Chapter 56 Part 1: You Want Me to Wear This?!

“Woooo—”

A cold wind swept through the hall, lifting the corner of the window curtain. The candlelight flickered.

One page, two pages, three pages… Ning Mingmei quickly counted.

More than fifty or sixty pages had been torn out.

Even the current first page bore the marks of being torn. However, whoever had tried to destroy the notebook seemed to have changed their mind at the last moment.

The sheet had been ripped halfway from the spine, hanging precariously like a withered leaf barely clinging to a tree branch.

[[Third year of Tianlang Era, I obtained a glazed treasure lantern in the Fangcun Mountain Range.]]

It was still the same rounded, neat Hengshui-style handwriting.

[[Artifact name: Myriad Forms Divine Lantern.]]

[[Composition: Lantern top (lotus-shaped), lantern base (lotus leaf, vine, easy to grip), lantern wick.]]

[[Color: Crystal clear.]]

[[Lantern wick preparation: The five elements give birth to the myriad forms. The wick is refined using metal in metal, wood in wood, water in water, fire in fire, and earth in earth, combined with Heaven-Connecting Lotus Seed.]]

[[Metal in metal: Ancient dragon’s reverse scale, demon realm.]]

[[Wood in wood: Heaven-Reaching Vine, immortal realm.]]

[[Water in water: Ice Soul in River of Forgetfulness, ghost realm.]]

[[Fire in fire: Red Lotus of Exotic Flame, mortal realm.]]

[[Earth in earth: Resting Soil, fiend realm.]]

[[Heaven-Connecting Lotus Seed, the Buddhist.]]

[[Each of the five materials can be used as a wick individually.]]

[[But the effect is limited and the material will be consumed.]]

[[By combining all five materials and refining them with Heaven-Connecting Lotus Seed, a true, everlasting wick can be created.]]

[[At that time, a divine artifact will be born.]]

The words ‘divine artifact’ were circled in bright red ink, with two small exclamation marks drawn beside them.

Yet Ning Mingmei did not smile at the familiar style of annotation.

He looked at the lower half of the page.

The owner of the notebook had sketched an image of the divine artifact using charcoal.

Though the drawing was rough and uneven, it was clear that it looked exactly like the lantern Ning Mingmei had obtained from the great master in the secret tunnel of the Rebirth.

He continued flipping through the pages.

The notebook devoted extensive pages to describing the divine lantern, including its effects, incantations, functions, and the preparation of its wick. It was incredibly detailed and practical.

Through the notes, Ning Mingmei could almost see how the owner had carefully documented everything during their travels, one stroke at a time.

Coincidentally, based on the notebook’s contents, Ning Mingmei noticed that the notebook’s owner, like him, had first obtained the Heaven-Reaching Vine among the five necessary wick materials, while the Heaven-Connecting Lotus Seed acted more like a solvent in a chemical reaction.

Moreover, she used a method to nurture the Heaven-Reaching Vine and formed a symbiotic relationship with it to obtain a constant flow of spiritual energy.

That vine was one of the eleven great sacred trees of ancient times.

[[The other ten great sacred trees of ancient times are Peaches of Immortality, Ginseng Fruit, Yellow Plum, Hollow Willow, Bitter Bamboo, Chaos Gourd Vine, Immortal Apricot of Zhongnan, Fusang Tree, Bodhi Tree, and Osmanthus Tree. In addition, Blue Lotus of Creation may also be used.]]

[[By planting the Heaven-Reaching Vine alongside the ten top-quality sacred trees and nourishing it with their spiritual essence, given enough time, the vine can be revived.]]

Later, the notes indicated that the author had used the Heaven-Reaching Vine to craft the initial wick. After that, she obtained Resting Soil from the fiend realm.

Ning Mingmei flipped through the pages one by one.

On the final page of the section, delicate handwriting read, [[Apart from the wick, there is another substance that can serve as lantern oil to ignite the divine lantern.]]

The next five pages had been torn out.

The torn edges of the missing pages were jagged and stark white, like a row of sharp teeth. Only one page remained after the missing sections regarding the divine lantern.

