The Transmigrated Senior Martial Brother Chapter 1-10

Chapter 1

I’ll get back to Brain Pit after these next two weeks of standardized testing pass by, aha… it takes me a while to sync up the subtitles, and I really should be studying.

In the meantime, here’s another teaser for another novel, because I have no self control, lol.

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“Senior Martial Brother, what’s happened with you?” He heard a crisp but completely unfamiliar voice beside his ear. Once Qin Mo was startled, he immediately opened both of his eyes.

An attractive girl wearing a green gown just stood in front of him. Under slender eyebrows that were pointed on both ends, there was a pair of limpid and large eyes. At this moment, her red lips were tightly pursed and both of her hands tightly grabbed his arm; she looked at him with a face full of concern.

Seeing that Qin Mo only looked at her blankly, the girl seemed rather dissatisfied. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she prompted somewhat angrily, “Senior Martial Brother, I’m talking to you. Why are you suddenly ignoring me?” He cast a glance towards the vermilion hairpin on top of the girl’s head that was emitting a radiance the color of green jade and immediately dropped his gaze to rest on her intricately arranged skirt. Qin Mo’s voice couldn’t help but be somewhat hoarse as he slowly opened his mouth to say, “Martial Sister.” However, at this moment, he was completely shocked in his mind. Where was this? Wasn’t he just in the operating theater, performing surgery on a patient? How had he suddenly come to this place? Only, his expression was always indifferent; even though his heart had already started to be in turmoil, he still kept a somewhat calm and collected face.

Seeing that Qin Mo was like this, the girl pouted. Clearly, she had already become completely used to this kind of apathetic and terse behavior from “Senior Martial Brother”. Having been paying attention to this expression of hers, Qin Mo proceeded to inwardly let out a breath.

Suddenly, seeming like she had thought of something, the girl craftily turned her gaze, and she pulled Qin Mo’s hand self-importantly, revealing a lively smile on her face. Like a spoiled child, she playfully whined, “Senior Martial Brother, how have we not reached that Lins’ Village yet? We have already flown for a few two-hour periods, and I’m tired to death, so how about we return!” Saying this, she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose, looking distressed.

“Ling-er, you must not speak recklessly! This time, we are following the Sect Leader’s orders to go forwards to the Lins’ Village in order to recruit new disciples, so how can we tolerate you making trouble like this!” The girl’s voice had just died out when a solemn voice came from ahead, ringing out from beside Qin Mo’s ear and the girl’s ear.

Qin Mo’s pupils slightly shrunk; his gaze also shifted to rest on the other person in the front. He only took note of his roughly around thirty years old appearance, the dark teal daopao he was wearing, and the jade hairpin that was hardly remarkable at all that was used to neatly bind the bun on top of his head together. At this moment, his stern complexion solemnly stared at the girl beside him, but when Qin Mo’s gaze interlocked with his, he couldn’t help but show a kindly smile on his face. “Got it! Uncle Master Yue!” Ling-er stuck out her tongue and didn’t say anything more after quieting down. Only then did Qin Mo have an opportunity to size up his surroundings.

Once he looked around like this, both of his hands couldn’t help but tremble. Suddenly sensing that Uncle Master Yue’s gaze was still on his figure, he couldn’t help but hold both of his hands behind his back, calm and collected. His gaze only dropped slightly; it seemed like he was staring at the tips of his toes, but he was actually motionlessly looking at the huge sword underneath his feet.

Yes, at this moment, the three of them were just standing on a huge sword that was flying above in a blue sky. Occasionally, the top of the sword blade floated past a few white clouds that seemed to be faintly discernible as unusual ones. Under the luminescent sunshine, it occasionally reflected a bit of golden radiance.

On top of the sleek sword blade, Qin Mo’s current appearance was clearly reflected; “his” appearance was roughly only fourteen to fifteen years old. Although his face was still somewhat childish, his appearance had actually developed excellently. He was wearing a white changpao on his body, a white belt was tightly fastened around his waist, and a jade hairpin had also been used to neatly comb his long and ink-colored hair to the back of his head. At this moment, both of his wide eyes were slightly rounded, and his eyebrows were also slightly furrowed. Even though he was only standing there, he still seemed extremely calm and indifferent.

Although he had already guessed what his situation was, in his mind, Qin Mo was still as exceptionally shocked as before. The term “transmigration” was currently extremely popular; even though he was this kind of person who was always called a “workaholic” by others, he still knew about this idea. Before, he always turned up his nose at transmigration, but this current situation made him unable to not believe in it. He transmigrated. Otherwise, how could he explain how he had still been in the operating theater holding a surgical knife as he performed a heart transplant operation for another person a second ago but was already just standing on top of a huge sword right now, wearing a skin he had never seen before that was “Senior Martial Brother”‘s skin as he soared through the sky? Thinking up to here, Qin Mo’s thoughts couldn’t help but be completely scathing. Although he already didn’t have a close relative who survived in that world, he still completely missed it; after all, that place still had all of his friends as well as his familiar acquaintances.

“Little Mo, are you thinking of controlling the flying sword yourself?” Seeing that Qin Mo’s gaze was always fixed on the flying sword underneath his feet, Uncle Master Yue who was off to the side revealed a smile full of understanding on his face. Patting Qin Mo’s shoulder, he beamed as he assured, “Don’t be impatient. You have Lightning Variation Spiritual Roots. Your aptitude is out of the ordinary, so you will quickly cultivate into the Foundation Establishment stage. When that time comes, you can just control flying swords yourself!”

Being patted by him, Qin Mo snapped out of his disappointed mood from just a moment ago. Looking around at his surroundings and the blue skies and white clouds that stuck extremely close to them, both of his eyes slightly narrowed. After a short period of time, he lightly uttered a “mm” sound.

“We have arrived!” Hearing Uncle Master Yue’s steady voice, Qin Mo and Ling-er couldn’t help but follow his gaze and look down.

“Not good, the situation has changed!” Without even waiting until they clearly made out the circumstances below, Uncle Master Yue just tightly furrowed his eyebrows and commanded the flying sword to speed up by a lot as well, very quickly bringing them along as they landed on the ground.

At this moment, the Lins’ Village that originally should have had a charming environment had buildings that were completely destroyed. On the ground, a few corpses randomly laid around in disarray, and even the trees off of the side fell down one after the another. Some areas had unexpectedly combusted into flames. Everything here had just been cleanly wiped out.

Seeing the scene before his eyes, Qin Mo couldn’t help but tightly furrow his eyebrows. He didn’t know if it was because he had switched bodies, but Qin Mo could plainly see that there was a great amount of dark qi that continuously sprung up from the ground at present, pervasive in the air; the scent of blood was substantially mixed in with it.

“There’s actually the aura of demonic cultivation here!” Uncle Master Yue clearly sensed the abnormalities here too. Compared to the confused Qin Mo who still didn’t know how to use his spiritual power at the moment, he saw the situation even more distinctly. At this moment, his complexion couldn’t help but become incomparably ghastly. The Lins’ Village wasn’t far from their Yueqing Sect. Every few years, Yueqing Sect would just send people over to recruit new disciples, and this time, this matter was Yue Zhongling’s responsibility. As one of the three major sects in the Blue Sky Realm, Yueqing Sect’s matters had always been carried out very smoothly. However, this time, these demonic cultivators dared to be this insolent over here; they simply didn’t attach any importance to Yueqing Sect.

Coldly uttering a “hmph” sound, a floating piece of fluorescent paper appeared in Yue Zhongling’s hand. Slightly moving his fingertips, he just looked on as that piece of paper turned into a delicate paper crane. Uncle Master Yue faced the paper crane and slightly nodded his head, watching the paper crane lightly flap its tiny wings, circling around him for a few loops before it just left this place, flying towards a distant location.

The flying sword from before and the Spiritual Roots that Yue Zhongling had actually talked about caused Qin Mo to know that he had already arrived in a magical cultivation □□. However, looking at this magical scene again with his own eyes, although Qin Mo seemed impassive, his eyes still slightly shone with emotion.

Seeing Qin Mo’s expression, Yue Zhongling felt his indignant mood from just a moment ago unexpectedly and strangely become somewhat muted. The corner of his mouth couldn’t help but slightly lift up by a bit as he explained, “This is a paper summoning seal. Just a moment ago, I already reported this situation to the Sect Leader, so I believe that it won’t be long before people will come and take care of this!”

Qin Mo’s gaze flashed as he calmly nodded his head. “Eee, there are sounds coming from over there!” Jin Ling-er’s voice rang out, and she immediately and quickly ran in the direction that produced the sounds.

Seeing her actions, Yue Zhongling’s complexion became solemn, and he loudly bellowed, “Ling-er, the situation here is unknown, so you have to be careful! Don’t be this impulsive!” Saying this, he just tightly followed after her and ran towards the interior.

Qin Mo stopped moving as he thought of this bizarre and diverse world that he had just arrived in. Without the slightest ability to defend himself and unclear about whether he would currently find disaster or prosperity over here, he couldn’t help but lift his feet and follow behind Yue Zhongling.

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Chapter 2

“Yue Shishu1, Shixiong2, over here, there are two children!” Jin Ling- er3 called out. By the time the words had left her mouth, Yue Zhongling and Qin Mo had already reached them.

The two children were probably only about seven or eight years old. They hid in a large stone cave cowering. Noticing their arrival, they couldn’t help but shrink back. Their bloodshot eyes, alert, stared at the three figures, clearly showing signs of extreme fear.

Seeing them like this, the darkened face of Yue Zhongling would not ease. “Do not worry, we are cultivators of Yueqing Sect. We came to recruit disciples!”

When they heard the words of Yue Zhongling, who had such an outstanding appearance, the two children were so excited that they couldn’t help but exclaim, “An immortal4!”

Watching the events unfolding before him, Qin Mo was left with an odd sense of familiarity though he did not know why. Shaking his head, he rationalized it as a matter of walking fast with messy sleeves. His sudden transmigration had left him quite disoriented. It wouldn’t be too far a stretch to attribute the strange feeling to it as well.

“What happened here?” asked Yue Zhongling as he glanced at the miserable state of the land around him.

Hearing the question, the child dressed in white quickly raised his head and dried the tears streaking down his face. “A group of people in black came to the village this morning,” his fists clenched and his eyes flashed with hatred “they started killing everyone…”

Seeing the child before him, Yue Zhongling’s face revealed a sense of esteem. He had not expected a child so young to be capable of such calmness when faced with so great a disaster. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Lin Zizheng!” Hearing that Yue Zhongling asked his name, the boy named Lin Zizheng could not help but express a hint of delight; to receive the attention of an immortal was a glorious thing. They’ll be happy he thought. As it passed his mind though his face darkened leaving not a trace of joy. Who will, now that mother and father were gone?

Lin Zizheng. Lin Zizheng! Qin Mo’s eyes widened, as he realised why he felt the scene in front of him was so familiar. Hearing the name, he suddenly remembered; in his spare time, he’d once read a Xianxia stallion novel5 – he had only hastily skimmed over it as he’d felt the story too fantastical – in which Lin Zizheng had been the main character. He’d lost his parents at the age of seven at the hands of a Demonic cultivator, and after suffering many setbacks received many younger brothers, defeated Monsters6, eliminated the Demonic Clan7, and finally succeeded in becoming an Immortal. However, what was most distinct was how he always retained a compassionate heart. In short, he was a Holy Father!

Qin Mo maintained an expression of indifference, standing still with an air of elegance. It seemed as though nothing could touch him, however, his eyes discretely snuck glimpses of Jin Ling-er. She stared at the two children before her with sympathy. Little did she know, she would be the first in Lin Zizheng’s harem.

Immediately, he slightly pouted. When the protagonist joined Yueqing Sect his Shixiong was Qin Mo. If he recalled correctly, this Shixiong played an indispensable role in the stallion novel. Early on, he had proven to be a highly talented cultivator with a fairly handsome appearance, and there was even a lovely and smart Shimei8 who was to be his fiancee. This fiancee was Jin Ling-er. Later though, he was caught off guard by a defeat at the hands of his modest disciple Lin Zizheng, and his life only continued in a downward spiral from there. He had fallen from his pedestal, the glory no longer his, even his Junior Martial Sisters abandoned him. Further in the novel, he continued to blacken, from the Dao9 into the Demon, becoming the boss villain. He fought the protagonist but was still mercilessly torn down. However, as the protagonist had the Holy Father attribute, he opted only to seal him forever whilst sparing his life. Decidedly, Qin Mo was the indispensable master of cannon fodder.

