IVYSCP - Chapter 86
Chapter 86
"This is…" Ling Qingyue took a couple of steps after the young woman, searching the contours of her features and finding a trace of familiarity.
"Senior Sister?"
She was seeing the Lou Wudu of the past. No, not Lou Wudu. It ought to be Shi Du.
"What is going on?" Ling Qingyue turned her head, and upon seeing Pei Yin, a measure of calm settled in her heart.
Pei Yin surveyed their surroundings. This was unmistakably not the Liuyun Immortal Sect they had just been standing in. The Liuyun Immortal Sect before them had not yet been annihilated. Rising Moon Prefecture still flourished, and an endless stream of cultivators came and went.
"I believe the cause is the Ten-Thousand Names Stele. Although the stele was never corroded by demonic qi, its spiritual energy has been depleted for a hundred years. It could not withstand your sword strike. Moreover, those who left their names upon the stele did not merely leave behind their names. In all likelihood, they also left behind the events they experienced within the Liuyun Immortal Sect. What we are seeing now is Shi Du's past."
As she spoke, the two of them had already followed Shi Du into the grounds of the Liuyun Immortal Sect.
Ling Qingyue raised an eyebrow at the sight of the somewhat plain and unadorned bluestone flagstones beneath her feet. "No gold or jade inlays?"
The Liuyun Immortal Sect had always struck her as ostentatiously wealthy, though that impression was limited to flashy, impractical things like gold and fine jade. The Immortal Realm had no use for such things, but in the Mortal Realm they were objects of universal desire and pursuit.
By chance, a disciple passed by reading a book. Ling Qingyue glanced over, and surprise flashed through her eyes. "Immortal Calendar year 1627? That means we're more than three hundred years in the past?!"
"Senior Sister… no, Shi Du entered the Liuyun Immortal Sect over three hundred years ago?"
"Wait. The Liuyun Immortal Sect was annihilated just over a hundred years ago. And Shi Du, under the assumed name Lou Wudu, joined the Shangtianqiong Sect over two hundred years ago. That means that after cultivating at Shangtianqiong for a hundred years, she returned to the Liuyun Immortal Sect and took part in the annihilation…" A deep, cold chill spread through Ling Qingyue's heart.
The senior sister she had once shared every waking moment with had been capable of such forbearance. The facade she had constructed had deceived everyone.
And what had happened during Shi Du's hundred-plus years in the Liuyun Immortal Sect? If she recalled correctly, the incident in Yuelou Country had also taken place within the span of that century.
Pei Yin watched Ling Qingyue's brows knit together in a tight knot and smiled, pressing her lips together. She reached out and pinched Ling Qingyue's cheek. "Let us watch first."
The two of them followed Shi Du for quite a distance. Along the way, Ling Qingyue noticed something off. Normally, when an immortal sect recruited new members, a senior sister would welcome them and show them around. Yet from the moment Shi Du set foot through the gate, countless gazes kept turning her way, carrying undisguised contempt and mockery, and not a single person stepped forward to speak with her or guide her.
Shi Du realized this too. The joy in her expression receded. As a former heir apparent to a kingdom, the years of wielding authority had given her an edge over her peers, a bearing more sharp and commanding. She stood ramrod straight like a pine, her presence in no way inferior to that of the cultivators who stole secret glances at her.
She arrived before the Ten-Thousand Names Stele and stood there, waiting. The senior sister who had brought her to Rising Moon Prefecture had told her to wait at the stele.
And so she waited for a full four hours.
Not until dusk, when the sky blazed red and the setting sun burnished her waist-length hair to a golden sheen, did someone finally approach Shi Du.
The woman before her was dressed with bold abandon. Her legs, long and straight, were faintly visible beneath a layer of thin gauze. Her upper body was also lightly draped in gauze, and every step she took carried a waft of fragrance.
"A new disciple?" the woman said with a smile. Without the slightest hesitation, she draped her arm over Shi Du's shoulder and leaned in close to her face. "From the Mortal Realm? Another princess from some kingdom?"
A flicker of displeasure crossed Shi Du's brow, but she still answered with courtesy. "Yuelou Country. Shi Du. I entered the sect just today. Senior Sister Ling told me to wait here."
