Chapter 12: The Realm of Kunyu

◎ They Could No Longer Afford to Revert to the Primitive Age ◎

Fan Tower consisted of five buildings, each connected by flying bridges. At the center, surrounded like stars encircling the moon, was an open-air stage.

Well—open-air wasn’t entirely accurate.

Looking up, one could see the clear blue sky, but a transparent spiritual barrier covered the stage. Rain couldn’t pass through, and wind couldn’t blow in.

During the day, storytelling performances were held on the stage, recounting strange tales and gossip from Jiǔqu City and the cultivation world.

Behind the storyteller was a massive jade screen, built from spirit pearls of the flood dragon clans harvested from the Cangming Sea. When the storyteller reached an exciting part, the jade screen would display scenes from the story, vivid and lifelike.

At night, the stage turned into a dance floor, its surface paved with pearls formed from the tears of merfolk. Dancers performed barefoot, their scales refracting light from their outfits, mingling with the wine, music, and extravagance—pure debauchery.

It was noon, and the sun was blazing.

Customers came to Fan Tower for lunch, and the storyteller was recounting a juicy tale—perfect to whet the appetite.

He was telling the scandalous love story between Liu Youyou and Ji Chanzi, complete with a chain of side plots involving Liu Youyou’s entanglements with Liu Yiyi and the young master of the Xiao family during her days in the Liu clan.

The storyteller used aliases, but Liu Youyou’s story was so widely known that everyone could guess the real identities.

He told it vividly, with great detail. Even He Guang clapped and praised the performance, suspecting that when Liu Yiyi caught Liu Youyou kissing the Xiao family’s young master, the storyteller might’ve been hiding in the bushes.

The jade screen behind him showed a few hazy reenacted scenes—probably not real footage, but clearly filmed using actors. Fan Tower was wealthy enough to afford filming in a noble garden in Shengjing.

He Guang lifted the pearl curtain at her booth and couldn’t help touching it—exquisite quality. Each pearl came from the clam tribe, who could only produce one per year. She resisted the urge to pluck one and sneak it home and instead looked toward the center stage.

A young male cultivator suddenly grabbed the storyteller by the collar, hoisting him up with brute force. He threatened, “You’re spouting complete bullshit!”

The storyteller remained unfazed. “I said at the start—it’s entirely fictional, just for entertainment. Why take it so seriously, kid? What, are you one of the characters in the story?”

At that, every customer turned their attention to the stage. The reserved ones peeked with divine sense, while the bold ones pulled out telescopes.

The young cultivator felt all those eyes on him, and his face turned dark. His grip tightened, and the other hand reached for his sword.

The storyteller, still fearless, continued guessing. “You can’t be Ji Chanzi—he’s bald. Wait, are you Xie Xuan? Hmm, no, he’s still rotting in prison, right?”

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the storyteller grabbed the young cultivator’s hand. His eyes lit up. “Hey, wait—you wouldn’t happen to be the first one who got kicked out, Xiao Yucheng, would you?”

The whole tower burst into laughter. The storyteller lived up to his reputation—always sharp with his words. The first one out. What a line.

Xiao Yucheng’s face turned from pale to green. He drew his sword, looking like he was about to slice the storyteller into pieces.

But before the blade could land, the storyteller struck first, flattening him with a single palm.

The storyteller sat on Xiao Yucheng’s back, patted his head, and said sincerely, “Kid, didn’t you notice the difference in our cultivation levels?”

Seeing Xiao Yucheng’s stunned face, the storyteller went on, “Oh right, I forgot—I suppressed my cultivation. What, did you really think I was just a mortal? Don’t be foolish. These days, Golden Core cultivators are as common as dogs, and Nascent Souls are everywhere. This is Fan Tower, a place visited often by Dayan Sect cultivators. You think a mortal could survive here—especially doing a job like mine that pisses people off daily? If my cultivation was weak, I’d have been stripped naked and tossed into an alley by tomorrow.”

“Kid, of everyone here, you’ve got the lowest cultivation. Be smarter next time. Before you barge into a place, at least scout the area first.”