Thinking of this, even Qin Mo, who had always been indifferent, couldn’t help but feel like cursing the heavens. Did he transmigrate only to become a master of cannon fodder? Even let himself be sealed for eternity? Hey, are you kidding? Even if the plot was like this, he wouldn’t follow it. His hand, hidden in the folds of his sleeves, clenched tightly. Furthermore, he planned to go back and return to his own world.

Qin Mo looked on at Lin Zizheng, his gaze tinged with slight disappointment. There was nothing he could do; he was stuck in this place. At that moment, Lin Zizheng’s eyes narrowed and he could not hide his sorrow and hatred. Tears streamed down his dusty cheeks, leaving pale streaks that revealed the white complexion of the child underneath the grime. Looking at him, Qin Mo could not help but be reminded of himself. He himself had worn a similar expression when he faced his own parents’ dead bodies.

In his heart, he sighed softly. Forget it. He couldn’t blame the child. After all, his journey as a saint-like protagonist would not be easy. As long as he didn’t get close to Jin Ling-er, then those things wouldn’t happen. Moreover, his main task was to find a way to get back home. He was certain that with the situation standing as it was in this magical world anything was possible. After finding an excuse to not hate Lin Zizheng, Qin Mo’s gaze couldn’t help but also soften. Anyway, he was dead and, though he wouldn’t admit it, a warm heart lay underneath his cold surface.

Looking at the two boys, Yue Zhongling’s eyes turned, as if he had thought of something, his mouth raised into a gentle smile. He pulled out a ball from his robe and waved a hand at the children. “Come over and test if you have a spirit root10.” Hearing this, their eyes lit up. Lin Zizheng’s heart burned. Yesterday, he’d heard mother and father discuss it. As long as he had a spiritual root, he could become a disciple of the sect, learn to cultivate and even become an Immortal. With a spiritual root, he could avenge the death of his parents. Just the thought of it made him tremble as he moved to stand. Noticing that Lin San was still in the same place, he quickly picked him up and came to face Yue Zhongling.

“Come, hold it.” Yue Zhongling handed the ball to them.

Qin Mo slightly glanced at the transparent ball and found it resembled a modern crystal ball. However, he didn’t know how it measured the root.

Lin San first took the crystal ball and held it firmly. After a while, his face had become flushed and droplets of sweat had begun to collect on his forehead, but the crystal ball showed no changes. Yue Zhongling sighed softly. “There is no spiritual root in your body.” As he heard this, Lin San’s face immediately lost all its colour.

Seeing Lin San fail, Lin Zizheng’s heart tightened and his hands shook as he took the crystal ball. The moment it fell into his palm, the crystal ball flashed in multicoloured lights; golden, green, blue, red, and brown. As he watched the colours, Lin Zizheng could not help but reveal the hint of a smile, but before it could bloom, he heard Yue Zhongling sigh and say: “It’s a five spirit root.”

Lin Zizheng couldn’t understand what he meant by the “five spirit”, but he’d been brought up to be sensible and could clearly feel the disappointment in Yue Zhongling’s tone. He suddenly felt nervous and tensely asked: “I can’t learn to cultivate?” Yue Zhongling suppressed his sense of loss, and with a reluctant smile said: “You can.” Though it would be difficult, and he might never succeed. He omitted the last sentence, not wanting to strike the child’s hopeful heart.

Watching the exchange, Qin Mo felt he could not agree. Even if Lin Zizheng had five elemental waste spirit root, he would encounter a practice that was extremely suitable for his own cultivation; Chaos. This was the benefit of the protagonist. After testing their spirit roots, they were ready to leave here. Looking at Lin San, who had no spiritual root, Yue Zhongling hesitated for a while before deciding to send him to Li’s Village, which wasn’t far from Lin’s Village. After all, ordinary people without spirit roots, couldn’t enter Yueqing Sect.

With the addition of one person on their journey back, they were unable to use flying swords to return, as Yue Zhongling’s cultivation was only at the beginning of the foundation building stage. So taking out a boat-like flying mystic item from his Qiankun bag11, Yue Zhongling carried them to Yueqing Sect.

Qin Mo stepped on the mystic item, suddenly aware of the sense that he’d forgotten something, but recalling the far more pressing matter of his return and the need to familiarise himself with his present situation he soon cast the feeling away.

At the entrance of Li’s Village, Lin San watched the four people as they flew off into the distance, his eyes full of unwillingness. Why could Lin Zizheng learn to cultivate and become an Immortal, while he himself was destined to a solitary death of old age in this mountain village? He could not accept this.

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Bean here, most of the meanings were taken directly from https://www.wuxiaworld.com so if you are interested in more Xianxia terms please check them out. Hope you enjoy.

By the way, the stages of cultivation go something like this in most novels:

1Shishu: In martial sects and similar organizations, younger disciples often directly apprentice themselves to an elder. The relationship between Master and Apprentice is deep, akin to Parent-and-Child… and the terms of address within a sect reflect this. This one translates to Martial Uncle.

2Shixiong: Senior Martial Brother. 3– er: a diminutive suffix. Sometimes appended to the given names of children or close friends. Considered cute/endearing.

4Immortal Ascension: the stage wherein the cultivator becomes a Daoist Immortal. There are many differences between novels, but usually the cultivation/maturation of the Gold Core or Nascent Soul plays a key role in ascending to Immortality.

5Xianxia stallion novel: fantasy cultivation novels with over power protagonists that end with them amassing many loyal followers(Younger Martial Brothers) and having large harems filled with love interests.

6Monsters (Yao): Born when an animal, plant, or even an inanimate object absorbs spiritual energy over a long period of time and then gains spiritual awareness. Not inherently evil, although many have antagonistic relationships with humans.

7Demonic Clan (Mo Clan): Evil spirits/creatures of remarkable power and cruelty. Similar to the demons and devils of Western mythology. In some novels, evil cultivators emulate them by practicing devilish cultivation methods and committing atrocities in their pursuit of power.

8Shimei: Junior Martial Sister.

9Dao ( The Righteous Path): According to Daoism, it is the absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of Yin and Yang and signifying the way, or code of behaviour, that is in harmony with the natural order. I think “from the Dao into the Demon” just has a better tang than “from the righteous path to the Demonic one” ?

10Spiritual Root: the root of life. Figuratively: the very foundation of one’s body and soul. Cultivation usually requires some minimum level of innate talent, so someone with bad luck or a poor bodily constitution may find it impossible to even take the first step.

11Qiankun bag: something of an interdimensional storage space in the form of a small bag.

Chapter 3

Lin Zizheng sat on one side, an incessant tensity griping his heart. It turned out that the immortals really could fly. He stared at the three people in front of him, his gaze finally coming to rest on the figure clothed in white; Qin Mo. Despite the fact that Qin Mo had yet to speak a single word to him, he’d already become aware that there was something distinct about him. Although he’d only ever been taught by his mother from a small book and though he did not know much, he was still certain that he knew that that person just standing there alone, possessed great beauty. If all immortals bore this manner, he thought, then even if he had to undergo a thousand hardships, he would become an immortal.

Qin Mo didn’t notice that he’d become the target of the protagonist’s admiration. His attention was currently focused on the Qiankun bag in his hand. The Qiankun bag was the cultivating world’s equivalent to a storage bag, allowing its owner to carry multiple items with them. When Yue Zhongling had taken out the mystic flying item from his, Qin Mo had noticed a faint glowing yellow mist flow through his fingertips and around the Qiankun bag. He speculated that this was spirit energy. He wasn’t sure if other people could see it, however, he couldn’t ask as it should’ve been common sense in this world.

The sleeves of Qin Mo’s robe were quite long, just enough to cover his hands. His slender fingers ceaselessly fumbled with his Qiankun bag. It had been hung around his waist and was roughly only the size of a generic pouch. Embroidered on it was a small lotus.

After having played with it for a long time, Qin Mo still hadn’t succeeded in finding a way to open the Qiankun bag. In the novel, it was mentioned that it required knowledge of cultivation to be used. Frowning, Qin Mo cast his gaze on the Qiankun bag. If it demanded divine knowledge, then he would concentrate all of his efforts on it!

His eyes had darkened, the Qiankun bag showed no changes at all. Qin Mo could not help but be somewhat discouraged. In his original world, he was considered quite intelligent. No matter the task he’d always achieve the best results in everything he did, but in this world, even trivial things such as this posed great difficulty to him. Although he hadn’t planned to live here forever, Qin Mo was arrogant by nature. As his current body was innately highly talented, he naturally didn’t want to fall behind.

Yue Zhongling looked at Qin Mo’s noticeably thin frame and then shifted his gaze to the side where the obviously bored Jin Ling-er was standing. His brow wrinkled slightly, today Xiao1 Mo was somewhat unusual. Although he had always been indifferent, he would still treat Jin Ling-er quite well and would never have let her get so bored on her own.

At that moment, the mystic flying item underneath their feet suddenly swayed. Yue Zhongling couldn’t figure what could have caused it. He looked up to the front and could not help but express a sense of shock. Irritably, he shouted: “How are there Thunderbirds here!“

Seeing Yue Zhongling’s eyes, Qin Mo’s hand tightened around the Qiankun bag, the flash in his eyes betrayed his nervousness.

Two giant birds circled around them, their beaks were about half a meter long, with extremely sharp fronts. From time to time they’d fly closer and peck at the mystic flying item’s underside.

Yue Zhongling clenched his long sword, the expression on his face had become quite unsightly. The mystic flying item they were using at present was just an ordinary instrument of the Yueqing Sect – the Cloud Boat. It was only used to bring new disciples to the Sect and although its flight ability was excellent, it lacked greatly in terms of defence. If the Thunderbirds were to attack, it wouldn’t hold up against them. Gritting his teeth, Yue Zhongling immediately made up his mind and landed the Cloud Boat on the ground. He stood to the front protecting Lin Zizheng, who hadn’t the slightest bit mana2, and Jin Ling-er, who had low mana. Injecting his spiritual power into the sword, he flew towards the Thunderbird.

Of the two Thunderbirds, one had only reached the strength of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, while the other had the strength of the Foundation Building phase. Of course, Yue Zhongling would engage in combat with the Thunderbird in the Foundation Building phase. He turned in a blink of an eye, but seeing that Qin Mo had yet to move he couldn’t help yelling out: “Xiao Mo, take the sword!”

Noticing the giant bird flying towards him, Qin Mo’s heart tightened. The fingers holding the Qiankun bag could not undo the tight knot. When all was said and done how would he open it? Was today really the day he’d die? Never mind the fact that he’d been the transmigrated into the cannon fodder, he was going to die on his first day here! He was not willing to accept this!

Fervent anger surged in his heart. At that moment, Qin Mo felt something bloom before his eye. In front of him, a collection of disorderly patterns expanded and shrunk in a seemingly lifelike manner. In his hand appeared a long, glowing sword. Instinctively, Qin Mo reached out and grasped the sword, striking the Thunderbird before him.

In his past life he had been a doctor in the surgical department and often operated on patients, so his fingers were extremely flexible. Furthermore, the longsword seemed to perfectly fit in his hands. It could be assumed that it had been specifically made for this body.

The longsword pierced into the Thunderbird, causing a burst of lightning. The Thunderbird seemed to have felt the injury, as it raised its beak into the air and screeched in pain. The sound rung in Qin Mo’s ears. At that moment, a large amount of lightning was released in the direction of Qin Mo. With this, he finally understood the true meaning behind the name “Thunderbird”. Yue Zhongling’s cultivation was obviously of a higher calibre than that of the Thunderbird in front of him, so he dealt with it easily. While fighting, he took the time to assess the situation of everyone behind him. Seeing that Jin Ling-er was protecting Lin Zizheng in the distance, the corner of his mouth could not help but reveal a comforting smile. Immediately, his gaze shifted to Qin Mo’s side, and he couldn’t help but be feel shocked at the sight. “What’s the matter Xiao Mo? Pour your spiritual power into Biyoujian3!”

Qin Mo was now slightly embarrassed. He’d only just barely been coping with the thunderbird’s attacks with the long sword in his hand. While Biyoujian was a tool of cultivation, in his hands it played no such role, at best he’d only used it as a kitchen knife.

Yue Zhongling was highly experienced, so noticed at a glance, that Qin Mo’s body was not using any spiritual power. Thinking of this, he knit his brows tightly. What happened to Xiao Mo? He’d felt something was slightly off before, but now this feeling had become more serious. Before he could think through it, Qin Mo’s body was struck by lightning. His white robe was suddenly charred brown, it’s silk stained with fresh blood.

