Chapter Two: A Fart from Afar

Upon returning to Alchemy Cliff Sect, Qu Changhe stowed away his Drifting Cloud Boat and departed with great flair, as the apprentices saw him off with deference.

It was still early, and the remaining time was left for everyone to cultivate on their own. Yao Zhen, accustomed to this routine, called out to Hongjian to accompany her. The grounds of Alchemy Cliff Sect were vast; apprentices with the Water Spirit Root all lived on the slopes near the Endless Sea. However, Qu Changhe was not so considerate—one had to take a long detour from the docking point to reach the living quarters.

Midway, as they passed through the Spring Growth Grove, muffled commotion could be heard from within the woods. Apprentices with the Wood Spirit Root often cultivated in Spring Growth Grove. Yao Zhen glanced over with curiosity, but Hongjian stopped anxiously, looked around to make sure no one else was in sight, and said, “Senior Sister Yao, you go on ahead.”

Yao Zhen knew what she intended to do and cautioned, “Be careful. If you can endure it, just endure. Nothing serious will come of it anyway.” Hongjian nodded to show she understood, then tiptoed toward the woods to see what was happening. Yao Zhen sighed and continued home alone. She had enough misfortune of her own, but Hongjian’s was even worse—not only did she lack parents to look after her, she had a younger brother who’d also come to Alchemy Cliff Sect. That little burden was nine this year. Yao Zhen had seen him a few times; to be fair, reaching the second level of Qi Refinement at nine wasn’t bad, but she did not think much of his future. “The child is father to the man,” as the saying goes, and this Fang Zheng was honest to a fault, with not a hint of wariness. If things went on like this, by nineteen he’d be a big, naïve oaf.

Hongjian was indeed worried about her brother. The Spring Growth Grove was so noisy—no senior was likely present. Her brother was the youngest and weakest among the Wood Spirit Root apprentices. Had he remained small, perhaps others would feel embarrassed to bully a child, but for reasons unknown, he’d suddenly shot up in the past year—now he was even taller than she was. She dreaded the thought of boisterous older boys not knowing their own strength.

At that moment, the atmosphere in Spring Growth Grove was tense. On one side were the Wood Spirit Root apprentices of Alchemy Cliff Sect; on the other, several teenagers from the Skydance Sect, all in the Qi Refinement period.

Skydance Sect was a great sect on par with Alchemy Cliff Sect. Today, Elder Zhu Xian, a Nascent Soul master from Skydance, had come to visit the sect leader of Alchemy Cliff, bringing several young disciples to broaden their horizons. Anyone permitted to accompany a Nascent Soul elder was surely exceptional. While Hongjian and the others had been away cultivating at sea, these Skydance youths had already mingled with the Wood Spirit Root apprentices of Alchemy Cliff. Whether due to differences in cultivation techniques or a lack of talent among this generation of Alchemy Cliff disciples, the Skydance ones quickly realized that, though similar in age, their own cultivation was much higher. Naturally, a tone of laziness and disdain crept into their manner.

The Skydance Sect was hidden deep in the mountains, and these boys had never before seen the boundless expanse of the Endless Sea. Dazzled by the sight, one of them suddenly heard someone mutter “hillbilly,” and conflict flared at once.

By the time Hongjian arrived, a white-robed youth of fifteen or sixteen was mocking the Alchemy Cliff apprentices, “If you don’t have the guts to call your elders, you’re still wet behind the ears. And don’t say I’m a Metal Spirit Root bullying you—Junior Brother Shi here is a Wood Spirit Root, just like you. If you don’t dare fight, then admit you’re cowards and apologize. Hand over the one who insulted us so we can get to know him properly.”

The dozen or so Alchemy Cliff youths all looked grim at the provocation. Fang Zheng was among them, standing a little toward the back. The leader of their group was someone Hongjian had seen before—Zhang Yu, like Chen Zaizhi, was stuck at the sixth stage of Qi Refinement.

Right now Zhang Yu felt regret—guests from afar should be treated with respect; losing a fight would be humiliating, but winning would not endear them to their elders. He scrutinized the so-called “Junior Brother Shi” from the other side: his features were striking, and, perhaps owing to his Wood Spirit Root, he wore a green robe and stood tall and straight, both elegant and gentle.

Zhang Yu guessed this one would be easier to reason with than the white-robed youth, so he cupped his hands and said, “My surname is Zhang, given name Yu. May I ask how to address you, brother?”

Before the “Junior Brother Shi” could reply, the other Skydance boys jeered, “No need for pleasantries—who’s his brother?” “That’s right, Qingxiang, give him a good lesson!”

Only after everyone had finished, the “Junior Brother Shi” smiled with easy good humor and replied to Zhang Yu, “My name is Shi Qingxiang. How may I address you, Brother Zhang?”

