Mu Zijun looked around his cave dwelling, yet found nothing amiss. The spirit-gathering array beneath him was still channeling pure spiritual power into his body. The restriction outside the cave was intact. His divine sense detected nothing. He let out a long breath and closed his eyes again.
By then, Yunxi had already succeeded and returned to the Hive. Mu Zijun's feeling had not been wrong. At the moment his spiritual power snagged, she had driven a sealing inscription into his body. Now she only had to wait for the seal to take effect.
Judging by Mu Zijun's posture, he meant to remain in the sect a while to consolidate his realm. Yunxi was not worried he would immediately discover that something was wrong with his special physique.
Whether or not he knew about it, she felt he had some awareness. Otherwise he would not have consistently chosen teammates whose fortune surpassed his. The result of leeching the luck of three people was that one could not break through and one was badly injured, which finally let her spot a clue.
Back on Doufa Peak, her impression of Mu Zijun had been poor, especially the flash of resentment in his eyes after he failed to contract Li Li and the hate after Li Li injured his soul. He hid it well, but he could not escape her powerful divine sense. So when she learned he had stumbled upon a Soul Mending Pill and repaired his soul, she started watching him, which is why she could strike first now.
Even with Mu Zijun's special physique sealed, she did not withdraw the Law Enforcement Hall's watchers. The fake Heavenly Dao's alt had to be watched to the end.
Elsewhere, after raising the grade of her natal sword to spirit treasure, Wei Yunqing could not wait to taste blood. In the Qinghua Mountain Range she hunted a fourth-rank Iron-eating Beast and pocketed its cubs, then went off to look for her next target. She failed to notice that after she slew the beast, her natal sword absorbed its beast soul.
Over the next five years, Wei Yunqing felt unstoppable. She swam through the Qinghua Mountain Range like a fish in water, hunting many high-rank beasts and reaping a trove of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. The crimson bracelet's stores swelled again.
What pleased her most was that the sword spirit of her natal sword awakened. Its messages were hazy, but it could communicate with her intent, moving as her heart moved. Her offensive power multiplied.
This day she set her sights on a fifth-rank Shi Lin in the inner ring of the Qinghua Mountain Range, along with its two cubs. Shi Lin's protective scales and claws were prime refining materials. She wanted to use the scales to refine a soft armor for herself and sell the rest to the Refiners' Association. As for the two little Shi Lin, she planned to sell them to a spirit beast shop. She had no desire to contract such an ugly spirit beast, even if its combat power was decent.
Wei Yunqing's plan was perfect, and she had her awakened sword spirit to help. She had underestimated Shi Lin. Once they traded blows she realized the beast was late fifth rank. It must have broken through not long after she marked it. Thinking further, the "Flower in Stone" it guarded was gone, and she was filled with regret.
Regret came too late. Once she set her sights on the cubs, Shi Lin's attacks grew even fiercer. It fought like a mad thing, leaving her flustered.
Among cultivators of the same tier, beasts held the advantage in physical toughness. A fifth-rank Stone Lin that ruled the inner ring of the Qinghua Mountain Range could not possibly be weak. After a few exchanges, Wei Yunqing's proud face was slashed by its claws. Its tail whipped across her calf. The bone snapped. She heard the crack loud and clear.
Furious, Wei Yunqing slashed back. The razor edge of her sword sent Shi Lin tumbling far away and etched scratches in its scales, yet did no substantive damage.
Shi Lin crashed through a giant tree, rolled, then crouched. Its vertical pupils glinted coldly at the white-robed woman. She dared lay hands on its children. It would tear a piece of her flesh.
There was no high-rank cultivator suppressing it today. After a few rounds, it judged that the woman was all show. If not for her strong gear, a single tail swipe would not have stopped at a broken leg. Its body twisted aside and dodged a talisman. Where it had been a heartbeat before, a deep crater exploded into the ground.
Wei Yunqing gulped down a Bone-Mending Pill. While her leg knit, she flung fourth-grade Explosive Talismans to buy time. The Stone Lin was too cunning. It slipped past her attacks, burrowed underground, and vanished from her divine sense.