Yue Zhongling’s hand tightened around his long sword. He refused to think any more about it. Wanting to go support Qin Mo, he sped up his offensive.

“Shixiong!” Seeing Qin Mo get injured, Jin Ling-er could not help but anxiously scream out.

A sharp pain passed through his body. Qin Mo frowned, but he did not have time to tend to the wound as he proceeded to turn the sword in his hand and attack the most vulnerable part of the thunderbird’s eye. He also wanted to pour spiritual power into Biyoujian. Unfortunately, he had just arrived and couldn’t direct his spiritual power yet.

The thunderbird’s eye had been hit. It became obviously frantic, shaking its wings violently and flying towards Qin Mo’s head. In the blink of an eye, it attacked. Qin Mo’s grasp tightened around the long sword in his hand, his eyes exposed traces of perseverance. Just as the giant beak was about to strike him, a large wall of earth appeared in front of him, blocking the violent blow. Meanwhile, a long sword came from behind the Thunderbird and in a flash of white, the Thunderbird was split into two halves by the extremely sturdy blade.

Blood splattered, a few drops landing on Qin Mo’s face. He grasped the handle of Biyoujian nervously. After a while, he slowly relaxed and stood wiping away the blood from his face.

Jin Lingerstared at the Shixiong before her. His pure white robes stained with blood, and in one hand hung a sword. Even if he was injured, his expression remained indifferent. She didn’t know why, but at this moment her heart beat rapidly outside her control.

Behind the thunderbird’s body, Yue Zhongling’s face was not pleased. Stepping forward, he grabbed Qin Mo’s hand. His eyes were sharp as they fixated on Qin Mo’s face as if trying to see what was behind it. In a low tone, he asked: “Who are you?”

Qin Mo‘s face remained unchanged, but in his heart was a凸4. Was he being suspected? The tips of his fingers shook slightly, and with a stiff tone he spoke: “Shishu, I’m… just a little nervous.” However, his face didn’t reveal the slightest bit of nervousness.

Seeing that he had his usual expression on, Yue Zhongling’s couldn’t help but loosen the hand which held Qin Mo, his face growing slightly gentler, his heart somewhat eased. Indeed, this was Qin Mo’s first time in battle. He’d only ever cultivated alone at the Sect before, moreover, Yue Zhongling had from the start been by his side as he travelled the path of a cultivator. He couldn’t have been taken without him noticing. He looked once more at Qin Mo’s exhausted expression. Yue Zhongling’s heart darkened. It seemed that when they returned, he should propose to the Head that Qin Mo be allowed to go out and gain experience. Otherwise, when faced with battles, he would be unable to release his spiritual power. This wasn’t good.

Seeing Yue Zhonglinglet go of his hand, apparently believing his words, Qin Mo could not help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. However, as his heart relaxed, blood suddenly shot out of his mouth. The injury he’d sustained just a moment ago from the Thunderbird had not been light.

Seeing Qin Mo spit out fresh blood, Jin Ling-er quickly stepped forward to support his body and asked with concern: “Shixiong, are you okay?”

On the side, Yue Zhongling’s face also revealed a look of concern. Sheathing his long sword, he looked up at the sky. His brow wrinkled tightly. Fiery red clouds coloured the sky, it was already very late. He said: “Move, we should return as soon as possible!”

“Hahaha! Since you’re here, you must not want to go back. Stay here and be my puppets!” Yue Zhongling’s voice dropped. Filled with malice, a husky voice echoed from the side, making the faces of the four people present shift.

As the sound rang around them, a sudden thick black mist enveloped their bodies.

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Thank god these chapters are relatively short. I greatly underestimated how difficult this would be, but I can’t deny I’m having fun. I have a crazy amount of free time for the next few months so I guess I may as well take the opportunity to release as many chapters as I can. Hope you all enjoy, can’t wait to see where the story goes.

Btw off-topic but while translating this I had the chance to hear Halsey’s new song thanks to youtube’s autoplay function and damn am I hooked. Like no this is literally the only thing I’ll be listening to for the rest of the week. I’ll add a link here for those who haven’t heard it and are interested.

-Bean

Chapter 4

“Mingshan Laogui1!” From behind the group a single voice spoke, Yue Zhongling had immediately guessed the speaker’s identity. After all, of all the demonic cultivators only one would refine puppets. Watching the black mist in front of him, Yue Zhongling’s face brimmed with seriousness.

Mingshan Laogui was only a Foundation Building phase, demonic cultivator. His fame was not because of how advanced his cultivation was, but because how good he was at refining other cultivators into his puppets under his power, greatly enhancing his own strength. He also had a penchant for using poisons.

Recalling this, a trace of disdain crossed Yue Zhongling’s eyes. After all, a true cultivator should approach cultivation whilst maintaining their heart and adhering to the righteous path. Those who chose the crooked path were ultimately undesirable.

Immediately, as though he’d remembered something, his expression became extremely distressed. He pulled the three people next to him, gathering them into a group, and whispered, “Be careful, the mist is likely poisonous.”

“He he he, even knowing that it is poisonous now, wouldn’t it be too late?” Saying this, a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

Before their eyes was a person squatting. His body was covered with a greasy black robe and his face was pitch black, obviously the result of frequent contact with poisons. At that moment, his eerily peculiar eyes, like a pair of black holes, stared at them unblinking. Qin Mo once more lifted Biyoujian into his hand, but he did not expect the pain in his chest. Again he spurted out blood. His white clothes, dyed with blood, looked extremely miserable.

“Oh!” Seeing Qin Mo in such a state, Yue Zhongling quickly grabbed his hand, wanting to send some of his spiritual energy into Qin Mo’s body to ease his injury. However, he found his own body had no spiritual power remaining within it. This response was proof the poison had already invaded his body.

“Come on, become my puppet good child. I’ll start with you!” As Mingshan Laogui spoke, a pair of shrivelled hands reached out in front of Qin Mo. The nails were long and thin, moving as if they wanted to stab his face.

Amidst Qin Mo’s heart was a 凸 . He strained, swinging his sword towards the hands, only to find the sword cutting through a mist-like substance, unable to cause any harm.

“He he he he! It’s useless! Don’t struggle any more!” Mingshan Laogui’s voice was full of inexplicable excitement. Staring intently at Qin Mo, he couldn’t help but lick his lips. This truly was a good young master, he would make an excellent puppet.

“Audacious monster, actually daring to face Yueqing Sect so impudently!” The hand had already grabbed Qin Mo. When just then, a loud sound rung through the clouds and a large flying sword flew in, piercing through Mingshan Laogui’s face.

Seeing the sword, Yue Zhongling’s originally serious expression couldn’t help but relax and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. In a pleasantly surprised tone, he called out: “Sect Head!”

Jin Linfeng, the head of Yueqing Sect, had arrived. After receiving a summon from Yue Zhongling, he’d felt something was off in his heart and rushed over. He’d seen the desperate scene unfold, but as he was too far away to attack, he could only throw the flying sword in his hand. Unlike Qin Mo’s previously powerless sword, this sword fairly obviously terrorised Mingshan Laogui. He cried out and quickly withdrew his hand.

Once again, he looked at Qin Mo before him, his eyes exposed a trace of reluctance. Sensing that the person above was on the verge of arriving, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth. Promptly, he threw some black liquid on Qin Mo’s body. A grim hideous smile hung on his face, his body quickly transformed into a black mist and disappeared.

“Oh, quickly he’s escaping.” A middle-aged man sporting a long beard appeared in front of them. Watching the direction Mingshan Laogui had escaped to, his brows furrowed and his face brimmed with rage. If not for the fact that he’d been too far off and could’ve only thrown his sword, then today that devil would have met a violent end.

From behind, Jin Ling-er grabbed the man’s hand and anxiously spoke. “Ah, Shixiong! What happened to you? Father, quickly look. How is Shixiong?”

Hearing the remark, the middle-aged man quickly turned around. Seeing Qin Mo’s present state, his pupils couldn’t help but shrink. Qin Mo’s originally white complexion had a vague darkness to it, and a thread of black blood seeped down the edge of his mouth.

Jin Linfeng at once moved to support Qin Mo’s body, holding the back of his hand he searched for his pulse.

A long time passed, Jin Linfeng breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his brow was still wrinkled. He spoke: “It’s only a common poison. However, if we don’t hurry with treatment, I fear it will affect your cultivation in the future.”

Hearing this, everyone anxiously got up to move, once more boarding the Cloud Boat and hastily leaving.

On the Cloud Boat, watching Qin Mo as he sat alone on the ground recovering his breath, Jin Linfeng’s heart couldn’t help but sigh grimly. His disciple was too stubborn. Even if he was unwilling to show weakness at a time like this, he should rely on others a little.

Qin Mo could only feel blankness in his mind. Now and then, numerous chaotic images flooded his consciousness; scenes of him holding a scalpel performing surgery on someone, a youngster wielding a longsword dancing.

ly, the Cloud Boat had already travelled for the greater half of the day and its location was already pretty close to Yueqing Sect. So before long, they arrived.

When the Cloud Boat arrived at the Sect grounds it came to a halt. Even though Jin Linfeng was the head of the sect, he could not violate the Sect rule that prohibited the use of mystic flying items within Yueqing Sect grounds.

As one of the three major sects under the blue sky, Yueqing Sect was obviously extraordinary. It stood at the summit of a huge mountain. From the foot of the mountain, you could see the faint outline of Yueqing Sect’s mountain gates.

Generally, when new disciples came to the Sect, they had to traverse Dengtian Road on foot. The route called Dengtian Road was a narrow strip from which the peak wasn’t visible where there stood a set of stone stairs.

This stone staircase was very long, and access to it had been restricted by the first ancestors of Yueqing Sect. New disciples often had to walk for a few days to reach the top of the mountain. Many gave up half way up; most of them were sent back home, still, some would not resign and stayed to become the most humble servants of the Sect, hoping to one day become immortals.

But even for those who fearlessly reached the peak, entry into the inner sect wasn’t guaranteed.

Yueqing Sect was divided into an inner sect and an outer sect. The inner sect was directly subordinate to a Jindan immortal2 under the Sect, and it held an extremely high status. Regular disciples, without a heavenly spirit root or two spirit root, could not enter the inner sect unless they had cultivated to the Foundation Building phase. However, the disciples in the outer sect were generally unqualified, and most wouldn’t be able to cultivate up to the Foundation Building phase.

In the novel, although Lin Zizheng was young, his resolve was firm and though he suffered a lot of hardship, it took him only two short days to cross Dengtian Road. Despite this, since he had an ordinary five spirit root, he could only stay in the outer sect. There, he was sincerely admired by the outer disciples, and also caught the attention of the inner sect Jindan immortal.

At this moment, because of the worry surrounding Qin Mo’s body, Jin Linfeng and the others were not too concerned with Lin Zizheng’s circumstances. Bringing Lin Zizheng through the mountain gate, they handed him over to the elder responsible for the outer sect. Following that, Qin Mo was taken back to the main peak of Yueqing Sect – Yunlan peak.

The obvious special treatment Lin Zizheng received caused strong resentment from the disciples of the outer circle.

There were many families who’d send their young to Yueqing Sect to learn to cultivate. Even though some of the new disciples had been trained in cultivation before, they had to traverse the path without using any spiritual power.

Yet this newcomer Lin Zizheng was somehow different? He was nothing more than a five spirit root good-for-nothing. Why would Sect Head only carry him up the mountain!?

Within the outer circle, Lin Zizheng would live a life quite different from his previous one.

In Yunlan peak, Qin Mo once again coughed out black blood and fell into a coma. The entirety of Yunlan peak was in chaos. After all, Qin Mo was the direct disciple of the head of Yueqing Sect. He was highly talented and his cultivation was good. Furthermore, his position in the sect was also very conspicuous. Page Page

This is my first time translating something, and while I am inexperienced I’m really glad I can help in bringing this story to the rest of the BL community. So please read at chrysanthemumconquerortranslations.home.blog

Btw I really do enjoy reading the reviews you guys leave behind on the Novel Updates website. While of course, the translation can only ever be as good as the original text, I still hope I am able to do justice to the original author’s words. Also for those interested in reading the Indonesian translation, Akai is doing one here.

-Bean

1Mingshan Laogui: essentially this guy’s “name” means the old spirit of the dark mountain, I’m gonna place the bet that this probably isn’t actually his name and is more likely to be his title.

2Jindan immortal: a cultivator who has finished the Core Formation phase and has a gold core.