It was written in deep black ink.

[[The divine lantern shines brightly, illuminating the chaos. Soaring to the heavens, the Heavenly Gate opens wide.]]

[[Myriad forms achieved.]]

Though the script was the same delicate Hengshui-style handwriting as before, the page carried an eerie chill.

Ning Mingmei stared at the strokes of the characters. They looked like thin, dangling legs.

The flickering candlelight made the long, black, pointed strokes seem to sway. As he gazed at them, it felt as if someone in front of the notebook let out a quiet sigh.

The next page.

The next page.

The next page.

The following pages were blank. That was normal. When keeping notes on multiple topics in the same notebook without knowing how much space each would need, people often left extra pages for future additions.

Finally, a new section appeared. The same delicate handwriting. The same carefully written title.

[[A foundational technique for all spiritual roots.]]

[[Not just for single, dual, or triple spiritual roots… Even those with five or mixed spiritual roots can use it to strengthen their bodies and protect themselves.]]

…

[[Just like in the world I come from, some people are naturally weaker than others. But they should not be left defenseless. This world needs something that allows everyone to cultivate, to defend themselves.]]

[[Cultivators, common folk, cultivation furnaces, children, the elderly.]]

…

[[Not only humans but also half-humans, demons, ghosts, fiends… If they wish to stand alongside us, they too can cultivate this foundational technique.]]

…

[[The Nameless Art.]]

[[It asks nothing of its practitioners. Not their race, not their purpose… A fair and open technique.]]

I believe that techniques, like people, are not meant to be solitary drops of water.

A single drop flows into the great rivers.

A truly great technique is an ocean that welcomes all rivers.

This is the Nameless Art.

Ning Mingmei skimmed over it and looked at those three characters.

“So this is the so-called evil technique practiced by the infamous demon concubine who brought disaster to the nation centuries ago.”

The demon concubine lived during the Qinghe era, which was a thousand years after the Tianlang era.

It was widely known that she practiced a forbidden evil technique from the Kindle Fire Island, passed down from a millennium ago.

The Florence flask that Gui Ruoxue revived was also one of the Kindle Fire Island’s so-called ‘sinister artifacts.’

Which meant…

The author of the notebook—the girl with the neat, school-standard handwriting—might actually be the legendary founder of Kindle Fire Island, condemned as utterly evil.

A breeze flickered through the candle flame as Ning Mingmei turned to the next page.

[[The foundational technique has a high risk of causing Qi deviation.]]

[[Why does it have side effects?]]

[[Why, why, why?]]

***

“Peak Lord Ning!”

Early the next morning, Luo Xiao came looking for Ning Mingmei. “Wang Cheng and Li Yao’s poison has been cured!”

Ning Mingmei said, “Alright, I’ll take a look.”

He followed Luo Xiao to their room. The two disciples lay in bed, their faces still pale, but they were no longer deliriously spouting nonsense.

Seeing Ning Mingmei, they repeatedly expressed their gratitude.

After thanking him, they quickly fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

Ye Ling stayed behind to take care of them, while Luo Xiao stepped out and thanked Ning Mingmei again, this time with not just admiration but genuine gratitude.

Ning Mingmei: “No need.”

Luo Xiao said, “Peak Lord Ning, you’re the first person I’ve seen who would personally step in to help disciples from different sect branches and different peaks.”

Ning Mingmei: “Is that so?”

Luo Xiao’s eyes grew misty. “Yes. Ye Ling even told me yesterday that as long as we follow Peak Lord Ning, we feel incredibly safe.”

Ning Mingmei adjusted his glasses and glanced at the unfinished stack of patrol notes covering a fifty-mile radius. “Is that so? Well, you’ll be even safer very soon.”

The four disciples from Misty Peak looked as lifeless as ever. Meanwhile, the two patrolling disciples from Jade Pavilion Peak seemed hesitant to speak.

Especially Jiang Yu as she kept stealing glances at Ning Mingmei, again and again, to the point of disrupting his plans.

