Chapter 49: Unexpected Progress and Unsettling Questions

“No need to worry; they are not malicious people and will find a way to settle themselves in that temple.”

Rather, they are pitiable souls; that old man, in particular, always trembled with apprehension, his courage seemingly shattered by fright.

“Then what is Mother worrying about?”

‘Worrying?’

Qíngyǔ gently took the hand of the girl beside her, tucking the strands of hair from her forehead behind her ear.

“As the saying goes, ‘without distant worries, one is sure to have near troubles.’ I’m merely considering things in advance.”

If it were only Qíngyǔ herself, she wouldn’t bother worrying about such distant matters; the world was vast, and surely capable individuals and noble spirits would step forward.

Yet now, with her own daughter to consider, she had to make more extensive preparations.

“If there’s any danger, you absolutely must tell me!”

The Little Girl clenched her small fists, her delicate face filled with a serious expression.

“Of course, if there’s danger…” Qíngyǔ teased her, reaching out to tap the precocious child’s forehead. “Why do you concern yourself with so much?”

“I’ve already achieved Qi Condensation Completion!”

The Little Girl pouted aggrievedly, her mother always liked to tap her forehead, and she wondered if it would eventually make her silly.

“Qi Condensation Completion, you say?”

How many days had it been? Two? Or three?

This indeed surprised Qíngyǔ; according to Sir Zi’s book, those who completed Qi Condensation could live to be one hundred and fifty years old, meaning this little girl could already live longer than her past self.

“Mhm! Qi Condensation Completion!”

The Little Girl rubbed her nose, then playfully embraced her mother.

“My daughter is truly remarkable.”

Qíngyǔ gently set her down from her embrace, musing thoughtfully as she ruffled her hair; achieving Qi Condensation Completion in three days would be considered a prodigy in any world.

“Hmph hmph~”

“What about after that? Are you preparing for Foundation Establishment?”

“Uh… about that…”

Hearing her mother’s words, the Little Girl suddenly became hesitant, and after much deliberation, she spoke with innocent candor.

“I don’t know!”

“You don’t know?”

“Mother hasn’t taught me yet!”

Only then did Qíngyǔ recall the last time she had taught the child; if not for her own skill in “Summoning Wind,” she would have truly exposed her own lack of knowledge.

“Ahem, I don’t quite understand the content that comes after this either.”

Qíngyǔ, ever honest, admitted that the knowledge she had gleaned from Sir Zi’s two basic cultivation manuals was limited, and she saw no point in continuing to pretend to be an expert.

How wonderful the Little Girl was; she grasped things instantly and could even infer other principles, making her worlds apart from those worthless disciples of her previous life.

“But I still don’t quite understand Mother’s ‘Summoning Wind’ technique, you know?”

“The systems are different, so there’s no need to rush.”

This was normal; in her previous life, a cultivator learning “Summoning Wind” would take months just to grasp the initial perception of its essence, let alone the deeper understanding that followed.

“Oh…”

Lost in thought, Qíngyǔ led the muttering Little Girl back home.

The small courtyard remained as usual, the grapevines swaying gently as if welcoming them back, while the magnolia tree, stripped of all its blossoms, appeared a bit forlorn.

The earthen walls and wooden house stood unchanged.

Yet, despite the unchanged arrangement, Qíngyǔ felt a distinct warmth in her heart.

“Little Girl, lend me that jade token for a moment.”

She figured she still needed to consult Sir Zi about the Little Girl’s Foundation Establishment; otherwise, if the child accidentally made a mistake in her cultivation, it would be too late.

“Here!”

As soon as the Little Girl returned home, she scurried into the inner room, only to emerge again upon hearing her mother’s words, disdainfully pulling the jade token from her pocket and handing it to Qíngyǔ.

“You don’t have to be so disdainful, do you?”

Qíngyǔ let out a soft laugh, finding the girl rather adorable as she reached out and took the item.

“Hmph, that old man only ever shows up when things are already resolved, stealing Mother’s spotlight; he’s a complete coward.”

The Little Girl stuck out her tongue, seemingly quite displeased with Sir Zi’s repeated acts of “stealing the spotlight.”

“That’s just his modus operandi, and besides, didn’t I also not know my own capabilities?”

Reflecting now, Qíngyǔ believed she could, at best, be considered to possess the combat prowess of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator in this world; if she leveraged the prevailing circumstances and her ‘Condemnation’ technique, she might even contend with those of higher cultivation.

“So what level is Mother at?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Oh…”

“Go on, play for a while; I’ll help you ask where the path forward lies.”

“Mhm!”

The Little Girl obediently ran off, returning to her room to busy herself with unknown activities.