Chapter 5

Yundan peak’s Jindan immortal, Deng Qianli, stood by the side of the collapsed Qin Mo. The expression on his face was somewhat complicated as he turned to face the nervous group. He spoke: “For this variation of poison, it’s already too late to treat it with Qingfeng powder.”

Hearing the remark Jin Linfeng’s face suddenly changed, and he restlessly paced back and forth in the same place, muttering: “What should I do?”

Deng Qianli stood still. Seeing Jin Linfeng’s anxious appearance, he did not speak. After what seemed to be a long time, he’d seen enough, and slowly began to speak: “Qingfeng powder is only a lower Huang-grade medicinal herb. However, as long as another herb is added to it, it can be refined into a higher Huang-grade medicinal herb – Yufeng powder. And Yufeng Powder is exactly the cure for this poison.”

Upon hearing these words, Jin Linfeng’s heart was overjoyed. Medicinal herbs were divided into four levels: Tian, Di, Xuan, Huang. According to the grade of the medicinal herbs that the alchemists could refine, the alchemists were also divided into the same four levels. The people of Yundan peak were good at alchemy, especially the Jindan immortal Deng Qianli. He was already a Xuan level alchemist. So refining a higher Huang- grade herb would not be a difficult task.

Seeing Jin Linfeng’s smiling face once more, the corner of Deng Qianli’s mouth hooked slightly revealing a sneer: “However, the required herb is Millennium Jade Root grass; which is extremely rare.” “What? Does Yundan Peak not have any Millennium Jade Root?” Jin Linfeng’s heart tightened again.

“On the contrary it does, but there isn’t much. It’ll require a lot of spirit stones and Sect contribution points in exchange. Are you still determined to make use of it?” Deng Qianli’s eyes gleamed. From the perspective of Jin Linfeng, he appeared extremely crafty.

“Of course, I wish to make use of it! As for the spirit stones and contribution points…” Jin Linfeng paused looking at the bedridden Qin Mo and said: “Wait till after Xiao Mo wakes up. Let him return!” That said, his heart secretly slandered; Deng Qianli, this old fox really was a vampire. Whoever he caught, would be sucked dry until they’d given all their spirit stones up.

Qin Mo, who was currently unconscious, wasn’t aware that his body already carried such huge debts. Although he was still lying in bed, his soul seemed to be trapped in a confined space. At the moment, he incessantly recalled his former self’s past twenty years of life as well as the real Shixiong Qin Mo’s briefer fifteen years.

Shixiong Qin Mo was an orphan. When he was still in his infancy, Yueqing Sect’s head, Jin Linfeng, brought him back to the Sect. He had a variation of Thunder spirit root, and his natural talent was also seldom seen under the entirety of the blue sky. Therefore, he was received directly by Jin Linfeng as a close disciple.

Shixiong was a cold-blooded person and was not very familiar with the other disciples. In his short fifteen years of life in addition to his own cultivation, he only took on a Shimei Jin Ling-er.

Seeing this, Qin Mo couldn’t help but sigh a little. He finally understood why, after the Shixiong was first defeated and Jin Ling-er was snatched by Lin Zizheng, he at once fell onto the demonic path. When the only two things of meaning in one’s life are lost, even a saint would go mad!

Qin Mo raised his right hand and some purple lightning appeared between his fingertips. It flashed, unexpectedly leaving him a little bit disoriented. As he had all the memories of Shixiong, naturally he’d learned how to operate his spirit power.

Looking at the pure white world around him, Qin Mo knit his brows slightly. Where was this place, how could he get out?

A wave of coolness suddenly reached his mouth and slowly spread through his body. Qin Mo felt only comfort and refreshment along the length of his whole being. The originally pained body became invigorated again.

Suddenly, within Qin Mo’s heart arose a strange feeling. Unlike the lightness in his body, there, there was no strength. At that moment, his body seemed to once again be under his control.

Qin Mo abruptly opened his eyes and was met with the blinding white light of the world outside. He blinked with slight discomfort. Only then could he see the situation before him; a magnified face directly opposite him, almost sticking to his own face. In a state of shock, Qin Mo reflexively pulled back his right hand.

“Ah, Xiao Mo, you finally woke up!” The magnified face exposed a pleasantly surprised smile and then retreated back. Qin Mo could only now see the figure was his shifu, Jin Linfeng.

“Wake up! Lest someone not believe in my medicine!” Seeing Qin Mo had woken, on the side, Deng Qianli’s face also showed a smile. After all, for Qin Mo, this child he’d watched grow up, his feelings were different than if it were someone else.

“However, three thousand lower-grade spirit stones and three thousand contribution points in their entirety and no less. I even used two of my Jade Root plants.” In the end, Deng Qianli had quite a sharp bite. Obviously, he cared deeply for those medicinal herbs.

Upon hearing this, Qin Mo stiffly moved to get up and immediately turned around in confusion. Spirit stones were the universal currency of the cultivation realm. It was divided by quality into lower-grade, middle-grade, upper-grade and top-grade spirit stones. The Yueqing Sect would issue some spirit stones monthly, but not many. At the same time, the disciples of Yueqing Sect could undertake tasks from Sect elders to earn spirit stones. Contribution points refer to Sect contribution points and they also could only be obtained by completing tasks from the Sect elders.

Though Shixiong Qin Mo was an orphan, he didn’t want to take resources from disciples of the wider clan. He didn’t usually go out to do tasks and therefore had no spirit stone income. Similarly, his contribution points were at a minimum. The amount Deng Qianli had now asked for was a huge sum as far as he was concerned.

Qin Mo sighed in his heart. It seemed that this time it was necessary to do more cultivation tasks to pay off this debt.

Thinking of it, Qin Mo stood up straight and looked at the two people in front of him, his face unchanged, and gently spoke an “en”.

When they heard Qin Mo’s answer they froze staring blankly, it wasn’t just Jin Linfeng, but even Deng Qianli, who had just asked for the spirit stones. They didn’t think that Qin Mo would agree so simply. After all, the jade root grass was precious, but it also couldn’t be worth so many spirit stones. Did Qin Mo not know the value of the Jade Root grass?

Deng Qianli was the first to react. He looked at Qin Mo’s slightly pursed thin lips, his face serious. His cheeks suddenly burned red, and his heart was a little embarrassed. His figure moved at once disappearing, leaving behind only a sentence echoing faintly in the air: “Fine, you will deliver the spirit stones to Dengtong of Yundan peak!”

Jin Linfeng on the side also reacted immediately and smashed the place where Deng Qianli had stood, cursing: “Old fox!” Right away he looked at Qin Mo somewhat hating iron for not becoming steel1 and said: “How could you agree?!”

Qin Mo looked at Jin Linfeng before him, and suddenly Shixiong’s past flashed before his eyes. This was the man who’d brought him up with his own hands. As he thought of this, Qin Mo’s heart was strangely warmed, and the corner of his mouth slightly raised. He spoke: “It doesn’t matter! I can take on a task, on the way I’ll help you look for Ganlin grass.” Ganlin grass was the main ingredient in refining Nascent Soul powder, which was used as an assisting medicine by cultivators in the Jindan phase to advance to the Nascent Soul phase. Jin Linfeng was now completing the Jindan phase, and the time when it was needed had arrived.

Qin Mo’s face displayed the hint of a smile, like cold ice starting to melt, there was an instant unexpected impression of spring blossoms blooming.

Seeing him like this, Jin Linfeng’s eyes suddenly widened. Immediately he reached out to cover them. He muttered under his breath: “Don’t smile.” Qin Mo very rarely smiled from an early age. To now give such a smile, he really was… a scoundrel ah!

The smile at the corner of Qin Mo’s mouth froze in place. He didn’t quite understand what Jin Linfeng meant; could it be that he had an unsightly smile? Frowning slightly, he looked at Jin Linfeng, who was still covering his eyes. Qin Mo restored his usual expressionless manner. Taking care that there wasn’t the slightest wrinkle on his clothes, he turned and left. He still wanted to go receive a task.

Sensing that Qin Mo had left, Jin Linfeng put his hand down, that treasure of an expression had also disappeared from his face unseen. He reached out and touched his beard. Watching the back of Qin Mo’s white robe as he quickly walked off, he muttered: “Yue Zhongling, that brat, is talking nonsense, how could Xiao Mo be beaten? He even knows so intimate a matter as my requiring Ganlin grass!” Shaking his head, he also disappeared.

The author has something to say: On the setting of the novel:

Cultivation levels:

Magic item ranks: Medicinal herb ranks:

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Ah, this one was a close call, I really want to keep up the streak of updating every 3-4 days but this one was kinda tough. Enjoy!

With Halloween around the corner, I’m looking for good horror movies to watch. My favourite time of year, I really love the spoopiness and atmosphere, also bullying Cherry with scaaary movies is way too much fun. Btw I was really caught off guard by the number of people from the Balkans reading this especially as we’re from the Western Balkans. Did not expect. Very pleasant surprise.

-Bean

1to hate iron for not becoming steel (恨铁不成钢): idiom meaning to feel resentful towards someone for failing to meet expectations and impatient to see improvement.

Chapter 6

The task palace hall of Yueqing Sect was at the border between the outer sect and the inner sect. There are basic tasks that are assigned by the Sect at the task hall and there were also other tasks personally issued by the elders or disciples. Here disciples of Yueqing Sect could take on tasks regardless of whether they were from the outer sect or inner sect. After completing a task, they would be able to collect the corresponding spirit stones and Sect contribution points.

Qin Mo walked down the path to the task hall, stunning everyone on the way. As the chief disciple of Yueqing Sect, he was only 15 years of age and yet had already reached the tenth level of the Qi refining period. Obviously, in the eyes of the other common disciples, he seemed quite mysterious.

However, in Qin Mo’s past life he was already accustomed to the attention of others and remained poised under the scorching gaze of the disciples. That unaffected manner and the aura of indifference surrounding his body made him seem proud and untouchable. All the disciples present now also only dared to secretly watch him.

Qin Mo’s slender fingers knocked on the immense Violet Xuan wood table in front of him. At its top, a clear sound was produced. Violet Xuan wood was an extremely hard to come by refining material in the cultivation realm. Only Yueqing Sect was so rich and bold to take out such a large piece just to carve out an ordinary table.

Yueqing Sect’s task elder was the outer sect elder, Li Shuang. When he saw Qin Mo standing in the task hall, he was suspicious for a moment, after all, Qin Mo had never been there before. Immediately, a smile appeared on his face and he asked: “Qin Mo, are you coming to pick up a task?”

Qin Mo glanced at Li Shuang, responding with “En”.

Li Shuang seemed to also realize that he’d asked a foolish question. After all, did one not come to the task hall but to receive tasks. With a somewhat awkward smile, Li Shuang moved his fingers slightly, and multiple jade strips appeared on the table.

Qin Mo’s eyes brightened as he received Shixiong’s memory. Qin Mo clearly knew that these were called jade slips. They were a means to store information used by cultivators, however, it was nevertheless his first time seeing them with his own eyes.

Qin Mo covered his hands with his long sleeves and restrained his own mischievous fingers. Now’s not the time to study them.

Li Shuang pointed amongst the pile of jade to one that stated: “This is Yundan Peak’s task: helping tend the medicinal herbs (requesting disciples be careful).” Seeing that Qin Mo had no expression on his face, he once more pointed to another pile.

“This is the Scripture Library’s task: organizing the book collection (requesting disciples be serious).”

“This is Yunshou Peak’s task: tending to spirit beasts (requesting disciples be patient).”

“This is Yunqi Peak’s task: cleaning the Qi refining room.”

······

Qin Mo’s brow wrinkled slightly, his heart felt somewhat unhappy. Were there only these tasks?

Seeing the expression on Qin Mo’s face, Li Shuang also understood his dissatisfaction with these tasks. These tasks were entirely too simple, granted even mere mortals could do them well. It’s no wonder that Qin Mo would be discontent.

With this in mind, Li Shuang pointed to the rightmost pile of jade slips saying: “This is a task to go to the Misty Ridge to look for medicinal herbs or refining materials. However, it does certainly have its risks. Although you’re quite talented, after all, you have not yet reached the foundation building phase. It will be somewhat dangerous.”

Hearing this, Qin Mo’s eyes suddenly lit up. Although he now had Shixiong’s memories, those experiences weren’t his. The present required he gain his own experiences. If he only took on those simple tasks and didn’t improve his own abilities, inevitably, a day would come when he’d be found out. Recalling this, his gaze could not help but rise in resolve.

