Chapter 27: The Mysterious Bracelet

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Half a month slipped by in the blink of an eye. The wind swept up fallen leaves, the trees stood bare and desolate, and autumn was at its height.

Inside the dim little cabin, someone sat upon the floor, surrounded by a veil of qi, legs crossed and mind wholly focused.

Three days earlier, Ji Ning had broken through to the fifth level of Qi Refining in a single stroke. The sea of qi in her dantian had expanded severalfold, and the range of her spiritual sense had stretched beyond a hundred miles.

As she breathed in and out, her spiritual sense spread freely. From the autumn cicadas clinging to the trees in the courtyard to the tinkling springs deep in the mountains, she could perceive everything with perfect clarity.

It was as though she herself were the origin point, with the four directions as axes. Everything within the reach of her spiritual sense appeared in the form of a three-dimensional print, though without color and lacking insight into overly minute details. At her current stage, however, it was exceptionally convenient for scouting a path.

For this breakthrough, Ji Ning had not used spirit stones. Instead, she had consumed the several high-grade Spirit-Gathering Herbs. After carefully calculating her circumstances, she knew that without some special opportunity, a month would not be enough for her to advance to the next level. Besides, she had been plucking and using the herbs' spiritual energy day after day, and their medicinal power had already been greatly depleted. Even if she transplanted them, they would be of little further use. Consuming and refining them at once would yield the greatest benefit.

Once she entered the outer sect, she could plant more. By then, no one would care even if she cultivated half an acre of them.

Although the effect of Spirit-Gathering Herbs was far inferior to that of Spirit-Gathering Pills, it was more than enough for a cultivator who had already set one foot across the threshold of the fifth level.

In truth, if her finances had been less strained, Ji Ning would have chosen the latter as well. Pills, however, were precious, and the spirit stones she had saved were intended for the purchase of a Foundation Establishment Pill in the future. She could not use them lightly.

The instant she swallowed the herbs, they transformed into qi and flowed through her meridians and acupoints. An unending stream of spiritual energy gathered in her dantian until it overflowed and broke through. The process was long and tedious. The sun sank, the moon rose, and more than ten days passed in a daze.

After breaking through the barrier to the fifth level of Qi Refining, some spiritual energy remained within her body, not yet transformed or absorbed. It was most suitable for consolidating her dantian.

Had she not asked Senior Sister Jiang in advance to use her disciple token to deliver meals each day, the little fox that now stretched out on the floor by her feet—and occasionally wagged its tail at her when awake—would probably have starved to death by now.

“Squeak, squeak! Time to eat!”

Xueqiu’s familiar voice rang out from the window once more. It sprang up and swiftly leaped onto the bed, then hurried to the window.

The window had been propped open with a short wooden mallet, leaving a gap half a head high. This ensured that Senior Sister Jiang could pass the food through, while also allowing the little creature some fresh air.

Under Xueqiu’s eager gaze, Jiang Yeqiu opened several bundles wrapped in oiled paper and handed them over one by one. In addition to the three stalls where Ji Ning had purchased meal cards, she had even added an extra dish for Xueqiu.

They were freshly made rabbit meatballs fried in oil, a new item that had recently appeared. They were inexpensive and delicious, and the stall selling them had been surrounded by a long queue all day.

Jiang Yeqiu had tasted them herself. The meat was firm without being tough, and after swallowing, wisps of spiritual energy spread through the body. It was richer than the spiritual energy contained in spirit rice or spirit pork.

She had thought Xueqiu would be interested. Unexpectedly, after sniffing the meatballs twice, the little creature turned away and began eating the flaky cakes beside them.

Jiang Yeqiu froze, then smiled brightly.

“So you’re a vegetarian little fox!”

“I wonder when Junior Sister Ji will come out. I have something here I want to give her.”

“I wonder whether she’ll like it…”

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After growing familiar with Xueqiu, Jiang Yeqiu would exchange a few words with it whenever she delivered a meal. Xueqiu was always an enthusiastic conversationalist, burying its head in the food while squeaking in response. Though they spoke different languages, they chatted with great delight.

Once the little creature had eaten its fill, Jiang Yeqiu gathered up the oiled paper, patted Xueqiu on the head a few times, and quietly left.

A full stomach brought on drowsiness, and a visit with the Duke of Zhou was not to be neglected. Xueqiu sprang onto Ji Ning’s narrow bed, twisted itself around, exposed its belly to the heavens, and sank into deep sleep.

The night was cool as water.

