Chapter 29
Qin Ran woke up and found that the sun had retreated to the windowsill. It was probably already past noon. He was about to get up when he suddenly noticed something pressing on his chest. Looking down, it was a furball.
"So this is why I'm suffering the same fate as the Great Sage! It was you, you little rascal!"
He had just dreamed that he was pinned under the Five Finger Mountain by Miaozu the Cat Ancestor.
He poked the cat's head, but seeing that it had withstood Li Shiyin's food attacks on his behalf, Qin Ran didn't hold it against the cat. He gently picked it up and put it on the bed before getting up himself.
However, Chasing the Wind had also woken up. Good cats never sleep in. It got up, shook itself, stretched lazily, then jumped off the bed after its master.
Seeing the little guy so energetic and lively, Qin Ran couldn't help but sigh. As expected of a seventh-level demon beast, its recovery abilities were too strong.
Opening the door, Qin Ran looked out at the open terrain in front. He instantly felt refreshed and carefree - the forest, the grasslands, the gentle breeze.
In the middle of the grasslands was the mud pit, now very visible. It seemed his foolish apprentice hadn't been lazy today - the mud pit was clearly bigger.
Looking closely, he could see mud flying out continuously from the pit. As he watched, Qin Ran's eyebrows gradually furrowed. What kind of pit was Li Shiyin digging?
"Li Shiyin!" he called out loudly.
After a while, a mud figure jumped out of the pit and shouted back: "Master... you're awake?!"
"What are you doing with that digging?" Qin Ran asked.
"What?" Li Shiyin pretended not to hear. "Master, what did you say? I can't hear you."
Qin Ran's expression darkened. Li Shiyin's body had been enhanced many times, far surpassing ordinary people. She was probably better than most Foundation Establishment cultivators. With that physical ability, how could she not hear him clearly from this distance?
He flipped over the railing and used his divine walking technique to appear before Li Shiyin in two quick steps.
"What are you doing with that digging?" he asked again.
"I was just..." Li Shiyin was startled, quickly lowering her head like a child caught misbehaving. She mimed a digging motion. "Digging like this."
Qin Ran looked down into the mud pit. Sure enough, there were several broken iron shovels and spades lying about haphazardly.
His foolish apprentice hadn't been working at all. She was just fooling around like an over-energetic golden retriever, playing recklessly without restraint.
"How did the shovels break?"
Li Shiyin didn't answer.
"Didn't I tell you to control your strength?" Qin Ran's brows furrowed. "Was I telling you to play around like this?"
Still no answer from Li Shiyin.
Qin Ran was furious. He glared at her. "The tools are all broken. Let's see how you dig now!"
"Then I just won't dig anymore," Li Shiyin mumbled softly.
"Keep digging with your hands!" Qin Ran scolded.
He turned and walked back to the house, but after a couple steps he turned back and asked: "What did you eat for lunch?"
"Haven't eaten lunch yet," Li Shiyin replied.
Qin Ran took a deep breath and shook his head. "I really owe you one!"
He still cooked a meal. His foolish apprentice ate three big bowls as if nothing had happened, foolishly laughing: "Didn't eat last night, was starving to death."
"Who was the one who cooked last night?" Qin Ran couldn't even look at her.
After the meal, Li Shiyin continued digging the pit. To prevent further antics, Qin Ran supervised from the side.
As he watched over her, he used a small knife to slice bamboo sticks in preparation for weaving cages.
There were still two surviving stalks of Crane Crown Immortal Grass. Originally there had been four sprouts, but he had been too busy with Li Shiyin's Foundation Establishment these past few days to pay much attention. Two stalks had died from the sun.
He was going to weave a bamboo cage to provide some shade and block the sunlight a little.
Having prepared the bamboo strips, he started weaving the cage. The long strips folded and turned, catching Chasing the Wind's attention. It came over to bat and pounce at the strips, utterly delighted.
Qin Ran didn't notice at first, until the bamboo strips shortened and Chasing the Wind's play interfered with his weaving. Only then did he realize the little demon beast was treating the bamboo like a cat toy.
But Chasing the Wind was inherently a feline demon beast, so it was normal for it to like moving objects. At first Qin Ran didn't think much of it, and even intentionally teased Chasing the Wind with the bamboo.
But as they played, he gradually felt something was off.
After some time, he finally realized - Chasing the Wind was not a cat! It was a seventh-level demon beast! The Profound Underworld Spirit Tiger!
"Hey! Wake up, you're the Demon King!" Qin Ran pressed down on Chasing Wind's head to stop its playful behavior.
"Mm...roar!"
Thinking Qin Ran was playing with it, Chasing Wind bared its fangs and scratched and bit at his hand.
Seeing the silly Chasing Wind acting like this, Qin Ran fell into contemplation... No, he couldn't let such a powerful demon beast degenerate into just a cute pet that only knew how to act cutesy.
What was the difference between humans and animals? He started thinking about this question.
There were many answers - wisdom, tools, benevolence and righteousness. But Qin Ran recalled a viewpoint raised by psychologists on Earth: language was the biggest difference between humans and animals.
It was because humans had language that they developed thought and civilization. Humans first had language, then the language centers of the brain. When a baby was born from the womb, its brain was not fully developed yet. It would grow as the child aged, until 11 or 12 years old. And the language centers would develop during this time together with the child's first language, its mother tongue.
Language was the fundamental difference between humans and other creatures.
Especially in this world, demon beasts here could become very powerful, moving mountains and diverting rivers. But demon beasts had no civilization... Or rather, demon beasts had no civilization of their own. Demon beast civilization was established through human language.
Demon beasts could become very strong, but no matter how powerful, a demon beast's best place was still to become the mighty mount of a human master.
Qin Ran held up the cute little Chasing Wind as he had a bold idea.
After all, demon beasts were smarter than ordinary beasts... What would happen if he taught this little guy to speak?
Usually demon beasts needed cultivation, taking human form, immersing themselves in the human world to learn language before they could speak.
What would happen if he directly taught a beast-form demon beast to speak?
Qin Ran thought it would be very interesting.
He quickly placed Chasing Wind on the chair he was sitting on, signaling it not to move.
But Chasing Wind, like an ordinary cat, still thought they were playing. It kept chasing and pouncing on his hand.
After several failed attempts, Qin Ran realized this wouldn't work. He first had to make Chasing Wind understand what he wanted before teaching it.
But the cat and dog training methods on Earth were fundamentally the same as Pavlov's dog training, utilizing conditioned reflexes. Cats and dogs didn't actually understand human meaning. They only knew doing so would earn rewards and make their owner happy, nothing more.
Qin Ran didn't want to train Chasing Wind this way. A seventh-level demon beast was smart enough that he should teach it to speak the human way.
As he pondered this, he suddenly realized he was in a cultivation world. There were some unorthodox methods available.
Such as, divine sense!
Master Danding had an amazing technique that gave even Foundation Establishment stage cultivators like him divine sense.
Thinking of this, he quickly extended his divine sense and entered Chasing Wind's Sea of Wisdom, telling it through divine sense what he wanted it to do.
"Ah... Ah..."
Li Shiyin was still arduously digging away in the mud pit when she suddenly heard her master's voice crying "Ah ah ah!" from above.
"What's Master doing?"
She was very confused. Exerting strength, she jumped onto the pit edge and climbed out.
Then...
She saw Chasing Wind sitting properly on a chair with Master half-kneeling before it, mouth wide open, making sounds. Then he would occasionally close his mouth and vocalize:
"Ah... Ah... Ma... Ma..."
This scene was far too bizarre. Li Shiyin stood there gaping for a good while.
"Mas... Master... what... what are you doing?" This had shocked the foolish apprentice for fifteen years!
"Huh?" Qin Ran was startled by the sudden voice. Looking back, he saw Li Shiyin and replied: "I'm teaching Chasing Wind to speak."
But seeing her expression, he followed her gaze back to himself and gradually realized something was off, his own expression becoming colorful.
"Wait, listen to my explanation!"
Chapter 30
For ordinary disciples of Dao Sword Sect, the monthly allowance was one hundred low-grade spirit stones, ten Returning Primal Pills, and one Spirit Gathering Pill. For inner sect disciples, it was three hundred low-grade spirit stones, twenty Returning Primal Pills, and two Spirit Gathering Pills. For personally taught disciples, it was five hundred low-grade spirit stones, fifty Returning Primal Pills, and ten Spirit Gathering Pills.
