The night wind grew chilly. The huge cauldrons in the center of the village had already been moved away, leaving behind only scattered charcoal embers flickering in the wind.
Zhou Wuji stood beneath the shadow of an entryway, quietly observing the village square.
Many households in the village kept dogs; if a stranger crossed through the courtyards at will, it would inevitably trigger barking. Normally, anyone entering the village would have to take this road. Having nothing better to do, Zhou Wuji had come over to keep watch for a while.
A soft sound came from the adjacent door. Dressed in apricot-yellow Daoist robes, Wuming walked over with measured grace. After just two steps, she spotted Zhou Wuji standing at the doorway, startled slightly, and stopped in her tracks.
She asked softly, "Senior Brother, why aren't you resting so late?"
"Mm, I'm not sleepy yet, so I stepped out to have a look."
Zhou Wuji glanced at Wuming. Why would this woman seek him out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Did she want to offer herself to repay him for saving her life?
He knew that was unlikely, but Wuming truly was beautiful.
In the dim night, her bright, dewy eyes were thoroughly captivating, and the graceful curves of her figure traced by the gentle night wind against her Daoist robes were even more alluring.
"Senior Brother, you saved my life, and I have nothing else to repay you with. Here is a seventh-rank Northern Dipper Heavenly Dipper Divine Talisman for your protection, Senior Brother."
Wuming had drunk a little rice wine, and her breath, fragrant as orchids, carried a delicate trace of wine.
Zhou Wuji's six senses were sharp, accurately catching the subtle nuances of that intoxicating fragrance. He felt as if sipping fine liquor, already a bit lightheaded with pleasant warmth.
He immediately realized something was off. *I've seen plenty of the world; I can't act so pathetic.*
He politely demurred, "Junior Sister is far too kind. How could I accept this?"
With her cheeks slightly blushing, Wuming pressed the talisman firmly into Zhou Wuji's hand, turned, and ran off.
Zhou Wuji smiled faintly, cupping his hands toward Wuming's retreating back. "Since Junior Sister insists with such generosity, it would be rude to refuse. Many thanks..."
The talisman was drawn on top-grade talisman paper, its bright red cinnabar glyphs faintly radiating crimson spiritual light.
Zhou Wuji recognized the inscriptions—it was a seventh-rank Northern Culmen Heavenly Dipper Divine Talisman.
Activating the talisman would manifest Northern Culmen Heavenly Dipper qi, protecting mind and body from inner and outer harm and preventing corruption by demonic or external forces.
Its greatest marvel lay in transforming primordial qi into a protective shroud capable of withstanding several full-force strikes from a seventh-rank martial artist.
Such a divine talisman required a talisman master to draw it and prayers to the gods of the upper ministries for empowerment; one would sell for at least fifty taels of gold.
More crucially, it was difficult to buy even with money.
For Wuming to offer such a precious protective talisman, her family background had to be quite respectable.
Zhou Wuji truly knew little about the lower court's circumstances and couldn't guess her lineage.
Fortunately, that didn't matter; he had no intention of living off a woman anyway. Still, Wuming's fair hand had been soft and smooth—touching it had felt rather nice.
The Arctic Sect did not forbid marriage, but one could choose only a single Dao companion; fooling around was strictly prohibited.
Zhou Wuji also knew full well that his interest in Wuming was merely physical attraction, a man's basic instinct, with nothing to do with love.
This kind of push-and-pull, neither-too-close-nor-too-distant dynamic was actually quite intriguing. If they truly became lovers, it might lose its charm.
Zhou Wuji examined the Northern Culmen Heavenly Dipper Divine Talisman for a moment before slipping it into the sleeve pocket of his left hand.
With this talisman, he could withstand a few blows even against a seventh-rank martial artist...
Returning to his room—which had been vacated by villagers—he found a two-room layout of brick and timber.
The roof beams were high, covered above with green tiles: one bedroom, and one kitchen with a square table.
The room was simple, but fortunately, the bed had a new mat and clean, starched thin quilts.
Zhou Wuji didn't even take off his Daoist robes; he merely kicked off his ten-direction shoes and lay on the bed, placing the Seven Stars Sword beside him.
