Chapter 22: Journey to Penglai (Part 1)

“Generally speaking, the denser the spiritual energy in a place, the slower time passes.”

“The spiritual pools and fields scattered in the mortal realm have sparse spiritual energy, which can be ignored. In contrast, the Four Great Immortal Sects, located in areas of abundant spiritual energy, experience a more significant effect: one day in the sect roughly equals five days in the mortal realm.”

“So, considering this, Xu Binglailai’s visit to the Shui family for shelter was merely three years ago. For a monk, that’s just the blink of an eye. A half-grown daughter appearing out of nowhere is hardly something to expect him to have deep feelings for you.”

Xu Qianyu sat under the shade of a tree, fanning herself with her palm. After the system finished explaining, she coldly remarked, “So, does he think that saving my life after going through all that trouble is already a great kindness?”

The system replied, “That’s precisely what he thinks.”

Xu Qianyu let out a cold laugh.

Now that she knew Xu Binglailai was her biological father, she felt little excitement about it.

At home, her grandfather had taken on almost all the roles of a “father.” Outside, while those young rascals were wreaking havoc in gambling dens and brothels, it was always her mother who came scolding and dragging the children home; she had never seen anyone’s father. Well, she had seen some fathers, too, who were also playing at the tables, with their ears pinched by their wives. Then there were those who would stretch their necks to sneak a look while riding horses down the street, forbidding their children to look—those were also “fathers.”

Thus, fathers were of little use to her.

Recalling her past life, her master had been indifferent when he should have been teaching her, yet when scolding her, he sat upright and strict, harsher than anyone else. She couldn’t help but snort coldly:

“Xu Binglailai, he ‘truly is a father’!”

But after walking for a while, as the lively sounds faded away, Xu Qianyu couldn’t help but feel a twinge of melancholy.

She took the mustard seed golden pearl that Shen Suwei had given her and wore it close to her body.

Although she was slightly annoyed with Shui Weiwei, the fact that this was an “item” that had come from home made her grip the golden pearl tightly, surprisingly evoking a sense of kinship.

A voice echoed in her mind:

“Um… you still have me qwq”

Right, she almost forgot. There was also Keyun.

Xu Qianyu noticed that Shen Suwei seemed to be watching her from a distance.

In the midst of summer cicadas chirping, he didn’t seem to carry any of the season’s heat; his clothes and hair were wrapped in a chilling sword aura, and under the sunlight, there seemed to be a faint halo around him, unlike anyone from the mundane world. He stood very still, his pupils like a pool of ink jade, revealing no hint of joy or anger.

His gaze was light and indifferent, drifting aimlessly. He always looked this way, only focusing intently on someone when preparing to kill, even smiling occasionally. But during casual observations, you couldn’t even tell if he was looking at a person, the leaves behind them, or merely staring at the dust in the void.

In such moments, the best course of action was to act as if she didn’t see him, to avoid making things awkward if he truly was lost in thought. Xu Qianyu turned her face away.

However, Shen Suwei was indeed looking at her.

Xu Qianyu wore a brocade flower-patterned top, her skirt spread out beneath the tree, making her cheeks flush with heat as she impatiently fanned herself.

At home, surrounded by a sea of embroidered flowers, she had felt a sense of grandeur and a bit of swagger. But now, isolated under the tree, she couldn’t help but feel lonely and suddenly weak.

Shen Suwei felt as if he had plucked a still-vibrant flower from the earth.

But as for the flower removed from its soil, he wondered how long it could survive.

But this feeling only lingered for a moment before dissipating like smoke. The household servants began to descend from the carriage, expertly unloading boxes, and soon piled them next to the young lady, creating a towering mountain of boxes around her, making her appear like a clawing, fierce young lady.

Xu Qianyu was accompanied by ten thousand taels of gold, countless jewels, and garments.

He had subtly mentioned to Xu Qianyu that these items were of no use in the immortal realm, yet Xu Qianyu, with a cold and proud gaze, remained indifferent to his words.

After all, it was a heartfelt gesture from Shui Ruoshan; he did not stop her again.

But as for these items… Shen Suwei arranged the boxes one after another. His storage pouch was completely filled, yet he realized it was still far from enough. After arranging half of them, he expressionlessly took them all out, disassembled the boxes, and filled every crevice with their contents.

Finally, a wisp of sword energy entered the mustard seed golden pearl, lightly tapping Shui Ruoshan’s forehead, sending her into a deep slumber on the bed. A large amount of gold and silver quickly flooded the empty space beside Shui Ruoshan’s bed.