The spirit stones came from Dao Sword Sect's own spiritual veins, while the pills had two sources...
Most of the pills were purchased from Zhican Valley, and a small portion was provided by Dan Peak. The ones from Dan Peak were refined by Qin Ran.
The monthly allowance was distributed at the beginning of each month, while the preparation for the distribution was done in the middle of the previous month.
That is to say, on the fifteenth of every month, Butler Hall would send someone to Qin Ran for the pills needed for next month.
Jian Yuanjie, the chief butler of Butler Hall, was in charge of pill-related matters within the sect. He was usually the one to receive the pills from Qin Ran.
Today, he climbed up Dan Peak, walked through the secluded ancient forest path, and arrived at the grassland Qin Ran had opened up.
He was already very familiar with Dan Peak, and had witnessed Qin Ran's transformations of Dan Peak bit by bit. However, looking in now, he realized Dan Peak looked a little different again.
For example, why was there suddenly a huge pit in the middle of the painstakingly cleared grassland? How unsightly, what was the meaning of this?
Jian Yuanjie was puzzled. He walked over and saw a muddy figure digging at the bottom of the pit. He asked, "What are you doing?"
The muddy figure in the pit looked up, revealing a pair of particularly bright eyes. She glanced at him and replied, "Digging a lake."
Digging a lake? Jian Yuanjie did not quite understand.
It was a girl's voice, not Qin Ran's. He asked again, "Where's Master Qin?"
The girl pointed to the building called the Research Tower and said nothing.
"Alright!" Jian Yuanjie nodded. This girl did not speak much, appearing rather aloof.
He did not ask any more questions and walked towards the Research Tower. After taking two steps, he suddenly recalled the rumors that Qin Ran had accepted an extremely talented disciple at the Questioning Dao Convention. That girl in the pit must be her.
He quickly turned back, intending to chat more with the girl and give her a greeting gift, as he believed he had a decent relationship with Qin Ran.
But as soon as he turned back, there was movement from the chair by the mud pit. He looked over to see a white cat with black circular patterns, though on closer look it might not be a cat.
The cat jumped onto the chair, adjusted its position, sat down, looked up and opened its mouth, making a "Awooo... Awooo..." sound.
The scene was somewhat bizarre. Jian Yuanjie scratched his head, confused about what was going on. Just as he was about to call out and ask, the cat rhythmically closed its mouth again and made a "Meow... Awooo... Meow... Awooo..." sound.
"What's this?" Jian Yuanjie felt as if the cat was talking to him, giving him an eerie feeling down his spine.
He no longer wanted to ask questions, and had no intention of giving a greeting gift anymore. He ran straight for the Research Tower...
What on earth happened to Dan Peak in just one month!?
Already familiar with the place, Jian Yuanjie arrived under the Research Tower panting heavily. He tried calling out, "Junior Brother Qin! Junior Brother Qin!" While praying in his heart, please don't let any other weird things happen.
His prayers seemed to work. Qin Ran's figure soon emerged on the second floor and leaned over the balcony railing to yell at him, "Senior Brother Jian."
Seeing Qin Ran, Jian Yuanjie finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Finally found you."
"Is it time to collect pills again?" Qin Ran did not know about Jian Yuanjie's earlier experience and simply said, "I didn't notice. I've been busy with other things these past two days, but I have refined the pills, just haven't packaged them up yet."
Jian Yuanjie leapt from the ground directly onto the second floor, coming to Qin Ran's side. He said, "Forget about the pills for now, first tell me what's going on with that cat?"
"Cat?" Qin Ran's expression changed. He quickly dodged the question and looked elsewhere, saying, "That's not a cat, it's a Primordial Shadow Spirit Tiger."
"Primordial Shadow Spirit Tiger?" Jian Yuanjie recalled the Primordial Shadow Spirit Tiger from a few days ago and asked again, "Primordial Shadow Spirit Tiger? It... it seems to be learning to speak..."
Qin Ran had a complicated expression. He was silent for a long while before sighing, "Do you think I'm hiding here for no reason?!"
After being discovered kneeling before Chasing the Wind calling it "mommy" by his silly disciple a few days ago, Qin Ran felt he had lost all face to meet the elders of the east rivers. He had been hiding in the Research Tower for two days.
"Why?" Seeing Qin Ran's complex expression, Jian Yuanjie felt even more uneasy and pressed on, "Why?"
Qin Ran remained silent and did not answer. After a long while, he finally said, "The pills are not packaged yet. Come with me, we'll package them together."
Although he knew something must have happened, since Qin Ran avoided the topic, Jian Yuanjie did not ask further.
Carrying the storage bag, he followed Qin Ran to the third floor where the pills were kept to package the pills.
Qin Ran was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and was only responsible for three types of pills - Spirit Gathering Pills to improve Foundation Establishment cultivation, Returning Primal Pills for quick recovery of spiritual power, and Fasting Pills for fasting and abstinence. There were three hundred pills of each type.
"Junior Brother, you've been stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage for many years. Have you recently found a way to form your core?" Jian Yuanjie asked.
Qin Ran shook his head and said, "My talent isn't good enough, it's not surprising that I can't form my core."
"Your talent is good enough, you have a mid-grade water spirit root..." Jian Yuanjie sighed as he inspected the pills, "It seems you still can't get over the shadow cast by Uncle Wang's failure to overcome the tribulation. In fact, there's nothing to fear about the Heavenly Tribulation. With your aptitude, it would be at most three nine-minor-bolts tribulations, very easy to get through."
Hearing Jian Yuanjie's words, and recalling his master's primordial spirit scattering under the lightning tribulation, Qin Ran remained silent and had nothing to say.
The two of them packaged the pills quickly. Before long, they were done. Jian Yuanjie tied the storage bag around his waist and said to Qin Ran,
"I've always said that the pills you refine are better than Zhican Valley's. I'm not flattering you, it's the truth. I sincerely hope you can form your core soon, so that you can refine pills for the Golden Core stage. I really can't stand Zhican Valley's substandard products anymore."
"I'll try my best," Qin Ran nodded in reply.
The two chatted as Qin Ran saw Jian Yuanjie out of the Research Tower and headed outside.
In the grassland, Li Shiyin was still digging the pit, while Chasing the Wind was no longer howling. It was curled up asleep on the chair.
"What's the purpose of digging this pit?" Jian Yuanjie asked.
"To dig an artificial lake," Qin Ran explained. "It's also to let my disciple consolidate her cultivation."
Only then did Jian Yuanjie understand. He said, "But she's a girl..."
Qin Ran remained silent.
The two walked across the grassland. Qin Ran sent Jian Yuanjie all the way to the edge of the forest, watching as he left.
Compared to Huang Feiyu, Jian Yuanjie was more polite and did not arrogantly fly straight to Dan Peak on a cloud.
However, watching Jian Yuanjie's departing figure, Qin Ran's eyes were complicated.
The first rule of the cultivation world was to never trust anyone.
Jian Yuanjie believed he had a good relationship with him, but ultimately it was just mutual benefit... because of the pills.
Jian Yuanjie was not a friend. Qin Ran had never told him that he was exploring the limits of the Foundation Establishment stage - the quality and quantity of spiritual power, the degree of control over spiritual power, the toughness of the physical body...
It wasn't that he couldn't form his core, it was that he didn't want to.
Chapter 31
Every dad has to call his kid "dad" a few times before hearing his child call him dad.
Qin Ran knew this logic. He bent down to pick up Chasing the Wind, held the cat's front paws in front of him, and showed a twisted smile on his face, saying, "Call me again..."
Chasing the Wind's two big black eyes looked at Qin Ran blankly, not knowing what cat disease this bipedal beast had caught. He tilted his head and said, "Meow?"
"Yeah, meow..." Qin Ran looked even stranger.
Chasing the Wind meowed again: "Meow?"
"Meow..."
"Meow?"
One man and one cat, meowing back and forth, came to the chair next to the mud pit.
The mud doll Li Shiyin jumped out of the pit bottom, saw her master meowing back and forth with Chasing the Wind, was puzzled, scratched her head, smiled and asked, "Master, have you come out of seclusion?"
Qin Ran pretended to be calm, sat down on the chair holding the cat, and said, "Your master has read some books these days, looking for clues about elixirs for longevity and feeding spiritual beasts."
When Li Shiyin heard this, her eyes lit up. She hurried over and eagerly asked, "Did you find it?"
"No..." Qin Ran shook his head.