Noticing Qin Mo’s expression, Li Shuang immediately understood his choice. From the pile he picked out one of the jade slips, right away, he brought out another one from his robe and handed both of them to Qin Mo saying: “This is a map of the Misty Ridge. You be careful.”

Qin Mo nodded slightly and turned to leave.

Watching Qin Mo’s back as he walked away, the crowd of disciples couldn’t help but discuss spiritedly.

“Truly worthy of being called Shixiong!” “Actually going to the Misty Ridge!”

······

Qin Mo hadn’t the slightest bit of forethought about the words of those behind him. After leaving their line of sight, he started to play with the jade slip in his hand. Slender fingers like jade reflected in the bluish green of the slip, resembling a perfect piece of art.

After a long time, it seemed he’d had enough fun. Qin Mo only now used his spirit knowledge to absorb what was contained within the jade slips. He didn’t know whether it was because he’d gone into a coma and was trapped within that mysterious space, that he was able to receive the spirit knowledge. Although it was his first time using spirit knowledge, it seemed to go very smoothly.

The first jade slip had his task burned1 into it; picking Jade Peach fruit.

Jade Peach fruit was a commonly used herb for refining medicine pellets. An alchemist would refine the medicine pellet and mix in the fruit to improve its quality, but it would only grow at the Misty Ridge.

The jade slip additionally indicated areas where the Jade Peach fruit was commonly seen as well as its appearance. The Jade Peach fruit had little resemblance to peaches Qin Mo had seen in his previous life. That is, they were only the size of an adult’s thumb and their natural colour was a pure bluish green jade.

The second jade slip was a map of the Misty Ridge and a detailed profile on it. Thousands of years ago, the Misty Ridge suddenly appeared at the southern boundary of the blue sky. Originally, it was just an ordinary forest. Even though there were also monster beasts, generally they weren’t highly ranked.

A millennium prior, a strange dark mist suddenly emerged from underground and surrounded the entirety of the Misty Ridge overnight.

Initially, the cultivators thought that the dark mist would possibly be dangerous. However, they later found that only the monsters inside changed. Their levels improved by a lot in a short time. Many precious medicinal herbs also appeared. Furthermore, there had been no other bad side-effects. Thus, they too put their minds at ease and as time went by it gradually became a precious place for the cultivators to train in searching for treasure and improve their ranks.

The Misty Ridge was quite close to Yueqing Sect, and the disciples of Yueqing Sect often came there to gain experience. The deeper one went in the more dangerous it became and the higher the level of the monsters. Cultivators in the Qi refining phase could generally only use the outer ring. Roughly only half a cup of tea2 later, Qin Mo had already reached the Misty Ridge. Seen from the outer ring, a dense black fog completely encircled the ridge, but there were no signs of any intrusions into the surrounding area.

Qin Mo had already become accustomed to the mystical phenomena in the realm of cultivation and did not feel surprised. Casually, he stepped into the Misty Ridge.

At once, the daylight was suddenly obscured, but it wasn’t as eerie as it looked from the outside. Although dim, it didn’t affect one’s vision. Qin Mo sized up the nearby surroundings. The vegetation had grown excellently. He guessed that there might be something there providing them energy.

Once more, he stared at the map on the jade slip and went straight to the place where the Jade Peach fruit was marked. He first had to complete the task before going to gain experience.

Atop a cliff, Qin Mo looked at the dark green fruit lining the jade case in his hand and couldn’t help but release a sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected the area where the fruit grew would be so remote. If he hadn’t been so careful, he probably wouldn’t have yet found the Jade Peach fruit.

Moreover, Misty Ridge really was worthy of its infamy as a dangerous location. Qin Mo looked at the blood-stained Biyoujian. He wasn’t sure how many monsters he’d encountered along the way. Although they were only in the Qi refining period, they were also all extremely rare.

Placing the jade case into his Qiankun bag, Qin Mo straightened up and tidied his clothes and then took out a flying device in the form of a hand- held fan. His thin lips tightly pursed sat apathetically on his face. He turned towards another area and began moving in its direction.

The surrounding lush vegetation was jade in colour and one could hear the sound of birds singing from time to time. In this environment, the tightness in Qin Mo’s heart, to his astonishment, actually eased. Since arriving in this world, he’s been continuously cautious and timid, afraid of being found out by others for not being the same. Furthermore, cultivation allowed a person to disappear in many ways.

Yet now, Qin Mo squinted slightly and sniffed the fresh scent of fragrant grass at the tip of his nose, only feeling his heart suddenly open up. Within his spirit, something barely audible seemed to shatter.

“Let go! I am the daughter of the leader of Yueqing Sect. How dare you oppose me in this manner?! My father will certainly not let you off!”

Just as Qin Mo had begun relaxing, he heard the familiar voice of a girl along with the wind. Qin Mo directed the flying fan to come to a halt, stopping mid-air. The voice was Jin Ling-er’s.

“Is the Sect head’s daughter so amazing?” A crisp juvenile voice followed. It sounded young, yet seemed incomparably arrogant.

Qin Mo’s brow creased and he went towards where the sound originated from.

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Can’t really come up with much to say. The next chapter might take a bit longer to come out as it has just a few more characters than the previous chapters have but I’ll try to get it out in about 4 or 5 days. Just hope that I got everything right. Alright, enjoy!

Oh, and the amount of times I’ve had to read the line “slender fingers” in the last week is reaching absurdity. I feel like I have a vague idea about hows Qin Mo looks like overall but like at least I know 100% that he has slender fingers.

-Bean

1The burned used here is the same used when referring to recording info onto CDs so should be taken in that context. 2The time it takes to drink a cup of tea is considered to be around 10-15 minutes. Common measure of time Wuxia/Xianxia novels.

Chapter 7

“Let go!” The girl’s voice was full of panic, her ever delicate charming face was also pale.

Standing opposite her was a youth in navy blue robes, his phoenix eyes were slightly raised and his bright red thin lips were lightly hooked. At his waist was tied a piece of jade. He greatly resembled the son of a noble clan. At the moment, he grasped Jin Ling-er by the hand, his face bearing a touch of disdain.

Behind Jin Ling-er followed several young disciples of Yueqing Sect. Seeing what she was being subjected to by this person, their eyes were red with urgency. They wanted to step forward and assist Jin Ling-er, but were stopped by the youth’s entourage blocking their path on either side and could not move forward in the slightest.

“Shixiong!” There was a sharp-eyed disciple who saw Qin Mo approaching slowly from the side, his face betraying his joy as he called out.

A single snowy clothed youth was seen, his complexion like jade. Clad in pure white from head to toe, he slowly approached.

Hearing someone call him, the teen’s gaze lifted slightly and he momentarily glanced at the crowd, his eyes immediately focusing on Jin Ling-er at the front.

“Shixiong….” Seeing Qin Mo, Jin Ling-er’s eyes reddened and her tone brimmed with grievances. “En.” Hearing Jin Linger’s voice carry such a mournful tone, Qin Mo frowned and his dark pupils flashed with annoyance.

Qin Mo had received the memories of Shixiong, equally, he’d also received his sentiments. Although it didn’t at all resemble Shixiong’s fondness of Jin Ling-er, she still existed in Qin Mo’s heart like a younger sister.

Those who knew Qin Mo knew that although he was coldly detached and indifferent, he was extremely guarded when it came to his shortcomings. Perhaps because of the early death of his parents, he greatly cherished his remaining relatives and friends, even to the point of paranoia.

Shifting his line of sight to the youth beside Jin Ling-er, the cold severity in the colour of his eyes seemed to be capable of drowning the boy. Just seeing him, Qin Mo’s pupils flashed and he faintly opened his mouth saying: “Let go.”

When he saw Qin Mo, the boy first stared blankly. However, immediately after hearing Qin Mo’s words the sneer at the corner of his mouth intensified. “Why?” he said, extending the other hand to lightly lift Jin Ling-er’s chin, throwing Qin Mo a provoking glance.

Qin Mo’s long and narrow phoenix eyes slightly rose and his right hand softly curved. In it, a dazzling orb of purple light formed. His right arm lifted lightly and the purple orb was thrown exactly at the youth’s arm.

Seeing the purple lightning charging towards him, the boy’s pupils shrank slightly and the hand holding Jin Ling-er released as he hastily retreated. However, the edge of his robe’s hem was still scorched by the lightning.

Qin Mo tidied up his own clothes as his eyes swept over the youth’s hem. His face didn’t change, but in his heart, he felt that is was somewhat of a pity. His control over his power was still lacking, else he would not have only burnt his clothes. The youth looked at the burnt corner of his clothes, not angry, on the contrary, he rejoiced. His thin lips gently rose and for the first time he revealed a simple smile: “Not bad, truly worthy of your noble sect Qin Mo!”

As he spoke his pupils flickered with splendour. He took out a folding fan from an unknown place and opened it with a “brushing”-like sound saying, “I1 am Zhengyang Sect’s Kong Xiao.”

Kong Xiao originally believed that after hearing his name, Qin Mo would say something. He hadn’t expected him to merely give an indifferent glance without a single word. It appeared Qin Mo hadn’t attached the slightest degree of importance to him.

Kong Xiao couldn’t help but be enraged. With a “pop” he slammed the folding fan closed in his hand and stared at Qin Mo’s face. Stressing each syllable: “This young master is Zhengyang Sect’s Kong Xiao!”

The second time, Qin Mo actually had a reaction, but only his brow slightly rose. Seemingly, he didn’t understand what this Kong Xiao was bullshitting from the start.

On the contrary, Jin Ling-er, who had already hidden behind Qin Mo, quietly expressed her surprised and tugged at Qin Mo’s sleeves: “Ah, He’s Kong Xiao. I’ve heard that he’s a young genius as equally famous as Shixiong.”

Saying this, Jin Ling-er wrinkled her nose as she sized up the youth before her from top to bottom. Her face betraying her displeasure as she stated: “I didn’t expect him to be so spoiled, actually enjoying bullying others. He’s can’t be compared to Shixiong even a bit !”

Upon hearing this, Kong Xiao’s expression became somewhat irritable. Glancing at Jin Ling-er, he fumed: “What is bullying! It’s obvious that your noble sect’s disciple has robbed us of our, Zhengyang Sect’s, spirit grass!” “Hmm, it was clearly found by our noble sect’s disciple. It’s your Zhengyang Sect that is relying on your numbers to forcibly rob us!” The disdain on Jin Ling-er’s face grew deeper. Pulling on Qin Mo’s sleeves and pointing to the corner, she said: “Shixiong, this is the spirit grass he found!”

Qin Mo followed the direction in which Jin Ling-er had pointed. When he saw the silhouette of a person, his brow wrinkled slightly.

The figure was wearing an ordinary albeit somewhat messy Yueqing outer sect robe. The boots on his feet were also extremely worn. The hair on his temples was dishevelled, his face was covered in dust. Standing upright and staring at him blankly was Lin Zizheng.

Qin Mo was somewhat doubtful. He remembered that in the novel it was mentioned that the days Lin Zizheng had spent in the outer sect had been quite good. How else would he develop the character of a Holy Father? At present, however, it seemed that Lin Zizheng’s life was not at all going well. Is this the special treatment the protagonist received?

Thinking about it, Qin Mo walked towards Lin Zizheng.

Lin Zizheng watched expressionlessly as Qin Mo approached, his heart feeling somewhat strained. In the few months he’d spent at the outer sect, he was tormented by the other disciples every day. He was no longer as simple as before; he clearly understood the difference between Qin Mo and himself.

He was merely a five spirit root good-for-nothing, while Qin Mo was the entirely worthy pride of the sky.

Qin Mo stopped in front of Lin Zizheng. Looking at the cuts spread across his face, his brow creased slightly. Spirit knowledge swept across his Qiankun bag and his fingers moved slightly. A silk handkerchief appeared in the crook of his hand.

“Here.” Qin Mo handed the handkerchief to Lin Zizheng. Lin Zizheng took it blankly even though he didn’t understand what he meant by the gesture.

“Wipe your face.” He said. Once more, in his hand appeared a small jade bottle, containing wound medicine given to him by Jin Linfeng, and he passed it to Lin Zizheng.

Lin Zizheng only then understood Qin Mo’s intentions and with somewhat of a shiver, took the jade bottle from Qin Mo’s grasp, tightly clasping it in his own.

On the side, Kong Xiao watched as Qin Mo continued to focus his gaze on the filthy boy, not paying him the slightest mind, and his heart grew angrier. He quickly walked over to Lin Zizheng and pointing his forehead with the fan scornfully said. “You are the one who robbed our Zhengyang Sect? Tsk. Despite not even being in the Qi refining layer, you still dared come to the Misty Ridge.”