A spirit crane, about a person’s height, obediently squatted in front of Shen Suwei. Its feathers were sleek and seemed to emit a faint glow. Shen Suwei did not use a giant bird for this journey. The giant bird consumed spirit stones along the way, which were inconvenient to carry, while the spirit crane could catch its own food and rest, making it sufficient to transport one person.

Currently, the spirit crane had already piled up twelve boxes on its back, which, in Shen Suwei’s experience, was nearly its limit.

But there was still one box left on the ground.

After a moment of silence, Shen Suwei picked it up and gently placed it on the spirit crane’s back, prompting a plaintive cry from the spirit crane.

Shen Suwei: “…”

Spirit Crane: “…”

After a while, the spirit crane struggled to support its slender legs and slowly stood up, raising the feathers on its head as well.

Shen Suwei took out a piece of high-quality spirit jade from his sleeve and fed it to the crane.

With the last step remaining, Shen Suwei called Qianyu over, lifted her, and placed her in the space beside the boxes. He could use his energy to travel, so he didn’t want to burden the spirit crane.

However, before the spirit crane could flap its wings, Xu Qianyu, sitting on its back, caught a whiff of the bird’s feathers and frowned suspiciously, holding her chest: “Ugh.”

Shen Suwei: “?”

Before she could “ugh” a second time, he quickly lifted her down and set her back on the ground.

He bent down to hold Xu Qianyu’s hand; the spirit energy within her was clearly circulating smoothly, and she was in no major discomfort. Shen Suwei then took her by the hand and walked back and forth in the shade of a tree, intending to help her relax. Afterward, he lifted her onto the spirit crane’s back again.

Xu Qianyu: “Ugh.”

After getting down, she immediately threw a tantrum, pointing at the spirit crane and saying, “I won’t ride this bird; it smells like a bird. Can’t you put me in the mustard seed golden pearl instead?”

Considering she had just left home, Shen Suwei endured: “The mustard seed golden pearl is an ordinary magical tool; it can only support mortals. You have a spirit root, and spirit energy continuously flows into you. It can’t bear that.”

Unlike many monk (cultivator)s, he did not shape his spiritual realm using profound sword intent, referred to as “realm.”

But his “realm” was filled with icy winds and snow, freezing everything and never accommodating people; it was solely for taking the lives of others in close combat.

If he let her ride on his energy, she would surely be unable to withstand the bone-chilling cold and would quickly turn into a frozen corpse.

Suddenly, Shen Suwei felt a slight pressure.

Previously, he had taken Xu Qianyu out before, but she had stayed at home, relying completely on him was a different matter. For him, bringing someone back was fundamentally different from simply taking someone back.

Mortals were indeed fragile.

Moreover, Xu Qianyu was one of the most delicate among the fragile.

Shen Suwei took out a box given to him by the Guan Nian.

Guan Nian had said it contained the osmanthus snow skin mooncakes that the young lady loved most; the exterior was made of powdered glutinous rice, and inside were sweet osmanthus rice balls. If she was in a bad mood, she should eat these, but he couldn’t bring too many because summer goods spoil easily and needed to be stored in ice. At most, he could take two boxes.

Upon opening the box, there were sixteen compartments, each containing a mooncake, translucent in the snow and delicately adorable.

Feeding her something brought from home would surely be safe.

Xu Qianyu ate one, and her anger indeed began to fade, her brows relaxing. However, after finishing, she wanted another.

Shen Suwei looked down at the box, his brows and eyes cold and serene.

Could someone really eat two of these in a day?

He had forgotten to ask that.

Under Xu Qianyu’s impatient urging, he thought for a moment and allowed her to take one more.

After Xu Qianyu finished the second one, feeling refreshed, she wiped the glutinous rice flour from her hands and was willing to leave.

Shen Suwei asked her, “Are you ready?”

Xu Qianyu nodded, and he believed her.

However, just as the spirit crane lifted off the ground, they heard a “ugh” from behind. It seemed the spirit crane was also afraid of getting its wings dirty, stumbling slightly and landing back on the ground.

Shen Suwei expressionlessly pulled Xu Qianyu down, letting the spirit crane carry their luggage and fly up on its own. He thought: It seems one cannot eat a second one after all.

In this world, since some people get seasick, it is indeed possible for someone to feel ill on a spirit crane. If one cannot even ride the crane, then using energy to fly or sword ride is merely a pipe dream.

Shen Suwei did not believe that Xu Binglai was bringing her back for cultivation.

