Pain
Searing and ruthless spread throughout my body. The feeling of shattered bones grind to powder and organs destroying into a bloody mess of slush.
Is this how I die?
A memory flashed before me. My mother, caressing my cheek, smiling as tears streamed down her face before she sealed me away inside that hidden compartment. I could still feel the ache in my hands from pounding against the wooden door, begging her to stay.
And then I woke up.
Soaked in my own cold sweat, clutching my chest as if my heart was going to burst. I looked around, surrounded by beds and fellow disciples, the difference in the ache in my bones now and the pain before like heaven and earth. I took a few deep breaths, sweeping spiritual energy over my body as I slowly got up from the infirmary bed.
My bones are mostly healed, however, my meridians are severely damaged, I'm surprised they weren't completely severed.
The image of that masked figure flashed in my mind, how easily he parried my strike and tossed me aside like trash.
My face burned, frustration and humiliation churning in a rageful curse.
"Bastard!" I spat, itching to enter seclusion.
Once I break through to golden core, we'll see who's throwing who! This grudge in my heart won't be settled until I grind his bones and scatter his ashes!
I got up from the bed, hurrying past startled disciples tending to other's injuries.
"Young master Wang, please wait!"
I stopped at the door, turning around to see a woman in the true disciple robes of the Medicine peak, her black hair fastened by a pair of golden needles into a neat bun. She had a pure aura that calmed the mind, round dark eyes like a rabbit, and a constant tinge of worry between her brows.
Smoothing out my expression, I greeted her, "Junior disciple greets Hu Chupu Shijie of Medicine peak."
Cupping my hands in a bow, Hu Shijie's cheeks flushed, hurriedly stopping me.
"There's no need to be formal with me Young master. It's an honor that our sect's prodigy remembers me," she said, pulling her hands behind her back as she turned her red face away from me.
I shook my head, "As a fellow true disciple, how could I not remember Hu-jie, especially since she's the only personal disciple of Elder Shi. Besides, didn't we meet at the last Martial Competition? Your needle arts were quite dazzling."
Hu Shijie smiled, her face turned another shade of red, "I'm honored Young master thinks so highly of me-"
She was just about to speak a few more words when her expression straightened into a stern frown.
"Ah, Young master, I cannot permit you to leave the infirmary!" she explained, her cheek slightly puffing up, making her look even more like a rabbit.
I raised a brow, smoothing out my expression further before giving her a smile, "Hu-jie, I'm just going out for a bit. When I return, I promise I'll bring a souvenir from the market."
Her expression wavered, returning to a bright red.
But then she waved her hands, stammering, "T-there's no need for Young master to go through so much trouble! You were unconscious for three days, as the head disciple of Medicine Peak, I simply cannot permit you to leave without checking if you're fully recovered."
"Oh? If that's so, then please examine me. I wouldn't want to trouble you."
I took a step forward, my smile widening as I spread my arms out.
The red on Shijie Hu's face turned the color of crimson, a faint steam rising from the top of her head. She stepped back, her words turning into incoherent babbles and gestures. I nodded along, waiting for her to calm down first. After a few moments, her face returned to a healthier pink color, smiling as she nervously fiddled with her hands. She turned to me, a determined look in her eyes before she nodded.
"Well… if Young master is just going out for a bit, t-then it should be fine."
She called for a nearby disciple, instructing them to fetch my stuff in the storage room. The disciple nodded, hurrying to the storage room, shortly coming back with my storage bag. Hu Shijie took the bag and handed it to me.
I hung the storage bag to my waist, bowing in gratitude before quickly leaving the infirmary.
I feel a bit guilty for taking advantage of Hu Shijie's feelings, but it'll be fine. After I return, I'll rightfully compensate her.
-----------------
As I arrived at the market, now in new robes as I walked through the streets, almost empty of people, leaving only a few merchants hawking their wares. I frowned, sensing a few fellow Boshai disciples hidden in the area, everyone on high alert.
Staring into the unfamiliar quiet streets of the market, a heavy death qi in the air. I clenched my fists, frowning as I cursed under my breath.
The Xingyun sect leader was right, I knew that, but I didn't expect the Demonic cultivators to be hidden so deeply and strike so soon.
I walked briskly along the streets, taking in the weary shouting of vendors while sifting through the memories of that day.
I had snuck out of the sect to play around for a while, or at least to get out of doing festival chores. As I walked through the market, I sensed a familiar aura in the crowd. After following it, I found that it was a masked cultivator with an ordinary woman. When I saw the mask, I almost attacked them, but decided against it. Though similar, the mask that cultivator was wearing had the character si instead of san, besides, that cultivator was much weaker than that bastard. Still, they gave me a bad feeling, so I wanted to mess with them to see if that bastard and that cultivator were related in some way. But before I could investigate further, Qianhe shidi found me and I was dragged off.