Lin Zizheng felt extremely exhausted and, being so little, he actually dropped to the ground.

Qin Mo’s brow tensed and he reached out to lower Kong Xiao’s hand and the fan which hung in the air.

Kong Xiao was somewhat embarrassed. He didn’t know why, but when faced with Qin Mo, he didn’t want his bad temper displayed any further.

Lin Zizheng, who’d fallen holding the handkerchief and jade bottle tightly in his embrace, looked at Kong Xiao’s arrogant expression facing him and his eyes flashed darkly. Then he slowly stood up.

“You took something from Zhengyang Sect?” Lin Zizheng was only ten years old now and at this moment he only stood up to Qin Mo’s chest. Seeing him like this, Qin Mo’s speech became much slower.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zizheng’s fist clenched tightly. His blinking, drooping eyes, concealed his emotions. He said quietly: “No.” Without waiting for Qin Mo to say something, from the side a dark shadow immediately sprang forth and knelt uprightly in front of Kong Xiao crying, “Kong Shixiong2, you must speak on my behalf. This repulsive boy snatched my spirit grass!” Saying this he turned his head and glanced at Lin Zizheng.

“You…” Before Kong Xiao could finish speaking, Qin Mo interrupted him with a wave of his hand. His gaze intensified as he looked directly at the man kneeling on the ground and he said coldly: “Since you say that you found the spirit grass, then where exactly did you find it?”

Qin Mo, from the start, wasn’t convinced that Lin Zizheng had stolen the spirit grass. Not to mention Lin Zizheng’s Holy Father character, his status as the protagonist also meant he’d have a few more strokes of luck than others did.

Under Qin Mo’s gaze, the man’s body couldn’t help but shake. After all, Qin Mo’s cold gaze possessed extremely daunting strength. Immediately evading the look, he stuttered: “I… I just found it on the road!”

“Hmm!” Qin Mo snorted and looked at Lin Zizheng: “What about you?”

Lin Zizheng’s clenched fists loosened. Looking up at Qin Mo, his eyes burned: “I found it in a cavern.”

Hearing this, Kong Xiao was also no more a fool and immediately understood the truth of the matter. His face sank and he threw a kick at the chest of the man on the ground shouting: “You’ve got quite the nerve, having the impertinence to deceive me!” ”

The man hadn’t anticipated such an action from Kong Xiao and didn’t have the time to react. He was unexpectedly suddenly sent flying by the kick. Blood spewed from his mouth, but looking at Kong Xiao’s dim expression, he dared not do anything to resist in the slightest. After all, Kong Xiao’s violent temper was notorious in Zhengyang Sect. Having kicked him, Kong Xiao casually arranged his clothes. Still looking like the son of a noble, with a smile on his face, he collected himself and faced Qin Mo on the side, saying: “Today it’s my Zhengyang Sect mistake. Still, we ask that you understand.”

Qin Mo nodded slightly, not having anything to say. On the side, Jin Ling-er, however, raised her chin and taunted: “Know your mistake!”

Although Kong Xiao’s face bore a smile, in his heart he was still furious. That damned guy, in spite of everything, dared to deceive him and make him lose face in such a way. When they got back, he’d properly lecture him.

This in mind, he couldn’t help but say: “In that case, we’ll be taking our leave. Hope to see you again next time!” Not waiting for them to answer, he led Zhengyang Sect’s people away.

Seeing this, Qin Mo turned his attention to Jin Ling-er. Frowning, he spoke with indifference but his tone had an extremely oppressive strength: “Why are you here?”

Jin Ling-er rolled her eyes a few times. She’d found out that Shixiong was coming to the Misty Ridge and decided to follow closely behind, but seeing Shixiong’s cold expression, somewhat defiantly replied: “I just came to play that’s all!”

Although he didn’t know what she was thinking, Qin Mo’s eyes flashed with severity and he spoke with a chilled tone: “Go back.”

Jin Ling-er pulled on Qin Mo, casting a tender moment. Finding him unmoved, she pouted and departed leading most of the Yueqing Sect disciple’s behind her.

Seeing Jin Ling-er disappear with them, Qin Mo’s heart only then calmed. Since Jin Ling-er was only at the third layer of Qi refining, it was extremely dangerous for her to be in the Misty Ridge.

Taking out the flying fan from his Qiankun bag, Qin Mo was ready to leave. Facing the heart of the Misty Ridge he was captivated and moved forward. But feeling his sleeve being tugged on by someone, he stopped and turned his head slightly surprised, only to find Lin Zizheng somewhat restlessly pulling him.

Sensing Qin Mo’s gaze, Lin Zizheng couldn’t help but tighten his grasp on the sleeve and his ink-coloured pupils flashed with urgency. He spoke slowly: “Actually… that cavern was somewhat particular.”

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Finally done. I’m dying this chapter brought me to my knees and you know what’s the best part: the next few chapters are just as long _(´ཀ`」

∠)_

I mean comparatively there isn’t too much action in them and reading over them I don’t feel like they are long so I really don’t want to split the chapters up. So I guess I’ll just bear with it. Also, poor baby Lin Zizheng I feel so sorry for him. Can’t wait to see more of his interactions with Qin Mo.

1Kong Xiao introduces himself humbly if it matters.

2Kong Xiao and Qin Mo are both senior martial brothers in their respective sects, thus both are Shixiong.

Chapter 8

Lin Zizheng sat on the flying fan, sneaking glances at Qin Mo beside him with a somewhat incomprehensible expression. He hadn’t expected Shixiong would really believe his words and go with him to the mysterious cave.

Qin Mo didn’t know that, because of his previous injury, Lin Zizheng hadn’t gone up Dengtian Road and had since then lived a completely different life from his original one.

Since entering the outer sect, Lin Zizheng was bullied continuously by the outer disciples. Even the spirit stones and medicinal pellets that the sect distributed had all snatched from him by others. Lin Zizheng’s spirit root was already extremely lacking and without the aid of medicinal pellets, he’d made no progress in his cultivation in the past few months.

A few days ago, he’d inadvertently heard of the Misty Ridge from the mouths of other disciples and with callous resolve prepared to come here to try his luck.

Perhaps it was his luck that was exceedingly lousy. Just upon entering the Misty Ridge, he was at once pursued by a powerful monster and, in the rush of escaping, he accidentally entered a hidden cavern.

Yet to one’s amazement, the interior of the cavern was unexpectedly lined with a copious amount of spirit grass. Although he didn’t know the value of the spirit grass at all, just standing there, he could feel the soaring spiritual influence it possessed.

 Just as his heart brimmed with joy, in the distance, he heard loud voices outside the cavern. Recalling the faces of the disciples from the Sect, Lin Zizheng’s heart was reluctant. Clenching his teeth, he quickly left the cave planning to lead them away.

Originally, he just wanted to hand over a handful of spirit grass to make them leave. He hadn’t expected to meet Jin Ling-er and the others and still later to come across Shixiong.

Thinking of this, Lin Zizheng’s eyes somewhat burned. He didn’t know why he told Qin Mo about the cave, but he didn’t regret it. Perhaps it was because when they’d first met his impression of Qin Mo was too glorious. Soaring swiftly he seemed like an immortal, indifferent to the dust.

Lin Zizheng tightly grasped the silk handkerchief and jade bottle in his hand. Moreover, he was the first person who didn’t look down at him with contempt.

Qin Mo sat on the side, seemingly in the middle of meditating, but in reality, he was lost in thought.

To begin with, when Lin Zizheng had mentioned that the cave was peculiar, he hadn’t wanted to go. Understanding that as the protagonist of this world, he knew that Lin Zizheng would have multiple strokes of luck unlike the common masses and this mysterious cave might be one of those.

At his core, Qin Mo was an extremely proud individual. He’d persist from the bottom of his heart regardless of his arrival in this world. Moreover, he disdained the thought of seizing another person’s good fortune. Even if that person was the protagonist, who’s blessings were as numerous as the hair on an ox1.

However, when he saw Lin Zizheng uneasily biting his lower lip, his gaze exposing traces of nervousness as he tightly tugging at his sleeve, he didn’t know why but his heart suddenly became soft and he agreed to come.

Glancing at the slightly raised corners of Lin Zizheng’s mouth, he sighed in his heart. Qin Mo decided to be better to him later. Even though he was the protagonist, he was also still a child who had just lost his parents.

“Shixiong, we’ve arrived. It’s here!” Lin Zizheng’s voice broke the quiet atmosphere between the two.

Upon hearing this, Qin Mo manoeuvred the flying fan under his body and landed on a patch in the long stretch of hills. Not seeing any trace of a cavern whatsoever, Qin Mo couldn’t help but shift his gaze to Lin Zizheng.

Lin Zizheng gave a distracted look before immediately hastily walking over to one of the shorter hills and reaching over to pull the dense vines on top. After a while, the tranquil dark mouth of a cavern was revealed.

The opening wasn’t very big, at most it allowed for the entry of only one adult. Lin Zizheng looked back at Qin Mo and took the lead making his way through the hole. Qin Mo followed tightly behind as he entered the cavern without hesitation.

Arriving inside the cave, Qin Mo felt nothing but darkness and the incessant flickering of fluorescent green flecks before his eyes. His body possessed spiritual power, so despite the lack of light, he was capable of clearly seeing the present situation.

The cavern was roughly the size of a room. The interior was unexpectedly full of spirit grass. Qin Mo’s eyes shone. He recalled that in his Qiankun bag he had a jade strip which narrated how to refine pellets.

However, seeing the excited face of Lin Zizheng on the side, Qin Mo immediately calmed down. He remembered that Lin Zizheng would later apparently become a god-tier alchemist. Was the spirit grass here the reason for his development? Qin Mo restlessly retracted his hands and nevertheless waited for him to collect some first.

Lin Zizheng probably only took about ten or so stalks of spirit grass before stopping and straightening up. Only then did he see Qin Mo still standing motionlessly to the side. Somewhat doubtfully he walked over to face Qin Mo and opened his mouth to ask: “Shixiong, why are you…” “You take some first.” Qin Mo remained in the same place, his body not budging in the slightest. A few green specks of light flew past his face, he only then saw that these specks were actually quite similar to fireflies.

Hearing this, Lin Zizheng’s eyes suddenly widened. He was originally already quite bright and at that moment, immediately understood Qin Mo intentions. Qin Mo had intended to let him gather enough spirit grass first before collecting some himself.

With this thought, a dazzling smile emerged on Lin Zizheng’s face and his large eyes slightly squinted as they rose. It looked extremely adorable. Even the distress he’d felt a moment ago over collecting too little spirit grass was cast to the back of his mind and he spoke: “I’ve already taken!” That said, he paused and then continued: “I’ve gathered a lot and I have no more space to place it.”

Qin Mo’s brow wrinkled slightly. He recalled that disciples of Yueqing Sect regardless of whether they were members of the outer sect or inner sect, on the first day of entry, under the Sect they’d be issued a Qiankun bag. Why hadn’t Lin Zizheng? Could he have been left out by mistake?

Qin Mo unfastened his own pouch-like Qiankun bag from his waist and handed it to Lin Zizheng, dismissively stating: “Take it.”

Although Qin Mo didn’t have that many spirit stones, he nevertheless still had a myriad of cultivation supplies like Qiankun bags, Spirit swords and medicinal pellets. After all, Jin Linfeng doted on him quite a bit and in this aspect, he was naturally quite generous.

Originally, Lin Zizheng had, in fact, had a Qiankun bag, however, it was snatched by another disciple. Looking at the bamboo green embroidered Qiankun bag Qin Mo presently held, it was obviously much better than the one provided by the Sect. For a moment, he was stunned, unable to move. Only after a while did he react by coming closer and somewhat flustered pushed back the Qiankun bag.

“Shixiong, I… I can’t ask for your things!” Seeing the manner in which Lin Zizheng refused the Qiankun bag, Qin Mo’s thin lips firmly pursed.

Sensing the atmosphere around Qin Mo become colder. Lin Zizheng was under the impression that he was angry and couldn’t help but become even more flustered, hurriedly saying: “Shixiong, this is too valuable!”

If it had been given to him by someone else, Lin Zizheng might have already accepted it. After all, he really did need a Qiankun bag at the moment, but the person before him now was Shixiong. He didn’t know why, but Lin Zizheng didn’t want to let Qin Mo look down on him.

“Take it, I also want to pick some spirit grass.” Qin Mo’s brow creased as he looked at Lin Zizheng in front of him and immediately swept a glance at the grass around him.

