, familiar chill in her heart.
“I leave everything to Master’s decision.” She replied softly.
Satisfied that he had once again successfully ‘reallocated’ her wealth, Perfected Ziqiong dismissed her.
At last, Chu Mingyao was able to descend the mountain. A streak of sharp sword-light cut across the horizon, heading straight for Danming Village.
────ρя
At that very moment, in Danming Village, Chu Mingxi and Chu Mingbei were squatting in the village chief’s courtyard, staring gloomily at the dark, shadowy forest nearby.
Chu Mingbei was the first to snap. Rubbing his face in frustration, he asked, “Third Senior Brother, are we really just going to sit here and do nothing?”
Their days in Danming Village had been miserable. The atmosphere was so suffocating he felt as though he might explode. Chu Mingxi had also been scowling, but hearing his junior brother’s outburst, he forced a laugh and clapped him on the back, hooking an arm around his shoulders.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Waiting is doing something. The enemy is cunning, and we’re playing the waiting game while conserving our strength. What’s wrong with that?”
“But—”
“But what? Are you afraid we’ll have to guard this place forever?”
He shouldn’t have said it. The moment the words left his mouth, Chu Mingbei’s anxiety spiked.
“Yes, I am! Third Senior Brother, it’s been days and we’ve made zero progress! Before we arrived, Guan Jingjing and the others had investigated for weeks and found nothing. Now it’s just the two of us. Can we really handle this? Shouldn’t we call for reinforcements?”
Under normal circumstances, once disciples saw that powerful seniors had already claimed a mission, they would sensibly look elsewhere. No one wanted to travel across the land only to find the contribution points had already been swept up.
But this time, the silence in Danming Village felt far from ordinary.