After that, I was forced to help out in festival preparations, and that's when it happened. A series of loud explosions, destruction, and screams. When I arrived, everything in at least hundred li were destroyed, blood and mangled bodies scattered around, many drained dry of blood, complete horror etched across their face. I soon had a run in with a pair of demonic cultivators, forcing me to use a teleportation talisman to escape, and I ended up fighting that cultivator from the market. Turns out, my hunch was right, and they were one of the demonic cultivators, and one of their nascent soul combatants at that. There was that nagging feeling that I knew them, and as we fought, I realized that it was that bastard. That crude yet precise swordsmanship was something I would never forget.
I was lucky that I was saved by grandfather before he could finish me off. A shiver ran through my spine at what could've happened if he hadn't.
Shaking away the feeling, I continued walking, suddenly I sensed something. Like being dowsed in cold water as I snapped out of my thoughts and sharply turned to a nearby stall.
There was a fellow cultivator selling various items on a mat, his cultivation seemingly at the mid-qi refining realm. He was very ordinary-looking, dressed in a loose black robe, his black hair messily tied into a pony tail with a red ribbon, other than his pale face and light death qi surrounding him, he was painfully ordinary. Logically, I knew there wouldn't be anything, but I couldn't shake off that feeling. I swore, I sensed that bastard. He must be here. Unless he knows a technique that can hide his aura. But I doubt it. If he had a technique like that, he would've used it on that day.
I scanned him with spiritual energy over and over again.
Though, it's quite rude, it should be fine as long as he doesn't notice.
But there was nothing, despite my high spiritual sense due to my special physique of the Spirit Cauldron body, there wasn't anything suspicious. It was a completely different aura, a different face, but that feeling wouldn't leave. I narrowed my eyes, another possibility coming to mind.
Could it be that this person is a demonic cultivator hiding in the city? But I couldn't sense any demonic qi. Even if it's not that bastard, this cultivator likely has a disguise technique that can disguise one's aura and qi. He's also most likely hiding his true cultivation as well.
The young cultivator turned in my direction, his gaze staring directly at me. I tensed up, meeting his gaze with caution, before walking up to his stall.
I forced a polite smile, bowing slightly as I greeted, "This Daoyou is interested in your stall, may I ask what this Daoyou is selling?"
The young cultivator kept his eyes on me, making a slight chill down my spine as a sense of danger swirled in my heart.
As I thought, he's suppressing his cultivation. I'll need to be even more cautious.
The young cultivator nodded, speaking casually, "I'm just selling small treasures for a little money, if Daoyou is interested, then please take a look," gesturing to the various items on the mat without expression.
I nodded, scanning the items resting on the mat with spiritual energy. There were a group of jade bottles, a collection of rocks, and a few pieces of jewelry, all seemingly old and damaged in some way. However, despite that, all of them had some type of spirituality. I'll have to restore them to glean any secrets they might hold.
This is one of the only times I regret not further cultivating my spiritual sense. With my physique, it's painfully easy. But being busy with cultivation and getting stronger, I hadn't bothered to train that it.
I frowned, sighing before shaking my head.
There's no need for regret. I'll just work on it when I enter seclusion. Maybe if I cultivate it, I'll be able to figure out the cultivation of this demonic cultivator.
Looking over the items, I randomly grabbed a hairpin. It was silver, molded into a crescent moon with a light blue gem attached to a silver chain. This was the least damaged item in the pile, with it only being slightly tarnished at the point of the pin.
I took out a pouch of spirit stones, turning back to the cultivator.
"How much is this hairpin?"
The cultivator looked at the hairpin before giving a pained expression.
"This hairpin was once worn by my late grandmother, so it'll be hard to part with. I can sell it for no less than fifty low grade spirit stones."
I raised a brow.
So cheap
I was convinced that he would inflate the price. But only twenty spirit stones?
Perhaps I was mistaken about his character.
I smiled, this time genuine before tossing twenty spirit stones onto the mat. The cultivator took the spirit stones, quickly stuffing them into a bag at their waist. I placed the silver hairpin into my storage bag, just about to leave when I paused, turning back around.
"This Daoyou is called Wang Aiyu. I am an inner disciple of the Boshai sect. May I know this Daoyou's name?"
The cultivator paused, stowing his wares away in his storage bag before answering, "My last name is Yue, I am called Yue Yongxi."
"Yongxi. A good name," I nodded.
Before he could say anymore, I bowed again and turned away, getting as far away as possible from his range of spiritual sense. Only after feeling my unease fade did I turn around. Other than the small crowd of people and roads, there weren't any pursuers. At least, ones I could sense.
