Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Expanding Connections

A black-robed envoy placed a slender stick of soul-incense inside a small wooden box and said, “If danger finds you, light this incense and we will sense it.”

Yun Xi smiled faintly and replied, “Very well, this younger sister will accept it,” as she slipped the box into her storage ring.

After Black Impermanence and White Impermanence confirmed that no soul had slipped away, they stepped into a swirling black portal; the moment their figures vanished, the hole sealed, and the heavy chill in the air lightened.

Liu Hao Tian suggested with relief, “The area is safe now, so let us rest here for one night before we leave.”

Xia You sighed and added, “Since we have chosen to act kindly, we should gather those scattered bones first.”

Yun Xi nodded. “Yes, it will only cost us a little time.”

Yu Qing Cheng spoke more directly, “Bones left in the open feel eerie; we cannot meditate beside them. Let us bury them before we train.”

The four cultivators worked together, guiding the bones into neat piles with swift hand-seals. Xia You summoned an earthen spell that covered the remains, and Peach Source Village grew even emptier, stripped of its false life.

Liu Hao Tian observed, “Someone will notice the change here before long.”

Yun Xi answered, “That is for the best. With the source of evil destroyed, new families will move in, and the village will flourish again.”

They chose the abandoned house of the village chief for shelter. That night they tested the soul stones they had earned; each refined the power within a lower-grade stone.

Yu Qing Cheng praised, “Yun Xi, your foresight is remarkable. One stone refreshed my mind and made my technique flow like clear water.”

Xia You agreed, “The heaviness I carried in the Mirror Realm faded away.”

Liu Hao Tian felt the greatest change. “I have grasped the chance to break through to the Golden Core.”

All three companions turned to him. Yu Qing Cheng asked with concern, “Senior Brother Liu, can you hold it back? If not, find a safe place and we will guard you.”

He waved a calming hand. “I can suppress it for now, yet the soul stones will smooth my advance.”

Yun Xi cupped her fists and said, “Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Liu. Your core is within reach.”

“It is all thanks to Daoist Master Wei,” he replied modestly.

Yu Qing Cheng laughed, “No more formalities. Since Senior Brother can contain his breakthrough, we should hurry home. The spirit energy there is richer.”

Liu Hao Tian agreed, “Then I shall await the sect’s land before I advance.”

He reminded them, “Everyone, speak to no one about the soul stones we obtained today.”

Yu Qing Cheng’s phoenix eyes flashed understanding as she continued, “Exactly. This is our private fortune, and befriending underworld envoys came only through Daoist Master Wei. My storage pouch will stay sealed.”

Xia You promised with a smile, “I contributed least and already gained treasure; my lips are sealed tighter than my pouch.”

Yun Xi accepted their pledges with a nod, and the matter ended. At dawn the four left Peach Source Village.

Half an hour later a dark figure crept into the village, found it deserted, and cursed, “Blast it, just when the evil artifact was nearly born, who dared ruin my plans?” After searching in vain, the intruder slunk away.

The companions journeyed to grand Jinyun City. At the gate they paid a few copper coins, then chose the largest inn, Yunlai Inn. Their generous spending earned warm service: a courtyard with a private hot spring and a table of local delicacies.

They soaked in turns, then retired to separate rooms.

Although Yun Xi had formed her Golden Core, the mortal realm was poor for cultivation, so she decided to enjoy deep sleep first, [I wonder whether the heroine and hero have grown closer].

Far away, the mentioned heroine Wei Yun Qing and Sheng Yu Hong were not drawing closer at all. After learning that Yun Qing feigned weakness before him and slandered Yun Xi, Sheng Yu Hong—chief disciple of the sect master—quietly distanced himself. Excuses were easy for one of his rank.

When he stopped visiting Alchemy Peak, Yun Qing rarely saw him. She tried several missions hoping to meet him, yet each attempt failed. Restlessness clouded her mind and dulled her cultivation.

Ye Shao Hua noticed her decline, spoke with her privately, and warned that she was only Peak Master’s named disciple; many others with talent and diligence could replace her.

Wei Yun Qing forced herself back to training. Soon she heard that Yun Xi had taken a sect mission—clearly a return to her clan. Yun Qing imagined how her cousin’s new master, a Nascent-Soul True Lord, would boost the clan’s power, and she felt unwilling to fall behind. She planned her own journey home, hoping to arrive first and set her own pieces on the board.

She sought Zong Hao to travel together, but he declined politely, “Junior Sister Yun Qing, Dan Yang Daoist Master is guiding my alchemy breakthrough. I cannot leave. If you do not hurry, wait half a month.”

Displeased, she asked, “Brother Zong Hao, could you not accompany me just for a quick visit?”

He rolled his eyes inwardly and excused himself, “Dan Yang Daoist Master summons me. I must return to the pill chamber.” He turned away, leaving Yun Qing muttering alone.

Thus she prepared to go by herself. Knowing her own limits, she gathered supplies and boarded a flying ship from Haoran City toward Kunyu City.

The voyage was far from peaceful. Over Treasure Blossom Range, a flock of red-beaked falcons attacked. The resident Golden Core Daoist Master leapt from the deck to duel the rank-three leader, while guards and cultivators brandished weapons against the rank-two birds.

Misfortune struck Yun Qing when the leader’s wing brushed the ship; she was knocked overboard. Spiraling downward, she avoided the melee but landed deep within the wild range, stranded and alone.