Chapter 22: The First Lesson and a Hidden Talent

Then, it seemed her own master had… finally seen the light?

[I want to learn that sutra of yours.]

[Did you take the wrong medicine today?]

[Why so many questions? Just teach me.]

Little Girl furrowed her brows, glancing back at her mother exercising in the courtyard, and added emphatically.

[Don’t let my mom find out I’m secretly learning.]

She was still planning to surprise Qíngyǔ someday; she couldn’t be caught red-handed so soon.

[W-w-well…]

The Immortal Sword’s mind still felt somewhat bewildered, as if its slumber had lasted for centuries; how else could its little master, who once wouldn’t spare it a glance, now be so eager?

[Then, should I start by teaching you the breathing techniques?]

[Stop wasting words.]

***

Sweeping, pruning leaves, and physical exercise.

Qíngyǔ, as usual, completed her morning tasks, then retrieved the Four Journeys Miscellany for a closer look.

She hadn’t paid much attention to the numerous accounts of gods and ghosts within it before, but after witnessing the current state of the divine path in this world the day prior, she realized it required a fresh re-evaluation.

“…Northward Monarch resided in the southeast, where Song Calamity battled them in the wilderness. Their blood was spilled far and wide, causing the land to bear only demonic fruit for a year.

Fortunately, the Benevolent Grand Emperor, with his virtue, burned incense and mourned the gods for over a month. The holy spirits were moved, and the barren land transformed into fertility…”

This passage described a demonic entity named “Northward Monarch” who, along with the so-called Song Calamity, engaged in a great battle in the southeastern region of the Great Qian Sacred Dynasty, resulting in the land producing only demon-tainted fruits for an entire year.

When Qíngyǔ had first read this passage, she had dismissed it as mere eulogistic prose, likely demonizing the warlord battles that marked the end of a dynasty. Now, however, she realized it held an entirely different meaning.

If the accounts in Zhongwen Tang were accurate, then it appeared that the divine path—or perhaps the immortal path system—of the previous dynasty had been capable of battling demonic entities, even harming their very foundations and exterminating their kind.

Yet, upon the arrival of the Great Qian Sacred Dynasty, they could only rely on elegies and prayers to implore the heavens for mercy.

Were they harvesting faith? Or was it simply a complete severance of the connection between heaven and earth (TL Note: ‘Juédì Tōngtiān’ refers to a mythological event where the connection between the mortal realm and the divine realm was severed, preventing mortals from ascending and deities from descending.)?

Qíngyǔ lifted her gaze, surveying the sky, which remained as vast and unchanging as ever.

All around, it was a deep, clear blue, with perhaps a few wisps of cloud.

It was a scene of tranquil, beautiful weather.

But that above seemed to have been the site of a so-called “heavenly war,” and perhaps even now, someone was observing this world from above.

‘They truly are carefree,’ she mused.

Still, this had little to do with her; their paths of cultivation differed, and there was no need for her to contend for rare treasures or divine artifacts.

As this thought crossed her mind, she instinctively glanced at Little Girl, then forcibly swallowed back the sudden urge to live in solitary detachment from the world.

Indeed… she had to start teaching her now.

Perhaps this way, should she truly need to contend for those rare treasures and divine artifacts in the future, it would be a bit easier.

“Little Girl!”

“What is it?”

Qíngyǔ called out from inside the house, and Little Girl immediately came pattering over, habitually throwing herself into her embrace.

“Starting today, I’ll teach you some things.”

The girl blinked her eyes, reveling in the overly soft embrace, her small face nuzzling against Qíngyǔ as if melting.

“What will you teach me?”

“I’ll teach you about the immortal path of this world.”

Qíngyǔ paused after speaking, having expected a more enthusiastic reaction from Little Girl, but was surprised when she merely nodded calmly.

Qíngyǔ coughed somewhat awkwardly, then forced herself to emphasize, “I am a cultivator. Aren’t you surprised?”

The girl shook her head. “Of course I know Mom is an immortal. Otherwise, why would that old… Daoist priest react that way?”

“Cough, cough, I wouldn’t call myself an immortal. I’ve merely cultivated a few things.”

Hearing the girl’s words, Qíngyǔ felt a mix of pride and embarrassment, and could only quickly gloss over the topic to teach her the breathing techniques.

“Then you…” Qíngyǔ glanced around, seeing no cushions or suitable spots to sit, so she casually extended a hand and conjured a gentle breeze. “Just sit on this breeze for now.”

“Oh!”

This display immediately made Little Girl’s eyes light up. She poked and prodded it curiously before finally sitting upon it, her five centers (TL Note: Refers to the palms, soles, and crown of the head, typically aligned with heaven and earth during meditation.) facing the sky.

“Quite the proper posture, aren’t you?”

Qíngyǔ nodded slightly, then reached out to lightly tap various points on Little Girl’s body, imbuing them with spiritual energy.

Recalling the contents of Zì Bùxiàn’s two foundational cultivation manuals, she began to explain things to her little by little.

During her lecture, she felt quite pleased with herself, believing her delivery to be both expressive and engaging, making learning enjoyable.

