Chapter 180
Chapter 180: Rong Shu Pulls Strings
Wu Hua told her: “If you want to go, then you can go.”
Rong Shu brightened and asked: “Really?”
Wu Hua nodded and was just about to say that his master had agreed to take on a disciple when Rong Shu, full of excitement, peppered him with questions: “Then to enter the academy, what minimum cultivation do I need? What kind of assessments are there? When does the academy recruit students?”
Wu Hua’s words stalled on his lips, and he asked instead: “You want to sit the exams yourself?”
She tilted her head and said: “Mm-hmm, otherwise what?”
Seeing Wu Hua’s hesitant expression, Rong Shu probed: “Could it be there’s even a back door?”
Wu Hua let out a silent laugh and said: “There is. If you truly want to earn your way in, I’ll give you the chance. And if you can’t make it, your senior brother will pull strings for you.”
Rong Shu’s eyes went round, and when she realized what he meant she broke into a grin and said: “Hehe, thank you, Senior Brother!”
Seeing this, Wu Hua could only shake his head and say: “Silly girl.”
There was no such thing as pulling strings. The only way to enter a sect-run academy without any assessment was to be accepted as a personal disciple.
Having finally managed to get the words for abducting her into the fold off his chest, Wu Hua felt a weight lift and asked: “When do you plan to leave?”
Rong Shu answered: “Tomorrow. I still lack a few spirit herbs to refine a memory-restoring pill, so I need to gather everything. Oh, Senior Brother, by the way, I’m already a fourth-rank alchemist, and I got lucky and obtained an Exotic Flame.”
Saying so, Rong Shu gathered a blossom of blue fire in her palm like a child showing off to an elder.
Wu Hua inclined his head with a smile and said: “Is that so? That’s very good. These two years of tempering haven’t been wasted.”
Rong Shu tucked the Exotic Flame away and said: “Hehe, I’ve been practicing diligently every day.”
Sensing that Rong Shu’s aura was still at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, Wu Hua offered a reminder: “If you want to enter the academy on your own merit, you’ll need to push your cultivation. The safest is to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage. Otherwise you should at least be at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refining.”
Rong Shu nodded obediently and said: “Mm, I understand.”
It wasn’t that Rong Shu didn’t want to advance. It was simply that progress with the ice attribute was as slow as a snail and could not be rushed. As for whether to tell Wu Hua about her cultivation, she decided to wait a bit longer. [It’s only the Foundation Establishment Stage anyway; nothing worth mentioning.]
Wu Hua then asked about a few other matters and said: “Have you visited the one in the valley?”
Rong Shu replied: “Mm, I came back half a month ago, then took missions for another half month.”
Wu Hua asked: “How do you feel after two years of tempering?”
Rong Shu said: “Mm, I gained quite a lot. Senior Brother, I even ran into that Scorchfire Secret Realm…”
They chatted until the sky was nearly dark, and only then did Rong Shu take her leave of Wu Hua.
Night fell.
In the training room, Rong Shu lay on the bedding spread across the floor. She emptied her mind, her gaze unfocused on the ceiling above. [Central Continent… Heart’s Reflection Academy… What kind of place will it be?]
She tossed and turned, trying to close her eyes, but sleep would not come. She thought of Little Hamster, who had been sleeping soundly these days inside the Han Chuan Cosmos Pearl, and a wave of imbalance rose in her heart. The environment inside the Han Chuan Cosmos Pearl was far superior to an ordinary Beast Taming Pouch. Though it wasn’t a self-contained micro world, the lighting could be adjusted, so it wasn’t pitch-black inside. After going in two or three times, Little Hamster had simply refused to come out.
Rong Shu beckoned, summoning Little Hamster out.
She called softly: “Yan Yan.”
Rong Shu lay on her stomach, reached out a finger, and nudged the round Little Hamster: “Wake up.”
Little Hamster rolled over, mumbling something, clearly unwilling to get up and intent on sleeping on.
Rong Shu said: “I saw senior brother.”
At the words senior brother, the drowsy Little Hamster suddenly jolted, sprang up by reflex, and chirped: “Gu gu??”
Rong Shu poked its head and said with a laugh: “Look how timid you are. Senior brother isn’t here now; I meant I saw him during the day.”
Little Hamster clutched the spot where it had been poked and cast a resentful look at Rong Shu.
Rong Shu’s eyes turned slightly as a mischievous glint flashed, and she said: “But tomorrow, senior brother will be traveling with us.”
Little Hamster: “!!!”