What started as a storytelling session turned into a full-on live lesson—”The Storyteller Teaches Xiao Yucheng a Harsh Lesson.”

He Guang ordered two roast chickens—one for her, one for You Xiaowu. The two of them dug in, grease dripping from their mouths.

No wonder it was the signature dish—it was even better than her master’s cooking.

You Xiaowu spat out a bone, chewing as he asked, “Senior Sister, how much does one of these chickens cost?”

Mouth full, He Guang waved her oily hand and showed him a number.

You Xiaowu’s eyes went wide. He accidentally bit down and cracked the bone, then silently set his chicken aside. His voice turned sheepish. “This is so expensive… I really shouldn’t let you pay. But I don’t have that much money right now. Maybe I could write an IOU? I promise I’ll pay you back.”

He already felt guilty enough letting her pay for the brothel stay. If she paid for meals too, how could he still call himself a “model little junior”?

He Guang lifted her eyelids, face full of disdain. “You kidding? With how expensive this is, you think I’d pay for it? Of course it’s on the public account. I just didn’t dare put the brothel charges on the tab.”

Hearing that, You Xiaowu immediately grabbed the leftover drumstick and began devouring it with gusto.

“So we’re really here just to wait for Liu Youyou? The chances of seeing her in the street are pretty low.”

He Guang pursed her lips, then spat out all the bones she’d been storing in her mouth. Her expression was terrifying. You Xiaowu was so startled he dropped his drumstick. This was a technique she’d learned from her master—she wouldn’t spit out the bones right away, but store them in a spiritual cavity between her teeth, and only spit them out after finishing the whole chicken.

“It’s just a shot in the dark. Aside from the Dayan Sect’s Disciplinary Hall, Fan Tower is the most well-informed place in the city.”

The two waited until the night lights came on, when massive glowing pearls illuminated the restaurant, dancers twirled, and music filled the air—yet no information came.

No wonder the Disciplinary Hall liked to gather here. With so many valuables around, even losing one would be a headache.

He Guang consoled, “Don’t be discouraged. At least now we know who Xiao Yucheng is.”

You Xiaowu slumped over the table, eyelids drooping. “I could’ve told you that too…”

After their luxurious dinner at Fan Tower, just as they were about to leave, Feng Yao knocked on the door.

He Guang quickly wiped her mouth, used a cleansing spell to clean the chicken grease off her clothes, and You Xiaowu scrambled to hand her a handkerchief to wipe her fingers. Once everything was tidy, He Guang cleared her throat and opened the door.

Feng Yao was still dressed in the white robes of the Disciplinary Hall, the curve of his lips identical to the last time.

He started by bringing up the Yuánjì matter, explained his purpose, and apologized to He Guang. She smiled politely, brushing aside the unpleasantness.

Then he brought up Ji Chanzi, stating the Dayan Sect’s stance—not in support, not opposed. Everything would follow the Wanfo Sect’s decision.

He Guang agreed with a smile. From Feng Yao’s wording, she could tell what he really meant: ignore Liu Youyou’s wishes—or rather, ignore Liu Youyou altogether.

He Guang took a slow sip of wine, lowered her gaze to hide the flicker in her eyes, and let her mind race. The Dayan Sect had uncovered Liu Youyou’s true identity and was getting ready to “handle” her.

Put politely, they wanted He Guang to “escort Ji Chanzi away with her.” Put bluntly, the sect didn’t care what happened to Ji Chanzi: if he got dragged in, they’d dispose of him on the spot; if not, they’d leave him to fend for himself. Whether Ji Chanzi survived would depend entirely on He Guang.

She chatted with Feng Yao about the lunchtime farce with Xiao Yucheng, casually steering the story toward Liu Youyou and all the oddities surrounding her. While the two of them laughed over rumors, He Guang sounded out Feng Yao’s attitude.

She poured him a drink. Purple wine flowed from a crystal decanter into an eightcurved crystal chalice without spilling a drop.