"Oh!" Li Shiyin sighed.
Qin Ran said, "If the Dao Sword Sect has elixirs to prolong the lives of mortals, it would at least be the number one sect in North Chu Country. But nowadays in North Chu Country, the most famous among the common people is still Zhican Valley..."
Having said that, he suddenly realized something and asked Li Shiyin, "When people in North Chu Country ask for immortality and medicine, they all go to Zhican Valley. Why did you want to learn alchemy and ran to the Dao Sword Sect instead?"
When this question came out, Li Shiyin was a little embarrassed. She lowered her head, mumbled and said, "My brother is stationed outside the Hengduan Mountains to prevent beasts from harassing people. I used the excuse of going to see him to sneak into the Hengduan Mountains, then apprenticed at the Dao Sword Sect.
"At that time I thought that the Dao Sword Sect and Zhican Valley were both sects of immortals, there shouldn't be much difference, and the knights at home were all down-the-mountain disciples of the Dao Sword Sect, and they were all very powerful. So I didn't think much about it."
Hmm, that's just like you. After hearing Li Shiyin's words, Qin Ran's heart didn't stir up waves. He just felt that this was her normal operation.
"So you still ran away secretly?" He asked again, "Without telling your family?"
"Yeah..." Li Shiyin responded weakly, and peeked at Qin Ran, weakly saying, "Master... you won't send me back, will you?!"
"Do I look that free?" Qin Ran retorted.
According to Li Shiyin's observation, she nodded affirmatively: "Yes!"
Chasing the Wind was so small and furry, so cute that Qin Ran originally didn't want to teach him to speak because of the social death incident of calling Chasing the Wind "mom". But... Chasing the Wind actually meowed at him!
So he continued to study how to teach Chasing the Wind to speak.
On Earth, all civilized languages have their unique points, but there is one thing in common, that is, "mom" is called "mom" or something like "ma". This is not a coincidence, but because the pronunciation of the word "ma" is the simplest sound that humans can make. The breath goes out, the mouth opens and closes, and the sound that comes out is the "ma" sound.
Newborns don't know how to speak at first. One day, their mouths open and close to make a "ma" sound. Then the mom who takes care of him every day will naturally think this is the child calling her...
Similarly, Chasing the Wind is a feline animal. When his mouth opens and closes, the sound that comes out is "meow", which is also very reasonable. Don't look at tigers being the king of beasts, roaring in the mountains and forests. When they open their mouths, their loud voices make all the beasts shiver. But when they were young, they still had to meow.
Chasing the Wind is a feline animal, but he is not an ordinary feline animal. His mother is a level seven demon beast, a demon king, so he is different from birth... Although there are currently no signs of anything special about him, at least it can be seen that this little guy is very smart.
Let's not talk about how big this little guy is. Just say that after being picked up by Li Shiyin, the first thing he did was adapt to the environment and completely forgot about his old mother. The second thing he knew was who was the boss here and how he could survive.
He may not know what "meow" and "mom" mean, but he knows Qin Ran wants him to say this word...
Qin Ran sat on the chair with Chasing the Wind lying in his arms. The wind blew by, ruffling Chasing the Wind's fine fur. His thoughts returned, and he lowered his head to look at Chasing the Wind, reaching out to smooth the fur messed up by the wind.
He looked at Chasing the Wind, and started thinking again:
The boundary between humans and animals is relatively clear, but the boundary between humans and demon beasts doesn't seem so clear.
If a demon beast can speak, is it human? If a demon beast has a civilization, is it human? Even if a demon beast becomes stronger than humans, is it human? If a demon beast transforms into a human, is it human?
He didn't know, it seems to have become a philosophical question.
"Perhaps music is the difference between humans and demon beasts," he thought.
He remembered that someone in the previous life said that no matter the nobles in the palace or the villagers, they would listen to music, be it the Yangchun Baixue or the Xiali Ba People, but pigs, chickens, sheep and other beasts would not listen to music. Confucius also believed that rites and music were the foundations of human civilization. He once heard the music of Shaoyue and didn't taste meat for three months.
So humans listen to songs while beasts don't...
Qin Ran came to this conclusion.
He was eager to prove that he was human. At that moment, he went to the back mountain to chop a bamboo stick, and made it into a flute according to memory.
That night, Qin Ran moved a stool in front of the house, sat down, took out the flute, licked the blowhole, took a deep breath, and blew lightly, making a mournful, ugly sound of "woo woo sob sob".
Then the sobbing sounds echoed around the Danfeng Mountains...
At first, Chasing the Wind was still diligently sitting in his arms, but after a while, Chasing the Wind jumped down, squatted next to him licking his fur. After another while, Chasing the Wind ran into the house and lay on the sofa. After a while, Chasing the Wind burrowed under the sofa cushion.
Li Shiyin also heard her master making "retching mocking" sounds outside. She ran out and saw Qin Ran playing the flute. She laughed and asked, "Master, you can play the flute too?"
"Hmm?" Qin Ran stopped the grating sound, frowned and said, "What? There are flutes in North Chu too?"
"Yes!" Li Shiyin nodded and replied, "There is a famous musician named Gao Yuanshan in Danyang City who is well known precisely because he plays the flute very nicely. My brother doesn't get along with him and would go find trouble every time he performs."
Qin Ran listened, silently put down the bamboo flute in his hand, and inexplicably imagined in his mind the scene of Li Shiyin's brother seeing him play the flute and then rushing over to beat him up.
"My brother always said it was because Gao Yuanshan looked too effeminate, and he was worried it would corrupt the morals of North Chu... But I think my brother is just jealous that others look more handsome than him," Li Shiyin continued.
"Hmm?" Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin, something's not right with you.
Chapter 32
After building her foundation, Li Shiyin's physique greatly improved. With magic power, her speed of digging the lake was much faster than before. The amount she could dig in one day now equaled four or five days of progress in the past. Moreover, this speed continued to quicken along with Li Shiyin's cultivation progress, an accelerating process of increasing acceleration.
However, after only five days of building her foundation, the mud pit in the middle of the lawn had already expanded several rings. Now it had achieved considerable scale, looking like the makings of an artificial lake.
At this time, with the sun overhead, Li Shiyin toiled away at the bottom of the mud pit.
The unscrupulous master, Qin Ran, sat under a sunshade at the edge of the pit, holding a green bamboo flute in his hand, playing a discordant "woo woo yaya" tune.
The playing was very unpleasant to the ear, but if one listened carefully, some semblance of a melody could still be heard. For example:
"The sparrow outside the window
Chatters noisily on the utility pole
You say this sentence
..."
The melody was quite forced. With the melody wavering in and out, long and short, and the horrendous tuning of the bamboo flute, no matter whether one could make out the melody or not, it made people very uncomfortable.
Poor Li Shiyin not only had to laboriously dig the lake, but also had to endure the torture of her master's cacophonous sounds.
It was at this time that a hero made his entrance. From the edge of the forest suddenly came a loud, masculine voice. The voice asked, "May I ask if this is Dan Peak?"
Thus the flute music, which could fairly be described as mental torture, came to a stop. Qin Ran put down his flute and looked over. At the entrance coming out of the forest stood an imposing man.
This man wore a black mandarin collar long robe, had his hair in a topknot, black hair and black crown. His complexion was bronze, his stature sturdy. Conservatively estimated, he was half a head taller than Qin Ran.
This fellow looked ferocious, clearly not a good person. Qin Ran frowned and asked, "Who are you?"
"This humble one is Li Shiwen..." Li Shiwen cupped his fists towards Qin Ran in greeting and walked over, "Greetings to the chief of Dan Peak."
Li Shiwen? Qin Ran looked the newcomer up and down. This person did indeed bear some resemblance to Li Shiyin. He was likely Li Shiyin's general older brother stationed at the Hengduan Mountains.
For the siblings of this military family, one named Shiyin, one named Shiwen, on one hand their father's earnest intentions could be appreciated, on the other hand it could be seen that they had disappointed their father.
Qin Ran sat calmly, silently watching as Li Shiwen walked over. Although this guy seemed very polite, his overbearing aura clearly meant ill intent.
When Li Shiwen drew near, Qin Ran extended his hand and a stream of water came out, lifting up a chair to Li Shiwen's front, saying "Please sit."
Qin Ran's gesture did not awe Li Shiwen at all. He pressed down on the back of the chair, showing no intention of sitting. His sharp gaze fixed on Qin Ran as he said, "I've come to fetch my younger sister. I'd trouble the chief to oblige."