Misty moonlight streamed in along the window frame, its pale radiance illuminating the pitch-black room.

After a long while, a pair of bright eyes opened in the darkness.

Ji Ning exhaled deeply. Some impurities were expelled from her body along with her breath. But when she had been mortal, she had eaten grains and ordinary food. If she wanted to purge every impurity from her body, she would likely have to wait until she reached Foundation Establishment.

As she rose and stretched her limbs, the corner of her eye caught sight of a yellow paper bundle by the window.

“Meatballs?” Ji Ning blinked.

Meat was quite expensive in the dining hall. By convention, one could obtain only a single serving of meat each day, while purchasing a monthly meat card required fifteen contribution points. Ji Ning was still growing, and sometimes she herself did not have enough to eat. Naturally, she could not bear to buy a separate serving for Xueqiu.

There was no need to think about it. Senior Sister Jiang must have given her own portion to Xueqiu. Ji Ning glanced at the fox sleeping soundly and curved her lips.

Since you do not eat it, I might as well. No sense in wasting it.

Ji Ning picked up a meatball and tossed it into her mouth. After chewing a few times, she swallowed it.

“It’s a little cold. It must taste much better hot!”

Once the thought arose, she acted on it. With one hand, she condensed a small bowl from metal-element spiritual energy and placed the meatballs inside. With the other, she conjured a flame and began heating them.

Before long, oil seeped out and the aroma of meat filled the air, spreading through the room and even slipping outside through the crack in the window.

Ji Ning drew in a deep breath of the fragrance, yet found that it smelled somewhat strange. Resting her chin in her hand, she pondered. Could leftovers in the cultivation world also become unpleasant overnight?

Before she could think it through, her stomach suddenly cramped and issued its own impatient reminder.

She rubbed her hands together. Her heart was eager, but her hands were a step too slow. A white blur shot onto the table, opened its cavernous jaws, and swallowed every glistening meatball in a single bite, leaving Ji Ning nothing but a pool of oily broth.

“Squeak, squeak~ What an awful thing to eat~”

After leaving behind that thoroughly infuriating remark, Xueqiu scampered away. Thoughtfully, it gave the bed back to her and curled up on the floor instead.

Ji Ning’s breath caught. She turned her head mechanically and glared at the culprit, her teeth clenched.

If they were so awful, why did you eat them? Eat until you burst!

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After restraining herself again and again, Ji Ning decided to teach Xueqiu a lesson tomorrow. Beating a child in the middle of the night was inauspicious.

Hungry and wide awake, Ji Ning simply left the courtyard.

The night deepened, dew grew heavy, and the autumn moon shone like frost. A slender figure made her way toward the rear mountain.

After opening the barrier around the spiritual field, Ji Ning inspected every inch of it. The soil was slightly short of water, and a few small insects and weeds had appeared, but there was no serious problem.

She drove out the insects first, then watered the field with the Rainfall Art, lest the pests burrow into the soil and become difficult to distinguish.

She worked with such concentration that she had no idea she was being watched. From the moment she set foot on the rear mountain, someone had locked onto her with spiritual sense.

When the sky began to brighten, Ji Ning wiped away her sweat, set down her hoe, and prepared to go eat.

The morning breeze was rather cold, but Ji Ning had worked for two hours, and her body was warm from the exertion. She did not feel cold at all.

As she walked along the narrow path between the fields, something suddenly drifted down with the wind and landed atop her head. She reached up and took it down.

It was a chinaberry blossom.

Ji Ning raised her head. The great chinaberry tree standing at the edge of the peak was still flourishing, its branches filled with blossoms.

For that tree, the turning of the seasons seemed utterly meaningless…

The petals touched the ground, while her figure had already gone far away.

When Ji Ning returned to the little courtyard after eating her fill, Jiang Yeqiu was preparing to leave for work.

There was little time, and the two exchanged only two or three words. Before leaving, Jiang Yeqiu went back inside, retrieved a small box, and handed it to Ji Ning with a mysterious air. She merely said it was a return gift in gratitude, then hurried away.

Ji Ning could only laugh helplessly. She hoped Senior Sister Jiang would not be tricked out of her spirit stones again.

Inside the box lay a silver bracelet set with three pink crystals. Spiritual runes were concealed within them.

It was a low-grade magical artifact.

But the longer Ji Ning looked at it, the smile at the corners of her lips faded. A sudden pang seized her heart.

She had seen this before.

In that dust-covered Heavenly Book.

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