“Knock, knock”
The person outside the door continued to knock with persistent, rhythmic patience. Fortunately, the visitor was not currently projecting any oppressive aura and had restrained their spiritual energy, appearing far less menacing than Wen Qixue had initially observed. Thus, for Su Xuanlin, whose cultivation was low, it posed no immediate threat.
However, having just informed Manager Ning that he hoped the other residents of the west wing would not disturb them, having someone inexplicably crowding their doorstep before they had even settled in was, frankly, quite irritating.
Wen Qixue gave a sharp “Tch” and swept his divine sense outward. They were two strangers.
Outside, the visitor knocked again. “Fellow Daoist Wen, I have a matter to discuss. Would it be possible to open the door?”
Wen Qixue’s brow furrowed.
Su Xuanlin looked toward him. “Honorable One, do you know the person outside?”
Wen Qixue shook his head. “I don’t believe I have ever met them. Or perhaps I have, but I have forgotten; my memory is not what it once was.”
Su Xuanlin: “…” What kind of cultivator has a bad memory?
However, he did not dwell on the matter and simply pointed at the door. “Shall we open it?”
Wen Qixue sighed. “Although I do not know their specific intentions, based on their behavior, they do not appear to harbor malice. Let us open it. Keeping people blocked outside is not a solution.”
Su Xuanlin stepped forward and swung the door open. Standing outside were a man and a woman dressed in identical attire. Su Xuanlin recognized the style it was the unified clothing of a specific sect or faction. He had seen similar garments back at Yuanwu Gate, where they were reserved for inner-disciples. However, the Yuanwu Gate uniforms were unremarkable compared to the elegant, ethereal cyan robes worn by these two.
As soon as the man caught sight of him, he bowed deeply without a word. Su Xuanlin was startled, scrambled back two steps, and returned the gesture with an equally deep bow.
Wen Qixue watched this exchange, raising an eyebrow. “What are you two doing? Are you getting married?”
Su Xuanlin straightened up immediately and scurried to Wen Qixue’s side. “Honorable One, they are…”
“Judging by their attire, they are from Danxia Valley,” Wen Qixue remarked. He gestured for them to enter. “Come in.”
The two exchanged glances before the man stepped into the room. “Fellow Daoist Wen, how have you been lately?”
“Not particularly well,” Wen Qixue replied bluntly. “It would be better if you simply stated why you are in such a hurry to knock on our door.”
The man gave a dry cough, dropping the pleasantries. “Fellow Daoist Wen, have you heard anything regarding Senior Sister Yun Luo?”
Upon hearing the name “Yun Luo,” Wen Qixue searched his memory. “The First Senior Sister of Danxia Valley? I have heard the name.”
Before the man could attempt to build more rapport, the woman pushed him aside and bowed deeply to Wen Qixue. “I beg you, Fellow Daoist Wen, please save our Senior Sister’s life!”
Unlike Su Xuanlin, Wen Qixue remained composed in the face of this grand gesture. “Has something happened to Fellow Daoist Yun?”
The man and woman exchanged another look. “Fellow Daoist Wen, have you truly not heard?” the man asked.
“I had indeed heard that Fellow Daoist Yun suffered an accident, but I did not dwell on it,” Wen Qixue answered. “She is the First Senior Sister of Danxia Valley. If Danxia Valley cannot resolve her problem, I doubt others could be of much help.”
As for the rest… he had been too busy scouring for the heavenly materials needed to reshape his own body to spare energy for the affairs of others.
The man sighed and explained Yun Luo’s condition: “Several years ago, in an attempt to subdue a wisp of alien fire, our Senior Sister was afflicted with fire-poison.”
Wen Qixue had heard of this. A town had been scorched by an alien fire, nearly reduced to ash, when Yun Luo had happened upon the scene and forcibly tamed the fire, sparing the town from catastrophe. However, the price of doing so was severe. Wen Qixue hadn’t known the specifics, only that Danxia Valley had been frantically searching for water or ice-attribute medicinal herbs.
He nodded, gesturing for them to continue. “And?”
“To put it simply,” the woman said, “even ice-attribute pills can no longer suppress the fire-poison. We wish to borrow your ‘Mystic Water Pure Lotus’.” She added, “Name your price, Fellow Daoist Wen. Danxia Valley has no shortage of spiritual stones.”
The man elbowed her, whispering, “Exercise some restraint; do not frighten the Fellow Daoist—or the child beside him.” He turned to Wen Qixue with a cough. “Ming Mo may be blunt, but that is the gist of it. If you have any other requests, we can return to the valley and ask the Great Elder to open the furnace!”
“The Great Elder is our Senior Sister’s master,” the woman added eagerly. “He would certainly be willing if it meant saving her.”
