Bring back two or three to toss in first and press them down

 

Bai Ke's past eighteen years hadn't been easy, so the few days spent in Junxiao's secret realm felt almost too leisurely for him. Each day, he practiced his basics of cultivation, trained his qi and movements, read ancient texts, and didn’t have to worry about the trivial matters of daily life. When he encountered problems, he didn’t have to be overly concerned, since there were two powerful figures in the cultivation world there to help him—life felt almost like a paradise.

However, being in such a paradise didn’t mean that Bai Ke had no troubling matters at all.

For example, he had to regularly return to Lin Jie’s courtyard, waiting for the dim-witted disciple Qin He to deliver the pill.

Even Junxiao and Yuxian hadn’t dared to intervene hastily in this matter, as they still hadn’t fully figured out what the Hengtian Sect was really up to or the purpose behind the so-called Seven Star Pill. It wasn't that they couldn't extract the pill from Bai Ke's body; they were uncertain about the potential harm it could cause him, whether it could endanger his life, and if there were reliable methods to remedy the situation.

If this had happened a thousand years ago, both Junxiao and Yuxian would have acted much more decisively, unhesitatingly resolving the immediate pain and getting that troublesome thing out first, figuring out the consequences later.

Back then, they had been bold, filled with the pride of those who had dominated the world, as they were just a step away from ascending to immortality.

However, after experiencing a series of disasters, witnessing countless Taoist companions perish without a trace, watching many sects struggle through turmoil, and seeing the Yusheng Sect almost obliterated overnight—all stirred up by a group of people they had never taken seriously—they had learned the hard way.

It had felt like a hard slap in the face for those long at the top of the hierarchy.

Since then, they had been much more cautious in their actions, as some consequences were simply too heavy to bear.

Now, faced with the hard-won Bai Ke, they, especially Junxiao, had become somewhat delicate in their approach. After all, their current cultivation had diminished compared to their peak.

What eased Bai Ke’s discomfort a bit was that after taking the pill, Junxiao quickly helped alleviate the excruciating pain within him. Aside from the initial moment, the pain dulled significantly, gradually easing to a barely noticeable level before fading away, far less unbearable than the first time.

Yet, just thinking about the Seven Star Pill absorbing his blood and drawing what it needed while slowly transforming into some unknown state made Bai Ke feel a bit nauseous. Who knew what that troublesome thing would become?

Fortunately, he didn’t have to endure that pain at midnight anymore.

He didn’t know what method Yu Xian had used; he just knew that every midnight, the old man leisurely combed his beard and took his wine jug to wait for Qin He in Lin Jie’s small courtyard. In less than a moment, he would sway back again.

*

Nearly a week passed like this, and it seemed that there was no movement from the Hengtian Sect; they probably managed to smooth things over.

Another matter that worried him was Bai Zixu—

On the day he arrived in Junxiao's secret realm, he somehow fell asleep and slept for a full three days and nights, which scared Bai Ke quite a bit.

He couldn't understand what was going on with Bai Zixu. Even during the worst episodes of his madness, he had only ever slept for a day and a night at most, after which he would gradually awaken, and his emotions would stabilize.

Fortunately, Junxiao and Yu Xian hadn’t lied to him. After three days of sleep, Bai Zixu finally woke up on the fourth morning, groggy and wandering around looking for food. Aside from being a bit weak in his legs from sleeping so long and wobbling while he walked, he seemed to be fine.

Bai Ke anxiously pulled him aside and furrowed his brow, seriously asking if he felt unwell. Bai Zixu simply shook his head and said, “Aside from dreaming too much, the sleep was quite refreshing.”

“Refreshing…?” Bai Ke repeated his words in confusion, staring blankly for a moment before frowning and twitching his mouth. He felt that he probably didn’t want to talk to this unreliable person for the next two days.

Just as he turned to leave, Bai Zixu called after him, insisting that Bai Ke listen to him recount all the things he had dreamed about during those three days.

Dreams, of course, had no logic.

And Bai Zixu’s dreams were particularly wild and unpredictable; anyone with a sound mind would probably find them incomprehensible.

Thus, Bai Ke treated his rambling as nonsensical chatter, letting it go in one ear and out the other. After listening for an entire morning, he only caught a few phrases like “a dark shadow crawled out of my head, then swooshed back into another person’s brain” and “hands and feet scattered all over the ground,” which were rather gruesome. Beyond that, he didn’t understand a single thing.

After waking up, Bai Zixu buzzed around Bai Ke like a persistent fly for most of the day, making Bai Ke wonder if he could just talk himself back into a three-day sleep.

But that thought never materialized.

In the following days, Bai Zixu suddenly became much quieter. In Junxiao’s other room stood a bookshelf filled with books that Bai Ke couldn’t even recognize, and he didn’t know if Bai Zixu had been bewitched, but he would spend entire days holed up inside, keeping the door closed to avoid disturbance.

One time, Bai Ke couldn’t help but peek through the window, and he felt speechless when he saw that Bai Zixu was holding a book upside down—what was the point of that…?

However, Bai Ke had always indulged Bai Zixu. Whatever he said went, and whatever he wanted to do was fine with him; he was almost completely compliant.

Since Bai Zixu enjoyed reading books upside down and seemed engrossed in it, Bai Ke decided to let him be. With that thought, he stopped trying to pry into what was going on inside.