This fellow had definitely killed before, and killed a lot at that. His baleful aura was overwhelming. Qin Ran judged internally.
He pretended not to know and asked, "Who is your younger sister?"
"My younger sister's name is Li Shiyin..." Li Shiwen also did not get angry, patiently explaining, "Half a month ago she attended your sect's convocation, as far as I know, she became an inner sect disciple under your tutelage."
"Is that so?" Qin Ran nodded calmly, "I have been cultivating alone for a long time and am not familiar with any Li Shiyin. You must have come to the wrong place..."
"Brother!"
Before Qin Ran had even finished speaking, a black shadow suddenly shot out from the pit beside them. It turned out to be Li Shiyin in the pit, having heard the voices she leapt out. Li Shiyin stared fixedly at Li Shiwen from the edge of the pit, looking him over several times, afraid she had misheard or misseen. After confirming it was him, not caring about the mud on her body, she rushed over in a flash and latched onto Li Shiwen with a "bang".
Li Shiwen had not even reacted yet. By the time the smelly figure latched onto him in a familiar posture, he slowly realized that this was none other than his silly younger sister.
However, how did this foolish child get so strong?
Fortunately his build was sturdy enough, otherwise it would have been hard to withstand Li Shiyin's excited pounce.
After Li Shiyin's excitement passed, Li Shiwen uncertainly lowered his head. With the smell of Li Shiyin's body odor in his nose, he held up Li Shiyin's head and carefully examined her.
Although dirty and blackened, this was indeed his sister's appearance. He looked at her tenderly, rubbing her little face with his fingers, wiping away the mud and dust. His heart ached, just what had his sister gone through to end up in this state?
As he looked and smelled and thought, fury rose in his heart, growing ever stronger. Then he lifted up Li Shiyin's bottom and set her to the side before reaching behind his back...
"Brother, how did you know I was here?" Li Shiyin stood firmly and wiped away tears while asking.
Li Shiwen took out a disassembled three-section staff and one spearhead from his back. Gloomily he silently assembled them.
Hearing the "click click" sounds of the staff sections locking together, Li Shiyin did not understand and asked in puzzlement, "Brother, what are you doing?"
"Wait a moment, brother will take you home..." Li Shiwen said. Then when he finished assembling the steel spear, he signaled for Li Shiyin to stand to the side. His eyes brimming with killing intent stared towards Qin Ran.
Although instantly disproven, Qin Ran remained as steady as an old dog, sitting there looking calmly and composedly at Li Shiwen.
With the cacophony gone, Chasewind ran over again and climbed onto his knee, lazily yawning before starting to wash his face.
"Humph!" Li Shiwen suddenly shouted explosively, "Watch the spear!!"
He was warning Qin Ran, indicating he would not launch a sneak attack. Only then did he thrust over with the spear... After all he was a learned man.
And he was worthy of being a fierce tiger of the military clan. At least in the area of combat power he had not embarrassed himself. In a flash, the spear point arrived at Qin Ran's brow, poised to pierce through Qin Ran's brain!
However...
Qin Ran regarded the mortal danger before him as nothing, tilting his head to take the fruit juice on the table.
His attitude made Li Shiwen frown deeply. Seeing the spear point about to touch his brow, Li Shiwen thought to himself: after all this was the sect his sister had entered. As an reasonable man, teaching her a lesson was within reason, but taking a life went too far no matter how you looked at it. Thinking this, he moved to withdraw his power and strike with the spear shaft instead.
But right at this time he suddenly discovered that the spear shaft in his hands wouldn't budge. Exerting his strength to pull back also didn't work.
Puzzled, he heard Li Shiyin's voice: "Brother, why are you trying to hit my master?!"
Li Shiwen looked back to find Li Shiyin holding his spear shaft with one hand behind him, stopping him from advancing or retreating.
"Ah?!" Li Shiwen was instantly dumbfounded.
He, Li Shiwen, was no weak scholar. The power behind that spear thrust was at least five hundred jin. Yet it had actually been stopped single-handedly by his own weak and delicate little sister?
He froze up, but Li Shiyin did not. Li Shiyin exerted her strength again, pulling him and his spear back. Her bright apricot eyes glared at him reproachfully, "I'm asking you a question!"
No more calling him brother either.
Li Shiwen tried to struggle free but found Li Shiyin's strength too great. He could only let Li Shiyin take his spear while he turned back to face her. Staring grimly at Li Shiyin, he asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"
Chapter 33
"Are you becoming stupid too, brother?" Li Shiyin frowned, and then hurriedly spat twice, saying "What 'too'? I'm Shiyin!"
Li Shiwen looked Li Shiyin up and down carefully again. Although her face was dirty, the foolish and cute silly energy was ingrained in her bones, and he recognized it at a glance... she was indeed his silly younger sister.
"Shi...Shiyin?" Li Shiwen said uncertainly, "Since when did you become so strong?"
"Humph humph!"
Li Shiyin revealed a smug little expression, swinging Li Shiwen's steel spear in her hand.
This steel spear was Li Shiwen's treasured possession that he brought with him wherever he went and never let go. She had never gotten to play with it before... probably because the spear was so heavy, over 60 kilograms, that she couldn't swing it previously. But no matter, today she had easily snatched it from Li Shiwen's hands.
"I'm a cultivator now!" Holding the spear, she stuck out her waist and raised her chin at Li Shiwen arrogantly, "You mere mortal, bow down to this great immortal!"
And so Li Shiwen gave a knock on Li the Great Immortal's head to bring her back to reality.
From the time Li Shiyin disappeared from his station to now, it hadn't even been twenty days. To have this level of strength, it seemed she had undergone proper cultivation training. But... as Li Shiwen looked up and down at Li Shiyin's dirty state, where was the look of someone cultivating?
"Some great immortal!" He laughed and said, "Even great immortals have to come home with me."
"I'm not going home..." Li Shiyin stabbed the spear firmly into the ground and leaned against it, crossing her arms, "I have a top-grade Spirit Root. I was born to cultivate immortality and seek the Dao... Soon I will become a Sword Immortal. Our Li family will also produce an immortal!"
"You want to become a Sword Immortal that badly?" Li Shiwen stared at Li Shiyin, "Do you know, immortals and mortals are two different worlds. If you want to become an immortal, you have to sever ties with the mortal world. You won't want me as your brother anymore, or Father and Mother either?"
"It's just cultivation! Who said you must sever ties with the mortal world? Once I learn how to fly on swords, I'll come home every day to annoy you to death." Li Shiyin said with her hands on her belly. "Anyway, I must become a Sword Immortal. I'm going to the Underworld to bring Grandpa's soul back. I will definitely find the elixir of immortality to let Father and Mother live forever!"
This silly naive sister!
Li Shiwen was both moved and angry, but today he had to wake her up. He raised his voice and shouted, "The Underworld, Underworld! Let me tell you, there is no Underworld! There is no elixir of immortality! Grandpa is gone! Grandpa is dead and will never come back!
"You're already sixteen, be sensible, will you!"
Li Shiyin lowered her head and said softly, "Grandpa Dong said when people die they become ghosts and enter the Underworld to live in Fengdu and await reincarnation. Grandpa Dong said ghosts can also cultivate and become immortals... I want to go to Fengdu and bring Grandpa back to teach him ghost cultivation methods!"
Grandpa Dong was evidently a figure like a guest elder in the Li family.
Li Shiwen shook his head and said, "Grandpa Dong lied to you."
Little girls always believe in fairy tales, but today Li Shiwen tore apart this fairy tale. Leaning on the spear, Li Shiyin's figure clearly froze as big teardrops fell to the ground, splashing up mud.
Li Shiwen went forward and gently embraced Li Shiyin.
Qin Ran still sat there drinking fruit juice. The juice was sweet and sour, so sour his eyes watered...
There were tens of thousands of reasons for cultivation in this world. Controlling one's fate was the most common; for the longevity of one's parents was the most naively romantic and pitiful.
After hugging Li Shiyin for a while, Li Shiwen pulled her over to sit in chairs in front of Qin Ran and asked, "What is Shiyin doing here?"
"Digging a lake..." Qin Ran said. Before Li Shiwen's expression could turn fierce, he continued, "To train her body and control over her body."
Li Shiwen thought carefully and was able to understand. He nodded and looked towards the huge pit, not daring to believe it. He said hesitantly, "She dug all this herself?"
