Baili Qingmiao didn't feel comfortable taking the pile of treasures Wenren È had left her. She returned to Shangqing Sect and after meditating for a night, found that her level had actually increased from the second level of Foundation Establishment all the way to the seventh, an abnormally big leap. She assumed it was the help of those two experts' guidance.
Baili Qingmiao had been taught since childhood that the gratitude of a drop of water should be repaid by a spring. She couldn't accept such a benefit for free, so met with her master and said she wanted to leave the mountain to gain experience.
Baili Qingmiao's master Elder Qingrong was a female cultivator, and most of the female disciples were under her. Shangqing Sect didn't forbid its disciples from dual cultivating and just warned them that dual cultivation should only be done after Nascent Soul stage. The first reason was to give irresolute disciples something to look forward to; if someone had a goal, they would put out more effort. The second reason was that after Nascent Soul stage, a cultivator's emotional maturity would rise and the impulses of youth would be weakened. Only true and deep desires would remain. So it was also to help disciples know their own hearts, so they wouldn't sabotage themselves while still young.
The Shangqing Sect believed that it was better to restrict something than to forbid it. Instead of banning disciples from romantic relations, it was better to properly guide them, to avoid making them want to rebel.
This regulation worked quite well. Some disciples dedicated themselves to cultivating hard so they could be together properly with the person they loved. The whole sect was full of motivation to advance.
Elder Qingrong, hearing that her favorite young disciple had resolved to set out alone to train, showed a gratified smile. She patted Baili Qingmiao's hand and said warmly, "And I was worried that you were too reluctant to leave your shixiong to travel alone."
"Oh my god, master..." Baili Qingmiao blushed, hugging Elder Qingrong's arm.
Elder Qingrong saw that her little disciple had finally grown up and felt relieved. She nodded and said, "It's good that you're motivated. You're a rare talent. Back then, if I hadn't held you back, thinking that it was too early, you probably would've built your foundation at twelve or thirteen. After Foundation Establishment, your body won't grow until Nascent Soul stage. Would you have wanted to have a twelve or thirteen year old body for the next hundred years of cultivation?"
Baili Qingmiao was a bit embarrassed. Back then she was young, okay, she didn't understand anything. If she looked twelve or thirteen, shixiong taking her places would look like a father with his daughter. That would be awful.
Elder Qingrong told Baili Qingmiao that she shouldn't go anywhere too dangerous, and to immediately break her jade messaging talisman if she ran into trouble, to think before acting and not show off. After cautioning her on a great many things, she also gave her a protective magic item, which could block one full-power attack from a Deity Transformation stage cultivator. After she felt she had covered everything, she finally sent Baili Qingmiao with her own seal down to the administration hall to make a record.
Shangqing Sect had many disciples, and they needed to keep a clear record of everything. These kinds of trips usually lasted half a year to a year, and if Baili Qingmiao wasn't back by then, the elders would set out to find her whereabouts, so it was also for the disciples' safety.
Hè Wenzhao was the chief disciple and also held several posts at the administration hall. He was currently on duty, and when receiving Baili Qingmiao's seal of authorization, he stared at her for a moment. "Shimei, you want to leave the mountain alone?"
"Yeah, I can't be shixiong's shadow forever," Baili Qingmiao said with a smile. "I want to quickly reach Nascent Soul, so I can slay monsters and defeat evil alongside shixiong, and become renowned in the cultivation world."
"Is that so? Good, that's good..." Hè Wenzhao had had erotic dreams all night and was a bit distracted, his mind feeling blank. He originally felt a bit guilty when he saw his shimei, but when hearing she wanted to leave, he didn't feel reluctant and actually relaxed a bit.
Baili Qingmiao didn't notice Hè Wenzhao's inattentiveness. After making her record, she lit a soul lamp, which was what all traveling disciples were meant to do. If something happened to them, the lamp would go out, and people at Shangqing Sect would know immediately.
After reluctantly bidding farewell to Hè Wenzhao, Baili Qingmiao left the mountain and came to the tea house where she had previously met Wenren È.
Wenren È had already made the arrangements with Baili Qingmiao. Seeing her arrive, he nodded and said, "You start flying, we'll catch up later."
At Baili Qingmiao's speed, it would take at least seven days to get to the Ice Plains. Yin Hanjiang could get there in four hours, and Wenren È in less than ten minutes.
"I'd rather return these things to you. It's not right for me to take them." Baili Qingmiao took off the storage hairpin and placed it on the table. "I've kept the Flame Feather Cloak to protect myself in the Ice Plains. Due to senior's guidance, I've risen much in cultivation. Since you've already given me something, it's only natural I complete a task for you. I can't accept more on top of that."
