Chapter 55: Blocked at Every Turn

Lian Chengyue and the two poisoned disciples from Assembled Virtues Peak were staying in the same courtyard. His room was near the edge, facing the backyard where the grass was lush and birds chirped. The half-closed door was covered with freshly sprouted willow branches.

Ning Mingmei stepped in gracefully, weaving through the branches and flowers.

The seventeenth disciple and Little Shui were sitting by the young boy’s bed, each taking care of him from one side. Seeing him enter, both of them stood up.

“Master.”

“Immortal Master.”

Ning Mingmei nodded. “How is he?”

“He still has a fever. It’s been on and off for several days now,” the seventeenth disciple said. “Master, I think he won’t recover fully unless we get the antidote.”

Or, they could take him back to the Supreme Clarity Sect and have Peak Lord Zhang treat him.

Truthfully, that was also what the seventeenth disciple had in mind. The boy was both beautiful and well-behaved. Saving his life wouldn’t cost them much.

Later, they could send him to a family in the town at the foot of the mountain. And if he had a spiritual root, he might even return to the Supreme Clarity Sect in a few years and become an outer disciple.

“Alright, I understand. You two can leave now,” Ning Mingmei said, stopping at the boy’s bedside. “I will take a look myself.”

The seventeenth disciple held onto Little Shui’s sleeve and led her away.

Outside, the spring willows swayed like mist as the girl asked, “Did the Immortal Master come because he thought of a way to treat him?”

The seventeenth disciple replied, “Probably. If Master transfers some of his true Qi to your friend…”

That would be a huge gain! A massive windfall!

As a disciple of Misty Peak, he had trained under his master for decades and had never once received true Qi from him!

The girl was also touched. “The Immortal Master is so generous!”

***

Inside the room.

Ning Mingmei used his true Qi to shut the windows and door. [Alright, now that all the nuisances are gone, we can begin.]

The system: …

Is that something a human should say?

The bamboo blinds covered half the window, allowing some light to filter through that cast the willow branches’ shadows across the boy’s pale face.

They looked like cold, slithering snakes.

The young boy was burning with fever, yet his face was deathly pale with a faint bluish tint, utterly devoid of color.

Even as he lay gravely ill in bed, his posture was unnaturally stiff, tense and rigid, as if he was following some kind of ‘elegant adult etiquette’ even in his sleep.

But the way his hands clutched the sheets in pain made this moment the closest he had ever looked to being a child.

Neither the pretentiousness of acting like an adult nor the artificial sweetness of pretending to be a child.

Even if he was an ancient fiend who had taken over the body, had he now, without his past memories, started to grow up like any ordinary child?

And yet, he was still inherently deceitful and cruel, skilled at manipulation.

The system glanced at Ning Mingmei, hoping to see some trace of emotion on his face.

Even though he was about to drink blood, at least it had managed to trick Ning Mingmei into coming to see the boy!

…And then it saw Ning Mingmei calmly preparing experimental equipment.

The system nearly fainted.

Wait a minute, when did you invent that syringe-like thing?!

Ning Mingmei: [Did you think I was going to drink it directly? Of course, I’m using a syringe.]

He expelled the air from the syringe and, after analyzing Lian Chengyue’s vital signs, decided to extract 200 milliliters of blood, enough for 20 days.

To draw the blood, he sat on the bed and leaned down toward Lian Chengyue.

The boy’s eyes were closed, but his eyeballs trembled restlessly beneath his eyelids, as if trapped in a terrible nightmare from which he could never wake. His lips quivered slightly, muttering something under his breath.

Ning Mingmei remained unmoved. He brushed aside the boy’s hair to find a blood vessel on his neck.

Now that he was close enough, he finally heard what Lian Chengyue was saying.

Even in his dream, he suppressed his voice so low that it seemed as if he refused to let anyone hear it.

“…No… don’t look at me. Don’t… control me…”

“…Don’t… imprison me… Don’t… let it end here.”

“The sky… let me see the sky…”

“Don’t treat me like a foolish child to be controlled!”

Suddenly, Lian Chengyue’s body jerked violently. His eyes remained shut, but his emotions seemed to be in turmoil.

“Kill me! If you have the guts, just kill me! As long as you can’t kill me, one day, I will kill you all!”

Right after saying this, his head tilted to the side and he fell unconscious again.

Ning Mingmei finally lowered his hand, which had been poised to strike an acupuncture point.

If pressing that point wouldn’t have worsened the already poor quality of the blood, he would have done it long ago.