Seeing Qin Mo so determined, Lin Zizheng bit his lower lip and took the Qiankun bag. In his heart, he secretly vowed that in the future he would definitely… would definitely what? Lin Zizheng also still had some doubts in his heart, but seeing Shixiong so incomparably dazzling even as he crouched on the ground, he vowed that in the future he would definitely treat Shixiong well.

Under their great efforts, the spirit grass within the cavern had ceaselessly decreased. Even though the expression on Qin Mo’s face remained unchanged, in his heart, he was also extremely happy. This time, their gains were indeed quite bountiful.

Just then, Qin Mo suddenly felt a shiver run through his heart, and the hairs on his back stood on end. There seemed to be something watching him closely. Thinking of it, he moved his feet and his body immediately shifted to the side.

The moment he moved, he saw an immense tail suddenly appear in the air and ruthlessly strike.

The blow struck down, dust flew up. Waiting for a clear view of the scene, Qin Mo took a deep breath. As the dust settled, in the place he’d been standing just a moment ago, emerged a huge deep pit and in it a thick tail incessantly writhing.

Following along the length of the tail, Qin Mo’s pupils constricted slightly. At the entrance of the cavern lay an enormous python. Its radius was approximately about one meter and at a passing glance, it also had about 100 meters in length. Its immense body took up nearly the entire cave, wall to wall.

At this point, it was sticking out a scarlet tongue and its verdant green eyes greedily gazed at him.

More than anything else, what made Qin Mo feel the worst was that he, in spite of everything, couldn’t make out the python’s cultivation level. He was currently at the tenth layer of the Qi refining phase and was able to observe the cultivation level of anyone below the foundation building phase. At the moment, the only thing that was shown to be certain was that the python’s cultivation level had at least reached the foundation building phase.

Qin Mo’s heart tightened. Biyoujian immediately appeared in his hand. His figure once again turned and he came to face Lin Zizheng. Seeing his small figure, Qin Mo all of a sudden took his hand and whispered: “Don’t be afraid.”

The instant he saw the python, Lin Zizheng’s heart became extremely desperate and at that moment, it brimmed with unwillingness. Why did the lives of others pass so smoothly, while his own life had to be so rough.

His beloved parents had been murdered by demonic cultivators. Afterwards, despite arriving at Yueqing Sect, he was constantly tormented because of his five-elemental waste spirit root. Now, after having faced great difficulties, he went out for the first time only to get killed by a chance encounter with disaster.

His eyes were red, and a strange darkness appeared in his pupils. Thinking about it, he decided he’d self-detonate his Dantian2, even though he’d die in the process at least he’d drag this giant serpent together with him.

Just then, a cool hand firmly wrapped itself around his and he heard someone say, “Don’t be afraid.” Lin Zizheng felt something warm his heart and he spoke a gentle “En”, grasping Qin Mo’s hand in return.

Qin Mo wasn’t the slightest bit aware of the change in Lin Zizheng and tightly held him in his arms, his gaze warily concentrated on the python before them.

The python stared at them, its long serpentine tongue licking its lips. Qin Mo could even see the obvious pride in its eyes.

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Sorry this chapter came out a bit later, I got caught up in some work at the high school I used to go to but now that its over I’ll be focused on this again and hopefully return to releasing a new chapter every 3-4 days. I’m really loving Qin Mo’s character. He’s a great stoic while being quite feeling.

I’m pretty glad I have the opportunity to work on this project and I’m really grateful for all the positivity I’ve been getting in the comments. I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story.

-Bean

1As many as the hair of the ox (多如⽜⽑): Chinese idiom meaning very many. It speaks for itself, this footnote is completely unnecessary.

2Dantian: refers to the region in the body where a person’s Qi is concentrated.

Chapter 9

The python seemed to have seen enough of their laughable speech. Its eyes flashed with a jade light and its huge tail rose once more, quickly striking in Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng’s direction.

Qin Mo’s hold on Biyoujian suddenly tightened. Seeing the oncoming snake tail, he quickly directed spirit power into the sword and sent it flying at the serpent’s tail.

The sword, glowing with a cyan light, slashed the black surface of the snake’s skin, producing a loud “ripping” sound. The place of the collision broke into a dazzling spark, illuminating the somewhat dark cave.

The immense serpent’s eyes flashed with a trace of scorn. Lifting its head up high, it shook it slightly, seemingly sneering at the foolish, arrogant mortal before it.

Yet the snake tail didn’t alter its trajectory towards them in the slightest.

In a flash, the two were sent flying and struck the wall behind them.

Although it’s force was strong, it hadn’t fatally injured them. Seeing the tail’s uninterrupted swaying, Qin Mo completely felt that the giant snake was toying with them for its own amusement, just like a cat playing with a mouse.

Thinking of this, Qin Mo suddenly felt a faint ache in all the bones in his body. “Shixiong!” On the side, Lin Zizheng’s anxious voice rang. As he’d been protected by Qin Mo from the start, he hadn’t actually suffered any injuries. Now, seeing Qin Mo’s weakened state, he couldn’t help but come forward to help hold him up.

Qin Mo supported himself against the wall with one hand, with the other hand he braced against Lin Zizheng and slowly stood up. He waved his hand to indicate it was nothing, but inside his mind was racing. When all was said and done how would they leave here?

Suddenly, he recalled a forbidden incantation1 from Shixiong’s memories. Since it was a forbidden incantation, naturally the previous Shixiong remembered it quite distinctly. Of course, the price he’d pay for casting it was extremely heavy.

Gritting his teeth, Qin Mo bit his own index finger and squeezed out a drop of blood from his core. Immediately, his hands quickly produced a seal, the blood floated strangely in the air and unceasingly spread out.

Lin Zizheng could only see the afterimage of Qin Mo’s hands, without being able to distinguish the movements at all.

After only a moment, a blood red giant net appeared in front of Qin Mo. Seeing it, Qin Mo took a deep breath and reached out. The giant net moved forward over the python trapping it.

Having completed this single action, Qin Mo at once looked as if he’d exhausted all the strength in his body. He turned to face the wall behind him and staggered forward, his body quickly collapsing against it.

“Shixiong!” Lin Zizheng’s eyes were bloodshot. He had never before hated his own powerlessness so much. At this moment, he could only blankly reach out to catch Qin Mo’s falling body.

As the giant net came into contact with the python’s body, he heard it burst into a fit of miserable cries. Simultaneously, he smelled the stench of burning flesh. From afar, he saw that the python was already trapped in a corner by the giant net.

Qin Mo’s gaze lightly drifted away. Looking at the now exposed cave mouth, he weakly gripped Lin Zizheng’s hand and said, “Quick, get out of here!”

Lin Zizheng nodded forcefully. Supporting Qin Mo, he immediately sought to escape towards the cave entrance.

The enormous serpent seemed to see through their thoughts. At once, it opened its bell-like eyes wider and from its mouth came a loud “hiss”. The large mouth then stretched open, revealing a set of long sharp venomous fangs. Appearing truly terrifying, it immediately spit a mouthful of flames right in their direction.

Qin Mo was alarmed, but there was nothing he could do about it in the slightest. Already, he could no longer move and the spirit power in his body couldn’t be used at all.

Lin Zizheng helped Qin Mo quickly retreat back, yet he lost his footing unexpectedly and fell. In the process, Qin Mo’s head just happened to accidentally knock against a bump in the wall.

Darkness fell before his eyes and his mind went blank. The last thing he remembered was the paled face of Lin Zizheng.

As Qin Mo lost consciousness, he failed to notice the strange appearance of a dark hidden passage behind him.

Lin Zizheng anxiously propped Qin Mo up. Sensing a feeble breath at the tip of his nose, his heart calmed. He’d feared that the person before him had met the same fate as his parents, after he’d fallen to the ground, no longer able to stand.

Glancing at the pitch-black passage in front of him, he turned to look at the python that appeared to have nearly freed itself from the giant net behind him. Lin Zizheng grit his teeth. His gaze severe, he lifted Qin Mo and walked into the hidden pathway.

After they entered, the entrance to the passage once more closed. Lin Zizheng stood listening to the loud bangs coming from outside. It seemed that the large snake had already broken out of its binding and was currently frantically charging at the wall of the secret passage.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, exposing a bloodthirsty smile that contradicted his age. His eyes briefly flashed with a shrouded ruthlessness. Given the opportunity, he was determined to skin it and rip the flesh from its bones2.

Within the quiet of the passage, it was completely dark. Lin Zizheng tightly held Qin Mo up. Only the sound of Qin Mo’s nearly inaudible breathing could be heard. His eyes blood red, his hands couldn’t help but also tighten their grasp on Qin Mo.

Why was he so powerless. At this point, he could only be a burden to him and this was not something he could reconcile.

Just then, inside the hidden chamber, many small specks of light suddenly appeared and gradually a line of words emerged.

One ponders to become a Buddha. One ponders to become a Demon.

From the word “Buddha” emanated a golden radiance. Seeming just as equally unparalleled, the word “Demon” seemed to have been written using blood. Even merely looking at it would make a person feel an abnormal cold.

Lin Zizheng slowly extended his hand, his delicate fingers gently brushed over the word “Buddha”, ultimately, pressing firmly on the word “Demon”.

In an instant, all the golden specks completely faded away, whilst the bloodied specks of light flew towards his mind. At that moment, his head ached as though it was on the verge of bursting. Faintly within the passage, he seemed to hear a soft sigh echo around him. It appeared to be regretful of something.

Despite the extreme pain, the corners of Lin Zizheng’s mouth raised slightly, revealing a distinctly hollow smile. So what if he became a Demon, as long as he could get what he wanted.

The comatose Qin Mo had no clue the protagonist’s life had once more embarked on a fork in the road. Originally, the protagonist only accidentally entered the secret passage and naturally chose to study the “Buddha” method of cultivation. However, this time, due to all kinds of provocations he actually unflinchingly chose the “Demonic” path.

···

Qin Mo slowly opened his eyes and massaged his rather painful forehead. Looking around, he saw that he was laying on a lush green patch of grass. He could even smell the fresh grassy scent at the tip of his nose.

Immediately, he clenched his fists. He couldn’t remember whether they’d escaped the cave, but now it seemed that they must have. Then what was this place and where was Lin Zizheng?

With that thought, Qin Mo couldn’t help but become anxious and hastily rose to his feet. Before he could stand up completely, he stumbled and fell down once again.

Behind him, a pair of hands extended to gently help support him. Qin Mo turned his head slightly only to see Lin Zizheng standing by his side.

Feeling Qin Mo’s attentive gaze, Lin Zizheng’s face exposed the traces of a delighted smile and he said: “Shixiong, you finally woke up!”

Qin Mo’s brows wrinkled slightly. He didn’t know why but he felt as though Lin Zizheng seemed to have changed somehow. However, looking at his same old frail body, he thought perhaps he was mistaken. Qin Mo pursed his thin lips and broke away from Lin Zizheng’s hold.

Slowly stabilising himself, he asked: “Where are we?”

Seeing Qin Mo wave off his hands, Lin Zizheng’s eyes couldn’t help but faintly flash, nevertheless his mouth replied: “Shixiong, incidentally there was passage behind the cave wall. At that time, you accidentally opened it and I helped Shixiong go through. When we came out, we’d ended up here. But Shixiong, you’ve already been unconscious for the last ten days!” As he spoke, he lowered his head slightly and his tone contained a bit of a sob.

Qin Mo’s heart softened. Even though the person before him was this world’s protagonist, regardless of how powerful he would become in the future, right now he was merely a child. When faced with these situations he’d still be scared.

Thinking of this, Qin Mo couldn’t help but gently pet Lin Zizheng’s head. His face was still ice-cold and his tone remained flat as he spoke: “It’s nothing.” However, the tips of his ears blushed somewhat. He never knew how to comfort others, especially when the other party was still a child.

Sensing Qin Mo’s action, Lin Zizheng raised his head and looked at Qin Mo dumbfound his eyes still seemed to be teary. Seeing him like this, the corners of Qin Mo’s mouth slightly rose to form a comforting smile.

At first, Lin Zizheng stared blankly, but in an instant, he turned his head in embarrassment and quietly stated: “Shixiong, your smile is really good- looking.”

The tips of Qin Mo’s ears became even redder and he somewhat hastily turned away going over to a tree on the side. He gracefully moved into a meditating position and said, “First, I’ll restore my spirit power.”

