Chapter Thirty-Seven: Don’t You Have Anything to Ask Me?

Early the next morning, Hongjian went to pay her respects to her master, Yan Changqing, and happened to find Jian Hui there as well. She couldn’t tell if he was purposely waiting for her. After she had respectfully greeted her master, Yan Changqing asked her a couple of simple questions, then turned his attention to Jian Hui. With a gentle smile, he said politely, “Junior sister, you’ve made great progress in your cultivation lately. Yesterday, you asked me about breaking through the bottleneck. Well, did you figure it out after you went back? Is there anything else you wish to ask me?”

Hongjian was secretly startled. She glanced surreptitiously at Yan Changqing seated above. What did this mean? Was he planning to lay everything out in the open right here, face to face? And all in front of their master—could it be that the master knew as well?

Jian Hui noticed her unsettled expression, smiled faintly, and continued, “Don’t worry, anything you don’t understand, you can come to my place and ask me. There are only a few days left until the Qingyun Festival. You must make the most of your time.”

Yan Changqing seemed unconcerned and nodded, “It’s good to have your senior brother guide you. There’s no need to be fixated on secret realms and such—being too eager often leads to problems.”

Hongjian returned to her quarters in a daze. Why was Jian Hui acting so confident and fearless? He seemed almost to hope she would seek him out and confront him about the matter—was he truly so blameless? But if that were the case, why not come to her himself and explain? Why wait for her to make the first move?

Puzzling over this, she went to look for her younger brother, Fang Zheng. With her cultivation stalled, she decided to use the myriad transformations technique to help Fang Zheng with his practice while also pondering how to break through her own stubborn barrier.

Fang Zheng was doing well lately; he’d grown taller, and after nearly a year’s hard work, his understanding and application of the Green Wood Technique had markedly improved. Hongjian hoped her brother could lay an even more solid foundation. With her current abilities, she could help Fang Zheng reach the fourth layer of Qi Refining fairly quickly, but it required the right opportunity. If she could enter the secret realm and find some spirit herbs, it wouldn’t seem so abrupt for someone of Fang Zheng’s talent to reach the fourth layer at the age of ten.

In the end, it all came down to obtaining a chance to enter the sect’s secret realm.

After practicing for a while, Hongjian’s thoughts drifted back to Jian Hui’s words: if she had any questions, she could always ask him. When it came to matters involving Yao Zhen, there were countless things she couldn’t make sense of, but she dared not ask. She was afraid Jian Hui would suddenly change his expression and admit that Yao Zhen’s nights away were spent with him, admit that he was the one who had harmed her. What would she do then? She couldn’t possibly listen to all that and pretend nothing had happened, then praise Senior Brother Jian for a job well done, since she’d never liked Yao Zhen anyway.

But if she were to turn against him and seek justice for her friend, did she have the strength to do so?

With a heavy sigh, Hongjian decided to endure and keep playing the fool. In this light, it was actually a relief that Jian Hui made no move to seek her out. From now on, she would simply keep her distance and take another path whenever she saw him. After much consideration, she resolved to be a shameful turtle hiding in its shell for a while.

Deliberately avoiding Jian Hui, their interactions grew rare. He, on the other hand, seemed unchanged—greeting her when necessary, offering guidance when appropriate. If Hongjian hadn’t circled back that day using “Fortune’s Border,” she would have believed she’d managed to fool Jian Hui with her quick thinking.

In the blink of an eye, the third month arrived. Hongjian made no progress in breaking into the seventh layer of Qi Refining, and the Qingyun Festival was just around the corner.

Though cultivators lived long lives—Golden Tower Jin Donglou, for example, had lived over a thousand years and seen countless festivals in his time—the Qingyun Festival only came once every four years. Only the elders at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages could remain indifferent; the many Foundation Establishment disciples of Dancliff Sect began their preparations early.

There was also the matter of selecting candidates for the sect’s secret realm, which attracted much attention.

On Late Tide Peak, the peak master Sun Yougong had taken in more than a dozen disciples over several centuries. His eldest disciple, Jing Baixi, and his second disciple, Huo Chuanxing, had followed him the longest and had already reached the Nascent Soul stage. Yan Changqing held a relatively high position among them. His senior and junior brothers had each taken on several Foundation Establishment disciples, some of whom, with good fortune, had successfully formed their Golden Cores. Because of the incident with Jian Hui, Yan Changqing had not accepted any new disciples for ten years, making him the one with the fewest disciples. Thus, when Sun Yougong took a liking to Hongjian during the recent recruitment, he assigned her to Yan Changqing.

By Hongjian’s calculations, there were nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators on Late Tide Peak alone, all eager to gain entry to the secret realm. News from Elder Jin’s Brocade Peak confirmed that four spots were reserved for Elder Jin and Dai Mingchi’s new Qi Refining disciples this year. As for why Dai Mingchi’s disciples, who belonged to the Talisman Sect, were allowed into Dancliff’s secret realm—well, with the sect leader Ling Xuzi’s approval, the other Foundation Establishment disciples could only grumble in silence.

Regardless of the fierce competition for the secret realm slots, Yan Changqing’s line was sure to receive at least one. Qin Baoxian would undoubtedly get a chance.

Hongjian felt helpless—her master did not favor her, and she herself could find no opportunity for breakthrough. Yan Changqing was right: the more anxious one was, the less progress one made in cultivation. But what could she do? Fate was what it was. She could only watch as Shi Qingxiang and Qi Xiuning entered the secret realm she had long dreamed of, growing ever stronger, while she might have to wait for an unknown number of four-year cycles.

But just then, the situation changed unexpectedly.

Qin Baoxian went to Yan Changqing and reported that he sensed an opportunity for breakthrough in his cultivation and needed to seize this chance by entering seclusion to attempt the later stage of Foundation Establishment. Thus, he would have to forgo the secret realm slot at the Qingyun Festival. He spoke frankly to his master: “Master, last time when the youths from all the major sects gathered at Dancliff, I watched them undergo the trial set by Sect Leader Dai outside Huanhua Hall. Our Qi Refining disciples are at no particular advantage compared to other sects. Junior Sister Hongjian is clever and diligent; please give her this opportunity.”

Hongjian was present and was deeply moved. She thought to herself, “Normally, who would have thought Second Senior Brother would be so good to me?”

Yan Changqing’s eldest disciple was in closed-door cultivation for Core Formation, and now the second disciple was about to break through as well. In a good mood, he said amiably to Qin Baoxian, “You certainly speak up for her. In that case, don’t trouble yourself over the secret realm. Entering four years from now will be just as well.”

Qin Baoxian replied respectfully and, meeting Hongjian’s grateful gaze, nodded to her and withdrew to make his preparations for seclusion.

Watching his second disciple leave, Yan Changqing stroked his beard and glanced at Hongjian, who was looking at him with pitiful anticipation. At last, he relented and spoke kindly, “Entering the secret realm as a Qi Refining disciple carries great risk.”

Hongjian promptly knelt and declared resolutely, “Master, please grant me this chance.”

Yan Changqing closed his eyes and waved his hand. “Go then. Find your third senior brother and have him help you pick a suitable protective artifact in the next couple of days.”