Wen Qixue asked bluntly, “Do you have a ‘Reincarnation Soul-Turning Pill’?”
Both cultivators gasped. That pill… The man reacted first. He stepped forward and grasped Wen Qixue’s exposed hand. Wen Qixue endured it for a moment, then pulled away. The woman rushed over. “Well?”
“It is a puppet body,” the man said.
Wen Qixue looked at them. “You aren’t afraid that I might retaliate?”
The man coughed and stepped back with the woman. “Forgive the breach of etiquette, Fellow Daoist. But we have two Golden Core cultivators here, so perhaps…”
Before he could finish, the woman poked his shoulder. “Even if there are two of us, we are no match for him.”
The man: “…”
“We are Dan cultivators,” he argued. “We can exhaust his spiritual energy. Since he lacks a true physical body, his energy must eventually run dry.”
“Then you should think about the plaque at the Yuanwu City gate,” the woman countered. “How many sword strikes like that do you think you could withstand?”
The man: “…Perhaps, negative-zero?”
Wen Qixue: “…If you wish to discuss this, there is no need to rush. I am still here; I can hear you.”
The Danxia Valley cultivators were truly a bizarre mix of politeness and rudeness. He continued, “In any case, you can see my situation. I fear I cannot be of much help for the time being.”
Unless he had that Reincarnation Soul-Turning Pill. It was an extremely high-level pill that allowed cultivators below the Soul Formation stage to exist in spirit form. It was often used by high-level ghost cultivators, but it required a cultivator at the Integration stage to forge—a task of immense difficulty. It was doubtful even Danxia Valley possessed such a thing.
The woman gazed at him, still clearly unsettled. “Fellow Daoist Wen, is what the Heavenly Sword Sect says true? They claim you perished in the lightning tribulation—but how could anyone survive that and retain their spirit?”
The man frowned, suddenly suspicious. “Could the people of the Heavenly Sword Sect have been the ones who harmed you?”
“In reality,” Wen Qixue replied, “they lack the capability to harm me.” When he faced his Nascent Soul tribulation, the lightning had only struck him once before it diverted to strike someone else. “It was merely preparation and luck.”
“Under a lightning tribulation, luck is rare,” the man said. “Regardless, it is a blessing that you still live.”
The woman spoke plainly: “Fellow Daoist, do you lack the treasures to reshape your body? If you possess them, Danxia Valley can assist you. If you are willing to entrust this task to us, we can do it.”
“Reshaping a body is a perilous affair; one would never entrust it to someone they do not fully trust. But Danxia Valley is in need of your aid. Until our Senior Sister is fully recovered, we will ensure you come to no harm.”
The man poked her shoulder again: “Restraint, restraint.” Turning to Wen Qixue, he added, “Though Ming Mo is blunt, she is correct.”
Su Xuanlin, off to the side, gripped his wrists tightly, trying to keep his composure.
Wen Qixue tapped his fingers on the table, weighing the pros and cons. His original plan was to wait for his soul to fuse naturally with the materials he had collected. The woman was right; reshaping his body was of vital importance, and he had intended to keep others away from the process. With the initial tribulation, his own lightning formation, and the refining techniques of the Su ancestor, fusing his soul with the materials was not difficult—it merely required time.
Yet, he had to admit, the offer was tempting. Danxia Valley would surely have more expertise in the fusion of soul and flesh than he did, which would make his eventual return to cultivation much smoother.
The risk, however, was significant. If Danxia Valley chose to manipulate his soul during the process, it would be all too easy for them. On the surface, Danxia Valley was a righteous sect, but true faces were hard to discern. Just as in the memories of the soul that had invaded his body, Yuanwu Gate had presented itself as a righteous sect, only to be revealed as opportunists who would prey upon a child who had just lost his kin.
Seeing his expression, the two cultivators sensed he was wavering. The man breathed a sigh of relief. “Fellow Daoist Wen, if you do not trust others in the valley, I can oversee the body reshaping myself. You possess the consciousness of a Golden Core peak cultivator; even if I am only at the Golden Core stage, if the Great Elder assists, I can manage it.”
“With my cultivation, you would surely notice if I attempted to do anything to your soul.”
Wen Qixue turned his head. “We shall see. I have just handed a piece of ore to Manager Ning; I must wait for the transaction to be settled before I depart.”
The two cultivators took this as a promising sign. They knew better than to push too hard. “Consider it, Fellow Daoist Wen. The reputation of Danxia Valley is known; we would never harm you.”
The man placed two jade tokens on the table. “These are not particularly valuable items, but they may be useful to you or the young boy. Farewell, Fellow Daoist!”
As soon as they left, Su Xuanlin lunged forward and slammed the door shut.