"Where did you go..."
She had not finished the thought when she felt movement underfoot. She stabbed her natal sword into the ground and struck something hard. She pressed down, pouring spiritual power continuously into the blade.
In the next breath, the sword lost resistance and plunged into the earth, as if it had pierced some solid object. The corner of her lips had barely lifted when spatial ripples flared behind her.
"Not good." Wei Yunqing only had time to say two words. She blinked away from where she stood, without even pulling her sword from the ground.
She was still a beat late. Shi Lin's quick, razor tail tore through her protective barrier and sliced across her waist and abdomen, gravely injuring her dantian.
A scream rang through the forest. In the next instant, the sword embedded in the ground flew out on its own and blocked before Wei Yunqing, intercepting Shi Lin's second strike.
With a screech, sparks flared where sword edge and Shi Lin claw met. After the clash they split apart, and the natal sword returned to its master's hand.
Wei Yunqing gripped her sword and glared viciously at the charging Shi Lin. She crushed a Ten-thousand-li Transmission Talisman and fled the center of the Qinghua Mountain Range.
During the transit, pain in her dantian knocked her unconscious. When her figure reappeared, she was above the sea. As she was about to fall into the water, her natal sword suddenly grew larger and cradled her.
After steadying its master over the waves, the natal sword quivered twice, as if orienting itself. Then it chose a direction and carried its unconscious master away.
Only after confirming that the foolish woman had truly left did Shi Lin burrow into the earth. It clawed furiously downward. It had hidden its children at the deepest point underground.
At the same time, in the Hive, Yunxi paused while handling official matters, the jade slip pinched in her fingers. She frowned, then the corner of her lips lifted. She had not expected Wei Yunqing to be injured so badly. The needle she had left in Wei Yunqing's dantian, the Mystic Frost Needle, had been jarred by the impact and driven into her meridians by a vast force.
"Tsk tsk. Damage to the dantian. This is indeed a fine opportunity."
===
So here's the thing… I'm kinda bored of translating right now. Especially when it comes to novels by Feng Ling. No hard feelings toward them—their writing's great, seriously—it's just me being plain bored, I guess.
True Heir of Chaos: From Villainess to Empress and Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite are the two main ones hitting me the hardest. For True Heir of Chaos, today's probably the last day my draft can hold on. It's a shame, but even after I tried switching projects to refresh myself, it didn't help much. I'll still try to translate again and rebuild my draft, but I can't promise there'll be a new upload tomorrow.
As for Stealing Luck, the draft can probably carry me through till the end of November. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm feeling bored with Feng Ling's novels when they're objectively really good. It's weird, because none of my other ongoing projects give me this kind of burnout—even though those have similar lengths and have been running just as long.
If I really force myself, I can sit down and crank out a hundred chapters in one go (I've done it before). But right now? The mood just isn't there. It's such a shame, especially since Stealing Luck has finally started to unravel Yunxi's past in the latest chapters—and the novel's still serializing!
I feel guilty about pausing or going on hiatus, I really do, but at the moment I'm just too lazy to pick them back up. I mean, if we're being real, I don't have any reason to keep translating other than to share these stories with you guys. (Please take this as a very obvious hint, wink wink. ʅ(°ヮ°)ʃ)
But seriously—what do you expect from a self-fan translation? (lol) The main reason I translate and share these novels is because they fascinate me, and I want more people to discover how amazing they are. So if I get bored or lose motivation, I think it's fair for me to pause or take a short break, right? Of course, if you really want to see updates, I wouldn't say no to a little $ motivation boost. That kind of energy definitely helps, haha.
Anyway, don't worry, I'm not abandoning these projects. I already "abandoned" one before, and honestly, that was humiliating enough for me. I don't want to repeat that mistake. I'll come back, I promise—maybe after a few new projects to clear my head? I'm not sure yet, but I will.
Thanks for understanding, and sorry for the sudden slowdown. (´;ω;`)