Wenren È raised an eyebrow. "All things are guided by karma, and the things I've given you are also due to that. You're just being repaid, not incurring a debt, so don't be concerned."
"Oh?" Baili Qingmiao said, surprised. "I have a karmic connection to you, senior? But I grew up at Shangqing Sect. I've never met you before."
"Karmic relations are not limited to this life, and not necessarily incurred by you. They may be from past lives, or your blood relatives," Wenren È said. "I'm not only going to give you these, I'm going to assist your cultivation, help you become a god, help you realize all your desires."
Baili Qingmiao tugged at her sash and said bashfully, "I don't dare think about becoming a god, but I do have a desire. I want to quickly reach Nascent Soul, so I can..."
She trailed off midway, but Wenren È could guess where she was going. Disappointed but unable to do anything about it, he gulped down a mouthful of ordinary tea without a hint of spiritual energy and waved her off. "You get going. We'll meet at the entrance to the Thousand Mile Ice Plains in seven days."
"Okay." Baili Qingmiao left the restaurant, leaving the hairpin on the table.
After she left, Yin Hanjiang used his sword to draw an array in the air, casting a simple illusion around the two. Anyone looking from the outside would see the two of them sipping tea and eating while chatting idly, but they could do whatever they wanted within the illusion.
Wenren È frowned and said, "Protector Yin, what's your desire?"
"This subordinate is the Venerable's sword. While the sword exists, I exist. When the sword breaks, I die," Yin Hanjiang said.
He didn't even blink, seeming to say these words instinctively without thinking about them, like he had replayed them many times in his heart and it had already become an obsession.
"You certainly are boring." Shu Yanyan walked out of a corner. Leaning against Yin Hanjiang's shoulder, she said, "A high position, unmatched power, good-looking guys—ah, I mean girls—which one of these wouldn't people desire? Am I not right, Venerable?"
Wenren È said expressionlessly, "I've never thought about it."
Shu Yanyan: ...
Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang were like two lumps of steel, and it brought an unhappy memory to Shu Yanyan's mind.
It was eighty years ago, when Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang fought their way into the main hall of Xuanyuan Sect and Wenren È dueled the old sect master, killing him after three days and nights of combat. Yin Hanjiang stayed by him for all that time, preventing anyone else from approaching.
Yin Hanjiang was only at the first level of Body Unity, but he wielded a demonic sword which he had forcibly fused with, and could unleash a frightening amount of power in an instant. He would kill man or god who got in his way, and many Void Boundary experts were too scared to approach a mere Body Unity stage opponent.
But demonic cultivators didn't just fight face-to-face, and had quite diverse methods. Altar Master Yuan had Shu Yanyan go up and seduce Yin Hanjiang, and she wasn't just a pretty face. If a Void Boundary expert were to unleash all her charm, anyone under Void Boundary stage, no matter if male or female, old or young, would all become Shu Yanyan's servants, and even men above Void Boundary would have a hard time resisting. Dealing with a Body Unity opponent would be a piece of cake.
So Shu Yanyan approached full of confidence and got several teeth knocked out by Yin Hanjiang. For over a year, her teeth were full of gaps and she couldn't talk properly, and it wasn't until Wenren È reinstated the sect's previous positions did she dare to heal them.
That battle essentially gave Shu Yanyan a fear of Wenren È and Yin Hanjiang. They seemed to have no feelings. Wenren È cultivated the Path of Slaughter, and when he saw a beautiful woman, his first thought would be what kind of difference there was to fight a woman versus a man. And as for Yin Hanjiang, he actually seemed to deeply believe he was an ice-cold sword, blind and heartless, not caring if what was in front of him was a man, woman, or beast, so long as it wasn't Wenren È.
Yin Hanjiang's world was divided into Wenren È and not Wenren È, and Shu Yanyan occupied the "not" category. Over eighty years had passed, but whenever Shu Yanyan saw Yin Hanjiang, her teeth would ache, and this man nearly became her inner demon.
But she was a woman who rose to challenges, so how could she let something like this hold her back?
Just as Wenren È assumed, the loyalty of his subordinates was dependent on his own overwhelming power, but they constantly desired to drag him down from that altar. Shu Yanyan was that kind of ambitious woman.
She walked in front of Wenren È, her voice soft like an enticement from the abyss. "Venerable, you already have power and status, so don't you want something more? That Baili Qingmiao is such a good innocent girl. Should this subordinate coax her to your side for you?"
Unbeknownst to Shu Yanyan, when she said these words, Yin Hanjiang's face paled and he stiffened against the wall, like an emotionless puppet.
Shu Yanyan knew she didn't have the power to charm the Venerable, but that was fine. If Wenren È was tempted, he would lower his defenses, and she would have a chance.
