“Yan, our last parting was hasty. I imagine your face might be a hindrance as you travel through the realms alone. Do you have something to conceal your appearance?” Nan Yi asked.
“Yes,” Nan Yan replied, producing a mask she had commissioned from Yin Ya in Chen State. Imbued with Yin Ya’s nightmare fox illusion technique, it was difficult for ordinary people to see through, and even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t notice anything amiss without close inspection.
Nan Yi pointed at the mask and addressed his zither, “Jiao, if you please.”
Nan Yan was surprised. “Jiao?”
A faint sound came from the Wild Listening Zither on Nan Yi’s back. From its head emerged a translucent, phantom-like ice-blue fish.
The small fish gently swayed its tail, lightly brushing over the mask. Instantly, a concealing power, no less effective than the Silver Shark Pearl, surfaced on the mask.
Nan Yan’s gaze followed the blue fish. “Is this… Aunt Jiao?”
After swimming across the mask, the blue fish didn’t return to the zither. Instead, it slowly floated towards Nan Yan, affectionately nuzzling her cheek before returning to the Wild Listening Zither.
Nan Yi nodded, his voice softening, “Back then… your mother found Jiao and me in the ruins of Linglong Capital. She helped me use an extremely draining secret technique to lock Jiao’s soul, preventing it from scattering. This spirit fish is formed from her lingering attachment. Unwilling to enter reincarnation, she remains by my side as a zither spirit.”
As a Buddhist cultivator, Nan Yan could see that Aunt Jiao’s spirit was too deeply attached to be guided to enlightenment. Perhaps it would be the same for her uncle. After his death, their strong attachments would prevent them from entering the cycle of reincarnation, and their souls would disperse back to nature together.
Feeling melancholic, she carefully accepted the mask and asked, “Won’t this drain Aunt Jiao?”
“With the Silver Shark Pearl returned, this small amount of spiritual power is no concern,” Nan Yi replied. His eyes then filled with remorse. “After the Linglong Capital bloodbath, I regained my senses, but it was too late for Jiao. Your mother came when she heard the news, running around and meditating for me. Fearing that Dragon Lord would face criticism from Chen State’s people, she voluntarily broke off their engagement…”
Nan Yan said, “If it were you, Uncle, you would have done the same. But why did my mother go to the Mortal State?”
“…Your mother couldn’t bear to see me wallowing in the pain of lost love. She went to the Mortal State to seek someone who could resurrect Jiao.”
“Resurrection? Life and death are part of the natural order. How can there be talk of resurrection?” Nan Yan asked, astonished.
Nan Yi lifted his head, his eyes vacant. “Cultivators seek immortality, and the path to immortality is, in a way, an understanding of the cycle of life and death… That’s what your mother said. I never fully understood, but I think she must have known that there are beings in this world who transcend the cycle of life and death.”
Nan Yan seemed to grasp a clue, but Nan Yi’s expression changed slightly, and he ended the topic.
“Yan, since you’re rarely in Dragon Capital, you can go out for a walk wearing this mask empowered by the Silver Shark Pearl. Your mother has grievances throughout the realms, so you must keep your identity hidden. Remember not to use your real name for now. Also… give me your hand.”
Puzzled, Nan Yan extended her hand. Nan Yi inscribed a rune that sank into her flesh. Soon, a mystical rune appeared in Nan Yan’s spiritual consciousness.
“What’s this?”
“This mark is the coordinates for your mother’s void realm. I can’t open it, but after you reach Core Formation, if you can comprehend the illusions of the void, you can use this rune along with your bloodline to open your mother’s void realm.”
Unlike Qiankun bags or Sumeru rings, which could be stolen, a void realm was a storage space for Nascent Soul cultivators. It was a set of spatial coordinates that couldn’t be taken away even if the cultivator perished.
It was like suddenly inheriting a fortune that she could only access after reaching the late Core Formation stage. Nan Yan felt a bit dizzy.
“Dragon Capital is prosperous. Go out and clear your mind. I have matters to discuss with Dragon Lord shortly,” Nan Yi said.
At the mention of Dragon Lord, Nan Yan snapped to attention and took her leave.
After seeing Nan Yan off, Nan Yi addressed a corner of the corridor, “Dragon Lord.”
“Nan Yi, I’ll be brief,” Ao Guanghan said, his face complex as he watched Nan Yan’s retreating figure. “Nan Nao once went to the Hall of Justice to plead with the Elder Council for your sake. Due to my position, I couldn’t accompany her. At the Hall of Justice, she endured everyone’s criticism. Only one person spoke up for her then.”
“It was Ying Zewei. I know,” Nan Yi said, his fingers clenching. “It was also he who told Jiao to leave me.”
Ao Guanghan replied, “The people of Dao Birth Heaven are as cunning as demons. How could they not know what that foolish mermaid would do? So when I heard the child say that Nao had been… harmed, I also sent him an invitation. We’ll see if this Mysterious Governor dares to come and face questioning.”
“De Yin Shuangqi… He was once the person I least wanted to doubt in this world,” Nan Yi said. Both men fell silent for a while.
