Volume Four: Those Years When I Was a Master
[Rough and not set in stone: Foundation Establishment → Enlightenment → Integration → Temptation → Golden Core → Nascent Soul → Soul Division → Body Integration → Void Glimpse → Mahayana → Void Shattering → Tribulation Transcendence → Supreme Immortal]
The Medicine Can’t Be Stopped1
The black fog had yet to disperse. Instead, it was rapidly contracting, tightly entangling the two women in a world-turning chaos.
Seeing the black fog fly toward the depths of the ancient battlefield ruins, Liu Qingsui cried out in alarm, “Yu Wan Zhao?! Yu Wen Nuan?!”
He received no response. He immediately gave chase, but the black fog drifted away too quickly, vanishing into the ruins in the blink of an eye.
Liu Qingsui extended his spiritual sense but couldn’t find any trace of them. He launched an attack into the distance, only to find it had no effect, like a clay ox sinking into the sea, leaving not a single ripple.
“This is a Void Barrier?!” Liu Qingsui exclaimed in shock.
A Void Barrier was a domain formed from the lingering, undissipated spiritual sense of a Mahayana cultivator after they passed away2. Such a barrier could be incredibly perilous or perfectly peaceful; it all depended on the final lingering obsession of the Mahayana cultivator.
The entrance to this Void Barrier was hard to find, and so was the exit. Those who entered might be trapped within the void for the rest of their lives, unable to escape.
The two women were spun about in the disorienting black fog. Before they could even formulate a plan, their vision was suddenly filled with brilliant light. The fog scattered, and they plummeted from the void, landing on a patch of soft grass.
Wen Nuan helped Yu Wan Zhao up. Seeing she was unharmed, she relaxed. “Are you alright?”
Yu Wan Zhao nodded and got up to survey their surroundings. “Where are we?”
Green mountains were interspersed with clear waters, streams gurgled gently, trees cast long shadows, and the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers.
A forest of peach blossoms by flowing water, with high mountains piercing the clouds—it was like a peaceful and serene mortal paradise.
“Is this… still the ancient battlefield ruin?”
Yu Wan Zhao looked around. This place bore no resemblance to a battlefield of blood and bones; rather, it was like a secluded paradise3, separate from the rest of the world.
Wen Nuan rose to her feet, patting off a peach blossom petal that had landed on her. “A Void Barrier.”
They had been swept into a Void Barrier by the black fog.
Yu Wan Zhao didn’t know much about barriers. Her eyes were wary as she scanned their surroundings, guarding against a potential sneak attack from a demonic beast. “What’s a Void Barrier? Is it dangerous?”
After all, for a barrier to appear on an ancient battlefield, it was surely fraught with crisis and peril.
“A Void Barrier isn’t dangerous,” Wen Nuan said, raising a hand to feel the wind. It was a humid southeastern breeze, carrying the faint scent of peach blossoms. “But it’s difficult to enter and exit.”
“What do you mean?”
“A Void Barrier is a domain left behind by the undissipated spiritual sense of a deceased Mahayana cultivator. The conditions within the barrier reflect that cultivator’s final lingering obsession.” Wen Nuan glanced at the scenery. “This Mahayana cultivator must have had a peaceful obsession after death, leaving only scenic mountains, clear waters, birdsong, and fragrant flowers. I imagine they were an elegant and refined person, unrestrained and carefree.”
“Listening to you, this Void Barrier seems like a good thing?” Yu Wan Zhao walked to the riverbank. The water was so clear you could see to the bottom, where schools of fish swam freely. How carefree they seemed.
“If we’re only staying for a short while, it’s certainly a wonderful place for an outing. But staying for a lifetime is another matter.” Wen Nuan, however, didn’t mind. With the female lead by her side, she was quite happy with the situation.
“Staying for a lifetime?” Yu Wan Zhao asked, confused. “What does that mean?”
Wen Nuan raised her hand, channeled her spiritual energy, and launched a fierce strike at the distant mountain. The mountain remained completely untouched; the attack vanished into nothingness, as if it had never happened.
An attack from a mid-stage Mahayana cultivator couldn’t even shake a single tree on the mountain.
Yu Wan Zhao was dumbfounded. “What… What’s going on?”
“A Void Barrier. It’s not easy to enter, and it’s not easy to leave. If we can’t find the exit after coming in, we will be trapped in this Void Barrier forever, until we die.” Wen Nuan looked at her palm. Her spiritual power was still immense, yet it couldn’t affect anything in this domain.