"Shu Yanyan." Wenren È placed a hand on Shu Yanyan's scalp, but the action was without a slight hint of warmth, and the pressure was as if he was looking to crush Shu Yanyan's skull with one hand. "I approve of my subordinates' ambition, and so allow you to do what you want, and I also don't care about you placing your weird notions on me."
"Ah, ah, the Venerable is magnanimous." Shu Yanyan was too scared to breathe.
"But, don't overestimate yourself," Wenren È said in a heavier voice. "Use your ambition for productive things. I'm still looking to the Great Sect War as a chance to increase my cultivation."
In the Path of Slaughter, one advanced in combat. At Wenren È's current realm, mortal warfare could not have any effect for him. Only a war that affected the entire cultivation world would be enough. The righteous sects were taking the offensive this time, and Wenren È planned to use it as an opportunity to break through his realm.
"Yes, yes," Shu Yanyan said, her head in splitting pain and a few streams of blood running down her forehead. Her expectations that had just been raised came crashing down.
Wenren È saw that the lesson was sufficient and released her. Yin Hanjiang handed over a handkerchief, which Wenren È used to wipe the blood from his fingertips before tossing on the floor.
Shu Yanyan didn't dare to wipe her blood and said with it dripping down her face, "This subordinate will put every effort towards getting information. The day the Venerable returns from the Thousand Mile Ice Plains will be the day the Great Sect War begins!"
"One more thing," Wenren È said. "Do your best to make Hè Wenzhao obsessed with you. I want Baili Qingmiao to give up on that man."
"Understood!" Shu Yanyan bowed her head, looking like a female ghost with her hair loose.
After waiting for a while and hearing nothing, she lifted her head and found the two men had left. She plopped down on the floor in a cold sweat, hand over her heart.
After she treated her injuries, she saw from the second floor Hè Wenzhao walk by below, in the direction of her home. Shu Yanyan chuckled coldly. Ah, men, so impatient. Little shimei's just left and here you are—can't even wait a few days.
But these kinds of men still gave you a sense of accomplishment. As for the Venerable and his Left Protector...
Shu Yanyan shook her head, chased the memories of her painful experience from her mind, and focused her attention on Hè Wenzhao.
Wenren È brought Yin Hanjiang to the entrance of the Thousand Mile Ice Plains. Seeing Yin Hanjiang was very pale, he grasped his hand and found that it felt like that of a frozen corpse. "Better for me to enter alone," he said. "Your body is chilled and can't take the cold air. Wait at the entrance for me."
Yin Hanjiang looked toward the boundless expanse of ice and shook his head. "It's said to be an extremely dangerous place where wandering immortals are secluded. This subordinate insists on following the Venerable."
"I order you to wait here," Wenren È said.
"This subordinate does not wish to deceive the Venerable. When the Venerable goes, this subordinate will follow."
He was stubborn like an unbending sword, and his honesty actually managed to move Wenren È.
Wenren È sliced open his wrist with a finger and brought it in front of Yin Hanjiang. "The Path of Slaughter may be rejected by the righteous sects, but it is a path of true yang. The hot blood of combat, the stirring emotions, the ruthless spirit of hundreds or thousands of men meeting in battle that leads even vengeful ghosts to keep their distance, all fills this Venerable's blood with yang energy. If you drink this blood, this Venerable's power will be able to protect you on your way through the Ice Plains."
"Venerable, you're hurt. This subordinate isn't worthy..." A hint of pain showed in the depths of Yin Hanjiang's emotionless eyes.
"That demonic sword is associated with coldness and yin. Do you want this Venerable to have to save you in the Ice Plains because you cannot bring out the full power of merging with the sword? Besides, whether or not you're worthy is up to this Venerable. What right do you have to decide that you're unworthy?" Wenren È said. "If you're not willing, this Venerable will seal your power and leave you at the Ice Plains' entrance."
Crimson blood dripped slowly from Wenren È's wrist. Yin Hanjiang shut his eyes in pain for a moment, then opened them. He gritted his teeth, then brought his lips to Wenren È's wrist and sipped a mouthful of warm blood.
A current of warmth flowed into his dantian. Wenren È used spiritual energy to stop the flow of blood and, squeezing Yin Hanjiang's finger, felt it was finally gaining some warmth. He nodded, satisfied.
Yin Hanjiang's expression looked a little strained. He rubbed his warm chest and felt a bit off-balance in his heart. That shouldn't be; the Venerable's sword shouldn't have thoughts of its own.
He suppressed his unruly emotions and stood wordlessly by Wenren È. They waited there for ten days, until Baili Qingmiao finally arrived.
