Jade Shakes the Thousand Mountains - Chapter 13: Junior Sister

Chapter 13: Junior Sister

From today onward, you are my junior sister.

The righteous path’s champion, number one in the Sword Way… was this referring to Lu Wenshu?

Lu Chanji stood frozen in place, suppressing the discomfort in her heart as she blurted out with a bewildered expression, “Isn’t Wei Shengming the number one in the Sword Way?”

The purple-clad woman also showed a similarly puzzled expression. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Wei Shengming? I’ve never heard of him. Is he very powerful?”

The once-renowned number one in the Sword Way was now unknown to anyone, just as no one remembered Lu Chanji today… It seemed that although these thousand years couldn’t be considered an eternity, they were enough to completely reshape the face of the Great Ocean Ten Continents.

Lu Chanji lowered her gaze and remained silent for a long time.

Through the black veil hat, her facial expression remained unclear.

After a moment of silence, the purple-clad woman said, “Fellow practitioner, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now.”

Before departing, she gave Lu Chanji a meaningful glance: “By the way, I live in a valley nearby filled with phoenix flowers. If you need anything, you can follow the trail of phoenix flowers to find me.”

With that, the purple-clad woman packed up her stall, shouldered her medicine basket, and turned to leave.

Lu Chanji held the elixir bottle given to her by the purple-clad woman, the cool sensation against her skin making her somewhat distracted.

Her slender fingers traced the patterns on the bottle, tapping intermittently. As she continued feeling the carvings, Lu Chanji suddenly realized something and shuddered.

This pattern was…

She brought the bottle closer and saw three characters carved on the jade bottle’s surface: Aura Concealing Pill.

The Aura Concealing Pill – what the Inexhaustible Tree had mentioned, the pill that could conceal her origins and allow her to move about unimpeded!

Lu Chanji’s expression instantly changed. She quickly looked up, but the figure of the purple-clad girl selling spiritual mushrooms had already vanished.

Lu Chanji rushed in the direction where she had disappeared.

Following the purple-clad woman’s directions, Lu Chanji arrived at the valley filled with phoenix flowers and murmured, “How could it be here?”

She stared in astonishment at the wooden archway standing before her – Inexhaustible Sect.

She had come here once again.

The purple-clad girl selling spiritual mushrooms was actually from the Inexhaustible Sect, just as the Inexhaustible Tree had mentioned.

The wind and snow outside were blocked by the Inexhaustible Sect’s Restriction. Standing outside, Lu Chanji looked at this Restriction that was identical to the one outside Azure Peak’s Listening Spring Pavilion, her expression slightly darkening.

Ultimately, she still stepped inside. The Restriction surrounding the Inexhaustible Sect only blocked the wind and snow, not visitors.

Lu Chanji easily broke through the Restriction and entered. The air wall rippled like water, and after a slight tremble, she found herself standing within the Inexhaustible Sect’s territory.

While the Sword Inheriting Sect occupied vast lands with towering rocks and numerous pavilions, the Inexhaustible Sect was extremely small. So small it contained only four buildings and one medicine field, so small that Lu Chanji could see everything at a glance, including the purple-clad woman weeding in the medicine field.

Seeing Lu Chanji, the purple-clad woman showed slight surprise, then smiled and said, “Here so soon? Would you like to come have some tea?”

She seemed completely unsurprised by Lu Chanji’s appearance, as if she had been prepared all along.

Lu Chanji went straight to the point: “Why did you give me the Aura Concealing Pill?”

The other woman paused, set down her weeding hoe, and walked over to stand before Lu Chanji.

As she approached, she said, “You and I are both descendants of the Ancient Remnants, aren’t we? It seems you don’t know how to conceal the divine aura of your bloodline. The Aura Concealing Pill would be something you need.”

Seeing Lu Chanji frown slightly as if confused, she explained further: “The Ancient Remnants carry a unique divine aura in their bloodline that differs from others. Fellow Ancient Remnants, those with high cultivation levels, and some who practice unorthodox methods can all recognize how we differ from ordinary people. Though your spiritual energy is faint, that divine aura from the Ancient Remnants is remarkably intense and pure I recognized you immediately.”

“The Aura Concealing Pill was created by my master to conceal our bloodline’s divine aura, making us appear no different from regular cultivators. It’s precisely because I used this pill that you didn’t detect my identity as an Ancient Remnant.”

