Chapter 13: Feigning a Breakthrough

Ling Jue seemed to deliberately be using Ye Wenxin to stall time, while she herself focused on self-cultivation instead. No matter how you looked at her, she appeared like a hermit sage, normally writing and painting, only going down the mountain to visit the trade market.

And Ye Wenxin, due to the personal care from the Azure Wings Sect’s sect master, was considering every day how to pretend to break through.

After much thought, she finally decided to find an excuse to go to the sect’s backwoods, intending to hide there for a few days and pretend that she had an epiphany, thus breaking through the Qi Refining stage.

“Litter Sister Wenxin, you don’t need to be so anxious. Your cultivation is being built up with Golden Pills, and if you force a breakthrough, it will only lead to more problems in the future.” Ling Jue refused Ye Wenxin’s request. She skillfully cracked melon seeds as she spoke, apparently forgetting why she had come to the Azure Wings Sect in the first place.

“It’s all because of you, Big Brother Ling. You insisted that I must reach the Qi Refining stage, and the sect master looks at me with those accusing eyes every day, then the elders keep asking if I’ve eaten enough or whether I’m about to break through. Even going to the dining hall puts me at the center of attention.” Ye Wenxin thought of her being pressured with “Qi Refining” this past month and felt like she was on the verge of losing control.

Not only that, she did not even have time to search for Fairy Fengya’s whereabouts and sometimes would forget why she was suffering in Azure Wings Sect.

“Hehe, consider it a punishment.” Ling Jue chuckled lightly, seeming quite satisfied with this result.

“Don’t you feel guilty? Even if I’ve grown close with Senior Sister Long… no, that’s not it, you’re punishing them.”

Just as Ye Wenxin was about to complain to Ling Jue, she remembered the benefits she had received recently. If this was punishment, then it was a bittersweet one.

But this joy was definitely hurting the Azure Wings Sect. They announced to the world that Ling Jue had become their alchemist, yet Ling Jue had not yet started teaching.

“I said we should keep a low profile. The people of the Azure Wings Sect are not honest. They want to use my reputation for publicity. Fortunately, I have a good temper. If I didn’t, hehe…” Ling Jue continued to chuckle, but her smile was chilling.

Ye Wenxin realized how deep the renowned Peerless Gentleman’s thoughts ran behind the scenes, yet without these ruminations, Ling Jue would not have been able to live as a man in disguise for so many years.

“Big Brother Ling, this is still not a long-term solution. I still need to break through to the Qi Refining stage, so I want to go to the backwoods to seek out some opportunities for myself.” She brought the topic back around. Because Fairy Fengya was about to come out of closed door training soon, so Ye Wenxin was also starting to get slightly anxious.

“Well, alright. The punishment is almost over anyway. You can make preparations for your trip.” After some thought, Ling Jue finally agreed to Ye Wenxin’s request. She then took out some Golden Wound Medicine and Qi Gathering Pills from her bag of holding and tossed them to Ye Wenxin.

“But I must remind you, the Azure Wings Sect’s backwoods is not like any ordinary woods. I’m unable to leave easily, so these few days you’ll only have your own luck to depend on.” As Ling Jue spoke, she pulled out a high-quality dagger from her bag of holding and, as if feeling uneasy, also tossed a bottle of Revival Pills to the girl.

“Big Brother Ling, that’s enough. I’m not that fragile. After all, I lived in the woods for a long time before meeting you.” Ye Wenxin chuckled wryly, refusing Ling Jue’s attempt to push various items onto her once again.

Ling Jue’s expression softened slightly, reaching out to Ye Wenxin and pulling her forward with a gentle force, enveloping the girl in her arms.

Ye Wenxin caught a whiff of the faint herbal scent mingled with Ling Jue’s own fragrance.

“Don’t overthink it. It’s just a big brother looking out for his little sister,” Ling Jue added, fearing Ye Wenxin might misinterpret her gesture.

“Don’t worry, Big Brother Ling, I have no such motives towards you.” If not for Ling Jue’s reassurance, she would not have even considered such thoughts. But it also demonstrated just how gentle Ling Jue’s temperament truly was.

“You little brat, I’m still the Peerless Gentleman you know.” Ling Jue chuckled, still holding onto her. Ye Wenxin snuggled against her chest and continued, “But Big Brother Ling, you smell even more fragrant than a girl.”

Ling Jue’s expression changed slightly as she lightly tapped Ye Wenxin’s head with her fan, “Don’t talk nonsense, I am a man.”

The more she emphasized this, the more suspicious it sounded. Ye Wenxin naturally did not mind and replied seriously, “Yes, my charming Big Brother Ling who has captivated thousands of young girls.”

Ling Jue gave an amused huff, and the tension that had been present eased considerably. Seeing that evening had arrived, Ye Wenxin bid farewell.

Ling Jue breathed a sigh of relief, undoing the Yin-Yang Transformation technique and revealing her beautiful yet pallid face, which seemed even more drained than before. She had taken three pain-relief pills this time, feeling somewhat better afterward.

However, unlike previous occasions, Ling Jue did not faint. Instead, she gazed towards the window, worry evident in her beautiful features. How she wished she could chat and play with Ye Wenxin like a normal girl, but her status forbade her from doing so.

