Chapter 3: How to Deal with Myself
To calm down the defiant Hang Yanling, the Pure Water Fairy struck Hang Yanling’s neck with a precise chop after sending her to the clinic inside the Lotus Flower Palace, directly sending her to meet the King of Dreams.
By the time Hang Yanling opened her eyes again, the sky had completely darkened.
Looking at the dark sky outside, Hang Yanling helplessly rubbed her temples.
According to her memory, in two days, Fu Tianqing would storm the Lotus Flower Palace to challenge Hang Yanling, causing a ruckus and beating her up thoroughly. After that, the Pure Water Fairy, unable to hold back any longer, would pierce his heart with a sword.
“This situation is troublesome… I can’t win in a fight, and if I lose, Pure Water will get sick again.”
At this moment, “Fu Tianqing” … had already reached the late stage of the Condensation Realm.
According to this world’s power classification, starting from the entry-level cultivation, one goes through Body Refinement, Qi Practice, Condensation, True Essence, Spirit Gathering, Formation, Golden Core, and numerous subsequent realms.
As for this “Hang Yanling” … a brief perception told her she was at most at the bottleneck of Qi Practice, a whole realm behind.
But if she were to forcefully let that “Fu Tianqing” beat her up tomorrow, the Pure Water Fairy would definitely act like before, discarding her dignity as a senior and stabbing Fu Tianqing with a sword.
If nothing is done, grudges will form, and everything will develop along the same trajectory.
However, that said…
“Why is Hang Yanling so weak? Back then, when she came to my family to end the engagement, she was already at the mid-stage of Qi Practice. How come five years later, she’s only at this level?”
The Pure Water Fairy’s attitude towards Hang Yanling had also caught her attention; she’d said things like Hang Yanling “went to secretly cultivate” and “would lose her life if she continued.”
From what he knew, the only thing in the world that could be life-threatening in cultivation was one thing…
“That can’t be right? Although the Hang Yanling from my last life had Yin Spirit Qi, it shouldn’t be like this by thirteen…”
Hang Yanling slowly extended her hands and lightly circulated her Spirit Qi. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her internal organs, and a cold aura surged through her arm’s meridians. Accompanied by skin cracking and bleeding, a familiar, icy dark Spirit Qi appeared in her palms.
As expected…
But how could this be?
This dark and gloomy Spirit Qi was something Fu Tianqing was very familiar with—when he was crippled by Hang Yanling, pushed off a cliff, and impaled by sharp rocks below, resulting in the destruction of his spiritual source and the loss of all elemental Spirit Qi, the aura he had awakened…
This thing is scientifically named Yin Spirit Qi.
Yin Spirit Qi does not belong to the foundational five elemental Spirit Qi but is a type of very peculiar and sharp Spirit Qi that causes significant damage to the meridians during cultivation.
It cannot be naturally produced and is formed by the extremely low probability of shattered Spirit Qi recombining after the body’s natural Spirit Qi is completely dissipated for some reason—in other words, Hang Yanling, who possesses this Spirit Qi, had experienced a complete meridian failure and the destruction of her spiritual source.
However, an ordinary person cannot endure the pain accompanying the awakening of Yin Spirit Qi; Hang Yanling is only thirteen years old right now?
Although this type of Spirit Qi progresses rapidly, it is treacherous and harmful, poisoning the host. Cultivating this Spirit Qi is like drinking poison to quench thirst; the more one cultivates, the more it corrodes the meridians and shortens life, which only madmen from evil paths and demonic sects would find appealing.
Those who cultivate Yin Spirit Qi often seek quick gains, endlessly desiring strength, for if they cannot breakthrough in time, they will only have their lifespans burned out, arriving at death sooner than others at the same realm.
Looking at the swirling dark Spirit Qi in her palm, Hang Yanling scratched her head, laughing and crying as he muttered, “This is too dangerous… and carrying such a thing, what’s the point of my rebirth this time?”
——————————————————————————————————————
The next morning, a disciple from the Lotus Flower Palace claimed to have witnessed Hang Yanling returning from the back mountain, covered in blood and limping into the Apothecary.
“Oh, you’re still here, we meet again, cough…”
“Hang Yanling, what are you—wait, how are you… Wow! You’re bleeding! What happened to you?!”
“It’s fine, I’m not dead. Do you have some ointment? Give me some to apply…”
“You, you, what good will ointment do in this situation?! Wow, stop talking, you’ve splattered blood all over me! Lie down, lie down… I’ll staunch the bleeding!”
…
The following morning, another disciple from the Lotus Flower Palace claimed that at noon, a person wrapped in bandages and leaning on a crutch blocked their path. Judging by the voice, the person seemed to be the Fourth Senior Sister. Out of fear, the disciple obediently handed over their pocket money.
At this point, rumors about Hang Yanling going crazy after five years spread within the sect.
At noon, Hang Yanling, who never ate at the cafeteria, stealthily took something from the back door, but her overly eye-catching presence made everyone see her steal, yet they dared not speak out, only whispering among themselves.
In the afternoon, just as everyone was puzzled about whether the news of Hang Yanling’s madness was true, she limped down from the mountain with a large water vat.
In the evening, the Pure Water Fairy, who had been searching for her beloved disciple all day, returned to her room disappointed. As soon as she arrived at her chamber, she saw her supposedly mad disciple smiling at her at the door. Behind Hang Yanling was a large vat filled with a liquid that exuded a strong scent of alcohol.
“Master, good evening!”
“Good evening… Ling’er, what is this…?”
“I have some heartfelt words to share with you, Master.”
“Okay, okay, Ling’er, come in quickly.”