Wenren È didn't find this strange; while the protagonist was traveling alone, she was sure to run into some unexpected situations and be delayed. That was quite normal.
Baili Qingmiao on the other hand was rather embarrassed. "Apologies, seniors. On the way here, I passed by a village cursed by ghosts. I was delayed for a few days to exorcise them, and failed to meet our agreement."
A village cursed by ghosts?
Wenren È was certain that this was the debut of love interest number five, Baili Qingmiao's little disciple.
This little disciple was originally a stillborn fetus. While Baili Qingmiao was exorcising ghosts, one of the evil spirits had actually not been dispersed and hid inside that fetus, filled with hate for her. Eighteen years later, he reencountered Baili Qingmiao who was now at the Nascent Soul stage and took her as a master, waiting for a chance to eat her soul.
Later, Baili Qingmiao's kind, honest, beautiful, and gentle nature led this ghost cultivator to reform and willingly become her disciple. Hating Hè Wenzhao for causing his master to cry, he tried to assassinate him and was killed by him. After his death, he was exposed as a ghost cultivator, and the female villains took the opportunity to accuse Baili Qingmiao of colluding with evil.
The reason he existed was probably to give Hè Wenzhao a better excuse to mistreat the female lead.
Wenren È didn't really worry about these small details. None of these things would be a problem anyway if Baili Qingmiao didn't love Hè Wenzhao.
The three of them entered the Ice Plains. To let Baili Qingmiao find the Snow Flame her own way, Wenren È put a tracking spell on her and told her to wander around randomly in the endless field of ice. He and Yin Hanjiang just had to keep an eye on her from afar.
Baili Qingmiao's cultivation was low, and even with the Flame Feather Cloak protecting her, she was still so cold her face was turning purple, struggling arduously through the frost and snow. On the other hand, Yin Hanjiang was at Body Unity stage and had drunk Wenren È's blood, and Wenren È also provided him with his own spiritual energy now and again. Even after several days, his face was still flushed, and his condition had also improved significantly. It was a sad comparison to make with Baili Qingmiao.
Yin Hanjiang, watching Baili Qingmiao's movements, opened his mouth several times wanting to ask something, but always held back.
In this way, they tailed her for five months. As Baili Qingmiao endured the harshness of the Ice Plains, she managed to raise her cultivation to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and would only need to use a Core Formation cultivation manual to raise her stage. However, she found no trace of the Snow Flame.
Wenren È also didn't expect to waste this much time in the Ice Plains. Puzzled, he said, "This shouldn't be. The Snow Flame is destined to belong to Baili Qingmiao. Why hasn't it appeared?"
He thought back to the story and realized that the time now aligned with the book's progression, just around the time Baili Qingmiao would've found Hè Wenzhao sucked empty by Shu Yanyan, and took him to find the cure.
In the book, Baili Qingmiao hadn't had the Flame Feather Cloak. Her limbs were frostbitten after three days of being in the Ice Plains, and all her spiritual energy was going towards protecting Hè Wenzhao, as she crawled across the ice with him on her back. When she was on the verge of freezing to death, a ball of flame appeared before her. She reached for it with all her remaining strength and caught that flame, tears of relief flowing from her eyes.
"Could it be that she has to be near death to see the Snow Flame?" Wenren È mused.
The Lord of Demons was an action-oriented man. With a thought, the Flame Feather Cloak on Baili Qingmiao's body vanished and appeared in his hand. The merely Foundation Establishment girl was instantly left shivering from the cold.
Seeing this, Yin Hanjiang opened his mouth again.
Wenren È saw his expression and said, "You've been holding off on saying something all this time. What is it? This Venerable orders you to say it."
With Wenren È's order, Yin Hanjiang was more at ease, and said, "Doesn't the Venerable favor Baili Qingmiao? Why..."
Why doesn't it seem like you like her at all? Why does it seem like you'd be fine with her freezing to death?
"Who told you I liked her?" Wenren È felt this matter was very important to clarify; he didn't want Yin Hanjiang to misunderstand like in the book. He poked Yin Hanjiang in the forehead. "This Venerable has deduced the workings of fate and realized I have a debt to Baili Qingmiao's previous incarnation for helping me enter the Dao. In this life, I have to help her ascend. That's why I helped her."
"Now I see." For some reason, a weight was taken off Yin Hanjiang's chest. He pointed to Baili Qingmiao and said, "But Miss Baili is going to freeze to death."
"Not a problem," Wenren È said. "There are so many cultivation paths in existence. If she dies, she can cultivate as a ghost. She doesn't necessarily need to cultivate the righteous path."
Yin Hanjiang thought for a moment and nodded. The Venerable's words were reasonable as always.