"Yuelou?" The woman looked puzzled for a moment, then her expression smoothed. "Ah, Ling Ling. I'm on quite good terms with her. My name is Ming Yuan. You can also call me Sister Yuan."
Ming Yuan was practically half-draped over Shi Du's body, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Shi Du's face.
Shi Du endured it for a moment. Finally, she gently shrugged off Ming Yuan's arm, took two steps back, and gave a formal salute. "Senior Sister Ming Yuan."
Ming Yuan did not take offense at being shrugged off. If anything, the interest in her eyes only deepened. Smiling brightly, she said, "Junior Sister, come with me. As your senior sister, I ought to take good care of you."
For some reason, upon hearing her say "take good care," Ling Qingyue felt a chill run down her spine.
She rubbed her arms and watched as Shi Du followed Ming Yuan away.
"There's something strange about that woman," she muttered.
Pei Yin said calmly, "She cultivates seduction arts."
"Ah?" Ling Qingyue blinked and asked delicately, "You mean… the kind that relies on dual cultivation to advance one's cultivation level?"
Pei Yin nodded.
Dual cultivation was beneficial to one's cultivation base, and some cultivators inevitably set their sights on that path. But dual cultivation was extremely dangerous. It was impossible to practice unless one could place complete trust in the other party. Thus, some resorted to seduction and seduction arts to lure others into becoming their cauldrons.
Ling Qingyue frowned. "How could the Liuyun Immortal Sect accept such a cultivator into its ranks?"
Pei Yin said, "It seems the Liuyun Immortal Sect casts an even wider net than the rumors suggest."
Ling Qingyue wore an odd expression. "Then when Ming Yuan took Shi Du away… it wouldn't be because she wants to use her to raise her own cultivation, would it?"
Pei Yin glanced at her. "Probably not. Shi Du has yet to begin cultivating. Dual cultivation with her would bring Ming Yuan no benefit."
Hearing her speak so bluntly made Ling Qingyue's ears burn. Then Pei Yin's next words came out. "But her intentions toward Shi Du are certainly not pure. It could be…"
Pei Yin glanced at Ling Qingyue again, hoping she could grasp the implication she had left unspoken.
Ling Qingyue blinked at her, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
Pei Yin: "…"
Under Ling Qingyue's gaze, Pei Yin cleared her throat lightly and spoke with a straight face. "It could also be a case of taking a fancy to her looks and simply wanting to dual cultivate."
Ling Qingyue froze for two breaths. Then, with a sudden rush, heat flooded her cheeks. Although she knew full well that no one in their current circumstances could see or hear them, she still looked left and right with a guilty conscience. She then let go of Pei Yin's hand, averted her face to the side, and pretended she did not know her.
"Although… although what you said makes a certain amount of sense, how can a lofty Immortal Venerable like you even think of such a thing?" Ling Qingyue scolded her.
Pei Yin took the initiative to lean closer and found an excuse for herself. "Mm. Perhaps I am simply experienced and knowledgeable?"
"Oh?" Ling Qingyue turned back around. She reached out and poked Pei Yin's shoulder with her finger. "Experienced and knowledgeable? But I've heard the Immortal Venerable has lived in seclusion for many years and rarely goes out. Where exactly did you gain such experience? Oh, it also seems the Immortal Venerable has read quite a few books. Were those books… proper books?"
Pei Yin could tell Ling Qingyue was teasing her. She caught the prodding hand and held it tight, lifting her chin. "She's already walked far away."
Ling Qingyue gave a light huff. She moved to follow but hesitated. "If it really is as you say, then it wouldn't be quite proper for us to go along, would it?"
Before her words had fully faded, the matter of whether it was proper or not was set aside as the scenery shifted around them. They now stood inside the room Ming Yuan had prepared for Shi Du.
It was not the dilapidated hovel they had imagined, but a standard guest room. The doors, windows, tables, and chairs were all present, and the furnishings in the room were adorned with exquisite carvings. Fresh-cut flowering branches sat upon the table, sustained by spiritual energy so they would not wilt for a month.