“Speaking of strange things,” she said, “when I escorted Xie Xuan through a teleport array, we mentioned Liu Youyou’s name and he suddenly went berserk—tried to wreck the array. He’s only Foundation Establishment, yet I couldn’t stop him, and even the CoreFormation array warden barely managed. We almost died in there. Makes me wonder if it was Heaven’s Fortune wanting me dead.”

Among core disciples, “Heaven’s Fortune” was code for an alien soul.

Feng Yao cradled the chalice, studied its rim, and thought for a moment. She had spelled it out: she knew—or at least strongly suspected—that Liu Youyou was an alien soul. A core disciple’s suspicion alone was grounds to seize someone and perform a soul search. Now she was probing Dayan’s position.

Feng Yao drained the wine in one gulp.
“Agreed. Her fortune is… unusual.”

With that, he took his leave.

He Guang smiled faintly. So—Dayan intended to take Liu Youyou down but had no intention of sharing the merit. Fair enough; she was thinking the same.

You Xiaowu had watched Feng Yao come and go in a daze, feeling as if the pair had been speaking in riddles.

He Guang tapped his forehead. “Silly boy, what’s on your mind?”

“Senior Sister, what were you two talking about? I didn’t catch a thing.”

She unpacked the subtext for him. When she finished, You Xiaowu’s eyes lit up and he rubbed his palms together.
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s nab Liu Youyou and grab those merit points!”

He Guang looked at him with utter disdain. “Where do you think the hard part is?”

“Hholding her?” he ventured.

A wine cup whizzed at his head. “The hard part of every aliensoul case isn’t catching the body—it’s cleaning up the mess after the alien soul dies.”

…

The Legal Tangle

Two millennia ago, the Kunyu Realm was a brutal wilderness: strength ruled, and the weak had no voice. After ten thousand years of effort, it is now a realm of laws.

The four major sects, the Wang and Xie clans of Shengjing, and the leopard tribes of the TenThousand Mountains jointly drafted the realm’s statutes.

Humans and demons follow slightly different codes, but one rule is absolute: no slaughter of the innocent. Even the savage TenThousand Mountains must obey.

Devil cultivators are still “orthodox”; they simply cultivate demonic qi instead of spiritual qi.

Anyone who breaks the law is punished. Those who flee become rogue devils and are listed on the EvilSlaying Roll.

Outside highrisk secret realms and deadspirit zones, a cultivator’s death is a serious affair: case filed, evidence gathered, culprit identified, verdict issued. Forensics is advanced; if mortals can’t solve it, higherrank cultivators or the HeavenlyDao Institute are called in. Families won’t rest until someone answers for the corpse.

Alien souls are worse. The people around them develop a bizarre obsession—Liu Youyou has become the heartdemon of three different men. Killing her cleanly is only half the battle; explaining her disappearance to the sect and to half of Jiǔqu City’s gossipers is the real trick.

Five thousand years ago the first alien soul—nicknamed Remnant Soul One—nearly became sect master of the Wuxiang Devil Sect. When he was quietly removed, the elders claimed he died of qideviation. Trouble was, half the realm had watched him pass the Reincarnation Mirror in perfect health. Rumor spread that jealous elders had murdered him. Chaos followed, faith in the law plummeted, and sect anarchists nearly toppled the order—until the four great sects crushed the crisis together.

The Kunyu Realm cannot survive another plunge back into the eatrawmeat era. Beneath the earth lurks probing black bloodmist; beyond the sky, ancient foes watch like hawks.

Jiǔqu City teems with highlevel cultivators and hidden eyes. If Liu Youyou simply vanishes or turns up dead, it will not go unnoticed. Her end must be handled plausibly, without shaking the realm’s faith in law.

…

He Guang downed her last cup and stepped out of Fan Tower.

Lanterns were blossoming along Jingming Street, branches of light like blazing trees.

You Xiaowu scurried after her. “Senior Sister, are we heading back to Red Sleeves tonight?”

She shook her head and looked up at the brilliant, starstrewn sky.

“No. We’re sleeping at Mo Ai Laozi’s place tonight.”