Ning Mingmei: [Is this kid faking it?]

Even though his spiritual sense confirmed that Lian Chengyue was still unconscious.

The system: [No.]

Ning Mingmei: [Hmm?]

The system explained, [For once, I’m not lying to you. That really was his subconscious talking in his sleep… Why are you looking at me like that? Facing nightmares and refining one’s willpower is a necessary trial for a protagonist.]

So, those words came from deep within his heart.

Ning Mingmei: [Is that so? Then this nightmare must be truly painful for him.]

Sunlight illuminated Lian Chengyue’s forehead and neck, where beads of sweat had formed. Ning Mingmei reached out and wiped the sweat from his neck.

[Now I can see the blood vessels clearly,] he said.

The system was shocked. [You—!]

[I don’t want to be controlled either.] Ning Mingmei positioned the needle over Lian Chengyue’s vein. [You can find someone else to save him, but there is no reason for me to be the one.]

With that, he plunged the needle into Lian Chengyue’s vein.

Dark red blood flowed steadily into the syringe. His long black hair draped over Lian Chengyue’s body and in the dim room, only the faint gleam of his glasses reflected the cold light.

A dream.

A hazy, indistinct dream.

The chains bound him.

The fire burned him.

A dark basement with no light… confined him.

What is good? What is evil?

Both celestial fiends and celestial gods have the same origin, so why must a celestial fiend’s nature be classified as ‘evil’?

Don’t try to reform me… Don’t try to teach me anything!

I must crawl out from underground.

I must crawl out from underground.

Those born extraordinary… should rise above!

Since you have set the rules of this world, I will rise as the highest victor within those rules, destroy them, and mock you all!

In the sulfur-scented hell, he faintly caught a trace of another presence. It was incredibly cold, touched with ice and snow, carrying the scent of winter plum blossom. It was almost a fragrance.

Yet it brought no comfort.

Who am I?

I am a child.

In that hazy state, for a fleeting moment, he felt the presence of someone. Dark hair fell against his cheek, tickling slightly, like the whisper of a spring breeze.

And the hand that wiped the sweat from his neck.

But there was also another sensation… A vague pain in his neck.

And another pair of eyes, cold, watching him without emotion.

Even years later, that gaze remained etched deep into his soul.

***

Half an hour later, Ning Mingmei stepped out of the small building.

The seventeenth disciple and Little Shui were in the backyard, talking in the pavilion. When they saw him coming out, the two of them hurried over. “Master/Immortal Master.”

Ning Mingmei: “I just transferred some true Qi to him.”

Just enough to heal the needle mark on his neck.

Their eyes sparkled with admiration as Ning Mingmei returned to his room.

He carefully extracted exactly ten milliliters of blood from the container and poured it into a transparent measuring cup he had made himself.

Lifting the cup, he looked up at the dark red liquid inside.

Aside from a slight toxicity, the system also reminded Ning Mingmei of one thing. Due to Lian Chengyue’s special constitution, upon ingesting the blood, he might experience the boy’s emotions. If he drank more, he might even glimpse fragments of his memories.

Ning Mingmei didn’t hesitate and drank the blood.

Ten milliliters.

Half a moment later, the system asked, [How do you feel?]

Ning Mingmei: [A little nauseous.]

The system: …

Forget it.

The room was quiet, with only Ning Mingmei inside. He pulled out the book he had retrieved from the statue and began flipping through it.

Sunlight reflected off his glasses, cold and indifferent.

***

Gui Ruoxue had spent the entire day within the triangular area, his mind in chaos.

For cultivators, going without sleep or rest was normal. But the sleepless night made his heart pound chaotically, his body utterly exhausted, as if his organs were about to leap out of his throat.

When the Si hour ended, he finally heard the sound of a door opening.

!!

Was it Ning Mingmei?

As the person pushed open the mirror, Gui Ruoxue suddenly hesitated. He had been anticipating this moment, yet now that it had arrived, he wished it wouldn’t come so soon.

What if the one pushing open the mirror wasn’t Ning Mingmei?

It would be better if that person remained in a state of Schrödinger’s entrance; both just arriving and not yet entering.

That way, he could keep imagining that the person was Ning Mingmei.

Fortunately, it really was Ning Mingmei.

Today, he was wearing a purple robe, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. With his thin, fair arms crossed, he raised an eyebrow at Gui Ruoxue.

“You don’t look too well,” Ning Mingmei said. “Have you been thinking a lot lately?”