“You helped me, so I’ll repay you with the Aura Concealing Pill.” After speaking, she smiled gently at Lu Chanji, her curved eyes seeming to peer through the black veil of the Veil Hat directly into Lu Chanji’s eyes. “Little friend, merely wrapping yourself up tightly won’t hide much. Remember to properly conceal that ancient divine aura you carry from now on.”

Lu Chanji asked, “Can I purchase the Aura Concealing Pill you gave me elsewhere?”

“Probably not,” the purple-clad woman shook her head. “In this world, I’m afraid only my master and I can refine it. Moreover, I don’t sell Aura Concealing Pills publicly. Typically, only descendants of Ancient Remnants make this kind of elixir. If I were to openly sell it, wouldn’t I be announcing my identity as an Ancient Remnant to everyone?”

After saying this, she looked Lu Chanji up and down: “However, for you, little friend, I could make an exception. I’ll give you a friendly price thirty Spirit Coins for one pill, how about that?”

Lu Chanji, who was penniless, could only respond with silence.

She tightened her grip on the small medicine bottle while revealing another object in her other palm.

It was a leaf from the Inexhaustible Tree.

The silver-white leaf rested on her overly pale palm, its flowing veins like quicksilver.

Lu Chanji handed her the leaf: “There’s a tree on Long Island that entrusted me to bring its leaf to the Inexhaustible Sect, to deliver it to an old friend. It also asked me to convey greetings, saying that it’s doing well.”

After a pause, Lu Chanji added: “I’ll earn the Spirit Stones to buy the Aura Concealing Pill. Thank you for the pill we’ll meet again someday.”

The purple-clad woman accepted the Inexhaustible Tree leaf. Watching Lu Chanji about to leave, she quickly called out: “Little friend, wait!”

Lu Chanji stopped in her tracks.

“Since you’re a friend of the Inexhaustible Tree,” the purple-clad woman said, “I should properly host you. Come in for some tea before you go.”

Lu Chanji entered the house with her. The woman removed her black Veil Hat, revealing a face as pale as frost and snow.

Since awakening, her appearance had become vastly different from before.

Her newly reformed features carried an additional air of cool elegance. Her eyes had lost the innocent playfulness of a young girl, becoming more striking in their beauty yet colder. With just a slight glance, they seemed capable of making one shiver those eyes appeared tempered with the chill of the moon and the coldness of stars.

Though she knew her appearance had changed completely even if Lu Wenshu stood right before her, he wouldn’t be able to recognize her by looks alone since arriving at Flame Continent, Lu Chanji had still used her shadows to form a black Veil Hat to shield herself from others’ gazes.

Since she was now a guest in someone else’s home, it would be inappropriate to keep wearing it.

Moreover, this woman in purple didn’t know her former self, so there was no need to be so guarded around her.

Upon seeing her face, the woman in purple was slightly taken aback. Though she had expected the person beneath the veil hat to be an elegant beauty, she hadn’t anticipated such a strikingly gorgeous yet melancholic countenance. The extreme contradiction of these qualities blending together truly startled her.

Steam curled gently from the teapot as the woman in purple poured a cup of spiritual tea for Lu Chanji. “I am Wu Xi Lan, the head disciple of the Inexhaustible Sect. Little friend, what is your name?”

“Lu” Lu Chanji’s voice caught, pausing for a long moment before she finally said, “Yu Chanyi. My name is Yu Chanyi.”

No one in this world remembered Lu Chanji anymore. All her past experiences had dissipated like mist and clouds, leaving not a single trace behind.

And she herself no longer wished to live carrying the name Lu Chanji.

That name bore the deep “brand” of Lu Wenshu. She didn’t want to be reborn only to become once again that shadow in Lu Wenshu’s eyes a being whose every thought, love, and hatred revolved solely around him.

“Chan” was the name given to her by her parents. This single character was the only connection to her past that she allowed herself to retain nothing more.

“Yu Chanyi…” Wu Xi Lan murmured the name once, then asked, “Since you came from Long Island and have seen the Inexhaustible Tree, you must know something about our Inexhaustible Sect. I am a descendant of Shennong’s lineage. Whose descendant are you?”

“…The Yuan Shen Kui Clan.”

Wu Xi Lan asked further, “Is the Inexhaustible Tree still alive? When my master brought me to Long Island as a child, it was already very old.”

“It’s still alive,” Yu Chanyi replied, “though it’s nearing the time when its flames will extinguish. But it said that when next spring arrives, it will burn again.”