Qíngyǔ shook her head, then extended her hand, summoning a breeze to draw the jade token to her.

She, of course, had no idea how cultivators in this world used such an item to communicate, but as long as it held a deep connection to Sir Zi, that was all that mattered.

With ink gathered like thoughts, she raised her brush, concentrating her intent.

Qíngyǔ summoned her brush to lightly tap the token, and a faint ink streak sliced through the sky, carrying her telepathic message to its destination.

****

Zìmíng Shān, Outer Affairs Hall.

Mountains lay shrouded in mist, the mist clinging to their peaks, as gathering clouds gradually thickened, revealing the abode of immortals.

Seething with resentment, the white-robed old Daoist, Sir Zi, indignantly flicked his sleeves as he emerged from the Judgment Pavilion.

None of the surrounding disciples dared to provoke his ire, most of them scurrying away from him.

Those who occasionally spoke of the matter did so in hushed whispers.

“What’s Old Man Zi up to now?”

“They say he captured another demonic entity and brought it back.”

“Why go to all that trouble? It’s pointless to capture them.”

“Unless he kills them on the spot.”

“Don’t you dare say that…”

Sir Zi could hear everything they said, but at this moment, he no longer cared to intervene.

Still fuming, the old Daoist was just about to drown his sorrows in wine when, from afar, he saw an ink streak scattering the clouds as it flew towards him.

His heart stirred, and he reached out to catch it; a clear, cool voice immediately entered his ear.

“Forgive this humble Daoist for presumptuously disturbing you. My Little Girl has encountered difficulties in her cultivation, and I wish to request some guidance from you, fellow Daoist.”

“Fellow Daoist Qing?”

Sir Zi reached out and patted the gourd at his waist. ‘He hadn’t even had a chance to drink yet?’

“Indeed. It was presumptuous of me to use such a minor technique to converse with you.”

“Not at all, not at all. To what stage has your Little Girl cultivated, and what kind of difficulties has she encountered?”

The old Daoist had seen similar sound transmission methods before, but one that could so effortlessly break through the sect’s grand formation and still arrive without causing any disturbance was truly a first for him.

Reaching out to block the surrounding sounds, he then found a mountain rock, sat down cross-legged, and began conversing with Qíngyǔ.

“Qi Condensation Completion. The cultivation method you provided only extends to Qi Condensation, but she does not know how to achieve Foundation Establishment.”

“Fellow Daoist, do not try to deceive me. Achieving Qi Condensation Completion in three days—how could such a prodigy exist in this world?”

Sir Zi merely assumed Qíngyǔ was transmitting a message to discuss the Dao; as for her claim of three-day Qi Condensation Completion, perhaps such a feat existed in the heavens, but it was absolutely impossible in the mortal realm at this moment.

“Then what of the path to Foundation Establishment?”

“One must acquire spiritual materials of the Five Elements as a catalyst, gathering the essence of the sun and the splendor of the moon to build one’s Dao foundation.”

“And where might one find these spiritual materials?”

The old Daoist was utterly bewildered by her question; such common cultivation knowledge should have been known to all.

“If fellow Daoist doesn’t mind the trouble, you can seek out spiritual domains in various places, or try your luck at rogue cultivator markets, if any exist.”

“And where might these places be located?”

Sir Zi grew even more confused by this question.

Unable to discern what Qíngyǔ truly wanted to ask, he could only explain the Foundation Establishment method, the currently existing unclaimed spiritual domains, and the locations of rogue cultivator markets.

Finally, he added a cautionary note.

“However, these places are often fraught with a mix of righteous and nefarious individuals, making them less than ideal destinations.”

“Many thanks, fellow Daoist. This humble Daoist will certainly consider the implications.”

With that, before he could even add that he also possessed some spiritual materials himself, the connection was severed.

The lingering ink streak drifted, swaying gently, and with a passing breeze, it transformed into pure spiritual energy, leaving him feeling utterly refreshed.

‘How strange. It couldn’t possibly be that the Little Girl truly achieved Qi Condensation Completion in three days, and this Fellow Daoist Qing cultivates a different method than ours, so she came to ask about the Foundation Establishment method, could it?’

Pondering this, Sir Zi suddenly found the possibility unsettlingly plausible, and he dared not think further.

A cultivation method different from those of the mundane world—this was far more terrifying than demonic entities or heavenly battles.

If the beings from the heavens were to learn of it, it would undoubtedly unleash another wave of bloodshed.

“Never mind, never mind. I’ll go drink my wine.”

Shaking his head, he cast these terrifying conjectures from his mind, pulled the wine gourd from his waist, and staggered off to a quiet spot to drink alone.