Zhang Yu’s face was turning pale. Seeing that this Shi fellow was at least courteous, he managed to respond, “We will not fight. Your Elder Zhu has traveled a long way to visit our sect leader—surely there are important matters to discuss. We apprentices at the Qi Refinement stage may be of little help, but we must not make trouble. Let’s go.”

His words were upright and proper. Hongjian couldn’t help but silently cheer for him. Because of Fang Zheng, she knew that Zhang Yu and the others, like herself, focused solely on cultivating their spirit roots and had not learned any martial techniques. Zhang Yu was implying that the Skydance boys would be causing trouble for their own sect. Though the Alchemy Cliff Sect Leader was also at the Nascent Soul stage, the sect had a grand elder, Jin Donglou, at the Soul Transformation level. Of all the Soul Transformation experts on the continent, Hongjian and her peers knew only of this one. Unfortunately, Elder Jin had been in seclusion for decades, uninvolved in sect affairs. The young ones had never seen his face.

As Zhang Yu and his group turned to leave, Shi Qingxiang smiled, “Brother Zhang, you exaggerate. It’s just a friendly bout.” As he spoke, he suddenly gestured, and from the soil at their feet, dozens of green vines shot up, winding toward their legs as if they had eyes of their own.

Wood-style martial arts! Zhang Yu’s expression changed. He shouted, “Everyone, dodge!” Leaping away, he realized how much spiritual energy it took to perform an area attack like this. This Shi fellow, who seemed younger than himself, must have already broken through the sixth stage of Qi Refinement.

The apprentices at the front managed to react, but those behind had no idea what was happening—some collided with each other in confusion, and two were instantly ensnared by the vines. The inch-long thorns pierced straight into their flesh.

Hearing her brother’s cry of pain, Hongjian’s heart clenched. Shi Qingxiang sneered, “So delicate—can’t handle even a scratch? Tell me, who spoke out of turn? I’ll let you go if you confess.”

Rage welled up in her chest, and her voice trembled as she shouted, “How shameless of Skydance Sect, bullying a nine-year-old boy! What kind of skill is that?”

Her voice was clear and still childish, instantly revealing her as a young girl. Both sides in the conflict paused and turned to look at her.

Fang Zheng, who had been gritting his teeth against the pain, saw his sister and could bear it no longer. He pouted, called out “Sis!” in a choked voice, and burst into tears.

At that, the Skydance boys looked at each other in awkward silence. Even Shi Qingxiang seemed uncomfortable, as if he’d swallowed something foul. With a flick of his hand, the vines withdrew, releasing both captives.

Hongjian crouched down to help Fang Zheng up. His trouser legs were torn to shreds, and his ankles were bleeding. Seeing her brother bullied made her heart ache. She checked his injuries—thankfully, they were only superficial. Taking out a handkerchief, she wiped his face and his nose. Fang Zheng, though tall, stood obediently with head bowed while she fussed over him.

She patted his back gently and coaxed, “Zheng’er, you’re a man. If you can’t handle a bit of pain, how will you become a great hero one day?” Fang Zheng nodded, threw his arms around her neck, sobbed a couple more times, then gradually calmed down.

Seeing this, Hongjian rose, shielding Fang Zheng as she coldly surveyed the Skydance boys. She wasn’t one to forgive easily. She might not be their match now, but she’d remember every face for the day when she could settle the score.

Shi Qingxiang felt a headache coming on. This little girl looked no more than twelve or thirteen, and her brother—just nine—was already so tall. Damn it, he, Young Master Shi, had just used “Demon-Taming Vines” to make a nine-year-old bawl his eyes out. If word got out, his reputation would be in ruins.

Seeing Hongjian’s bright, angry gaze, he rubbed his nose and tried to explain, “It was a misunderstanding. I was too rough—I didn’t know your brother was so young. My apologies.”

Hongjian turned her head away and took Fang Zheng’s hand. “Come, let’s get you some medicine.” She walked a few steps, then looked back and asked, as if suddenly recalling, “May I ask the name of this expert?”

Shi Qingxiang assumed she’d arrived late and missed his earlier introduction. Sensing she wished to let the matter go, he hurriedly cupped his hands, “Not at all. I am Shi Qingxiang, a disciple of Skydance Sect.”

Hongjian nodded and asked, “Which ‘Qing’ and which ‘Xiang’?”

Shi Qingxiang had always thought his name elegant. With a smile, he replied, “Qing as in ‘clear dew drops’ and Xiang as in ‘resonance.’”

Hongjian frowned, pondering aloud, “Shi… Qingxiang… so that’s just a fart, isn’t it?” With that, she pulled Fang Zheng away.

Moments later, laughter erupted behind her. The Skydance boys whooped, “Qingxiang, oh, I can’t take it, that’s hilarious!” “You’d better change your name! Hahaha!”

She ignored Shi Qingxiang’s reaction and quickly led Fang Zheng out of Spring Growth Grove.