After some time, Ao Guanghan spoke, “Nao’s Red Emperor Demon Heart is a supreme treasure of the world. When I was at Core Formation, we went to the Forest Cliff Demon Cave together. When we encountered a great demon we couldn’t defeat, she took a blow for me, and her Nascent Soul was instantly destroyed. After I carried her out of the demon cave, under the power of the Red Emperor Demon Heart, her Nascent Soul was reborn through nirvana. She fully recovered in just half a day… That’s why I still don’t believe she’s dead.”
Nan Yi replied, “I think the same, but from what Yan says, someone took away your sister’s remains years ago. I’ve asked, and it wasn’t anyone from the Red Emperor’s Jade Palace.”
“She had many enemies and grievances. I don’t want to alert them yet, so I’ve sent out many spies recently. However, if it were Meng Xiaolou, he might go directly to the place he suspects most to demand her return.”
“What if we can’t avoid it when the time comes?” asked Nan Yi.
“What can we do? You have a child to protect, and I have Chenzhou to shoulder,” he replied. His fiery temperament made patience a hundred times more painful for him than for others.
“Dragon Lord, you’ve become more level-headed than before.”
Ao Guanghan took two steps forward, then paused. His voice hoarse, he said, “If Rao Niang was truly killed by him, I’ll endure for a hundred years until I can safely hand Chenzhou over to Zhan Ting. By then, if that person hasn’t ascended… this grudge won’t end until death!”
…
Nan Yan left Chaoyu Tower without being stopped by cultivators. Finding a secluded spot, she tucked away her Buddhist beads and donned her mask. This time, she transformed into an elegant woman with a mole by her lips. Creating a water mirror, she examined her reflection and found that, enhanced by the Silver Shark Pearl’s power, the magical fluctuations on her mask had completely vanished. Even her divine sense couldn’t detect anything amiss.
Now she was truly safe.
Emerging from the alley, Nan Yan took in the sights of Chenzhou’s Dragon Capital. When she’d arrived, dragon servants and cultivators had escorted her directly to Chaoyu Tower, leaving no time to explore. Now, she marveled at the throngs of cultivators and the broad streets wide enough for twenty giant elephants to walk abreast.
Looking down, she noticed the ground was paved with precisely cut white jade slabs, their joints inlaid with gold, giving the entire Dragon Capital an air of supreme imperial grandeur.
“How wealthy,” she thought.
As Nan Yan strolled the streets, she observed the predominantly opulent buildings and the cultivators’ elaborate attire. After an hour of sightseeing, her eyes were dazzled, and she found herself missing her second brother.
For shopping and sightseeing, having her second brother around was better than any close friend. Unfortunately, she’d left Yinzhou in such a hurry that she hadn’t had time to contact him.
As she walked, Nan Yan suddenly overheard people in a nearby spirit tea house mentioning Mu Zhanting’s name. Intrigued, she entered, ordered a pot of spirit tea, and listened closely.
“… Did you see it? The Dragon Lord beat the Prince at the city gate for an entire afternoon!”
“The Dragon Lord disciplining his disciple? Even Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t dare peek with their divine sense. How could I stick my neck out?”
“I heard it from Master Sun the Alchemist’s disciple. The Prince was beaten so badly that he was unrecognizable. But it’s good he’s injured; those troublemakers from Yinzhou can’t find him to cause problems these past two days.”
“Psh! So what if he absorbed a bit of lifespan from their Nascent Soul cultivators? If a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator wanders around killing people in the middle of the night instead of staying home, who’s to blame if they get robbed?”
As they spoke, seven or eight red-robed Foundation Establishment cultivators entered the tea house, their faces grim. The gossipers, being of lower cultivation, immediately fell silent. The newcomers sat together and raised a sound barrier, seemingly engaged in a private discussion.
Nan Yan noticed the emblem on their sleeves, recognizing the Yinzhou style. Curious, she easily eavesdropped with her Golden Core stage divine sense.
“… Now that the Young Lord has returned to the Red Emperor’s Jade Palace, those legendary Supreme Elders have stepped in and suppressed all of the Imperial Consort’s right-hand men. If we can’t uncover information about the person the Imperial Consort wants, we’ll have no explanation when we return.”
“In my opinion, we might as well fabricate some corpses and claim the Chenzhou Prince killed people in our territory. To save face, Chenzhou will surely pin the murder on that True Circle nun. As long as they hand over the nun, our mission is complete. After that, whether we reach Golden Core or Nascent Soul, it’ll be smooth sailing.”
“Exactly. The Young Lord has returned, so we should act sooner rather than later,” one of them said. “I think that bastard son from the main branch will do. He’s useless anyway. Let’s lure him outside the city, kill him, disguise the body, and bring it back. With the clan leader’s protection, it’s foolproof.”
Nan Yan set down her teacup as the cultivators prepared to leave. She was about to follow these despicable individuals out of the city when suddenly, a figure wrapped in a fox fur cloak collided with them outside.
The lone figure had concealed their cultivation level. One of the Yinzhou cultivators, stumbling from the collision, snarled, “Are you suicidal?”