If anything happened, he could grab the sword and respond immediately.
He silently circulated the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture, running his qi through seventy-two heavenly cycles to complete his daily lesson.
Judging by his cultivation experience over these past few days, completing his lessons on time steadily increased his qi by one point each day.
A hundred points of qi could open one acupoint, meaning he would need only a year to unblock the remaining three acupoints and advance to the seventh rank.
A twenty-two-year-old registered Daoist of the seventh rank would be considered a genius in the lower court!
Zhou Wuji felt this steady cultivation progress was likely thanks to the empowerment of the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment.
However, with the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment converting essence, qi, and spirit, it wouldn't take that long!
Zhou Wuji's gaze fell upon the pages. Through the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment, an eighth-rank boar demon could also be converted into a yin spirit.
However, since this was his first time slaying a monster, he wanted to test the effects of Primordial Profound Essence.
The boar demon was converted into two liang and five qian of Primordial Profound Essence, transforming into a wisp of faint azure light that settled upon him.
The azure light melted into his blood, circulating through his body once before completely integrating into him.
Zhou Wuji felt a mild warmth throughout his entire body, immensely comfortable. Beyond that, he noticed no other distinct changes.
Getting out of bed, he practiced a set of Celestial Pivot Palm.
This was an external training method from the Northern Dipper Celestial Pivot Scripture, emphasizing stepping in Seven Stars Dipper Steps and guiding primordial qi with fists and palms.
Celestial Pivot Palm was not meant for combat; its movements were expansive and graceful, focusing on physical coordination.
After going through the palm routine once, Zhou Wuji felt his body brimming with vigor; his palm strikes even whistled through the air with wind.
Checking the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment again, his physical stat had risen from 121 to 155, an increase of roughly a fourth.
To Daoists, the physical body was the foundation of essence—from blood to bone, viscera to muscle, all was essence.
His strength, reflexes, speed, stamina, and various other physical attributes had improved tremendously.
This was a complex concept, impossible to reflect with simple data like strength or speed.
For instance, his internal organs were strengthened, his heartbeat grew powerful, his digestive capacity increased, his resistance to illness improved, and so on...
Zhou Wuji gave up on finer quantification because these were comprehensive metrics, strongly interrelated; quantifying them individually held little meaning.
The metric that truly reflected his bodily enhancement was lifespan: his lifespan had increased by three years, reaching a total of eighty-eight.
Zhou Wuji was quite satisfied with this. Only by staying alive did one have a future and endless possibilities.
As for the Five Yin Pouch, there would be plenty of opportunities later.
He practiced the Xiaoxiang Sword once more, feeling noticeably more at ease wielding the weapon; his advances and retreats were faster, his explosive power greater.
While this enhancement wasn't drastic, it heightened his mastery over the blade.
Relying on his physical advantage, he could likely kill yesterday's self within twenty sword strokes.
That was significant progress!
Converting the boar demon directly into Primordial Profound Essence without setting up an altar to offer sacrifice to the Northern Emperor was technically great disrespect.
According to the law, his soul ought to be annihilated. Fortunately, being an Otherworldly Soul, all penalties were waived in full.
The more Zhou Wuji looked at the "all waived" note, the more he liked it. This was far more liberating.
Otherwise, having to set up an altar for worship and observe taboos every single time would be a massive headache...
Full of energy and without a trace of drowsiness, he practiced his techniques several times and pondered other uses for Primordial Profound Essence.
Primordial Profound Essence directly boosted the physical body with immediate results.
If he held onto it instead of using it immediately, could it instantly heal injuries if used when wounded?
Unfortunately, he had too little Primordial Profound Essence to experiment with; it would have to wait until next time.
Zhou Wuji occupied himself until dawn before finally feeling a touch of drowsiness and taking a brief nap.
After breakfast, the caravan departed.
The village head led a large group of villagers to see them off for more than ten li. In the end, the group prostrated themselves on the ground, rising only after watching the caravan vanish into the distance.