She said flatly, “This barrier cannot be broken by force.”
“You’re saying that if we can’t find the exit, we’ll be trapped here forever?”
Wen Nuan nodded. “En, forever and ever.”
Yu Wan Zhao looked at Wen Nuan’s gentle profile, and her agitated heart suddenly calmed down considerably.
With peach blossoms filling the sky and a clear breeze on her face, this was a fine place to recuperate. If she could stay here with her, until death… that would be quite nice.
The System said in surprise: 【Hey? The female lead’s blackening value has dropped! The current blackening value is 7.2!】
Wen Nuan’s eyes lit up. She looked at Yu Wan Zhao. “Why did it decrease?”
【My guess is, the female lead thinks you’re both trapped in this barrier, so you can never run away. That’s why she lowered your blackening value!】 the System speculated.
Wen Nuan: “…So what you’re saying is… this is a ‘little black room4‘ in disguise?”
The system nodded: 【Uh-huh, you could see it that way. Imprisonment PLAY, and also…】 It glanced at Quexie in Wen Nuan’s hands and gave a sleazy grin, 【…bondage PLAY.】
Wen Nuan: “…..”
This system was getting more and more indecent.
Deep within the peach blossom forest stood a small wooden cabin. The two of them followed a stone-paved path through the woods toward it.
Falling blossoms rained down in a riot of color, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
Yu Wan Zhao saw Wen Nuan reach out a hand. Just as she tensed up to dodge, she saw Wen Nuan open her palm before her eyes.
There was only a single, pale pink peach blossom petal.
“A blossom fell on your head.”
Yu Wan Zhao immediately ruffled her hair casually and muttered back, “Oh.”
Wen Nuan saw the faint blush on her cheeks and chuckled softly.
“What are you laughing at?” Seeing her laugh for no reason, Yu Wan Zhao thought she still had petals on her and shook her head. “Is there still one?”
“It’s gone.”
“Then… what is Master smiling about?” Yu Wan Zhao raised an eyebrow.
Back when she was cultivating at Qianyuan Upper Palace, her Master rarely smiled. She was quiet and very aloof. In all the years Yu Wan Zhao had spent by her side, she had only seen her truly smile a few times.
Wen Nuan looked at the petal in her palm. “The peach blossoms are beautiful, but the person is more delicate than the flowers.”
Yu Wan Zhao: “…..”
She felt her face flush red. Her gaze darted away, her heart pounding. She stammered, “Master, are you…?”
“What’s wrong?” Wen Nuan handed the petal to her, deliberately teasing, “Have you already forgotten your own words?”
Yu Wan Zhao froze as a deeply buried memory surfaced.
It was her third year after joining Qianyuan Upper Palace. A large peach grove on Qinggu Peak was in full bloom, a dazzling sight of pink and green.
She would often cultivate deep within the grove. Gazing upon the beautiful scenery and her beautiful Master, who sat sipping tea at a stone table, was truly a refreshing and pleasing sight for the soul.
In a flash, a peach petal nearly fell into her Master’s teacup. Yu Wan Zhao leaned forward and caught the gently drifting blossom.
Her Master looked up, her exquisite peach-blossom eyes shining dazzlingly in the morning sun, enchanting and bright.
She placed the petal in her Master’s palm, smiled sweetly, and said, “The peach blossoms are beautiful, but the person is more delicate than the flowers.”
Recalling the memory, Yu Wan Zhao suppressed the turmoil in her heart and snorted softly. “Master certainly has a good memory, to still remember something your disciple said so casually.”
She put on a sarcastic expression, feigning surprise. “What? Don’t tell me Master actually took a disciple’s joke seriously?”
“En.”
Seeing her nod, Yu Wan Zhao was stunned for a moment. “What?”
Her fingertip tapped the petal in Yu Wan Zhao’s palm. She curved her lips into a smile. “Your Master took it seriously.”
“…..” Yu Wan Zhao snapped her hand shut, accidentally closing her fingers around Wen Nuan’s fingertip. The tip was scalding hot, a heat that made her heart tremble.
She abruptly took a step back, putting distance between them, and walked straight toward the small cabin.
Wen Nuan watched her retreating back, which seemed somewhat flustered and hurried.
A look of absolute certainty flashed in her eyes, the corners of her eyes and brows brimming with a radiant smile.
Just this little bit has you in a fluster?
What am I to do?