Xu Qianyu possessed a spirit root, but within the realm of outstanding talents in the immortal sect, she was only considered average. Moreover, she was fourteen and had yet to enter the sect, a rare case indeed.

monk (cultivator)s (monk) generally combined talent with diligence, tirelessly progressing day and night; in just a few years, they could achieve much. Missing the right opportunity often made it difficult to catch up.

Yet he also did not think it was entirely impossible to enter the sect at fourteen. If he were Xu Qianyu, he could achieve it, so it was indeed feasible.

It depended entirely on her own fortune.

But this matter had nothing to do with him. His task was merely to bring Xu Qianyu back to the sect.

Since she could not ride the spirit crane, they would walk instead. Taking a boat or a carriage, it would take about half a month, but they would likely arrive.

Just as they exited the city gates, golden butterflies fluttered up and down, approaching them. Shen Suwei reached out to catch one. The message butterfly, originally transformed from a message talisman, flapped its wings twice in his hand and gradually transformed into a letter.

The Shizun (Master) asked him when he planned to return and gently advised him that achieving results before autumn was already excellent, so there was no need to cling to the fight.

Clearly, Xu Jiansu spoke ill of him after he returned.

Shen Suiwei turned the note between his fingers, released the message butterfly, and without explaining further, simply replied with four words: “Find Qianyu.”

He didn’t mention who Qianyu was, but Xu Binglai understood and didn’t press further in the following days.

Xu Qianyu walked alongside Shen Suiwei, but in her heart, she spoke to the system: “We’ve got about ten days. You know a lot about Penglai; hurry up and tell me everything.”

The system replied, “? Weren’t you just pretending?”

Xu Qianyu snorted coldly: “Just because you let me go back, I’m going back? I don’t want to return that quickly, so what if you care!”

*

At a noodle shop at the foot of Lingyue Mountain, a young male monk (cultivator) with a sword took a pair of chopsticks. He used his spiritual power to transform the chopsticks into two thin water dragons that intertwined and cleaned them before handing them to the veiled woman sitting at a low table: “Junior Sister Lu, this is for you.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Li.” Her voice was soft, and beneath the white veil, a shy dimple could be faintly seen.

Li Qingyuan felt a stir in his heart and didn’t dare to look too long. He then served her some vegetables: “Eat more.”

The woman lifted her veil to eat, revealing a small and adorable face, which belonged to Lu You.

However, while she ate, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes didn’t show much joy.

“I heard some people in the sect talking about you recently. Senior Brother should come less often. If there’s news, we can send a message with the butterfly.”

“Don’t mind them. They don’t practice properly and just love to gossip. They’re not like disciples of the Xianmen,” Li Qingyuan said disdainfully. “I walk my path honestly and am not afraid of what people say. Junior Sister, you don’t need to be afraid; they can’t bully you anymore.”

He comforted her gently, “You should stay at this inn for a few more days until you have somewhere to go. I can cover this little money. Do you understand?”

Lu You trembled and nodded: “Mm. Once I earn money, I’ll return it to Senior Brother as soon as possible.”

The story dates back to over a month ago.

Lu You had waited in the spirit field of the Lingyue Immortal Sect for five years but never encountered the Demon King. She suspected that the storyline in this lifetime had deviated significantly, so she had to temporarily skip that step and continue with the next plot, diligently cultivating spirit herbs in the spirit field.

She took on side quests she hadn’t before, using spirit herbs to heal a critically ill elder. Although she was just a small outer sect disciple, the sect leader, though suspicious, still sent people to provide her with various magical tools and quality seeds to assist her. Her spirit field was protected by specialized personnel, and many fellow disciples crowded outside to watch her excitement.

This was her special skill: the spirit herbs she cared for could cure all poisons. Later, Xu Binglai, the master of Penglai, rescued her spirit herbs, and out of great gratitude, brought her back to the Penglai Immortal Sect.

That was her main base.

However, in this lifetime, just before her harvest, she suddenly realized with shock: she could no longer cultivate healing spirit herbs.

No matter how carefully she cared for them, stroked them, and spoke to them, the best she could grow were just slightly plumper ordinary spirit herbs.

According to the timeline of “Demon Punishment,” she was originally expelled from the Lingyue Immortal Sect due to her fellow disciples’ exclusion. This time, there was no need for exclusion: the time had come, she had boasted, yet could not grow spirit herbs. Amidst ridicule, she was directly thrown out of the sect by the sect leader.

Now, she was no longer an immortal sect disciple but a mundane woman, only able to conceal her face with a veil.

The side quests also simultaneously failed.

The system informed her that the Koi female protagonist’s skill of [Healing Spirit Herbs] had “degenerated” in this lifetime due to long-term disuse.