The cloaked figure retorted, “Are you asking for a beating?”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course. Your surname is ‘Stupid,’ given name ‘Fool.’ A pleasure to meet you.”
Enraged, the Yinzhou cultivator unsheathed his sword. Suddenly, everyone froze, their pupils glowing purple. They dropped their swords and crawled out the door like dogs.
Such powerful illusion magic…
Nan Yan watched for a moment. After the cloaked figure sat down, she approached and took a seat opposite him.
Yin Ya, sizing up the woman before him, thought it might be a romantic encounter. “Can I help you, miss?”
Moved by his presence, Nan Yan said, “Second Brother, you’re so clever. You knew I was brought to Dragon Capital and came specifically to find me.”
Yin Ya’s hopes were instantly dashed. Rolling his eyes, he said, “I’ve been in Chenzhou for two days. I heard you were locked up in Chaoyu Tower and was figuring out how to sneak in and rescue you. I didn’t expect you to be out already. How come the Dragon Lord didn’t give you trouble?”
“He didn’t. I even met Uncle,” Nan Yan replied, recounting her recent experiences. “The Dragon Lord only mentioned Big Brother’s birthday publicly. There’s bound to be quite an argument tomorrow.”
“I don’t care about all that. The sooner you cultivate and reach enlightenment, the sooner I can stop worrying,” Yin Ya said, tossing her something. “The Sumeru Ring is ready. This one’s yours.”
Nan Yan accepted it with a smile, slipping it on her thumb and examining it from all angles. Her smile gradually faded. “Second Brother, this custom-made ring is unique, but… why does it look like a pig’s trotter?”
Yin Ya averted his gaze. “Does it? The Forging Sun Tower people call it ‘Bird’s Golden Claw.’ It’s a symbol of wealth and status.”
Nan Yan pressed, “Then why does only my ring look like this? Are you sure it’s not a pig’s trotter?”
“It’s not,” Yin Ya insisted. “Don’t you trust my taste after all these years? When have I ever deceived you?”
Reluctantly accepting his explanation, Nan Yan remembered what Yin Ya had retrieved from the Demon Sealing Formation. “Uncle mentioned that the formation’s disturbance was due to the awakening of the Sumeru Turtle beneath the sea. Is it related to what you brought up from the seabed?”
“I didn’t have time to explain then,” Yin Ya said, sipping his tea. “In that sea cave beneath the Demon Sealing Formation, I used my spirit projection to enter a volcanic vent. Inside, I found a stone tablet with blood-red characters spelling out ‘Cold Spring River.'”
Nan Yan pondered for a moment. “There are many references to Cold Spring in ancient texts, with various interpretations. It might just be a secret location from ancient times. Didn’t you bring back a box as well?”
“Yes, there was a box, but I couldn’t open it. Neither magic attacks nor lockpicking worked. However, when I shook it, my treasure-hunting experience told me it likely contained something like a crown,” Yin Ya explained. His eyes suddenly lit up with inspiration. “Since this item was buried beneath the Demon Sealing Formation, it’s probably from the Demon State. Why don’t we find a place to test it with some demon blood?”
Nan Yan retorted, “Aren’t you from a royal demon lineage yourself? What use would my impure bloodline be?”
“The Celestial Fox Clan’s reign dates back nearly ten thousand years. When the Demon Sealing Formation was established, the Chongming Clan ruled. My bloodline might not work, but yours might.”
Reluctantly, Nan Yan allowed Yin Ya to drag her to a secret cave in Dragon Capital where they were temporarily staying. Using a demon secret technique he provided, she extracted a drop of demon blood.
“…Invoke the ancestral spirits, awaken my bloodline.”
In the cave, Nan Yan chanted in the demon tongue for the first time, cutting her vein. Under the spell’s influence, a streak of demon blood, seemingly ablaze, was distilled into a thumbnail-sized Chongming bird. It collided with the lock on Yin Ya’s mysterious box.
“It doesn’t seem to be doing anything,” Nan Yan observed.
As they leaned in for a closer look, a faint light suddenly emanated from within the lock. With a soft “click,” the lock opened, and a thin blue mist seeped out from the box’s seam.
As the blue mist emerged, the entire cave suddenly turned frigid, quickly becoming unbearable even for their Golden Core stage cultivation.
“What’s happening?” Nan Yan asked, bewildered.
Suddenly, they heard shouts from outside the cave.
“Why has the sky darkened? Where did this snow come from in September? Is the Dragon Lord angry again?”
“No! Ghostly creatures are circling in the clouds! Could it be an enemy attack?!”
Instantly, powerful cultivators from various caves around Dragon Capital released their auras. The sound of many taking flight could be heard—
“Who dares summon ghostly creatures in our Dragon Capital?! If this old man catches you, you’ll be torn to shreds on the spot!”
Nan Yan and Yin Ya fell silent, then simultaneously lunged forward, desperately trying to close the gradually opening box.
“What demonic thing did you bring here?!” Nan Yan exclaimed.
“Stop talking and help me close it!” Yin Ya shouted back. “We’re in big trouble!”