Chapter 16: Once Through

In the cave, where daylight could not be seen, Cheng Shan didn’t know how long she had been asleep. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was that red bow. The fire in the stove had gone out, and this bow was the only source of light in the silent cave. Cheng Shan sat cross-legged, placing the bow on her lap. The red bow seemed to possess a spiritual quality, and its radiance brightened a bit, just enough to serve as a lantern in the emptiness.

Cheng Shan caressed the precious bow with great joy. Standing up, she raised the bow and turned around slightly in the cave. Seeing nothing particularly remarkable except for some murals depicting the confrontation between countless demons and the Demon King, she sat down again and entered her sea of consciousness to investigate.

Reflecting on the situation before her deep slumber, Cheng Shan could sense that Han Luo had genuinely tried to help her. She was momentarily confused, thinking that perhaps Han Luo had no malicious intent toward her. The spirit insect might indeed be, as he claimed, responsible for exploring the Taiyin True Water.

Approaching the increasingly dreamlike narcissus flower, Cheng Shan was lost in thought when Han Luo’s voice rang out again: “You’re awake?”

Feeling uncomfortably monitored, Cheng Shan almost succumbed to the impulse to escape that had been suppressed. With a disgruntled “Hmm,” she sat down again. Han Luo seemed to sense her displeasure but ignored it, calmly saying, “Earlier, you wanted to rescue your mother on your own, which sounded like a fantasy. But now, it seems you might soon have the qualifications to challenge the Thick Virtue Palace. If you can endure it, why not cultivate both Qi and Spirit together?”

As Han Luo spoke, a surge of powerful true energy rushed in, forcing Cheng Shan to focus and circulate her energy.

Cultivating Qi involved transforming innate essence into true elements, while cultivating Spirit involved converting true elements into freely manipulable energy. Following Han Luo’s suggestion to practice both simultaneously, Cheng Shan couldn’t withstand the excessive consumption of her essence. Soon, she appeared on the brink of exhaustion, sweating profusely. “No, I feel so uncomfortable,” she gasped.

Han Luo coldly remarked, “You can’t endure such a trivial hardship. You’re wasting your talent and opportunities. Continue!”

“Cold-blooded monster!” Cheng Shan cursed inwardly. Wiping off the sweat on her forehead weakly, she said, “What talent do I have?”

Han Luo replied, “The Taiyin True Water is your talent; meeting me is your opportunity. If you can’t endure this hardship, your father may not wait; even if you manage to save your mother in the future, how will you explain it to her?”

Cheng Shan became even more irritated by his words. With her parents’ safety like a mountain pressing down on her, she couldn’t recklessly leave. She had to rely on Han Luo. Feeling helpless and frustrated, she bit her lip, then angrily raised the Demon King’s bow, imagining Han Luo standing in front of her, pierced through the heart by her arrow.

At the moment of Cheng Shan’s childish venting, a sharp energy blade shot out from the bow, heading straight for the waterfall on the stone wall in front. Cheng Shan stared in astonishment as the waterfall instantly stopped, turning into icy stalactites. The remaining water flowed over the ice, forming beautiful ice columns where the waterfall met the underground river, shining brilliantly in the light of the Demon King’s bow.

Stunned, Cheng Shan looked at her own hand. Had she released that powerful, true energy just now? Waving her hand and trying various gestures towards the stone wall, she created some slight air disturbances but failed to reproduce the strange effect from before.

After contemplating for a moment, Cheng Shan picked up the Demon King’s bow. Sure enough, a faint orange true energy blade shot towards the cave wall, causing it to splinter and leaving a layer of frost behind.

Thinking for a moment, Cheng Shan asked in her sea of consciousness, “Master, Sister Yinlin said your mental power is the strongest in the Three Realms. Can I learn it too?”

Han Luo seemed to chuckle lightly before saying, “People say my mental power is a gift from heaven, one in a million, irreplicable. However, your sea of consciousness is unusually compatible with mine. If I were to take on a disciple, it would be you. We may have some master-disciple fate.”

Rolling her eyes, Cheng Shan couldn’t help but think, Master-disciple fate? Does that mean I will be stuck with the spirit insect in my sea of consciousness forever? At this point, Cheng Shan finally made a decision. Instead of running away, she had to confront it directly. She said, “Master, I want to go back.”

“Better not wander around; I’ll come to get you,” Han Luo replied.

“How do you know?” Cheng Shan wanted to ask how he knew her location, but thinking of the spirit insect, she guessed it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find her. She sighed, feeling a bit helpless. What should she do? Growing up, her parents had always cherished and spoiled her, and now, for the first time, she felt controlled and dared not move.