"Yes." Qin Ran replied.
Li Shiwen was silent as he looked at Li Shiyin, feeling very distressed. Foolish girl, when had she ever endured such hardship? But it seemed she had endured it when Father had disciplined them, maybe no less than this.
Sure enough, Li Shiyin spoke up, "Brother, actually this is pretty fun. Digging out the mud and separating the rocks and mud to stack over there, the mud can be molded into figurines, the rocks are fun for throwing and hitting birds... Also a lot of interesting treasures get dug up. I previously dug up a flying sword, but unfortunately it was rusted..."
A simple-minded person's sadness comes and goes quickly. At this time Li Shiyin was already able to chatter excitedly with red-rimmed eyes. Qin Ran looked over – the intensity was still too low, evidently she had just been playing around.
Feeling her master's terrifying gaze, Li Shiyin hurriedly stopped and switched topics, "Also, no need to worry about muscle soreness or anything like that. Master makes medicinal baths for me every day, and medicinal baths are so comfortable... Brother, you should try it."
"Medicinal baths?" Hearing this, Li Shiwen knew exactly how Qin Ran was treating Li Shiyin.
Unlike Li Shiyin, he understood the value of medicinal baths. If ordinary people's medicinal baths used money, then cultivators' medicinal baths used spirit stones. Spirit stones - an ordinary person would treasure even one as a family heirloom to pass down.
And Qin Ran made them daily for Li Shiyin...
He looked at Qin Ran with a respectful expression, carefully choosing his words. "I happen to know a bit about the Dao Sword Sect as well. I have heard that the four mountain ranges of the Dao Sword Sect cultivate different Daoist methods, among them Dan Peak cultivates alchemy. So you must be the legendary alchemist."
Qin Ran stroked the cat and remained silent.
"Then..." Li Shiwen asked, "Why does Shiyin practice the body and the sword, walking the path of the Sword?"
"She has a Gold Spirit Root, naturally she should cultivate the sword. As for her personality... you know your own sister..." Qin Ran explained.
Li Shiyin was silent. This silly girl Li Shiyin had a simple mind and nerves of steel, lively and bouncing around - cultivating the sword was indeed a good choice for her.
"If you're asking why she became a disciple of Dan Peak to cultivate the sword..." Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin and smiled, "At first she wanted to learn alchemy and concoct the elixir of immortality herself. I was the one who had her cultivate the sword, and promised to help her find longevity-increasing elixir."
Li Shiwen glanced at Li Shiyin, and Li Shiyin grinned at him. He turned to Qin Ran and cupped his fists respectfully, lowering his head to say, "I apologize for my rude behavior earlier!"
"To not know is no crime." Qin Ran said, "As for Shiyin, she is my own disciple whom I love, so I will naturally help her."
Having said this, Li Shiwen understood the details of Li Shiyin's situation at Dan Peak, and then he spoke:
"This sister of mine has a simple heart and bold nature, also blessed by fool's luck to take you as her master and set foot in the blessed land of Dan Peak. However, she still has to return home.
"Firstly, our parents are at home, and children should not leave home to cultivate immortality while their parents are living. Father sends a letter every day urging Shiyin to return home..."
The map of Yan Country is too small! Already at its edge? This Li Shiwen is not a good person after all. Qin Ran looked indifferently at the fellow - talking for so long and still wanting to take Shiyin home.
However, his first reason makes some sense. Qin Ran remembers that Daoism on Earth had related rules - only children cannot join to cultivate if they still have elders at home, so he will not argue this point.
But just then Li Shiyin secretly pouted and huffed in contempt, clearly harboring some other resentment.
"Secondly, Shiyin is already eighteen this year, time for marriage... My Li family has always been on good terms with the Cheng family of Danyang. Shiyin was betrothed to the Cheng family's young master early on..." Li Shiwen continued.
Well now! Could this be a "Don't Bully the Poor" story? Shocking! The foolish disciple turns out to be Nalan Xinyu!
"Finally..." Li Shiwen's expression became solemn. He looked at Qin Ran and said in a deep voice, "The reason why I have only come to visit you now is because recently there have been many incidents of demonic beasts injuring people in the Hengduan Mountains. I have a premonition that something big is going to happen in the Hengduan Mountains. I want to take this opportunity to send Li Shiyin back, away from this dangerous place."
The Hengduan Mountains? Qin Ran's eyes glazed over slightly. The Hengduan Mountains again!
Chapter 34
"May I have your permission to take Shiyin away?" After explaining his reasons, Li Shiwen asked at last.
"Ha ha..." Qin Ran laughed and looked at Li Shiwen, shaking his head, "If the Mountain Range is really going to have something big happen, then nowhere in the North Chu Kingdom would be safer than the Sword Sect. So where are you going to take Shiyin?"
Li Shiwen lowered his head without trying to hide it from Qin Ran.
"As for the first and second reasons, it is not my place to interfere..." Li Shiwen wanted to take Li Shiyin somewhere safe, but Qin Ran was too lazy to care. Stroking the cat, he laughed, "So whether Shiyin stays or leaves, you'll have to ask her yourself."
"Ask Shiyin herself?" Li Shiwen laughed. He saw how much effort Qin Ran had spent on Shiyin and thought that Qin Ran would definitely not allow him to take Shiyin away. But unexpectedly, Qin Ran was so easy to talk to.
From his perspective, Li Shiyin was his younger sister, very young and simple-minded, unable to discern pros and cons, and could not decide such a big matter for herself. For Qin Ran to say this, it was almost telling him that he could take Shiyin away.
So Li Shiwen stood up. Without asking Li Shiyin, he saluted Qin Ran and said with a smile, "Then thank you for taking care of Shiyin these days. You can make a list of expenses for Shiyin and send it to the garrison of the Heavenly Strategy Army outside the Mountain Range. I will provide compensation."
"Hmm?" Qin Ran was puzzled in his heart. Why didn't this guy even ask her? But his face still had a faint smile, as if he had everything under control.
Li Shiwen nodded to him, pulled Li Shiyin up and said, "Shiyin, let's go home now..."
He pulled Li Shiyin along but couldn't move her. He pulled harder but Li Shiyin didn't budge at all. He looked back at Li Shiyin, helplessly said, "Shiyin, be obedient."
Li Shiyin looked at him and shook her head. "Brother, I'm not going back!"
"What are you talking about?" Li Shiwen said with a smile. "Don't be unreasonable. Mother misses you very much..."
"I will go back, but not now." Li Shiyin replied.
To say that Li Shiyin was stupid was only because she was simple, not because she really had problems with her brain. She was not only smart, but also inherited the fine qualities of their Li family, tough and unyielding... In short, she would not easily change her mind about something once she decided on it.
Li Shiwen knew his sister well. Hearing Li Shiyin say this, the smile on his face disappeared little by little. He looked at Li Shiyin and asked solemnly, "You really won't go back?"
"I won't go back!" Li Shiyin answered very decisively.
Li Shiwen looked up and pondered for a moment, but he didn't have any good solutions.
Finally, with his tiger eyes fixed on Li Shiyin, he said, "Fine... You are so persistent in cultivating and have made some progress. Let's fight as usual. If you can beat me, I will agree to let you stay here and continue cultivating."
Growing up together as siblings, it was normal for them to fight. And because they were siblings, how could the younger sister ever beat her older brother? Ever since they were little, Li Shiyin had always been beaten up by Li Shiwen. She had long wanted to turn the tables, but as they grew older, Li Shiwen became more and more formidable, and it seemed that she would never have a chance...
Now, Li Shiwen himself proposed this requirement.
Li Shiyin was itching for a fight, eager to spar!
"Really?" She quickly confirmed, afraid that Li Shiwen would change his mind.
Having already tried Li Shiyin's strength before, and seeing her expression now, Li Shiwen was a little nervous. But after careful consideration, with his twenty years of cultivation, how could she catch up after just over ten days?
Strength was strength, kung fu was kung fu.
He had no reason to fear his younger sister.
"Really." He nodded to guarantee.
"Master, you be the witness!" Li Shiyin was so happy that she jumped up and raised her hand to ask Qin Ran to guarantee it.
"Okay." Qin Ran enjoyed watching the show and agreed.
Then without another word, Li Shiyin turned around and threw a punch at Li Shiwen with her raised hand.
Li Shiwen knew Li Shiyin too well. When Li Shiyin raised her hand, he already knew what this seemingly simple but actually crafty younger sister was going to do. When Li Shiyin punched at him, he had already dodged in advance.