"From today on, you'll be staying here. In a little while, I'll show you around and help you get acquainted with the Liuyun Immortal Sect. By the way, have you had your aptitude tested yet?" At this moment, Ming Yuan was the very picture of a responsible senior sister.
Shi Du had been tutored in ritual and protocol by the Grand Tutor since childhood, and now that she had arrived in the Immortal Realm, she was even more mindful of these things. She gave a proper, formal salute before answering Ming Yuan's question. "Many thanks, Senior Sister Ming Yuan. I have yet to be tested."
Ming Yuan watched the person before her. She looked sharp, her bearing keen-edged, yet her conduct was so exceedingly well-behaved. The more Ming Yuan looked, the more pleased she was.
"Then I'll take you to be tested first."
Ming Yuan led Shi Du to the testing site. The moment Shi Du made contact with the spirit-testing stone, it erupted with a dazzling, eye-searing blue radiance. The elder supervising the test rose to her feet at the sight.
Ming Yuan stood to the side, her face brimming with excitement she could not hide. The way she looked at Shi Du was the way a predator locked its gaze on its prey.
The testing elder said to Shi Du, "Your aptitude is extraordinary. You must seize this opportunity."
Ming Yuan also said to Shi Du, "The path of cultivation is not easy. Your senior sister will help you."
When Shi Du walked out of the hall, there was a smile on her face. She looked down at her own hands, then clenched them tight, as though steeling her resolve.
Two straight months passed. Shi Du met a few other fellow disciples who had also come from the Mortal Realm. Some were from the royal families and noble houses of great nations, and some, like her, were heirs apparent from small kingdoms. They attended the same classes, yet Shi Du discovered that during lectures, these students were always secretly reading other books. Shi Du asked about it a few times, but those people invariably guarded themselves against her like she was a thief, their attitudes thoroughly hostile.
Shi Du did not know what they were reading. But Ling Qingyue and Pei Yin could see it with perfect clarity. It was nothing more than the most basic breathing technique, the kind that littered the Immortal Realm and could be bought at ten copies for a single spirit stone.
For two months, Shi Du never slacked off. Yet she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. The elders lectured on nothing but useless trivia and never taught the disciples how to cultivate.
Just as her patience was about to run out, Shi Du unexpectedly saw someone from the same Mortal Realm cohort sitting in meditation, regulating her breath. With flawless courtesy, she went over to inquire. The woman's expression showed irritation at being interrupted, but after hearing Shi Du's confusion, she raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
Shi Du was puzzled. "Know what?"
The woman lifted the book in her hand. "Nothing is given without something given in return. Naturally, cultivation texts must be bought."
"Bought?" Seeing that the woman did not seem to be lying, Shi Du asked further, "With silver?"
The woman let out a derisive laugh and said with disdain, "Do you know how much this book in my hand is worth? Three thousand gold."
Shi Du drew a sharp breath.
In the void, Ling Qingyue also drew a sharp breath.
She was beginning to understand why the Liuyun Immortal Sect possessed so much gold and jade.
Shi Du returned to her room with a heavy heart. She recalled the words the testing elder had said to her.
Your aptitude is extraordinary. You must seize this opportunity.
Had those words been hinting at this all along?
Three thousand gold for one book. How many books would the path of cultivation require? Three thousand gold, and another three thousand, and another…
Not long afterward, Ming Yuan returned. Her cultivation had advanced again. Seeing Shi Du's utterly despondent state, Ming Yuan's lips curved upward. She leaned in close and asked with attentive concern, "Junior Sister, what's the matter? Did you run into some trouble? Tell your senior sister. Whatever it is, your senior sister can help you."
From the day Shi Du entered the sect, most of her questions had been answered by Ming Yuan. When Shi Du did not know the way, Ming Yuan gave her a map of the Liuyun Immortal Sect. When Shi Du was trapped inside a certain senior sister's formation barrier, it was Ming Yuan who led her out. When Shi Du grew homesick, it was Ming Yuan who brought a white falcon so she could send letters home…
"Senior Sister Ming Yuan…"
Ming Yuan watched the look in Shi Du's eyes as Shi Du looked at her finally soften. The corners of her lips curled upward. "What is it, Junior Sister?"
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