Wuming remarked with some emotion to Zhou Wuji, "The villagers are so simple and honest, seeing us off so far and even gifting a cart of bamboo charcoal."
After their private exchange the previous night, Wuming felt much closer to Zhou Wuji. She naturally rode her donkey alongside him, sensing nothing improper about it.
Zhou Wuji didn't think the villagers were all that simple and honest—at the very least, the village head was a cunning old fox.
However, he understood one principle: Wuming came to chat with him, not to debate philosophy.
"They're all good people," Zhou Wuji chimed in casually. Reaching behind him, he took off his bamboo hat and gently placed it on Wuming beside him.
He said softly, "The autumn sun is harsh; it'll tan your skin."
Wuming hadn't expected Zhou Wuji to make such an intimate gesture. Her jade-like cheeks grew faintly warm, yet she didn't refuse his kindness; instead, a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
Plenty of men had fawned over her, but their eyes were always shifty and furtive, with nowhere proper to look. None was like Senior Brother Wuji, treating her so openly and generously, his dark, bright eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
"Thank you... Senior Brother..." Blushing, Wuming offered a soft thank-you, at a loss for what else to say.
In all her life, this was truly the first time she had been so intimate with an unfamiliar man.
She felt nervous yet joyful, her heart fluttering like a rabbit bounding about inside her chest.
Seeing Wuming's shy demeanor, Zhou Wuji couldn't help feeling tender affection: *What a lovely flower...*
The group of Daoists riding in the carriage all witnessed the intimate interaction between Wuming and Zhou Wuji.
It couldn't be helped—Wuming was the fairy maiden in many of their hearts, and whenever an opportunity arose, they couldn't resist looking twice.
Zhou Wuji and Wuming chatted and laughed without hiding from anyone.
Watching them, the young Daoists' eyes turned slightly red with jealousy; many even wanted to hack this rake Zhou Wuji with a sword!
Yet they could only stew in their thoughts. The previous night, they had hidden behind the altar watching the battle and seen Zhou Wuji cleanly lop off the boar demon's head with a single stroke.
That fierce swordsmanship had truly been terrifying.
They were self-aware enough to know that even if all of them teamed up, they wouldn't be enough for Zhou Wuji to slaughter.
No matter how resentful and jealous they felt inside, they had to grit their teeth and endure it.
Wuming, however, found Zhou Wuji more and more delightful to talk to, softly laughing from time to time.
After traveling the entire day, Wuming didn't feel exhausted at all. Instead, the autumn air felt crisp and invigorating, the autumn scenery bright and beautiful, just like her current mood.
"Up ahead is Laocang Village," Zhou Wuji said, pointing to a mountain hollow in front of them.
Wuming looked along the direction of his hand and saw a dozen-odd households in the hollow ahead. At the village entrance stood an old locust tree, with several crows circling unceasingly above it.
The setting sun hung slanted over the mountain crest, painting the western sky with a fiery glow. Wisps of cooking smoke curled up from several homes, and a small river gurgled by, presenting a scene of peace and tranquility.
Zhou Wuji said, "Seeing this scene, a short verse suddenly came to mind."
Wuming widened her bright eyes and looked at Zhou Wuji, asking with keen interest, "What verse?"
"A lonely hamlet, the setting sun, fading clouds;
Faint smoke, an old tree, winter crows;
A solitary swan goose casts its shadow below.
Green hills, emerald waters;
Pale grass, red leaves, yellow flowers."
"Wow, Senior Brother, such poetic talent!"
"It was composed by an ancient. I read it in an old text."
Zhou Wuji remarked leisurely, "Aside from everything else in this poem, the line 'pale grass, red leaves, yellow flowers' suits this scenery perfectly."
Wuming was still slightly bewildered until Zhou Wuji's gaze settled upon her. Only then did it dawn on her: the "yellow flower" was referring to her!
Zhou Wuji smiled playfully. "The yellow flower blooms so brilliantly, eclipsing all of autumn's splendor..."
Waves of light rippled through Wuming's bright eyes, reflecting both shyness and delight, making her appear all the more radiant and captivating...
Chapter 25