"I knew it!" He shook his head.
"Hehe!" Li Shiyin chuckled foolishly and exerted force into her feet to chase after him.
Having grown up together since childhood, training under the same master's stick tricks, they knew each other's moves inside out.
Originally, Li Shiwen, being a man, was much taller and stronger. His martial arts skills were indeed more refined than Li Shiyin's. He had always let Li Shiyin hit him. But...times had changed. Although Li Shiyin had not yet learned any mystic arts, her physical fitness was no longer on the same level as Li Shiwen's.
After exchanging moves twice, they finally collided fists.
Li Shiyin rushed forward with a punch, throwing a fist at Li Shiwen's face. Li Shiwen did not dodge. He put both hands forward to block Li Shiyin's punch, planning to grab her after blocking this punch. This move worked very well on the reckless and impulsive Li Shiyin.
Unexpectedly, when Li Shiyin's punch came...
"Bang!"
Li Shiwen only felt as if he had been hit by a bull, completely failing to block it. He staggered back several steps with his chest wide open!
"Hahaha, brother, you're finished!" Li Shiyin laughed gleefully. She clenched her little fists and rushed forward, ramming into Li Shiwen's arms. Then fists rained down as she vented all the pent-up frustration from being beaten up by Li Shiwen over the past decade, not caring whether it was the nose, eyes, chest or ribs.
She only stopped when she felt she had enough and stood up arrogantly looking down at Li Shiwen's bruised and swollen face. Of course she didn't go all out since he was her brother after all, but it was enough to make Li Shiwen suffer for several days.
Seeing they had finished fighting, Qin Ran walked over, took out a porcelain bottle from his cosmic bag, squatted down and handed it to Li Shiwen, saying, "Blood Invigorating Muscle Pills, treats physical injuries. One pill is enough. This bottle is a gift for you."
Lying on the ground, Li Shiwen's hands trembled as he took the bottle. He clumsily shook out a pill and barely managed to put it in his mouth.
He looked so pathetic, but Qin Ran and Li Shiyin just watched without intention of helping him.
The efficacy of the pill was extremely fast. Li Shiwen's injuries healed almost visibly. But such rapid recovery was also accompanied by terrible pain. Even the iron-tough Li Shiwen couldn't help groaning.
"Although these ordinary pills are simple to make, a pill can still sell for two spirit stones. This bottle contains ten pills. As a gift upon our first meeting, it doesn't degrade you. In the mortal world, you know better than me the value of miraculous medicine and stones."
"Before building her foundation, Shiyin's medicinal baths cost about three hundred spirit stones each time, and she soaked for ten consecutive days; after building her foundation, each bath is nine hundred spirit stones, and she has already soaked for five days. This doesn't even include the cost of prescriptions and effort for making the medicinal bath."
He looked at Li Shiwen on the ground and shook his head with a laugh, "Don't feel bad about losing to Shiyin's punch worth over ten thousand spirit stones."
As Li Shiwen's injuries gradually healed, he silently looked up at Qin Ran and suddenly understood - his sister's master had a wicked heart, inside and out...
He was just a small general of the mortal world. He was no match for their cultivators. He might as well leave early.
Chapter 35
Li Shiwen returned alone.
He came and went in haste, taking nothing with him except a beating... Oh no, he also took a bottle of Live Blood Flesh Mending Pill, which he didn't really want but the effects were too tempting to resist.
But he had been here, he had existed, and so he left some impact behind. Especially for Li Shiyin, because after his arrival she lost the heart to keep digging the lake.
Li Shiyin went back to her room, took a bath, changed into a nice dress, then climbed onto the eaves of the second floor and sat there gazing into the distance.
From here, looking out along the little river next to the house, she could see grassy banks on both sides, and in the middle of the grass a deep pit suddenly came into view...she had gradually dug out this pit with her own hands. Further out was the forest, where the little river disappeared into the lush shadows of the trees. Beyond the vast forest, in the very far distance, mountain peaks intersected...Qin Ran's station of the Heaven Strategy Army was among those mountains.
She didn't know when, but Qin Ran came up and sat down next to Li Shiyin, holding Pursuit of the Wind. He looked out towards the distant horizon, following her gaze.
Pursuit of the Wind jumped out of his arms and stepped around on the tiles, happily fooling around like a cat.
"Master, is my brother's stationed troops over there?" Li Shiyin asked Qin Ran without turning her head.
"Probably around there, but I've never been so I'm not very clear on the specifics." Qin Ran always answered Li Shiyin's questions.
"Master, is it really necessary to sever ties with the mortal world when cultivating?" She asked again.
Qin Ran sighed before replying:
"If cultivation does not involve self-cultivation, then cultivators are no different from ordinary people with powerful abilities. You don't know about people from your homeland, but you should understand clearly that if an ordinary person gains great power it becomes extremely dangerous. You can imagine his desires will be countless times greater than his abilities."
"A powerful cultivator is too dangerous in the mortal world. It's not just dangerous for himself, but even more dangerous for ordinary people, especially his loved ones."
"Why would I ever harm my own parents?" Li Shiyin didn't understand. "Even in the mortal world, I make efforts to cultivate my heart. Is that not acceptable?"
"A cultivator's enemies can only be other cultivators..." Qin Ran said. "You won't harm your loved ones, but your enemies will. At that time, your loved ones will become your greatest weakness. You will only hurt others and yourself."
"Then what if I don't reveal my abilities?"
"That involves the stories of a crane standing among chickens and a needle hidden in a pocket," Qin Ran replied. "A crane standing among chickens will be spotted at a glance. And a needle hidden in a pocket will quickly poke through the fabric and reveal itself."
Qin Ran explained it simply and understandably. Li Shiyin understood his point. She drew her legs in and hugged her knees, resting her chin on them.
"Master, have you severed your own worldly ties?" She suddenly asked. "Master, you're only 24 years old. Your parents must still be young too."
This question made Qin Ran sigh. His parents in this world were naturally still alive. However, he was a lonely wild ghost from another world. He had left home to cultivate at the age of five, so his parents meant far less to him than his deceased master from five years ago.
Of course he had severed worldly ties...
"Mm," he murmured in reply.
Li Shiyin glanced at him and shook her head. "I don't believe you."
Qin Ran didn't try to defend himself.
"Master, where are you from?"
"The North Chu Country."
"Master, you're from North Chu too?!" Li Shiyin became interested. "Where exactly? Is it far from Danyang?"
"Very far from Danyang..." Qin Ran said. "Not too far from the Hengduan Mountains Range though."
Li Shiyin's melancholy came and went quickly, effortlessly led astray by Qin Ran towards Yunmeng Marsh.
They sat on the eaves for a long time, watching the sun set behind the mountains.
The orange glow filled the sky, coloring the ground, the grass, the tiles, and their own bodies red, as if splashed with red ink. Qin Ran's hair turned red, and Li Shiyin's dress turned red.
It was about time to make dinner.
Qin Ran patted his bottom and stood up, preparing to go downstairs, but before descending he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Li Shiyin to say: "I saw how smoothly you controlled your strength when hitting your brother earlier..."
He stopped mid-sentence, for some reason. Li Shiyin was curious and raised her head to look at him, just in time to see him turn his head awkwardly.
"Hm? What happened?" She looked left and right, only seeing Pursuit of the Wind rolling around in the sunset glow.
The thought flashed through Qin Ran's mind that his disciple had grown up. She hadn't transformed into the muscular Barbiedoll he was expecting, but instead the parts that should be developing had rapidly developed...her figure was much more shapely than when he first saw her in the Hall of Questioning Dao.
"Ahem!" He hurriedly rid himself of those dirty thoughts and continued, "Your level of attainment should be quite stabilized now. You can start practicing mystic arts."
"Can I learn to fly on a sword now?"
Li Shiyin didn't realize that squatting there with her clothes bunched up, when Qin Ran turned around he could see a flash of white down her front. She was just happy she could start learning mystic arts.
"Mm, yes, flying sword is a must..." Qin Ran nodded with his back to Li Shiyin. "The world of cultivation is too dangerous. Escape techniques must take first priority."
"Huh?" Li Shiyin was puzzled. She thought flying sword was a combat technique.
"So you should learn Concealment Arts first. Since you like Flying Sword Arts, you can start with that first. Then you still need one combat mystic art, so you should also practice a sword technique at the same time." Qin Ran said. "A person's energy is limited, and our time is limited. You can't be greedy."