“Wenxin, don’t blame Big Sister for being heartless.” She could only silently wish Ye Wenxin would quickly reach the Qi Refining stage and grow up.

As another wave of pain surged through her, Ling Jue could not help but tightly embrace herself. She struggled, resisted, but eventually succumbed to the aches and drifted into slumber.

After a few minutes, Ye Wenxin walked in, helping Ling Jue check her pulse and examine her condition.

“It’s getting worse and worse. This girl has such a big heart; she’s actually staking her life on me.” Ye Wenxin felt rather helpless. If her guess was correct, everything Ling Jue taught her and the books she recommended were all closely related to treating this strange complication she had.

Ling Jue was now using Ye Wenxin’s intelligence, and Ye Wenxin, in turn, was using Ling Jue’s kindness. Pondering over this, Ye Wenxin found herself devoid of any resentment.

Once you stepped into the murky waters of the Martial World, there was no turning back. Ling Jue could not escape it, and Ye Wenxin was already deeply entrenched. In the end, everyone was just living for their own desires.

“Well, since you’re halfway my mentor, might as well make use of it.” Ye Wenxin gave up on overthinking these chaotic things. She tucked Ling Jue in with her blanket before returning to her own room.

But little did Ye Wenxin know that after she left, Ling Jue, who should have been unsconscious, opened her eyes. Her expression was incredibly complex, displaying surprise, fear, unease, and ultimately deep suspicion.

“Ye Wenxin, what exactly are you…” Ling Jue thought she had figured Ye Wenxin out, but at this moment, she realized she could not see through her at all.

She wanted to kill Ye Wenxin, but as Ling Jue recalled the past few months spent with the girl, remembering her care every time she collapsed, Ling Jue could not bring herself to act. As Medicine King Palace’s junior valley master and someone who had abandoned her identity as a daughter, Ling Jue should not have been so soft-hearted. But she still was.

Unaware of Ling Jue’s realization, Ye Wenxin was still in her room, poring over books on Yin-Yang Transformation, unable to sleep all night…

Early the next morning, Ye Wenxin was in high spirits, and Ling Jue used her flying magic item to send the girl to the exit leading out towards the backwoods.

“I’ll come back to pick you up here in seven days. Practice well in the woods.” Ling Jue looked at Ye Wenxin, hoping this girl who knew her secret would be eaten by the demonic beasts in the backwoods, yet she also feared her demise.

These conflicting emotions churned within her, but Ling Jue remained outwardly calm.

“I will definitely work hard, Big Brother Ling,” Ye Wenxin promised, then headed towards the gate without hesitation. Ling Jue watched for a long time before decisively leaving.

Since she could not make the choice herself, she left it up to fate. Would Ye Wenxin live or would she die…

Yet Ye Wenxin’s journey went smoothly. On the first day in the backwoods, she killed a three-tailed snake and roasted it for food.

On the second day, Ye Wenxin killed a lion-camel and steamed it in a pot.

On the third day, Ye Wenxin suddenly found that seven days seemed too long, so she took out the books from her bag of holding and went through them again.

On the fourth day, Ye Wenxin started gathering herbs, but for some reason, she could not encounter any demonic beasts in the Azure Wings Sect’s vast backwoods, and it left her hungry all day.

On the fifth day, Ye Wenxin woke up early, intending to hunt demonic beasts, but to her surprise, she saw demonic beast corpses everywhere. It seemed that besides her, there was someone else in this backwoods.

Ye Wenxin became alert, but despite waiting for a long time, she did not run into any other cultivators. Instead, she saw a bird standing on the body of a demonic beast. Its beak was sharp, and its whole body was pitch black, somewhat resembling the crows she had seen before.

However, unlike ordinary crows, it was unusually large, with a particularly dazzling red gem embedded in the middle of its forehead.. As if sensing this crow’s audacity, other demonic beasts attracted by the scent of blood began to attack it.

Yet, the crow did not retreat. Its eyes were filled with disdain towards these demonic beasts.

The demonic beasts seemed to sense the crow’s mood and collectively launched their attack. The crow retaliated without hesitation. With just one swipe of its claw, it pierced straight through the body of a pangolin. Then, flapping its wings, it tore apart a nearby flaming red tiger with another swipe of its claw.

The power of its claws was terrifying, and furthermore, when the crow released its grip, a shiny spirit stone could be seen. It dropped the spirit stone on the ground and then pounced towards the demonic beasts again.

In no time, more and more demonic beasts gathered, and the crow began to pile the spirit stones it collected together.

Compared to ordinary demonic beasts, this crow had decent intelligence. If it could be tamed, maybe it could become a good pet. However, the crow was extremely fierce and not suitable for Ye Wenxin’s current situation.

While Ye Wenxin was considering whether to capture a demonic beast to play with, the crow had already placed all the spirit stones on a large leaf. Then, it pulled the two sides of the leaf together and quickly flew away.

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TL note: These xianxia monster names are so hard. Lion-camel, red-hot tiger? Can you be anymore vague? But I did my best to make it, well, not lame or awkward. Lion-camel was literally the characters for ‘lion’ and ‘camel’ tho, so I just left it like that. Wouldn’t be strange if it’s a hybrid or something.