Seeing Little Hamster instantly wilt, Rong Shu couldn’t help but clutch her belly with laughter and say: “Hahaha…”
Little Hamster hopped in a fury and chirped: “Gu gu!!”
Rong Shu, still fighting a smile, said: “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you. Let’s talk business. Senior brother told me that beyond the Southern Wilds lies the Central Continent. It’s broader than the Southern Wilds, with more cultivators and much stronger ones. There are academies there, and he said the academies are even better than Heaven’s Evolution Sect.”
Little Hamster chirped doubtfully: “Gu?”
Rong Shu rubbed Little Hamster’s head and said: “Anyway, senior brother is over there. The place that trained him should be much better than Heaven’s Evolution Sect, don’t you think?”
Little Hamster hesitated, said nothing at first, then chose to go along with Rong Shu and cried out loudly in affirmation: “Gu!” It will definitely be good!
For no obvious reason, Rong Shu felt her confidence grow. She hugged Little Hamster and lay back, speaking as if to it and as if to herself: “Mm, it will definitely be better than Heaven’s Evolution Sect.”
Limitless Peak.
Inside a residence, Yun Wu Ya questioned the remnant soul in a cold tone and said: “What’s going on? Why haven’t you made your move?”
The remnant soul was thoroughly frustrated. For the past half month, Rong Shu hadn’t returned to Limitless Peak even once, and he hadn’t dared strike on the bustling Spirit Nurturing Peak. There were Nascent Soul Stage sect elders at Spirit Nurturing Peak. If he took action and leaked even a trace of aura, in his current remnant-soul state he would never escape.
The remnant soul said: “It isn’t that your subordinate refuses to act. I simply can’t find an opening. That little girl never returned to Limitless Peak and has been in the training room every day, practically living there.”
Yun Wu Ya ground his teeth and said: “No. We cannot drag this out any longer. Even if it risks exposing a scout, we must eliminate Rong Shu.”
If he did not remove her soon, the one at risk of being exposed would be him.
“Understood.”
The next morning, after waking, Rong Shu tidied up and left the training room. The moment she stepped outside, she ran into the waiting Wu Hua.
She smiled and greeted him: “Senior Brother.”
Wu Hua said: “Come on, let’s head to the Task Pavilion and pick up a mission at random.”
Rong Shu answered: “Mm-hmm.”
They took a routine out-of-sect mission with a six-month deadline, then left the Task Pavilion. On the way to the mountain gate, they underwent another round of questioning by the law-enforcement team.
After the enforcers moved on, Rong Shu lowered her voice to Wu Hua and said: “Senior Brother, something seems off with Heaven’s Evolution Sect. The Demonic Cultivator unrest was two years ago, but even now the law-enforcement team keeps checking again and again and has everyone on edge. I wonder if they’ve found anything.”
Wu Hua had sensed the oddness as well. But as long as neither side broke the rules or harmed mortals, he would not intervene in their conflict. Conflict existed everywhere. The righteous sects did not consist entirely of paragons bathed in sunlight, and those called heretical were sometimes simply people who took a different path that society would not accept.
Wu Hua reassured her and said: “Do not worry. Just focus on your cultivation. A little one who thinks so much should be careful not to stunt her growth.”
At the words about not growing tall, Rong Shu bristled and said: “Impossible. I will definitely grow taller. Senior Brother, why are you laughing?”
Wu Hua replied: “I’m not laughing at anything.”
Rong Shu insisted: “You are. I saw it.”
Elsewhere, in a shadowed nook, the remnant soul watched the two depart and sighed: “That person actually showed up. This is troublesome; there’s no way to kill Rong Shu now. However…”
Seeing that the two were headed toward the mountain gate, he continued: “Are they going out to do a mission? Then they likely won’t return to Heaven’s Evolution Sect for a while. I should return and inform the young valley master.”
The assassination thus canceled, the remnant soul hurried back to Limitless Peak to find Yun Wu Ya and report: “That Lin Dao is by Rong Shu’s side. We cannot act.”
He couldn’t help grinding his teeth at the name Lin Dao. His current state was thanks to Lin Dao. Fortunately, he had already reached the Nascent Soul Stage and, at the critical moment, had preserved his Nascent Soul Infant and soul. As long as he devoted himself to assisting the young valley master, once he returned to Evil Heart Valley he would have ample resources to rebuild his body.
“That man has appeared?” Yun Wu Ya slowly clenched his fist, though he knew it was useless now. “They have gone out? Then we must finish our matters before the two return. Since there is no way to assassinate…”
As if struck by an idea, Yun Wu Ya smiled with a vicious edge and said: “They are both disciples of Heaven’s Evolution Sect. If they do something wrong, then Heaven’s Evolution Sect will act to clean its own house.”