Li Shiyin understood the limit on energy, but she didn't know why their time was also limited. Puzzled, she nodded her little head blankly.
"Okay, that's it." Having explained, Qin Ran leapt up and jumped down from the roof.
But halfway down he seemed to recall something. He quickly flew back up to the tiles and stared at Li Shiyin pensively without speaking.
"Master, what's wrong?" Li Shiyin didn't understand. She stood up and walked over, intending to check Qin Ran's temperature to see if he was sick.
Qin Ran shook his head. Having finally made up his mind, he said, "Since this is the case, I will pass this mantra on to you."
"What mantra?"
Qin Ran didn't reply. He raised his hand and tapped Li Shiyin's forehead, imprinting with his divine sense and transmitting a mantra into her sea of consciousness.
Li Shiyin suddenly froze. Closing her eyes, she saw some golden words before her:
When chaos was first differentiated, the universe was vast and endless. Heaven and earth evolved, sun, moon and stars were born. All things come to life, the body is like the universe. When chaos was first differentiated...
"Master, what is this?"
"The method of refining the soul..." Qin Ran said. "Dan Peak's inherited method of refining the soul."
This was why Qin Ran already had a soul consciousness in the Foundation Establishment stage.
Chapter 36
Outside the house, the rain was dripping gently. There was no need to dig the lake today.
Li Shiyin curled up on the sofa, leaning against the cushions, using a small bamboo stick to play with Chasing the Wind.
Chasing the Wind was growing very fast, almost changing every day. When he was picked up in the rainy night, he was as small as a kitten, but now after less than a week, he was already as big as a grown cat, and a very sturdy grown cat at that.
He chased after the bamboo stick in Li Shiyin's hand, running from the sofa to the floor, then jumping from the floor onto the tea table. His fierce appearance was as if he had some grudge against the bamboo stick.
Li Shiyin waved the bamboo stick around, and Chasing the Wind chased after it everywhere. The two were having great fun.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, the door to the living room was pushed open from outside. Wet wind blew in from outside, and Li Shiyin looked over to see Qin Ran walk in dripping wet, holding a sword.
"Master, where did you go?" Li Shiyin asked.
Her hand paused. She quickly looked back, only to find that the bamboo stick had been caught by Chasing the Wind. Chasing the Wind slapped it strongly with his two thick paws and bit down with a "crack", breaking off a section of the bamboo.
Such a fierce little thing, she thought to herself, and simply threw the whole bamboo stick to Chasing the Wind.
"Out back..." Qin Ran replied.
He folded up his umbrella, shook off the rainwater outside the door, then brought it inside and left it by the door. He also utilized his cultivation to draw all the rainwater out of his clothes, gathering it into a ball in his hand, and threw that outside as well.
Li Shiyin watched admiringly as her master demonstrated his control over his cultivation power.
"Out back?" she asked.
"The grotto, beside the waterfall..." Qin Ran pointed towards the back of the house, "Danfeng's former grottoes are all over there. There are still some things left in them."
Li Shiyin had seen the grottoes behind the mountain from afar, but had not been there yet. She nodded, seeing the sword in Qin Ran's hand, and said, "This is the sword left behind by the previous seniors?"
"Mm," Qin Ran walked over and casually threw the sword to her, saying, "There weren't many sword users in Danfeng. I tried to find a lower quality spirit weapon that would suit you to practice sensing objects. You can use this sword to practice."
Li Shiyin raised her hand to catch the sword. The scabbard was pitch black with a heavy feel to it, weighing about seven or eight pounds. Drawing out half the blade, the edge was icy cold, with gray speckles on the blade like stars in the night sky.
It was a good sword, but...
"It's so delicate!" she said. The sword was too narrow for her liking.
Closing the sword, she saw the name engraved on the hilt - Qingxing. She asked, "This was some female senior's sword, right?"
"I'm not sure either," Qin Ran came out of the kitchen with a cup of hot water and stood in front of the sofa, facing Li Shiyin. "You can practice sword techniques with any sword, but flying sword techniques require sensing the object first, so you can't just casually develop feelings with a sword, it would be strange. "
Li Shiyin secretly sized up her master. His views on romance seemed so innocent.
She looked back at the Qingxing sword. This sword was not just delicate in appearance, it was also very light...although it already weighed seven or eight pounds.
She shook her head. "I don't like this sword."
"Whether you like it or not, you'll have to bear with it for now. Focus your mind, and once you've learned both combat skills and flying sword techniques, we'll go find someone to forge your personal sword. " Qin Ran said as he sipped his water, "At that time, your personal sword will be forged according to the requirements of the Nine Revolving Celestial Sword Technique."
Since it was just temporary use, Li Shiyin could accept it. Pouting, she said, "Go find someone specifically to forge it? Then I hope my personal sword can be heavier, grander."
"Alright, however you like," Qin Ran finished his water, then asked again, "Which cultivation method did you choose?"
"Drawing Starlight Art," Li Shiyin replied.
Qin Ran nodded. This was not beyond his expectations.
The Drawing Starlight Art was not exactly a sword technique. Rather, it was more like an destructive amplifying art.
As the name suggested, Drawing Starlight involved drawing in starlight onto the sword, thereby obtaining greater combat power. It belonged to the category of close combat methods.
This kind of aggressive close combat method suited Li Shiyin's personality very well.
Whether it was close quarters melee combat or throwing spells from afar, that was just individual personality, there was no good or bad. He made no judgement on it.
"Since you've decided, then hurry up and practice..." Qin Ran said. "Once you've practiced it well, we'll go down the mountain."
"Huh? Go down the mountain!?" Li Shiyin's eyes lit up. She suddenly realized that needing to find someone to forge a sword meant leaving the mountain.
Leaving the mountain, didn't that mean she could go look for her silly brother? She could go home?!
"Yes, going down the mountain, but not to play around. It's to find someone to forge your personal sword." Qin Ran mercilessly doused Li Shiyin's fantasies.
Li Shiyin instantly deflated. "Oh!" she responded.
"Since it's raining today and there's no need to dig the lake, it's best to practice sensing objects. Don't delay any more time," Qin Ran sat down on the tea table facing Li Shiyin, and pointed at the sword in her hand, "Let's start now!"
"Alright!" Li Shiyin sighed, drawing out the Qingxing sword and asked, "How do I sense the object?"
"Sensing an object is the same as sensing qi," Qin Ran explained to Li Shiyin.
"Sensing qi is inside the body, feeling that strand of qi within the body, then according to certain principles, guiding that qi to start cultivating.
"Sensing an object is perceiving the internal structure of the object, allowing cultivation power to be infused into the object. The cultivation power circulates within the object, and the person thereby controls the object..."
Qin Ran was speaking when Chasing the Wind, who was madly shredding the bamboo stick, chased the stick over to this side.
One end of the stick hit the leg of the tea table, while the other end was still being bitten by Chasing the Wind. He seemed oblivious to everything as he continued biting the stick and moving forward, causing the stick to bend and compress, then...
"Crack!"
Chasing the Wind opened his mouth and released the bamboo stick, which snapped back and struck Qin Ran's calf.
"Ow!" Qin Ran painfully sucked in a breath, hurriedly looking down to check. He saw Chasing the Wind, as if nothing had happened, chasing after the bamboo stick as he crawled under the tea table and away.
"Hey there, you little rascal!" Qin Ran angrily grabbed Chasing the Wind and gave his innocent little face a gentle slap, then placed him on the tea table next to himself and pointed at him, "Sit still!"
Only now did Chasing the Wind seem to realize he had done something wrong, sitting there aggrieved.
Qin Ran picked up the playful bamboo stick and held it like a sword, horizontally in front of Li Shiyin's eyes.
"Use your mind to find the internal principles of the object, then according to those principles, infuse cultivation power into it..." As he spoke, his cultivation power flowed from his hand into the bamboo stick. He let go, and the bamboo stick floated motionless in midair. "This is controlling an object!"
Li Shiyin understood. She nodded, holding the Qingxing sword to her forehead and closing her eyes to search for the principles within the sword.
"Do you know what those principles are?" Qin Ran went on.
"They are actually formations! All things have their principles, and those principles are formations. The extraordinary meridians and collaterals in the human body, the five viscera and six bowels, the organs, limbs - their layout is a formation. The pathways of cultivation techniques are formation diagrams. The circulation of cultivation power within the body follows certain formation principles, and the circulation of cultivation power within a sword also follows certain formations... A flying sword, the forger must have set formations within it!"
