Then, Xu Yao felt a barely perceptible glimmer of light appear within his body—or perhaps in his mind. It was an exceptionally faint wisp of purple qi.
At the same time, a vibrating sensation stirred simultaneously at the crown of his head and the Yongquan points on the soles of his feet. Soon after, every node along this clear vertical conduit began to tremble faintly.
This line was precisely one of the primary pathways Ning Weiyu had marked out for him: the introductory route.
"Purple qi arises, a single breath connects; heaven links to earth, shedding mortal ignorance."
Xu Yao slowly exhaled. In the breath leaving his nose, he could even catch a faint fishy stench.
Something was also seeping from his skin at the same time—a feeling so distinct he could not mistake it.
The torrential rain roared down, washing away all impurities from the surface of his body. From the outside, he seemed no different than before. Yet Xu Yao knew that here in this thunderstorm, everything had changed!
He circulated his energy once through the meridians of his right hand. Sensing the flow of qi, Xu Yao grabbed a piece of mountain rock and squeezed hard.
Staring blankly at the faint handprint his grip had pressed into the rock, he was lost in awe!
This was stone, stubborn rock unchanged for centuries! Fingers of flesh and blood had pressed an impression into it—faint and shallow, yet unmistakably clear.
Even though only his right hand, the sole limb with an opened pathway, could do this, Xu Yao was already astounded.
Am I... this strong now?
At this very moment, he knew with absolute certainty: I have stepped onto the martial path!
The Purple Mansion Qi Circulation Art—today, I have attained entry!
Ning Weiyu had once said that if he persevered relentlessly, it would take three years to generate purple qi, shed his mortal ignorance, and enter the first tier of the divine art.
Yet now...
He lowered his head. An inexplicable heat surged in his chest, and his eyes even felt moist with tears.
As the child of ordinary folk from a mountain village, he understood better than anyone how difficult it was to reach this point.
This was a gateway to a whole new world.
He gazed at the ground ahead, where rainwater splashed violently. In the tempest, a patch of grass was beaten flat against the soil, its blades disheveled.
Xu Yao was captivated: it was just humble grass, lacking any power to withstand the wind and rain. At the slightest gust or drizzle, it flattened obediently against the earth. Yet once the storm passed, it would wave lush and green again, spreading endlessly toward the horizon.
Over on the other side, the siblings Ning Weiyu and Ning Wuxia had already hollowed out seven of the tree cavities completely. Beaming with delight, Liu Zhen and the others had each caught half a cup of spiritual water and downed it.
Now they were clearing out the cavity that belonged to Xu Yao.
Xu Yao brought out his thousand-year locust wood cup and waited in eager anticipation. Though the spiritual water seeping out had modest efficacy, for ordinary people it was still an unimaginable treasure.
"Found it! It's here!"
Ning Wuxia's voice rang out in pleasant surprise, trembling slightly. "It really was... Elder Bai..."
"Hush!"
Ning Weiyu's steady voice interrupted. "Big Fatty, come in and catch the water."
Xu Yao pretended not to have heard anything and stepped inside holding the locust wood cup. Sure enough, this tree hollow had already been excavated into a small cave, extending a full half-zhang deep.
Without a word, he carried the locust wood cup to the innermost part of the cave. There was a deep recess in the rock wall, clearly where something had previously been hidden. It was damp inside, water droplets seeping out.
He carefully held the locust wood cup beneath the trickle, watching with appreciation as clear, chilly droplets welled out continuously. In this cave, there was an extraordinary amount—enough to yield a full cup!
"Drink it quickly," Ning Wuxia said cheerfully. "Drink it and catch more; there should still be some left."
To one side, Ning Weiyu was holding something, wiping it clean with gentle, reverent care.
Xu Yao tilted his head back and gulped it all down in a few swallows. Just as he was about to hold the locust wood cup against the stone wall again,
he had a vague impression of a blurred, illusory face flickering before his eyes once more. He froze, but before he could make sense of it...
Suddenly, an eerie, wavering voice drifted in through the pouring rain outside: "Congratulations, congratulations. I wonder what you have found? Might you let me have a look?"
The voice sounded like a vengeful ghost of the world speaking—shrill, ethereal, and chilling to the bone.
The rain fell in sheets amid raging thunder and lightning.
Heaven and earth, the mountains and forest, seemed to tremble, yet in such a tempest, that sinister voice was startlingly clear.
A sharp gleam flashed in Ning Weiyu's eyes.
Rising slowly, he said calmly to Ning Wuxia, "In a moment, lead everyone up the cliff. Climb up and retreat immediately!"