Meanwhile, Yu Xian suddenly took a strong interest in Bai Zixu for some reason. He pulled Bai Ke aside to ask a few questions about him, and then occasionally went into that room to say a few words to Bai Zixu, claiming it was to “discuss the meaning of the books.”

Who knew what kind of insights he could gain from someone reading upside down?

Bai Ke tentatively asked Yu Xian about it a few times, but the old man always evaded the questions, leaving Bai Ke unsure of what he was up to.

In the past, if someone approached Bai Zixu with unclear intentions, Bai Ke would have been very cautious and on high alert. But with Yu Xian or Junxiao, he inexplicably felt no need to be on guard. Perhaps it was because of the absurd yet traceable stories of their past lives, or maybe something else entirely; in any case, Bai Ke felt completely at ease around these two.

Occasionally, a few suspicious thoughts would cross his mind, and his subconscious would surface a vague sense of guilt. It seemed that any mistrust towards these two would create a deep-seated unease within him, as if he were committing some kind of blasphemy.

Before he knew it, a week had passed idly. Yu Xian had fully returned to normal. This man was naturally restless; he would either tease Bai Ke or Lin Jie, or go bother Bai Zixu and Peanut—he simply couldn’t keep his hands still.

Now that his spirit had finally recovered, Yu Xian couldn’t resist provoking Junxiao, stubbornly dragging him into a sparring match, claiming that he hadn’t moved in a week and needed to stretch his muscles.

Junxiao ignored the disturbance and calmly finished teaching Bai Ke a particularly difficult ghost drawing talisman, guiding him to write it out once more to ensure he had it memorized. Only after that did he wave his sleeve and step outside.

By the time Lin Jie and Bai Ke followed him out, the two figures had already gone up to the skies, blending into a blur of light and shadow. The two onlookers could only stare, utterly speechless.

When two equally matched masters exchanged blows, it was beyond the comprehension of these novices. They stood there, mouths agape for a while, before silently lowering their heads to massage their stiff jaws, ultimately giving up on watching.

*

“Hey—Little Bai!” Lin Jie, feeling tired from reading ancient texts, was wandering around to stretch his neck and shoulders when he stopped at the ink-washing pool and called Bai Ke over. “The Sect Leader seems to have summoned a few elders for a discussion.”

“Why summon them at this time?” Bai Ke was just about to go inside to ask Bai Zixu if he was hungry when he heard Lin Jie’s words and paused, turning back toward the ink-washing pool.

This was an oval stone basin on the south side of the house, not large, filled with clear water year-round. They usually washed their brushes here, but any ink that dripped into the clear water would dissipate, leaving no trace behind; no matter how many times they washed, the water remained crystal clear.

A few days ago, Junxiao had carved some talismans on the ink-washing pool, allowing them to see what was happening inside the Hengtian Hall, to figure out what the Hengtian Sect Leader was up to.

However, the Sect Leader was not one to chat lightly; he only met with those elders and occasionally summoned disciples like Qin He, speaking of mundane matters. Aside from mentioning Bai Ke a few times, there was nothing of great interest to them, especially not more information about the Seven Star Pill.

But today, what the Sect Leader and the elders discussed seemed different.

As Bai Ke approached, he saw the Sect Leader standing with his hands behind his back, frowning deeply, as if troubled by something. After a moment of silence, he flicked his sleeve and turned to the several elders seated beside him, asking, “You just discovered this this morning?”

“Yes,” one slightly plump elder replied, his expression equally worried. “There are still nearly two hundred thirty-two days left. How could it suddenly… sigh.”

Bai Ke and Lin Jie wanted to roll their eyes at him. These people always spoke halfway, leaving them completely confused.

“Have the things in the valley been taken care of?” the Sect Leader asked the plump elder.

He shook his head. “It takes ten years to mature; we’re still three months short.”

“What should we do?” another elder began to fidget. “If we don’t have anything to send in to press down…”

It seemed that several elders, along with the Sect Leader, had thought of something, and their faces turned pale.

After a moment of contemplation, the Sect Leader said, “Go outside and find some.”

“The Qingyun Sect can’t be touched, and the Shaoyang Sect is in a strong position, so we can’t touch them either. There are hardly any left from the Changling Xuanwei…” The plump elder nearly began counting on his fingers, but was interrupted before he could finish.

“You useless fool! Can you really disturb other sects at a time like this?! You’d just be handing them your hairpin.”

“Then what about loose cultivators?” another elder interjected. “Those who have achieved something are too noticeable; it’s inconvenient to involve them. Let’s find some from the side paths… They don’t have much contact with us, so it won’t make a big impact if we disturb a few.”

"I do have a rough idea about some things in Yishi City," Lin Jie's master said. "There are a few likely in the vicinity of the Peach Blossom Garden. It wouldn't hurt to take some people to look for them; bring back two or three to toss in first and press them down. After some time, the Seven Star Pill should be ready."

As soon as Lin Jie heard the words "Peach Blossom Garden," his brow furrowed. Although he didn’t know exactly what these people were plotting, he could tell it wouldn’t be anything good. And the Peach Blossom Garden...

The Peach Blossom Garden was the area where Aunt Fatty and her group lived.

 

Translator : DarNan