Gui Ruoxue: …

Ning Mingmei: “Oh, right. I forgot. Your mute acupuncture point is still sealed.”

As soon as it was released, Gui Ruoxue coldly spoke his first words, “So, you still remember to show up.”

His tone was like that of a sulking imperial consort.

Ning Mingmei: “I had things to do yesterday.”

Gui Ruoxue: “And you couldn’t even spare a moment to check on me?”

Ning Mingmei raised an eyebrow again.

Gui Ruoxue continued, “Say something! Aren’t you usually quite talkative? Why are you so quiet today?”

Ning Mingmei said, “Judging from your tone, it seems you’ve given serious thought to your final request.”

…Gui Ruoxue suddenly realized what he had just said. His face paled and he avoided looking at Ning Mingmei.

Then, for a long while, Ning Mingmei said nothing.

Gui Ruoxue had no choice but to look back at him. What if Ning Mingmei left because he wasn’t speaking?

Would he have to wait another day?

And what if tomorrow, Ning Mingmei once again failed to show up for no reason?

But when he turned his head, he saw Ning Mingmei setting something up on the large mirror. His fingers, glowing with spiritual energy, tapped the surface once, then twice. Information from another mirror in his possession began transferring into the large mirror.

Gui Ruoxue wanted to speak but hesitated, not wanting to be the first to break the silence. He arrogantly watched Ning Mingmei until the other finally said, “Alright, I’ve set up the recorded lesson. Watch what you missed yesterday. I’m leaving now.”

Gui Ruoxue: ?

Ning Mingmei: “Watch carefully. Tomorrow morning, I’ll test your understanding. I’ll ask five questions, all based on the video content.”

It had turned into a full-on MOOC lecture. |20|

Tomorrow morning, Ning Mingmei promised he would come back!

The moment that thought surfaced, Gui Ruoxue wanted to slap himself.

Why was his first reaction being ‘Ning Mingmei promised’?

Yet in that brief moment of hesitation, Ning Mingmei had already sealed his mute acupuncture point again and left without a second thought.

Leaving Gui Ruoxue alone with the mirror, drowning in his own frustration.

His face turned red, then green, then pale, before settling into a simmering rage…

Just then, the large mirror lit up.

The image on the mirror was split into two. On one side was Ning Mingmei and on the other were fourteen disciples… though their faces were blurred.

As Gui Ruoxue watched, he assumed they must be Ning Mingmei’s close disciples from the Supreme Clarity Sect.

But why was Ning Mingmei showing him this?

Finally, Ning Mingmei said, “If anyone has concerns about their evaluation results, feel free to schedule a one-on-one meeting with me. But before that, I suggest discussing with your fellow disciples and comparing workloads. Our evaluations are strictly workload-based and completely fair. Now, let’s begin with the individual reports. Starting with Wen Beep—.”

? Assessment? Personal report?

And this Wen Beep—… What’s with the Beep— that sounds like censorship?

Wen Beep— said, “Fellow disciples, my research topic is the definition and conversion principles of high and low potential energy in the Azure Beep— technique. As everyone knows, ‘potential energy’ is a concept that Master introduced to me during last week’s group meeting. Over the past two months, I have studied the background of the Azure Beep— technique, which originates from the Mount Beep— technique, analyzing their differences, historical evolution, market demand, and the core selling points that make Azure Beep— technique unique in the Beep— of Qi. Among these selling points, last week, Master pointed out that ‘potential energy’ is the key concept. The conversion between potential energy and kinetic energy is what makes the Azure Beep— technique flow like ocean waves, endless and unceasing…”

…

…??

Even though the keywords were censored, Gui Ruoxue was far too intelligent to be fooled.

After a brief moment of confusion, he quickly grasped the main points of the speech.

And soon, he understood what the video recording in the mirror was discussing.

Wen Beep— continued, “This led us to a question, what exactly does ‘potential energy’ mean in the Azure Beep— technique? On this, I currently have two—”

Click.

The image abruptly cut off.

Ning Mingmei: “Lin Beep—, your turn.”

Another faceless figure stepped forward. “Fellow disciples, my research topic is the application of Beep— spiritual roots in Beep— Blossoms Sword Technique through the combination of flame color reactions to create new visual misdirection effects.”

?

That’s it?

Two what?

Why did it cut off right there? Why was it suddenly edited out?

At that moment, Gui Ruoxue felt like a consumer encountering paywalled content in a video or a reader suffering through an author’s writer’s block. He hadn’t even processed the joke about ‘one turn of the head and twenty-four hours had passed,’ he was too caught up in frustration.