Not knowing how long it would take for Han Luo to arrive, Cheng Shan thought carefully. Since she had hidden her true intentions and didn’t tell him about opening the bronze furnace, she didn’t know where she had put the bow. She decided to return it to its original place, half-hidden and buried in the crystal mine. Then, she closed the furnace lid, sat cross-legged, took a moment to adjust her breath, and continued cultivating Qi and Spirit concurrently, determined not to stop until her energy was completely depleted.

The sound of water echoed as Cheng Shan closed her eyes, her consciousness wandering in an entirely new world she had never experienced before. Thoughts of her recent experiences flashed through her mind like a dream. When Han Luo mentioned that she found cultivating Qi and Spirit easier than most people, Cheng Shan felt it even more unreal. Though occasionally lost in the fantastical stories she read, her self-perception had always been that of an ordinary girl. With the recent series of changes, she couldn’t grasp whether she was human or something else.

However, Cheng Shan had a knack for going with the flow. Even in dreams, she was determined to give her best to make this fantastical dream a reality. Moreover, concepts like meridians, the sea of consciousness, and true energy made her feel like she had been given an extra life. She even felt a subtle sense of anticipation about how she would progress and transform. With such thoughts, the true energy within Cheng Shan’s body gradually became more vigorous, and the time for resting and recuperating between sessions became shorter. Han Luo was searching for her traces in the Demon King Valley and was secretly amazed when he sensed her progress.

Han Luo speculated that Ming Yan probably didn’t dare to act recklessly. Therefore, he boldly wandered around the Demon King Valley, not intentionally using his mental power to locate Cheng Shan. However, once the distance between them narrowed to a certain range, Han Luo’s mental power automatically sensed her presence. After more than two hours, Han Luo found the cave where Cheng Shan was.

The cave had many entrances, and Han Luo entered from the other side, wading through water. However, he didn’t go through sections that required diving, so he didn’t question why Cheng Shan would wander into such a place.

Silently descending from the top entrance, Han Luo saw Cheng Shan still meditating with closed eyes and waited quietly beside her. After a while, Cheng Shan heard the sound of the furnace opening and slowly opened her eyes.

Han Luo took out the Demon King’s bow, examined it for a while, and seemed to have some doubts in his eyes. Cheng Shan, pretending as if she were seeing the bow for the first time, exclaimed, “This bow is so beautifully red!”

Han Luo’s eyelids twitched, and Cheng Shan, feeling guilty, stared at the Demon King’s bow, not daring to meet his gaze. With a light laugh, Han Luo tossed the bow to Cheng Shan and said, “With my true energy inside you, this bow suits you perfectly. You don’t even need arrows. Also, handling this low-level artifact should be easy for you. Keep it for now.”

Hugging the bow, Cheng Shan was puzzled. “Isn’t that Qiyao a Demon King? How come the things produced from his furnace aren’t treasures?”

Han Luo explained, “When Qiyao died at the hands of the Ghost Emperor, all his high-level artifacts were destroyed. If he were still alive, he could have forged this bow with his own spiritual power, making it an invaluable treasure. Unfortunately, the bow’s potential was not fully realized, and the spiritual power invested in it had not completely merged, leading to his demise.”

The more Cheng Shan heard, the more uneasy she felt. Han Luo seemed to casually understand the bow’s origins, but could he also discern that someone had tampered with it? Under the fear of Han Luo and without realizing that “tampering” didn’t necessarily mean she had done it herself, Cheng Shan, due to her deep-seated apprehension, continued to lie, “Um, I was bored just now and wanted to open the furnace lid to take a look. Suddenly, there was a burst of red light inside, like spiritual power leaking out. I got scared and closed it again.”

Han Luo’s mouth twitched, and though his eyes showed no warmth, he stared at Cheng Shan for a moment before saying, “I like dealing with smart people but don’t appreciate others playing clever tricks in front of me. If you want something, just speak up. There’s no need to be so secretive.”

Feeling that Han Luo assumed she wanted the Demon King’s bow and deciding to give up struggling, Cheng Shan lowered her head and said with a muffled voice, “I was wrong.”

“Good,” Han Luo said. “Since you admit your mistake, I’ll mark it down. But remember this: I forgave you twice. If there’s a third time…” Han Luo suddenly stepped closer, his voice lowering, echoing coldly in the spacious cave. “Don’t blame me for cleaning the house.”

Cheng Shan was frightened by Han Luo’s tone, shivering slightly. But after a moment of thought, she realized that she still had one more chance to make a mistake. Without any sense of thrift, she boldly spoke up, “Master, can you… remove the spirit insect from my sea of consciousness?”