Chapter Four: The Strange Uncle

For several days in a row, as evening fell, Hongjian would secretly practice the Art of Infinite Transformation for Fang Zheng inside the mountain cave. News of the end-of-month assessment spread rapidly, stirring the entire sect into vigorous cultivation. Just days before, Yao Zhen had finally broken through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation, and, according to Fang Zheng, several Wood Affinity apprentices had also achieved breakthroughs, likely spurred on by the mischief of those few rascals from the Xianyun Sect. The mounting progress of those around her only served to increase Hongjian’s sense of pressure.

She felt that Fang Zheng was only a hair’s breadth away from breaking through himself.

That day, Master Qu Changhe lectured the apprentices on the symptoms of and responses to spiritual depletion. To let these young ones experience it firsthand, he had them repeatedly perform the Water Condensation Technique before him, draining their spiritual energy entirely.

In the end, all the apprentices were left breathless and pale, with more than half retching miserably. Hongjian, having frequently used her transformation art of late, had developed some resilience to the aftereffects of spiritual depletion. Though she was drenched in sweat, she still seemed far more composed than Yao Zhen and Qi Xiuning, who lay next to her near death's door—enough so that Qu Changhe actually spared her an extra glance, something unheard of.

That evening, as Hongjian prepared to use the Art of Infinite Transformation on her brother once more, she hesitated. She had already drained her energy during the day, and Qu Changhe’s warnings still echoed in her ears. Yet she sensed her water spiritual energy had fully recovered. Strangely, her recovery had noticeably quickened over the past few days. With Fang Zheng so close to a breakthrough, she found herself unable to resist; she pressed her brother into practice as usual.

Before they finished, Hongjian realized something was wrong. She forcibly halted the technique and endured until Fang Zheng completed his cultivation and departed. Leaning against the stone wall, she clutched her head, unable to keep a groan from escaping.

In those moments, her vision darkened, her ears rang, and worst of all, her sea of consciousness was pierced by sharp, needle-like pain. Completely inexperienced, she was at a loss. Fearing the situation would only worsen, she gritted her teeth and resolved to seek help from her elders.

With great effort, she forced herself upright. Upon leaving the cave, she misstepped and fell from the two-zhang-high ledge onto the stony shore below, her head striking a rock. She lost consciousness instantly.

It was unclear how long she lay there before waking with a pained moan, reaching up to cradle the swelling lump on her head as memories flooded back. Fortunately, after her brief unconsciousness, the pain in her sea of consciousness had mostly receded. Propping herself up, she saw that night had nearly fallen; she had lain on the shore for quite some time.

"Awake?"

Startled, Hongjian finally noticed a stranger sitting near a large boulder beside her.

Though he was a stranger, she could not clearly see his face. He wore a dust-colored, hooded cloak, the brim shadowing most of his features. His voice was male, and he sat curled in the darkness, reminding Hongjian inexplicably of the “Old Cat Monkey” stories adults used to scare her with as a child. The hour was late, and the deserted, rocky shore now seemed fraught with unspoken danger, sending a chill to her heart.

Noticing her tension, the stranger chuckled softly and spoke in a slow, unhurried manner, "You’re quite brave, little girl, lingering here so late. Has no one told you how dangerous these places become after dark?"

Hongjian wanted nothing more than to leap up and flee, but she knew that running would only worsen her predicament. Clenching her fists in secret, she steadied her voice, "Are you… a senior from the Dan Cliff Sect?" She was certain she had encountered a villain, yet he had not harmed or abducted her while she was unconscious. She had no choice but to feign composure, probing for his intentions.

"Dan Cliff Sect..." the man muttered ambiguously, then abruptly asked, "That boy from earlier—what is he to you? You seemed quite attentive to him."

Hongjian’s heart pounded. Had this man been lurking in the shadows, watching her all along? What was his aim? Would he harm Fang Zheng?

She forced herself to sound naive and guileless, "He’s my brother. Of course I take care of him."

The man laughed lightly, "Enough with the act. You weren’t behaving that way before. If that boy weren’t so dense, I’d think you two were meeting here for a secret tryst."

Fury flushed Hongjian’s face red. Forgetting her fear, she scrambled to her feet, intent on leaving at once.

But as the man stretched lazily in the shadows, Hongjian suddenly felt an overwhelming weight, as though she were rooted to the spot. Not only could she not move, she couldn’t even twitch a finger. Though the man still sat at a distance, Hongjian fancied she felt a cold breath at the nape of her neck, followed by a stabbing pain in her sea of consciousness. The stranger’s voice sounded again, "You haven’t even set foot upon the path of cultivation, yet you’ve managed to injure your spiritual sense. Tsk, tsk!"

Had she not been immobilized, Hongjian doubted she would have had the courage to remain standing. The man drawled lazily, "You seem clever, yet you insist on toiling at thankless, punishing tasks. Never mind. Fetch me a Moonflower Pill from the Dan Cliff Sect, and I’ll keep your little secret. I’ll even heal your spiritual sense while I’m at it. What do you say?"

Hongjian had never even heard of Moonflower Pills. She couldn’t help but retort, "I’m merely a Qi Condensation apprentice. The sect wouldn’t care if I lived or died. Where would I find such a pill for you?"

Her lips barely obeyed her, the words coming out slurred, but the man understood and chuckled, his tone tinged with malice, "You cannot seek immortality without courage and wit. Qu Changhe likely has a Moonflower Pill or two. If you’re lost for ideas, you’d best think quickly. I won’t wait too long—if you don’t bring it to me in a few days, I’ll take matters into my own hands. If something should happen to Qu Changhe, Pan Cong, or anyone else because of this, wouldn’t you feel guilty?"

Guilty, my foot! Hongjian bit her lip. In just a few exchanges, she had already sized up the stranger: not only was he not from the Dan Cliff Sect, he was likely an enemy. Otherwise, why would he not simply ask Master Qu for the pill, instead of skulking around so secretively? This man was either incredibly bold or truly more powerful than Master Qu, to dare stir up trouble on the sect’s own grounds. Preserving her life was paramount; she would have to agree for now and figure things out later.

Her mind raced, but she replied, "Fine, I’ll do as you say."

The stranger seemed satisfied and released her with a spell.

Hongjian turned, backing away several steps, hurriedly promising, "I’ll try to get it as soon as I can." She had no desire to linger on the desolate shore a moment longer and fled, her heart pounding with both fear and the relief of barely escaping disaster.

The stranger sighed softly, "Little girl, aren’t you even going to ask what a Moonflower Pill looks like, or what it’s for?"

Before he finished speaking, Hongjian tripped over a large stone and fell flat on her face. Lying there, half dismayed and half embarrassed, she thought, "This is bad—now I’m really done for!"

The stranger saw through her evasions easily, yet did not seem angry. His eyes, shadowed beneath the brim of his hood, rested on her for a moment before he said coolly, "A Moonflower Pill is a medicine for healing spiritual sense. It’s pale green and smells faintly of bitter almonds. Don’t mistake it for something else."

Hearing this reprieve, Hongjian scrambled up and fled as quickly as she could.