Zanxing

Chapter 47 - The Path of Dual Cultivation (1)

Yanxing was completely unaware of what happened during the night. Ever since she had Mimi, she felt more at ease while sleeping. Even if Hua Yue secretly tried to stir trouble, Mimi could at least serve as a reliable guardian. With enough rest at night, she had more energy during the day to fully dedicate herself to the path of immortality.

Moreover, Yanxing felt that her mental state had improved a lot since joining the Taiyan Sect. Every time she circulated her spiritual energy through her meridians, it flowed smoothly. She estimated that with continued effort, she wasn't far from breaking through to the next level.

In the Miao Kong Hall, a group of people were already seated.

Cui Yufu, Li Danshu, Zhao Mayi, and Yueguang had all arrived. Xuan Ling emerged from the back of the hall and glanced outside. "Has Seventh Junior Brother arrived yet?"

"He's here." Zhao Mayi nodded toward the entrance, just as Gu Baiying walked in.

The seven disciples of the Head of the sect, Master Shaoyang, each had their own hall. However, when Master Shaoyang was not around, the seven disciples preferred to gather in Xuan Ling's Miao Kong Hall for important discussions.

Cui Yufu's hall, for example, was filled with various talismans and formations. One wrong step could set someone back ten years in their cultivation. Li Danshu's hall was littered with large and small alchemy furnaces. He was notoriously stingy and often blamed failed concoctions on others disturbing the air, leading to several reparations before people stopped visiting. Zhao Mayi was rarely in his hall, and bamboo shoots grew wild there. Sometimes disciples, hungry at night, would sneak in to grab a bite. As for Gu Baiying, his temper was so fierce that anyone who entered his hall without permission would not escape unscathed.

In the end, Xuan Ling's gentle temperament and the abundance of food in his hall made it the preferred place for serious discussions. After all, if the meeting ran late, they could always grab something to eat and continue.

Yueguang cleared his throat and said, "I've called you all here today to discuss the secret realm of Li-er Country."

The Duzhou Continent was scattered with secret realms and hidden places that were hard to find. Some contained spiritual treasures and immortal herbs, while others held secret techniques. In any case, finding one required great luck.

Twenty years ago, the great war between humans and demons destroyed many of these realms in Duzhou. The one in Li-er Country was a minor realm and was opened once ten years ago. The Taiyan Sect had sent disciples then, but the treasures found were not particularly valuable, though still better than nothing.

"Li-er Country? Didn't Ziluo go to that secret realm before? It's just a pile of junk, what's the big deal?" Cui Yufu grumbled.

Cui Yufu, who was sixty-eight but looked barely over forty, had a fierce demeanor with bulging muscles. His head was completely shaved, and despite wearing a white silk robe, he resembled a vicious monk. His rolled-up sleeves revealed muscular arms tattooed with black talismans.

It was said these talismans were embedded into his flesh with needles, extending from his arms to his back. If anyone attacked Cui Yufu, the talismans would activate a defensive formation.

"Even so," Li Danshu adjusted his hat, "finding some herbs to refine into pills is still useful."

Yueguang spoke slowly, "Indeed, this time all the major sects in the cultivation world are interested. The Li-er Country secret realm has existed for hundreds of years, and most of the valuable spiritual herbs have been harvested. The major sects are not seeking the herbs but rather using the secret realm as a test to temper the younger disciples."

"Why bother going to Li-er Country for that?" Cui Yufu frowned. "Don't we have ways to train disciples in our own sect?"

"By tests, perhaps?" Li Danshu glanced at Cui Yufu mockingly. "The disciples don't seem to think that's effective."

Despite Cui Yufu's brutish appearance, he was actually obsessed with exams. Unlike Li Danshu's ever-evolving alchemy, talisman crafting required rote memorization. On the Duzhou Continent alone, there were thousands of types of cleansing spells, and Cui Yufu's exams were notoriously difficult with a low pass rate, making him the disciples' worst nightmare.

"Better that than becoming an alchemy fool like you," Cui Yufu retorted.

Whenever these two were together, they were bound to argue. Xuan Ling quickly stepped in to mediate. "Since the other sects are doing it, we should follow suit. But, Senior Brother, do you have anyone in mind for this secret realm?"

Yueguang answered slowly, "We've been allotted six spots. Ziluo has already gone once, so she doesn't need to go again. Mendong has the 'Spiritual Immortal Aperture,' which makes gathering herbs and fruits easier. Mengying will also be finishing her seclusion soon, and she can use the secret realm to test her sword. As for the others, you can choose from among your disciples."

"My disciples?" Xuan Ling was taken aback.

"Aren't you planning to take on a personal disciple?" Yueguang smiled faintly. "The top performers in the inner sect exam will become your personal disciples. And, the reward for this exam will be the chance to enter the Li-er Country secret realm."

Xuan Ling hesitated, glancing at the fruit platter in front of him. "Senior Brother, this might make our sect seem a bit stingy..."

"No worries," Yueguang continued, "Manager Jin from the Golden Pavilion has also promised to provide other rewards for the exam."

Hearing this, Xuan Ling finally relaxed.

Zhao Mayi glanced at Gu Baiying and suddenly asked, "Junior Brother, why haven't you said anything?"

Lately, Gu Baiying had seemed distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere.

Standing up, Gu Baiying's expression remained indifferent. "I heard everything, and I have no objections." He picked up a spiritual fruit from the table and took a bite, still looking disinterested. "I have something to attend to. I'll take my leave."

With that, he walked straight out of the hall.

"What's wrong with him?" Xuan Ling nudged Zhao Mayi. "He seems preoccupied."

Zhao Mayi pondered for a moment. "Yesterday, I did a divination for him."

"What did it say?" Li Danshu leaned in curiously.

"When the Red Luan star stirs, peach blossoms bloom throughout the courtyard," Zhao Mayi tugged at his beard, looking mysterious. "It seems our Seventh Junior Brother is about to encounter romance."

...

Meanwhile, Gu Baiying had no idea about the idle chatter in the Miao Kong Hall.

Returning to the Xiaoyao Hall, where no one else was present, he sat down, gripping the spiritual fruit in his hand, feeling slightly irritable.

The issue with the Qin Worm seed remained unresolved. If Master Shaoyang were to find out... it would surely be a heavy blow.

Just then, there was a sudden "knock, knock, knock" at the door. He looked up to see Mendong running in.

Without waiting for Gu Baiying to speak, Mendong breathlessly announced, "Martial Uncle, I've found a solution!"

"What solution?"

"To get the Qin Worm back onto you, all you need to do is..."

Gu Baiying's eyes lit up. "What do I need to do?"

"...you need to dual cultivate with her!" Mendong shouted.

With a loud "crack," the spiritual fruit in Gu Baiying's hand split in half.

(Translator XiaoBai: Dual Cultivation refers to a practice where two cultivators, typically a man and a woman, share and balance their qi (life force or energy) through intimate physical or spiritual connection to mutually enhance their cultivation levels. The term can have various implications, from metaphorical teamwork to more explicit sexual connotations, depending on the story and context.)