The remnant soul blinked, then understood, and said: “Young valley master is wise.”
He was about to continue when he sensed someone outside.
“Young valley master.”
Yun Wu Ya waved a hand, and the remnant soul hid.
A coy voice rang out: “Senior Brother Jin Yu!”
Yun Wu Ya’s face remained expressionless. Yet when he stepped out to meet the visitor, his expression turned in an instant to one of gentle, jade-like grace. He greeted her and said: “Junior Sister Ruan Ruan.”
Looking at Yu Ruan Ruan, who had breezed into the courtyard as if it were her own, Yun Wu Ya’s eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips lifted in a mild smile.
Yu Ruan Ruan said: “Senior Brother Jin Yu, I came to invite you to go out of the sect with me. You’ve been in the sect for so long, and I haven’t properly hosted you. Just so happens, my second senior brother says Wanderer’s City will be holding an alchemy conference a month from now, inviting renowned alchemists and promising youths from across the cultivation world. Since you are also an alchemist, we could go and watch together.”
Yun Wu Ya smiled and nodded and said: “In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse.”
Yu Ruan Ruan said: “Then let’s set out in two days.”
Yun Wu Ya replied: “Very well. I will go along with Junior Sister Ruan Ruan’s arrangements.”
After sending Yu Ruan Ruan off, Yun Wu Ya returned indoors.
The remnant soul drifted out and said: “Young valley master, that foolish woman is truly annoying. She shows up every two or three days.”
Yun Wu Ya’s face was impassive as he said: “She isn’t particularly bright, but I keep feeling there’s something strange about her. Her reputation in Heaven’s Evolution Sect is excellent; she has been crafted into the image of a prodigious young lady. Yet in the small details of her behavior she reeks of vulgarity. The things she says and does always seem to leave others with no room to argue; they can only go along with her.”
The more the remnant soul listened, the more wrong it sounded, and he said: “Young valley master, why does it feel like that woman is more like a Demonic Cultivator than we are?”
Yun Wu Ya cut him off and said: “Enough. Overthinking is useless.” He, at least, had no misgivings. He was confident he could keep Yu Ruan Ruan under control. “Besides, thanks to Yu Ruan Ruan’s cover, we’ve slipped in a few sleeper agents over the past two years. As for the Wanderer’s City alchemy conference, we received intelligence months ago. I hear alchemists from the Central Continent will be attending.”
The remnant soul started and said: “Central Continent?! Wanderer’s City is hosting an alchemy conference and can invite lords from the Central Continent?”
Yun Wu Ya’s lip curled and he said: “I had been worrying over what identity and what pretext to use to get there. Now I have no need to rack my brains.”
The remnant soul laughed and said: “Hahaha, young valley master is wise.”
On the other side, after leaving Heaven’s Evolution Sect, Rong Shu and Wu Hua went straight to the nearest Alchemists’ Guild branch. Inside, Rong Shu inquired about a dozen kinds of spirit herbs she needed. The branch’s stores were well stocked, and almost everything she wanted was available. The only thing missing was a herb called the Qingjue Six Spirit Flower.
Rong Shu asked again, unwilling to give up: “You really don’t have it?”
A staff member of the Alchemists’ Guild branch replied: “That herb isn’t top-grade, but because its use is limited, there’s little market for it, and it’s hard to cultivate and harvest. We generally don’t keep it in reserve. If you need it, you could wait half a year to a year, or try your luck at the major auction houses.”
When she finished listening, Rong Shu frowned. Half a year to a year was far too long; she couldn’t wait that long. If even the Alchemists’ Guild didn’t have it, then ordinary herb shops certainly wouldn’t.
Rong Shu turned to Wu Hua and said: “Senior Brother, let’s try the black market.”
Wu Hua glanced at the staffer, lowered his voice, and said: “I have contacts in the Alchemists’ Guild. I can have them transfer in a batch of Qingjue Six Spirit Flowers ahead of schedule.”
Rong Shu thought it over, then shook her head and declined and said: “Let’s check the black market first. If there’s nothing available, then I’ll trouble you later.”
Even when someone you knew could help, calling in a favor spent social capital. Since this wasn’t the only option yet, there was no need to have Senior Brother Wu Hua burn a favor.
Wu Hua said: “Mm, that works too.”
They left the Alchemists’ Guild branch and headed for the black market. Rong Shu first picked up the pieces of information she had commissioned earlier, then began asking around about any trace of the Qingjue Six Spirit Flower.