I let out a sigh of relief, the feeling of danger still lingering but not as strong. Slipping into an alleyway, I put on a concealing cloak to conceal myself before taking out a communication talisman from my storage bag. With that, I etched a message onto the talisman paper.
There are demonic cultivators within Dong province. I'll be in seclusion for a while, please be careful!
After recording my message, the talisman crumpled and turned to golden sparks that flew in the direction of Boshai sect.
Feeling less uneasy, I sighed again, shaking my head as my face darkened. I peeked out from the alley, sweeping the area with my spiritual sense for extra assurance before stepping out. I took a long breath, my thoughts drifting back to the hairpin I now have and the demonic cultivator.
I doubt that a demonic cultivator would sell spiritual items for cheap like this. It's most likely some type of demonic artifact, though I can't be sure what kind. I'll have to show this to Qianhe Shidi to figure it out. Either way, that demonic cultivator isn't up to anything good.
If only I were in peak condition, I would've joined in watching over the city. However, right now, I need to get stronger if I want to crush any of their schemes. Grandfather should have gotten my message by now. I'll send this hairpin to Shidi through his family and enter seclusion. By the time I come out, I'll be at least at the golden core realm, only then will I be confident to go against that masked scum.
I continued walking through the city, taking multiple detours in case I was still being followed, until I arrived at an Xingyun Tu auction house, one of the many businesses run by Shidi's family.
I entered the house, taking off my cloak as I was greeted by the manager, a well-dressed old man in the late qi refining stage.
"This servant greets Young master Wang, would you like to browse our newest collection of artifacts?" he asked, putting on a patronizing smile.
I shook my head, handing him the silver hairpin from my storage bag.
"Deliver this to my junior brother An Qianhe, I want him to examine this for any special properties."
The old manager took the hairpin, profusely nodding before calling over a staff member to take it away. Turning back to me, still smiling, he assured that he would make sure it'd be delivered as quickly as possible.
I nodded, leaving a tip of thirty low grade spirit stones before leaving. The manager seemed to be in a good mood, and escorted me out, saying that I was always welcomed and that I would get a twenty percent discount on anything I buy in the future.
Such a kind old man. Shidi's family truly know how to hire the best staff.
After passing off the hairpin, I returned to Boshai sect, making sure to sneak around the patrolling disciples and arrived at my manor. I activated the spirit gathering array, gathered various cultivation pills, and quickly closed myself off for seclusion. After making sure the protection array was in place, I slumped against the closed entrance, letting out a breath.
Knowing my grandfather, once he received my message, he'd probably send out an elder to track me down and bring me back by force. After, he'd most likely forbid me from going into seclusion to focus on my injuries. Of course, he'd do this after a thorough beating and lecture.
Shaking off any residual thoughts, I popped a fasting pill into my mouth, sitting down cross-legged on my meditation mat. Taking a deep breath, I began absorbing the surrounding qi, circulating the Basking Dawn technique as I guided spiritual energy through my meridians into the dantian. As I cultivated, I tossed a healing pill for my injuries, circulating the medicinal power along with the spiritual energy throughout my body.
I let my mind wander for a moment. The Martial competition will start in half a year. By then, I'll have to come out of seclusion to compete. At that time, I'll most likely have broken through to peak foundation establishment. With that, I'll definitely be able to defeat that Gui Long from Guquan pavilion and take first place. And maybe that will quell grandfather's anger for a while. Not that I'm scared, getting stronger is the goal. To take first place and kill that demonic scum with my own hands!
Clenching my fists, I let out a breath of turbulent qi. Until I breakthrough to the peak stage of foundation establishment, I refuse to leave this place.
Not because I'm terrified of a beating from grandfather. Definitely not!
A/N
Heyo everyone!
It's *checks calendar* been a while. As for where I've been, let me tell you a fun fact about me.
I used to write fanfiction on Ao3. And for those you know the memes, you can probably guess what happened. Despite no longer writing fanfiction (publicly) and moving to webnovel, I thought I was safe. Turns out, I was delusional.
So in the words of the short and vague: got sick via immune system revolt and got knocked out for a week or so and took a few more to recover. Result: I hate winter and I am alive enough to go back to posting as per the new schedule.
If you haven't read my other story Traveling Star, Wandering Chaos, I had recently announced that the posting schedule would be changed to once a week, with each story having a new chapter every other week of each other. So expect a new chapter the week after next.
Thank you for still being here. I appreciate the support.
Also, you might've noticed a few things, such as a few words that weren't there before. That's because when I wrote this, I decided to add more martial terms to differentiate the characters more. You'll see it in the later chapters as well.