The Pure Water Fairy warmly invited her disciple inside, and Hang Yanling dragged the vat taller than half her body into the Pure Water Fairy’s dwelling, then shut the door behind her with a click, locking it.
————————————————————————————————
The next day, the sun was shining bright.
The five-year duel appointment between the Fu Family and the Lotus Flower Palace was at hand. Today, the Lotus Flower Palace was bustling, with representatives from various sects arriving to watch the spectacle.
After all, one was a former cripple, who suddenly awakened his talent to become a 17-year-old super genius at the late stage of the Condensation Realm, and the other was the renowned all-female sect of the Jianghu, the Lotus Flower Palace, with four Golden Cores. Such a clash was rare in a hundred years in the Jianghu.
Worried about losing face for the sect, Cheng Shui Xianzi busily welcomed the representatives from various sects, knowing full well they were just there to watch the fun, but the formalities still had to be upheld.
After finally arranging the seats for the representatives, Cheng Shui Xianzi wiped her sweat. A young girl from the Lotus Flower Palace rushed over, panicking as she exclaimed:
“Second Elder, something’s wrong! Elder Pure Water is drunk in her room and can’t be woken no matter how much we shout!”
“What?! Is there such good news?!”
Cheng Shui Xianzi clapped her hands and quickly instructed the disciples to call in more people to block the door of Elder Pure Water and lock it with more locks.
Soon, the rising sun illuminated the land, and the training ground of the Lotus Flower Palace was filled with sunlight. Hundreds of spectators filled the stands around the training ground, waiting to witness the duel between the young disciples.
Excitement spread among the audience.
“Will that kid from the Fu Family really come?”
“Of course he will! You don’t know how he was tormented five years ago. Hmph, in my opinion, the Lotus Flower Palace brought this on themselves. They wasted a brilliant son-in-law.”
“But I heard that the engagement was the result of the disciple’s private actions. Does a mere disciple have that much power?”
“Oh, you don’t know? That’s the Lotus Flower Palace’s direct disciple, Hang Yanling! Spoiled and arrogant, now she’s getting her comeuppance. For five years, her cultivation has been stuck in Qi Practice, making no progress.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of her… Hey, is that person on stage wearing the purple dress Hang Yanling?”
“Wait? No, no, no, that’s the Fu Family’s young master’s fiancée, Yan Qiuyu… Strange, where’s Hang Yanling?”
For a moment, the audience began searching for Hang Yanling, wanting to see what the girl who provided everyone with today’s spectacle looked like.
Standing on the platform, Yan Qiuyu frowned, dressed in a purple gauze dress, sword at her waist, lips pressed together, anxiously looking towards the distant sky as she quietly awaited her opponent for the day.
Half an hour later, the sun in the sky was gradually covered by a huge dark cloud…
The onlookers who had been unsuccessfully searching for Hang Yanling turned their gazes to the shadow in the sky—a gigantic black eagle.
The sound of wind began to rise, accompanied by the screeching of the eagle, as the powerful bird swooped down to the ground. Moments later, it landed, stirring up a cloud of dust, and a young man slowly emerged from the dust.
The young man wore a black cloak, and beneath it, he was clad in blood-red light armor, with a strange thin dagger at his waist, emanating a dim light.
He slowly removed his dark gray hood, revealing a face smeared with dust, hair disheveled as if it hadn’t been tended to for a long time. His handsome features were as cold as ice, and his gaze slowly swept across the scene, fixing on the other person standing on the platform.
Everyone present could feel the anger and madness radiating from the young man on the eagle’s back.
Yan Qiuyu sighed lightly, stepped forward, slightly bent over, and lowered her head, not daring to make eye contact with the young man before her.
“Brother Fu… you’ve come.”
“Son of the Fu Family… Fu Tianqing, here to keep the appointment.”
The young man calmly stated his name, looking at Yan Qiuyu, his eyes softening a bit, but still coldly asked, “Five years ago, I promised Hang Yanling that today I would come to challenge one of your contemporaries in the Lotus Flower Palace…”
“Very well, since it’s a matter of my marriage with Brother Fu, then let me… be your opponent.”
Saying this, Yan Qiuyu stepped back and made a bow: “Please, Brother Fu, give me your guidance.”
“I don’t want to fight Little Qiuyu. Where is your junior sister… that Hang Yanling?”
Fu Tianqing frowned, diverting his gaze, trying to find Hang Yanling again.
Yan Qiuyu chuckled softly, “Junior sister is unwell and likely can’t come today.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from the outskirts of the square: “Here I am, here I am!!”
The two turned their heads in unison towards the square’s outside, only to see a small figure staggering towards them, supporting herself with a wooden stick, covering her head. At this moment, Hang Yanling had her arms and thighs wrapped in bandages, hair disheveled, and her dress in disarray, looking like a patient who had just escaped from the hospital, struggling to walk properly.
“Junior… sister?”
A look of clear surprise appeared on Yan Qiuyu’s face as she stared in astonishment at the limping Hang Yanling, unable to speak a word.
“Goodness, I just got out the door this morning and took a hit to the back of my head. I don’t even know which bastard did it… Huh? Little Qiuyu, why are you still standing here? Go down already; they are calling for me.”
When Fu Tianqing saw Hang Yanling’s entrance, his expression stiffened again, his cold gaze fixated on the woman wrapped in bandages before him as he coldly said, “No fleeing at the last moment. Not bad.”
Hang Yanling pushed through Yan Qiuyu and stood in front of Fu Tianqing, looking up at him, pinching his chin, and examining him closely.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…What are you staring at me for?”
“Ah… it’s nothing, um… how should I put it… I just think… the old me was pretty handsome back then… or something like that?”