Li Shiyin's internal cultivation power emerged from her dantian out to the Qingxing sword.
After a while, she let go, and the Qingxing sword floated motionless.
She had succeeded in sensing the object!
"This is simply natural talent!" Qin Ran shook his head and sighed admiringly. It was undeniable.
He had given Li Shiyin a profound yet easy to understand explanation of the deepest theory behind flying sword techniques, but he dared to guarantee that Li Shiyin definitely didn't understand it. Yet...
She could just do it, and accomplish it very simply and easily. This was called natural talent.
He looked down to see Chasing the Wind crouched beside him, watching the flying sword floating in front of Li Shiyin's forehead with rapt attention.
Chapter 37
Tian Wenjin could complete condensing his Qi vortex and sword flight within two days; Li Shiyin could find her Qi perception overnight, and find her object perception in the blink of an eye.
This is called talent.
Qin Ran spent a month thoroughly reading various classics and comprehending Qi perception, then spent a week finding his Qi perception, and then spent half a year condensing his Qi vortex. As for object perception, it was much faster than finding Qi perception - he spent ten days reading various classics, and only needed three days to find his object perception.
This is called being stupid.
Sometimes the difference between people can be greater than the difference between humans and dogs.
At this moment, as Qin Ran watched a certain thieving little cat, sensing the chaotic Qi within the cat's body, he had to admit that his talent was far inferior to this cat's.
Ah, no, it's not a cat, it's a seventh-level demon king Profound Underworld Spirit Tiger.
Li Shiyin opened her eyes, looking at the sword floating in front of her, and circulated her magic power, clumsily controlling its rotations.
Dream-like purple starlight magic power flowed out from between her eyebrows, pulling out long purple ribbons in the air, connecting to the Leaning Star Sword. The Leaning Star Sword slowly went from clumsy rotations to gently waving, and gradually pulled away.
Before long, after all it was the first time summoning an object, the Leaning Star Sword went too far from her and Li Shiyin finally lost control. After struggling in midair, it fell onto the floor.
She got up, went over and picked up the sword, danced a standard sword maneuver, turned back and struck a cool pose, smiling at Qin Ran and asking: "Master, don't you think I'm awesome?!"
Qin Ran looked at Li Shiyin. The cold lighting from the rainy sky outside shone on her face, but couldn't hide her sunny smile. Her lips were red and teeth were white, and her smile was particularly bright and charming.
"Bang!" He realized his heart had forcefully thumped against his chest.
He quickly turned his head away, not looking at her, and said: "There's nothing to be arrogant about. Last night when I passed on the mnemonics to you, they were about nurturing your consciousness, and consciousness is very helpful for controlling swords with your magic power."
"Hmph, boring!" Li Shiyin dropped her pose and sat back down on the sofa.
Qin Ran continued: "That unnamed mnemonic is like the ultimate secret art of our Danfeng Sect. It's always only been passed down to the sect leader..."
"Only passed down to the sect leader?" Li Shiyin seized on the key point. "So that means I'm the next generation sect leader of Danfeng?!"
"I'm not dead yet!" Qin Ran glanced at her, signaling her not to interrupt him. "This mnemonic is extremely extraordinary, because it allows low level cultivators to directly condense consciousness.
"What is consciousness? It's the perception that emerges after the primordial spirit transforms from the infant spirit. It's a kind of sixth sense that's higher than the human five senses, or perhaps it's the vision of the soul."
Qin Ran spoke with admiration: "The person who created this cultivation method was truly a heaven-born genius, with an inconceivable understanding of the soul, perception, and consciousness.
"I truly have no idea what the underlying principles are... As for what this cultivation method is called, how Danfeng obtained it, the follow up, I don't know any of it. If there is follow up, perhaps I could understand the inherent principles."
Li Shiyin didn't understand, but could sense it was very powerful. She said: "Then Master, in the future I'll help you obtain the follow up."
Qin Ran ignored her and continued the lesson: "A low level cultivator's spiritual awareness can only circulate within the body. Only when it becomes consciousness can it leave the body. And when inner spiritual awareness transforms into consciousness, it's a qualitative change. The world you see will no longer be the same... Refining pills, practicing swords, refining tools, carving formations, will all have qualitative changes..."
"But Master, I don't feel like the world is different..." Li Shiyin asked doubtfully.
This oblivious disciple had no self-awareness. Qin Ran was too lazy to scold her, only saying: "Aside from invisible enhancements to perception, consciousness can also directly manipulate objects... You can try using your consciousness to control the sword."
"Oh..." Li Shiyin looked at Qin Ran. She didn't act up again, but closed her eyes, found the tiny bit of consciousness in her consciousness sea, drew it out from between her eyebrows, slipped it into the Leaning Star Sword, followed the sword's formations with her magic power to control the flying sword.
But the flying sword had just risen up when it heavily dropped down!
"Ow..." The consciousness snapped back into her consciousness sea like a pulled rubber band. Li Shiyin cried out in pain, clutching her forehead and shouting: "Master, master, too heavy, can't hold it!"
"Can't hold it?"
Why?
When Qin Ran had initially gained consciousness, the things he manipulated weighed far more than seven or eight pounds.
With Li Shiyin's talent far exceeding his, why couldn't she even lift this sword?
"Could my talent in this area be higher than my silly disciple's?" Qin Ran shook his head. He vaguely had a guess, but wasn't certain.
"If you can't control the sword with your consciousness, then forget it. Wait until your consciousness is stronger." He consoled out loud: "Anyway, enhancing your perception will also greatly help you control swords with your magic power."
After hurting for a while, Li Shiyin's head didn't hurt anymore. She patted her forehead, shook her head again. The feeling just now was really unpleasant.
When the Leaning Star Sword had fallen, it was tip down, stabbing slightly into the floor and standing there.
Qin Ran went over and pulled it out, handing it back to Li Shiyin. Looking at the sword pit in the wooden floor, he felt some distress, but only said:
"Now that you have object perception, you can practice flying with the sword. It's similar to riding a skateboard, just keep practicing and you'll get it."
"Skateboard?" Li Shiyin took the sword and looked outside. Pouting, she said: "Master, it's raining!"
"You can practice on the second floor." Qin Ran said.
"Oh right!" Li Shiyin nodded, hugging the Leaning Star Sword and running up to the second floor exercise room.
Watching Li Shiyin disappear behind the stairs, Qin Ran sat down on the sofa. He looked at Chasing the Wind sitting gracefully on the tea table, and gestured for him to come over.
Chasing the Wind licked his paws, but still jumped onto Qin Ran's lap.
"I'm not surprised you can cultivate..." Qin Ran's hand stroked Chasing the Wind's fur as he spoke to him: "But what cultivation method will you practice?
"So what attribute are you? Dark attribute? But I've never even heard of dark spiritual roots. And your meridians are different from humans', can you cultivate human methods?"
"Meow~" Chasing the Wind cried out.
Qin Ran lowered his head to look at him. Chasing the Wind looked up at him. They gazed at each other, and Qin Ran knew Chasing the Wind wanted to say something, but he couldn't understand it.
"Bro, it'd be great if you could speak Chinese!" Qin Ran held up Chasing the Wind, laughing. "So, I still have to teach you how to speak."
"Meow meow!" Chasing the Wind yowled twice.
Qin Ran understood these words. It was a student's instinctive rejection towards lessons. Chasing the Wind was definitely saying "No".
"Hehehe..." So Qin Ran started laughing creepily. He rubbed his face against Chasing the Wind's furry neck, forcefully sniffing twice, saying: "Little kitty, the more you resist, the more excited I get! I'm definitely going to teach you to speak, I'm even going to teach you Chinese!"
"Meow meow meow..." Feline profanities.
Just as Qin Ran was sniffing the cat and Chasing the Wind was desperately struggling, there were sudden crashing sounds from the second floor, followed by Li Shiyin's screams:
"Master... Save me..."
The sound of shattering glass, Li Shiyin's screams grew closer then farther away.
"Crap, my silly disciple flew away!" Qin Ran was shocked and hurriedly tossed aside Chasing the Wind. He pushed open the window, looked up and saw Li Shiyin drifting farther into the distant sky through the rain, swaying unsteadily like a cut kite string.
The situation was critical. Qin Ran didn't have time to think more, activated his movement technique and chased after her.