"All right," Ning Wuxia said. "Brother, be careful."
"No matter!"
Ning Weiyu smiled faintly. "If the sect and the family didn't have confidence in me, why would they send me here? Can you not even work out something so simple?"
Ning Wuxia's heart eased at once, and she smiled brightly. "Right, of course, you're right."
"Make sure no one gets hurt, and be on guard against other enemies in the shadows. Once I take on this person, I likely won't be able to look after you," Ning Weiyu instructed her.
Then, raising his voice outward, he called out calmly, "Your Excellency hunted Elder Bai all the way here back then, presumably for this very item. It must be a lifelong obsession of yours. Now that we have found it, there is naturally no reason you cannot see it."
Facing a formidable enemy, his manner grew only more relaxed, refined, and unhurried.
His voice possessed a strange, steadying power, carrying steadily through the thunder and rain: "Ning Weiyu of Tianshu Purple Mansion. Dare our foe declare their name?"
The sinister voice replied, "So it is Young Master Ning, the Warm Jade of Purple Mansion, whose renown shakes the jianghu. Forgive my lack of courtesy."
Yet the speaker made no mention of their own name.
Ning Weiyu stepped slowly out of the cave and stood in the torrential rain. His body seemed enveloped in a gentle, warm jade glow that warded off the lashing deluge.
His robes billowed as he stood suspended in mid-air.
Stepping out from a muddy cave, he remained unstained by a speck of dust; amid the swirling storm, not a single drop touched him.
In this moment, he seemed just like an immortal.
In a mild voice, he said, "Too frightened to give your name? It seems Your Excellency still fears our Tianshu Purple Mansion."
In the thunderstorm, illuminated by lightning, a black-robed figure appeared in the distant air, faint and indistinct, drifting between presence and illusion.
The figure gave a weird, sinister laugh. "To think that the one who came this time would be the Warm Jade of Purple Mansion. Tianshu Purple Mansion was indeed prepared for this. This old man seems to have miscalculated. I wonder, Warm Jade of Purple Mansion, how do you compare to Bai Ningyan back then?"
Hearing the name "Bai Ningyan," a dark shadow flickered in Ning Weiyu's eyes. He said coldly, "Scheming against an acquaintance, ambushing from behind—and yet Elder Bai still managed to escape and hide the supreme treasure at her leisure. You succeeded only when her severe injuries finally overwhelmed her. After killing her, you dared not reveal your deed; you hid the corpse in the mountain forest, used the Seven Stars Soul-Suppressing technique, and hid yourself away for years. With conduct like that, you dare boast of your martial prowess? What right do you have to ask how I compare to Elder Bai Ningyan? Have you no shame?
"How I measure up against Elder Bai is hardly something for a treacherous coward hiding their head and showing their tail to judge!"
Ning Weiyu chuckled coldly. "Do you think refusing to give your name means Tianshu Purple Mansion cannot trace you? Do you think putting on the guise of the demonic path can truly mislead anyone? Back then, how many people in this entire world had the acquaintance and trust to get close enough to Elder Bai to launch a sneak attack?"
The dark figure gave a chilling laugh. "The Warm Jade of Purple Mansion truly lives up to his name. What, do you expect this old man to retreat of his own accord?"
Hiding inside the cave, Xu Yao fixed his eyes on the hazy figure drifting in the air. He could clearly see clusters of wandering souls drifting around, cloaking the person's entire body like a shroud of mist.
Yet Xu Yao's eyes could see right through that spectral mist of wandering souls. Suddenly, his eyes went wide. Beneath that mist was actually... a slender and graceful figure with striking curves!
Lowering his voice, he whispered toward Ning Weiyu, "A woman."
Ning Weiyu's gaze sharpened, and he immediately sneered, "Heh. Enough calling yourself 'this old man.' For a woman to call herself 'this old man'—don't you find it absurd? Vile wench, are you truly that terrified of exposing your identity?"
Ever since the exchange began, though Ning Weiyu had seemed gentle and spoke without harsh bluster, every single word had been a sharp counterattack, probing relentlessly for the foe's identity.
This sudden remark nailed down the opponent's gender in one blow.
And his tone had abruptly turned vitriolic.
For he had suddenly realized: back then, Elder Bai had been betrayed and ambushed by her own close female confidante!
Seen in this light, every puzzle piece fell into place. Yet right behind it surged a wave of fierce fury.
Ambushed by an intimate female friend!
Putting himself in her place, how unworthy Elder Bai's death had been—how chilling, how heartbreaking!
Chapter 24