I haven’t even started making my move yet!
Seeing that Wen Nuan didn’t immediately follow, Yu Wan Zhao let out a long sigh. Her palm still felt hot, the peach blossom petal crumpled in her fist.
She wanted to throw it away but felt a strange reluctance. Perhaps it was because she found the petal’s soft color pleasing. She placed it into the spiritual bracelet5 on her wrist.
Just consider it… out of sight, out of mind.
Stepping into the wooden cabin, she found its interior simple and rustic. There was one bedroom, one kitchen, and a small courtyard planted with many green vegetables. A few wild chickens and rabbits were even hopping around the yard, a picture of peace and harmony.
Yu Wan Zhao looked at the plaque hanging on the cabin. It read “Qing Xin Residence.”6
“This should be the barrier created from the spiritual sense of the high-stage Mahayana cultivator ‘Lin Zhiqing7,’ who perished together with Demon Lord Kui Yuan a century ago,” Wen Nuan said, walking up beside her and looking at the plaque. “This person was a rogue cultivator8. Because he disliked being bound by sect rules, he always cultivated alone. He was used to being unconventional, exceptionally free and unfettered—an elegant and refined individual who loved living in seclusion amidst idyllic landscapes.”
Yu Wan Zhao pushed open the door to the house. It was spotless, as if someone had been living here.
She looked at the neatly folded quilt on the bed, her brow furrowed. “Is there someone else in this barrier?”
“No,” Wen Nuan said, spreading her spiritual sense. She detected no trace of anyone else. “I suppose Lin Zhiqing was exceptionally fond of cleanliness and tidiness and couldn’t stand a mess, so this Void Barrier has always remained immaculate.”
Yu Wan Zhao sat down and touched the teapot on the table. It was warm. Opening it, the light fragrance of tea wafted out.
“Peach petal tea?” Yu Wan Zhao poured a cup and took a sip. “The tea is warm and leaves a lingering fragrance.”
She poured a cup for Wen Nuan and pushed it over. “It seems everything here is frozen in time. All the objects have been preserved in their original state.”
Wen Nuan took a sip. The tea was cool, sweet, and fragrant. “A characteristic of the Void Barrier is that time does not flow for the objects within it. However, time will slowly pass for outsiders, until their death.”
Hearing this, Yu Wan Zhao let out a short laugh. “How interesting.”
“You like it?” Wen Nuan set down her cup, looking at her with great interest.
“…I don’t,” Yu Wan Zhao’s gaze shifted slightly. As if afraid Wen Nuan wouldn’t believe her, she repeated herself, “I don’t like being stuck here with you. It’s extremely annoying. Hurry up and think of a way out.”
Wen Nuan nodded. “Oh.”
Provoked by her casual attitude, Yu Wan Zhao nearly jumped to her feet. She said coldly, “What do you mean, ‘oh’? I’m telling you, don’t even think about playing any tricks to escape from me.”
She raised her hand, and Quexie flickered into existence between them. “As long as this is here, don’t even think about escaping.”
“I won’t run,” Wen Nuan said, lightly hooking a finger around Quexie and sighing. “You don’t need to use Quexie to restrain me.”
“How did you know this is Quexie?”
Could that guy Liu Qingsui have told Wen Nuan?!
“I am more than twenty years your senior. There isn’t little that I know.” Wen Nuan took a medicinal pill from her spiritual ring9. “Eat this.”
Yu Wan Zhao eyed her warily. “What is this?”
“For mending your meridians.”
“You’re that kind-hearted?” Yu Wan Zhao took the pill and played with it in her hand, her eyes narrowing. “You didn’t put poison in this pill, did you?”
Wen Nuan didn’t say anything. She leaned forward, took the pill from between Yu Wan Zhao’s fingertips with her lips, and swallowaed it. Her expression was calm as she said, “No poison.”
“……”
Yu Wan Zhao’s heart pounded like thunder. The touch of those soft, red lips seemed to linger on her fingertips.
Wen Nuan produced another pill. This time, instead of placing it in her hand, she brought it directly to her mouth, her voice soft. “Wan Zhao, open your mouth.”
Yu Wan Zhao’s heart inexplicably sped up. Hearing her voice, her lips parted on their own accord, and the pill slid gently from that warm fingertip.
In an instant, it submerged her entire heart.
The author has something to say:
Wen Nuan: Be good. Overthinking is a sickness, and the medicine can’t be stopped.
Female Lead: …..
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