Lu You was taken aback. Indeed, in these five years, she had been too eager to find Xie Yuzhen and had neglected to cultivate spirit herbs. Each day of cutting and sowing was monotonous, and she relied on the heavenly luck to assist her. But she hadn’t expected that even the protagonist’s “golden finger” would degenerate.

She had not realized that even the basic daily tasks in this world were important and could not be completely neglected.

“Will I still be able to get it back?” she asked urgently.

This was a crucial skill. Although she was a sword monk (cultivator), she had relied on spirit herbs when strategizing against various characters in the books, especially when facing the often uncontrollable Demon King Xie Yuzhen. This skill was an irreplaceable part of her healing abilities.

The system said, “You can reacquire it through ‘learning’ but will need to exchange a portion of your ‘pleasure points.’ Your pleasure points are currently insufficient.”

Lu You sighed.

In the first volume of “Demon Punishment,” she endured countless humiliations, yet remained optimistic and kind with the black rabbit as her companion. When she fell asleep, Xie Yuzhen would quietly reveal his demonic form at night to help her take revenge on those disciples who had bullied her.

Xie Yuzhen had no concept of good or evil; he only did things that were beneficial to her. He was a demon king who used his rabbit form to conceal himself in the dark. Those disciples were no match for him; they were humiliated and lost face without knowing why, and some even inexplicably lost their lives.

In her previous life, she only needed to increase Xie Yuzhen’s favorability, which was the source of his story’s pleasure.

Now that she couldn’t find Xie Yuzhen, she was left to suffer, and her pleasure points naturally were insufficient; without pleasure points, she couldn’t exchange for skills to increase Xie Yuzhen’s favorability.

This was indeed a closed loop.

Fortunately, the system informed her that her patience in caring for the rabbit over the years had allowed her to evolve a new skill, [Animal Healing], while losing one skill. As long as she approached injured or seriously ill animals, she could help them escape their suffering and quickly recover.

But Lu You wasn’t very fond of this skill.

While spirit herbs could provide nourishment for people, this golden finger could only heal animals and couldn’t be used for humans, which was quite useless.

Yet, it wasn’t entirely without use.

She was naturally delicate and pure, and being soft-hearted, after acquiring this skill, when she worked in the fields, she was often surrounded by various furry raccoons and field mice. The scene was very adorable. She would place injured rabbits on her skirt to save them, and even wild horses would lower their heads when she stroked their manes.

In the eyes of someone like Li Qingyuan, a righteous and kind-hearted fellow disciple, Lu You was like a fairy under the moon.

Such a kind-hearted and soft-hearted junior sister was driven out of the sect. Li Qingyuan believed it was because the sect leader was unhappy over the loss of an elder, and his junior sister merely suffered the collateral damage. She was originally an orphan, without anyone to rely on; how could they just stand by and watch?

Although Lu You had been expelled from the sect, he still treated her as a junior sister. Several senior brothers and sisters pooled their money together and arranged for her to stay in an inn under the sect.

However, because Li Qingyuan frequently came to deliver things to her, rumors began to spread within the sect, saying that Lu You was living as his mistress down the mountain.

Li Qingyuan was very angry, feeling that the rumors were unfair to Junior Sister Lu.

He himself didn’t care much about it.

Even if it were true… The young man glanced across at her, feeling a bit shy.

With a Junior Sister like her, who wouldn’t want to protect her all the time?

On the other side, Lu You heard a “ding” sound: [Li Qingyuan] had successfully been captured.

Her chopsticks paused for a moment; this meant that this person would faithfully love her from now on and be at her service.

In the book, Li Qingyuan was merely a passerby who appeared for one or two scenes, but he clearly had a good impression of Lu You. Being taken care of by him was much more comfortable than being bullied within the sect. After failing her side quest, she felt discouraged and dared not let her guard down. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, even if it was with a character she had previously looked down on, she would actively pursue them. The excitement of the plot began to slowly rise again.

But it was rising too slowly.

There was nothing to be done; she couldn’t pull an SSR card and ended up with a bunch of ordinary cards, which she still had to save.

While they were eating, footsteps approached from afar, and Lu You tightened her grip on the bun. The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, resembling a leisurely stroll.

Li Qingyuan, sitting at the table, was initially focused on watching Lu You eat when he suddenly sensed a dangerous presence approaching. Sword intent surged from him, and he turned back, alert.

However, the newcomer was not a monk (cultivator), just a boy of about seventeen or eighteen, with red lips and white teeth, smiling as he approached. He held a bun in one hand and a cake in the other, stopping behind Lu You’s chair and said with a smile, “Who is this? Why are you inviting her to eat but not me?”