Hearing this, Wu Xi Lan visibly relaxed and sighed mournfully, “With identities like ours, each death diminishes our kind. Sometimes it feels so lonely, with no one to talk to.”

Yu Chanyi took a sip of tea and responded, “When I’m alone, I talk to my puppets. They’re like friends to me waiting for me to come home, keeping me company”

She trailed off mid-sentence, falling silent before taking another sip of tea.

Such things were no longer necessary now.

She would never allow herself to fall into such a pitiable state again thirteen whole years revolving entirely around Lu Wenshu, never thinking to acquaint herself with anyone else.

But Wu Xi Lan’s eyes suddenly lit up. “You’re a Marquise of Yan? I’ve heard that Marquises of Yan excel at manipulating puppets one person can serve as many!”

“I dabbled in it before.”

“That’s wonderful!” Wu Xi Lan exclaimed excitedly. “Could you make a few puppets to water and fertilize my medicine field? I won’t take them for free one Aura Concealing Pill per year. When you run out in the future, come find me again, and I’ll give you more.”

Yu Chanyi currently possessed ten Aura Concealing Pills, meaning she had enough for ten years.

She wasn’t opposed to trading with Wu Xi Lan. Having the Aura Concealing Pills would make her subsequent plans proceed more smoothly.

Yu Chanyi had come to the Inexhaustible Sect not only to fulfill the Inexhaustible Tree’s request but also to secure a supply of these pills.

Now that she knew only the Inexhaustible Sect could refine Aura Concealing Pills, there was no need to waste effort searching elsewhere.

Shennong was skilled in medicine and herbs, but since the last descent of the Demon Lord and Shennong’s subsequent fall, finding a descendant of Shennong in the Great Ocean Ten Continents had become exceedingly difficult.

For now, Yu Chanyi could think of no reason to leave the Inexhaustible Sect.

Since that was the case, it would be better to directly borrow the reputation of the Inexhaustible Sect to facilitate her actions.

“Creating Puppets isn’t difficult,” Yu Chanyi mused. “The challenge lies in controlling them to serve your purpose that requires practice to master.” Having made up her mind, she asked Wu Xi Lan, “Is your sect still accepting disciples?”

Her question made Wu Xi Lan laugh. “Of course we accept disciples, and there are no strict thresholds. But as you can see, we’re just a small, rundown sect with few followers. Nowadays, everyone wants to join the major sects no one is willing to come to our Inexhaustible Sect.”

Yu Chanyi stated, “I will.”

Wu Xi Lan was still chuckling when she realized what Yu Chanyi meant. Her laughter abruptly ceased, and she stared in surprise.

Wu Xi Lan asked, “You want to join the Inexhaustible Sect?”

Yu Chanyi nodded. “I’ll join the Inexhaustible Sect, teach you how to control Puppets, and you’ll give me the Aura Concealing Pill. We each get what we need.”

Her expression was cold and serious, leaving Wu Xi Lan still astonished. “You… really want to join the Inexhaustible Sect?”

“With your skills, the major sects would welcome you warmly,” Wu Xi Lan sincerely advised. “Why not try the great sects first?”

“Great sects? Like the Sword Inheriting Sect?” Yu Chanyi let out a cold laugh, then softened her tone, clenching her fist. She looked at Wu Xi Lan earnestly and said, “I have no interest in major sects. Since you say I have some ability and claim there’s no barrier to joining the Inexhaustible Sect, that means I’m qualified to join here.”

“Of course you’re qualified…” Wu Xi Lan’s voice trailed off.

Yu Chanyi was certainly qualified to join the Inexhaustible Sect; her lineage as one of the Ancient Remnants alone was enough. But it was just too peculiar.

Instead of joining a major sect, she chose this small, dilapidated sect that even dogs wouldn’t visit it was truly strange.

“You… you sincerely want to join the Inexhaustible Sect?” Wu Xi Lan still couldn’t believe it.

Yu Chanyi said softly, “Naturally, I’m sincere.”

“No regrets?”

“None.”

“In that case…” Wu Xi Lan suddenly felt overjoyed. Since Yu Chanyi had confirmed her seriousness, having a new disciple join was something she, as the senior sister of the sect, welcomed wholeheartedly.

Fearing Yu Chanyi might change her mind, Wu Xi Lan immediately grabbed her hand and said, “Come! Let’s go pay respects to the master. From today on, you’re my little junior sister!”