However, when she enthusiastically snapped back to attention, she discovered that Qíng Shíqīng wasn’t listening at all.

“Mom, this is so cool!”

When Qíngyǔ paused and heard Little Girl’s comment, a vein throbbed visibly on her forehead. In her previous life, encountering such a situation would have warranted a swift strike with a ruler.

Yet, seeing the girl’s adorably naive expression, she could only suppress her anger and ask calmly.

“Did you learn everything I just taught you?”

“Learned it all?”

Little Girl tilted her head, then, following the circulation method of the *Moonlight Sutra*’s breathing techniques, she began to move her spiritual energy through her meridians, manifesting a spiritual aura around her.

Even Qíngyǔ, with her lack of spiritual meridians, could feel the rich spiritual energy being drawn in by Little Girl from their surroundings.

“You…”

Qíngyǔ was momentarily stunned. The spiritual energy’s circulation path within the girl’s body differed slightly from what she had taught, though it was largely similar.

She couldn’t quite grasp why altering a few meridians could so significantly boost cultivation efficiency.

“Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?”

Little Girl ceased her spiritual circulation, tilted her head, and looked at her mother with a hint of confusion.

Feeling somewhat awkward under her daughter’s gaze, Qíngyǔ could only clear her throat once more.

“That was excellent; you learned very quickly. We’ll stop here for today, and I’ll continue teaching you more later…”

The immediate priority now was to quickly apprehend Zì Bùxiàn and extract all of their cultivation insights; otherwise, her splendid image in front of her daughter wouldn’t last much longer.

“Mhm! I’ll study hard!”

Little Girl clenched her small fists, cheering herself on, then sat on the gentle breeze and began circulating her spiritual energy once more.

“But, Mom, this is really cool! You should teach me this!”

Little Girl pointed at the gentle breeze swirling beneath her, then looked at Qíngyǔ with eager anticipation.

“Well, about that…”

Qíngyǔ pondered for a moment. She could teach from the two small books Zì Bùxiàn had given her because they served as payment for the two scrolls of Xuan paper (TL Note: A type of high-quality paper traditionally used for Chinese painting and calligraphy.). With their transaction settled, subsequent matters were naturally her own to decide.

However, teaching Little Girl the essentials of wind manipulation… that would somewhat violate the sect rules from her previous life.

“Mom! Teach me—”

To hell with the sect rules of Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate! (TL Note: ‘Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate’ is a common Daoist epithet, often invoked as an exclamation or prayer.)

She had guarded the sect for so long after her old master’s death; if she couldn’t even teach her own daughter, hadn’t she guarded it all in vain?

“Then, first, remember this incantation—”

Qíngyǔ found it truly difficult to refuse the girl’s plea, so she extended her hand and conjured a spiritual barrier to block any surrounding detection before slowly speaking.

“I seek the wind, I seek the wind, to scatter through the four seasons, to guard my path, and return your pure name.”

In truth, this incantation itself held little power; the spells of her lineage emphasized seeking intent.

With spiritual energy imbued in one’s body, once the intent was achieved, the spell would manifest naturally.

Just like her Senior Disciple Brother, whose self-composed incantation for controlling wind at the time was: “You old scoundrel, what nonsense are you spouting? I want to eat meat, why are you stopping me?”

At that time, their master, perceiving his slackness, cut off his meat rations for two days.

This left the Senior Disciple Brother feeling deeply resentful, so when he cultivated the “Seeking Wind” spell, he crafted this incantation, thoroughly vexing the old Daoist priest.

Unfortunately, the Senior Disciple Brother genuinely managed to summon a gentle breeze using that incantation, so their master could only let him be.

“I’ve memorized it!”

Little Girl quietly repeated it twice, thus memorizing Qíngyǔ’s “Seeking Wind” incantation.

“Good, as long as you’ve memorized it. This incantation primarily serves as a reference for you; once you grasp its true essence, you’ll be able to summon a gentle breeze.”

This “Seeking Wind” was considered a foundation; if one couldn’t even cross this threshold, there was no need to idly speak of refining intent into spiritual energy.

Perceiving spirit, awakening intent, refining intent, transforming into spirit.

This constituted a complete process. The immortal path of this world only aligned with her previous life’s path at the first stage; beyond that, they diverged into two distinct routes.

“Little Mom! I can’t learn it at all!”

Little Girl, on the side, had tried many times, imitating Qíngyǔ, yet no “gentle breeze” was summoned. Instead, the spiritual circulation that was already automatically running within her continuously absorbed a truly enormous amount of spiritual energy.

“Don’t rush; this requires patience. Later, I’ll teach you how to read and write, among other things, so you can truly master it.”

Reaching out, Qíngyǔ ruffled the girl’s hair and then poked her puffed-out cheek. With a thought, she conjured another wisp of gentle breeze at her fingertips.

“Cultivation, true cultivation, values character and temperament above all else. Having always stayed by my side, you’ve undoubtedly neglected this aspect of your training. Keep at it!”

As she spoke, Qíngyǔ draped the gentle breeze near Little Girl’s ear. The coolness swept past her hair and brows, making her exclaim with delight at the refreshing sensation.