So Ning Mingmei called her over and handed her and He Zheng a slip of paper.

“You two go two miles out and deal with the ghost in the well.”

Jiang Yu was thrilled, while He Zheng, his face full of despair, asked, “Peak Lord Ning, do we have to go now?”

Ning Mingmei: “It’s part of the plan.”

The plan was to send them away.

Once they were gone, Ning Mingmei was finally free to enter Gui Ruoxue’s prison cell.

The long-haired beauty had expected his arrival and when he saw him, his eyes lit up with joy.

Ning Mingmei unsealed his mute acupoint and the moment he could speak, he said, “Ning Mingmei, I—”

Ning Mingmei interrupted, “Did you watch yesterday’s recording properly? Now, recite it back to me.”

Gui Ruoxue: …

So he had to pass a test before being allowed to talk? Was this some sort of academic redemption system?

Ning Mingmei casually picked thirty questions.

Gui Ruoxue initially looked as if he was being forced to eat bitter herbs, but he quickly answered them fluently.

As expected of a postdoctoral scholar. His learning ability was truly impressive.

Ning Mingmei nodded approvingly. “Good answers.”

Gui Ruoxue beamed with pride.

Wait, why was he feeling proud?

Wasn’t this the time to ask about those frustrating, writer-block-inducing issues?

Ning Mingmei: “As a reward, here are thirty more questions.”

Gui Ruoxue: …

After answering all thirty additional questions, Gui Ruoxue’s face turned ashen, resembling Gui Ruoyao. |21|

Seeing his sickly expression, Ning Mingmei remarked, “Your academic enthusiasm is still lacking!”

Gui Ruoxue protested, “The questions you asked at the end weren’t even in the recording.”

And why are you asking a medicine cultivator so many sword cultivation questions? How am I supposed to answer those?

Ning Mingmei replied, “How can my expectations for you be the same as for Wen Siheng and the others? Little Gui, you’ve trained under two of the world’s top sects and have over a hundred years of work experience. If I held you to the same standard as those Foundation Establishment disciples, that would be an insult to you.”

Somehow, that statement had a certain confusing logic to it.

Ning Mingmei continued, “Besides, as someone in the Divine Transformation realm, you should be able to draw inferences from one case to another and make innovation your core competitive edge.”

That… also made some sense.

“And considering that you successfully created the Seven Emotions Powder, your abilities aren’t lacking. Therefore, I’ve decided to have you take on a broader range of tasks, so you can fully realize your potential in multiple areas.”

Why did that sound so touching? Except… it also felt exhausting, like being pushed straight to the gallows.

Flattered by the praise, Gui Ruoxue momentarily forgot about how Ning Mingmei had repeatedly blocked his attempts to discuss certain issues yesterday. He stared at Ning Mingmei before finally uttering a sentence.

Ning Mingmei: “Hmm?”

Gui Ruoxue: “The antidote for the silver needle’s poison.”

Ning Mingmei looked down at him, the sunlight reflecting off his glasses.

Gui Ruoxue met his gaze, let out a cold laugh, and was just about to lay out his next move when—

Ning Mingmei: “Alright. Do you have all the necessary ingredients in your spatial storage bag? I’ll go make the antidote now. You’re no longer needed.”

Gui Ruoxue: …

What do you mean you’re going to make it alone? Get back here!!

And what do you mean I’m ‘no longer needed’?!

Half an hour later, Gui Ruoxue appeared at the back mountain.

The last time he was there, it was to personally mix poisons. Truly cold-hearted and calculating, a beauty with venomous intent.

This time, however, he was tied up tightly.

He watched as Ning Mingmei used his equipment and his materials to prepare the antidote.

After much pleading and reasoning, Ning Mingmei finally agreed to let him come along to observe and provide guidance.

…Wait. Why was he the one begging to be brought along?

Shouldn’t it be Ning Mingmei asking him for help with the antidote?!

Realizing this, Gui Ruoxue’s expression darkened slightly.

And now, Ning Mingmei was sitting in front of him, using his experimental tools, handling his medicinal ingredients…

Ugh…

Those were his things!