“Wait, Shixiong, eat something first!” Seeing that Qin Mo was about to close his eyes, Lin Zizheng immediately called out. Qin Mo only then noticed that Lin Zizheng had come over to him. He wasn’t sure when but a piece of barbecued meat had appeared in Lin Zizheng’s hand. The meat gave a golden glow under the sunlight. It seemed extremely tempting and as Qin Mo had yet to abstain from eating3, the moment he saw the piece of meat, he at once felt he was a little hungry.

He reached out to take the roasted meat. Even though he was already extremely hungry, Qin Mo still ate in a notably elegant manner. It was delicious. Qin Mo couldn’t help but ask: “What kind of meat is this?”

Lin Zizheng smiled slightly. His eyes lowered hiding the emotions within them. He whispered: “It’s just ordinary snake meat.”

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Hell yes! Our protag has chosen the dark side and the MC’s too-dazzling- to-look-at smile is back. I love how the MC doesn’t even realise how badly he’s messed up the story.

Alright, I’ll be going dark next week as I’ll be in Grenoble for the French figure skating Grand Prix Event. Then I’ll be back on the usual schedule. Enjoy and see you guys soon.

-Bean

On another note, I just finished all my retakes! Woohoo! \(^O^)/

Also, I’m really digging the new progression, let’s see how this develops shall we? Hu hu hu

-Cherry

1I mean it can be either incantation or curse. Take it as you will.

2The literal translation was pull away its muscle but I felt this worked better.

3At some point in cultivation a cultivator just stops eating as they can live without food. (Think Breatharianism) 

Chapter 10

Currently, Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng were in an area that was still at the edge of Misty Ridge. Perhaps owing to its secretive nature, no one had ever passed through there.

Qin Mo cultivated feeling at ease there for a few days. After all, since he’d used a forbidden incantation, the state of his injuries was quite severe and he had yet to fully recover.

A few strands of sunlight shone through the cracks between the leaves and onto Qin Mo’s face. Their warmth was exceedingly comfortable.

Qin Mo’s long eyelashes moved slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. Standing up, he looked into the distance. Inside Misty Ridge, the sky wasn’t visible, however, it was bright out as long as the sun was out.

They had already been there for ten days. Qin Mo frowned. It had already been quite a while since they’d arrived, it was time to go back. That in mind, he shifted his gaze to Lin Zizheng.

At the moment, Lin Zizheng was skillfully roasting meat. Watching his movements, Qin Mo immediately recognised the snake meat in his hand.

At the thought of it, he felt all the more that the sooner they returned the better. Although it was quite delicious, they’d eaten it every day for the last ten days. So despite its delectable taste, they would soon grow weary of it.

Perhaps it was because of the huge python overseeing the area, that all the animals in the vicinity were also kinds of snakes. Qin Mo didn’t have any spiritual power left within his body and Lin Zizheng’s level of cultivation was too low. Thus neither could leave to hunt elsewhere.

Recalling Lin Zizheng’s cultivation, Qin Mo’s brow wrinkled tighter. Right now, he had no way of helping him whatsoever. However, he then remembered that it wouldn’t be long now before a form of practice would arise that was suited for his five spirit root. Nevertheless, to prevent his own downfall he mustn’t intervene excessively.

Noticing that Qin Mo was no longer tending to his own wounds, Lin Zizheng immediately stepped forward smiling and passed him the meat he’d just been roasting. Qin Mo’s hand was a bit stiff and he spoke with urgency: “We’ll depart at once and return to the Sect.”

Lin Zizheng paused. Indeed, they had to go back and once they’d returned this person would once again be the aloof and untouchable Yueqing Sect Shixiong, not his own Shixiong alone. Thinking of it that way, it really was… awful! However, the expression on his face didn’t change at all and he said: “Okay!”

He took out some dark green lotus leaves from an unknown location, carefully wrapped the snake meat in them and placed them into his Qiankun bag.

Watching Lin Zizheng’s actions, Qin Mo couldn’t help but feel somewhat baffled. How much does he like eating snake meat! Leave and take them with you!

Seemingly sensing Qin Mo’s confusion, Lin Zizheng patted his Qiankun bag and brightly smiled: “Snake meat is the tastiest!”

Ignoring the sense of discomfort in his heart, Qin Mo nodded and led Lin Zizheng towards the further edges of Misty Ridge. As his spirit power had only recovered up to about the sixth layer, he could no longer use the flying fan. After all, naturally it expended an extremely large amount of power and Misty Ridge was teeming with threats, he had no choice but to carry on cautiously. After a long interval of walking, Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng were nearing the exit of the Misty Ridge. Suddenly Qin Mo’s body stiffened slightly, and he immediately stopped Lin Zizheng from advancing forward.

At the tip of his nose, he could vaguely sense a strange odour. In his previous life, he already had quite a keen sense of smell, but in this life, this ability seemed to have been heightened even more.

Suddenly, they heard a loud commotion. It was the voices of other cultivators.

Qin Mo hesitated for a moment, before finally pulling Lin Zizheng to hide behind a boulder and silently moderated his breathing. Of the two of them, one could scarcely cultivate and the other’s spirit power had yet to be fully recovered. Furthermore, in Misty Ridge, where fortunes were unclear, it was nonetheless still quite dangerous.

“Hey, Shixiong, there’s an injured person here!” One of the younger cultivators seemed to had discovered something. Qin Mo followed his gaze only to find a cultivator clothed in black collapsed on the road, his body bleeding out.

“Qing Zhu, be careful! Pay attention to your surroundings!” Seeing the young cultivator’s rash actions, their leader could not help but chide him.

“Its okay, Shixiong, this person is from Qingshan Sect. Look at the figure embroidered on his clothes. It’s their symbol.” The young cultivator helped the person off the ground, speaking indifferently.

The Shixiong also saw the obvious mark of Qingshan Sect and calmed down. However, he continued lecturing him: “Even though he’s a disciple of Qingshan Sect, you shouldn’t be so reckless…”

“Ah!” Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the young cultivator’s yelp. The injured and fallen Qingshan Sect cultivator suddenly open his eyes. They were completely pitch black, the whites invisible. He reached out and firmly grasped the young cultivator’s neck. The young cultivator only had the time to scream before his eyes rolled back and he died foaming at the mouth.

The words the Shixiong had wanted to say wedged in his mouth. Seeing the young cultivator’s miserable state, his body stiffened. Finally managing to react, he turned and ran. But he didn’t get very far before he stopped, locked in place. His mouth incredulously muttered: “It’s poisonous.”

The cultivator who’d just a moment ago murdered someone suddenly approached him and ended his life in much the same way.

Thereupon the originally spirited cultivator immediately stood stiff, his head lowered, his arms limp and pressed against his body, motionless.

Suddenly, a dark figure rose covertly from the shadows, quickly coming to face the two bodies on the ground. He hastily picked up the Qiankun bags hung on their waists and carefully inspected them.

The two cultivators were obviously disciples of a large sect. Inside the Qiankun bags, there were many valuable items and on the shadow’s face a satisfied smile emerged. Qin Mo only then saw him clearly. His face was one he’d met before; Mingshan Laozu1.

With a wave of his hand, the cultivator who stood frozen disappeared and his own body was slowly enveloped by a black mist vanishing.

After a while, having determined that Mingshan Laozu was definitely gone, Qin Mo and Lin Zizheng came out from their hiding place.

Looking at the two bodies on the ground Qin Mo’s gaze trembled. Having been in this world for so long, it was only now that he truly comprehended how terribly cruel it was. In a single evening, a life could be taken. He was now only at the tenth layer of Qi refining and had yet to reach the foundation building phase. Surely he was too weak.

His hands clenched firmly. Before finding a way to return to his own world, he’d have to preserve his life. Thinking of this, Qin Mo no longer hesitated, quickly he took out his flying fan and headed towards Yueqing Sect.

Upon arriving, Qin Mo sent off Lin Zizheng at the outer sect and then went straight to the task hall.

Having completed the task of handing over the Jade Peach fruit, Qin Mo looked at the Qiankun bag full of spirit grass. Thinking again of the large sum of spirit stones he owed to Yundan Peak he frowned and took out much of the precious spirit grass. He then exchanged it for spirit stones and contribution points which he handed over to Deng Tong at Yundan Peak.

Looking at Deng Tong’s brows raise in delight, Qin Mo’s heart was rather happy although his expression remained stilted. He hadn’t expected to pay off his debts in full in one go. Truly, it was extremely profitable.

Declining Deng Tong’s invitation to stay at Yundan Peak, Qin Mo somewhat hastily returned to his Dongfu2 at the top of Yunlan Peak.

At Yueqing Sect, only disciples who had cultivated up to the foundation building phase could have their own Dongfu. Despite Qin Mo only having reached the Qi refining period, as he was the Sect leader’s head disciple, he’d received his own Dongfu very early on.

Qin Mo’s Dongfu was extremely simple, merely a plain stone chamber. Obviously, neither the former Shixiong nor the current Qin Mo were individuals willing to decorate.

Slowly he walked over to the centre of the Dongfu and sat down on the only praying mat in the room. Qin Mo’s thoughts were somewhat erratic. He remembered that Shixiong had once read that when one’s cultivation reached the Mahayana period they could ascend into immortality and would be capable of breaking through the void.

As long as he became an immortal, there was the possibility that he could tread through the void and return to his own world. However, at the moment the furthest anyone had cultivated under the entirety of the blue sky was the Nascent Soul phase. Having read the original work, Qin Mo was well aware that there was more to this world than what was under the blue sky and that in the worlds beyond, naturally, there were people whose cultivation was even more advanced. Therefore he was convinced that so long as he persisted, he was bound to succeed one day. Qin Mo as a matter of course, overlooked the possibility that perhaps even after ascending and stepping through the void, he might still not be able to return to his world.

Wishing to realise this even a bit, Qin Mo felt even more firmly resolved to improve his cultivation. What he wanted to do now was to retreat into secluded cultivation.

But before that, he first wanted to send some medicinal pellets to Lin Zizheng. Qin Mo touched the Qiankun bag at his waist. He’d been too hasty in leaving and had forgotten to hand the first-rate pellets he was carrying over to him. Generally, cultivators went into seclusion for several years at a time, and he was, naturally, no exception.

Recalling this, Qin Mo immediately stood up and headed in the direction of the outer sect.

Just outside Yunlan Peak, he was passed from time to time by an occasional rushing disciple. They all wore expressions of either joy or excitement on their faces and were all hurrying to the same location.

Qin Mo flashed a suspicious glance, after all, he wasn’t sure what was going on. Another young disciple passed by his side. Having seen Qin Mo he seemed to somewhat stiffly conceal the excitement on his face and respectfully addressed: “Good Shixiong.”

Qin Mo replied with a gentle “En”. The disciple clearly hadn’t anticipated the ever cold Shixiong to actually answer and once again couldn’t help but reveal an excited expression. Cheerfully he spoke: “Shixiong, Yueqing Sect has opened this month’s Square market, you won’t go take a look?”

After he finished speaking, he saw that Qin Mo’s brow had wrinkled. Believing he’d said something wrong, the disciple hurriedly took his leave and quickly withdrew.

Through the disciple’s remarks, Qin Mo recalled that today was the official opening of Yueqing Sect’s monthly Square market.

The market was located at the back of Yueqing Sect and was started, mainly, to sell or exchange spirit grass, medicinal herbs, weapons and other cultivation items.

Although it was run by Yueqing Sect, it wasn’t exclusively for its disciples and cultivators from other sects could also sell or buy wares. Additionally, as Yueqing Sect was close to the Misty Ridge, there was always the chance that some valuable items would arise at the market.

This in mind, Qin Mo stopped, considering it for a moment and then prepared to go take a look at the Square market first before going to pass the medicinal pellets to Lin Zizheng at the outer sect.

The author has something to say:

Hah, My hand just accidentally slipped and added a comment fine. So don’t blame me for being biased. No matter which younger sister, leaving comments, not leaving comments, lurking silently watching, I love you all!

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Ended up disappearing for longer than I’d intended, however, I’m back with news. So Cherry and I are taking on another Xianxia BL project so I do recommend it to those who have enjoyed The Transmigrated Senior Martial Brother so far. The first chapter will be out in a few days and I’m trying to figure a schedule for updating but I think we’ll manage. So far from what I’ve read in Chinese, it’s really well written. It’ll be posted soon in our Projects page and I’ll be working on getting up a page for it on Novel Updates soon. All in all, it’s great to be back. ヾ（〃＾∇＾）ﾉ♪

-Bean 2Dongfu: (Immortal’s Cave) the abode of a cultivator, a cave where spiritual energy is abundant.