But Lin Beep—’s mention of ‘flame color reactions’ was something he had never heard before. Even among metals classified as gold, there were differences at high temperatures… Gui Ruoxue once again watched with an eager hunger for knowledge.

Lin Beep—: “From this, we understand that the composition and texture of different metals in immortal swords are extremely important in Beep— Blossoms Sword technique. For example, using a copper sword, the base color of the Beep— Blossoms Sword technique would be…”

Click.

Ning Mingmei: “Next, Beep— Ran, your turn.”

Gui Ruoxue: …

It cut off again!

It’s gone again!

Gui Ruoxue was so frustrated he almost choked, too distracted to even notice that the new speaker was named ‘Beep— Ran’ instead of ‘Ran Beep—.’

Beep— Ran said, “Hello, fellow disciples. Unlike the Eldest and Second Senior Brothers, I only started my research this month, so I’m still in the topic selection stage, haha. Since I have dual spiritual roots of metal and wood, Master gave me two topics. The first is the impact of carbon content on immortal sword durability and lifespan during forging. The second is the potential use of different metal-attributed immortal wood materials in sword-making. So, I tested over thirty different immortal woods for their yield strength and ultimate tensile stress…”

That voice sounded oddly familiar.

Before Gui Ruoxue could figure it out, the person continued, “Based on my findings, I identified several of the best metal-attributed immortal woods. They are—”

Click.

Cut off again, again, again!

Seeing Ning Mingmei reappear in the mirror, Gui Ruoxue wanted nothing more than to claw his face apart.

As eighteen disciples took turns presenting, Gui Ruoxue’s emotions shifted from frustration to numbness, then to an undeniable, fervent obsession. After enduring the endless agony of anticipation, he stared at the now silent mirror, his expression flickering between joy and sorrow.

The one who left the deepest impression on him was the eighth disciple.

His research mentioned a certain sword technique.

A technique that immortal cultivators considered a forbidden, evil art—one that was strictly banned.

That sword technique was immensely powerful but ultimately led to a reverse flow of true Qi, forcing cultivators to self-castrate. Because of this, people in the cultivation realm mocked it and forbade anyone from even mentioning its existence.

Yet when the eighth disciple brought it up, Ning Mingmei did not interrupt him.

Instead, he asked, “Is there a way to modify this sword technique to strike a balance between self-castration and retaining its power? If self-castration is truly unavoidable, is there a method that allows the practitioner to still pursue reproduction through assisted means?”

Blatantly direct.

The moon hung above the willow branches as the meeting in the mirror replayed three times. After the third replay, the room finally fell silent.

Gui Ruoxue simply stared at the mirror, dazed. After a long while, his eyes held a slight mist of emotion.

Was it because he found a kindred spirit?

Or… was it the overwhelming emotion of discovering a path forward?

But if, at that moment, Gui Ruoxue’s mute acupoint were released and he could say just one thing…

He would say, “You’re making me suffer with all these cut-offs…

“Ning Mingmei…”

***

Ning Mingmei first gazed at the cover of the booklet in his hands.

On the cover, two words were written.

[[Cultivation Notes.]]

The handwriting was delicate and rounded, resembling the style of Hengshui calligraphy.

“So, just a high school student who recently finished the college entrance exams?”

But for some reason, the notebook gave Ning Mingmei a strange feeling.

Even though the slightly faded words on the cover were neat and adorable, revealing a lively mindset when they were written…

That kind of handwriting should belong to a notebook with a clean, smooth cover. Just like those high school students who love using colorful pens to illustrate and decorate their notes beautifully.

Yet, the notebook’s cover looked as if someone had crumpled it forcefully.

His fingers touched something. Before flipping it open, Ning Mingmei turned it over to look at the back.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

…There it was. Something strange.

On the back cover, a line of hastily scribbled black text, stained with blood, stood out.

Compared to the two words on the front, the writing was much newer.

Though aged, it was clearly written at a later time.

And its style was entirely different from the Hengshui-style calligraphy on the cover.

[[I never desired for them to revere me as a god… nor did I ever expect to be cast out as a devil.]]

Ning Mingmei read the line slowly.

A sudden gust of wind rushed through the hall, flickering the candlelight on the table.

A chill ran through him.

Under the wavering candlelight, Ning Mingmei turned the notebook back over and flipped open the cover.

He froze.

The first several dozen pages had been violently torn out!