That meditation lasted a full three days and three nights.
When Xu Ziqing finally emerged from that state, he slowly exhaled, unsure whether he felt joy or worry.
By now, he knew that he had stumbled into tremendous fortune. He had absorbed the Essence of Yi Wood in its entirety, which suited both his cultivation art and spiritual root and would naturally make future progress easier. The demon-vine seed, after accompanying the essence for so many years, had also fused with him of its own accord. He did not need to expend much effort subduing it, nor did he have to worry that this bloodthirsty seed would devour his mind.
Yet that very fusion had also made the demon vine completely his life-bound wood. From now on, if the demon vine were injured, his cultivation would suffer; if the demon vine were destroyed, his cultivation would be ruined. Unless he abandoned immortal cultivation altogether, he would have to find every possible way to bring the demon vine to maturity before he could turn his attention elsewhere.
Xu Ziqing also understood that, besides this one life-bound wood, bringing the cultivation art to perfection required nine secondary woods to serve as its protective attendants. All other woods would be subordinate woods. The subordinate woods obeyed the secondary woods, while the secondary woods followed the orders of the life-bound wood; in the end, all of them would submit completely to Xu Ziqing.
What troubled him now was precisely the demon vine. His dantian had already sent him a clear response: the demon-vine seed had recognized him as its master and would sprout within the next few days. But for it to grow, it had to feed on the flesh and blood of living prey.
For a Bloodthirsty Demon Vine to mature and become useful as soon as possible, the best nourishment was naturally the flesh and blood of cultivators. Next came the flesh and blood of beasts possessing cultivation and spiritual intelligence, and after that, the ordinary flesh of mortals. But Xu Ziqing was not someone who cultivated an evil demonic path. How could he treat human lives like weeds? Even when it came to demon beasts, unless they were vicious man-eaters, he was unwilling to slaughter them indiscriminately for his own selfish purposes.
That left him in something of a dilemma.
After a long while, Xu Ziqing still could not think of a solution that satisfied both sides. Remembering what the white-robed man had told him before he left the storage ring, he could only smile bitterly.
For now, he would set aside the matter of the demon-vine seed sprouting. The instability of his soul alone was already a serious problem.
He sighed. For the moment, he would simply deal with one thing at a time.
Ten days later…
There was no distinction between day and night inside the grotto-heaven at the bottom of the lake. Spiritual energy drifted everywhere in dense currents, and the place brimmed with life.
On a patch of fragrant grass sat a young man in a single robe, cross-legged in meditation. A torrent of green poured straight down into the crown of his head. His expression was solemn, and pale green qi coiled around him, giving him an almost ethereal air.
After a long while, the young man suddenly opened his eyes. A flash of green light passed through them, making his entire aura seem light and otherworldly. Then the green radiance withdrew, and when he smiled faintly, he once again appeared gentle and natural.
The young man was Xu Ziqing. Following the white-robed man’s advice, he stopped sleeping in order to prevent his unstable spirit and soul from leaving his body again. Instead, he entered prolonged meditation, tempering his physical body and opening acupoints. Little by little, his spirit and soul stabilized, and his soul no longer slipped out of his body on its own.
Because of this, Xu Ziqing could now use the storage ring as well. He understood clearly that the empty world he had once mistaken for a separate realm was actually the space inside the storage ring, and that it was pitch-black only because he had never stored anything there. Now that his soul was stable, he no longer needed to enter the ring personally to communicate with the person inside. He only needed to sink his awareness into it.
No sooner had the thought occurred to him than Xu Ziqing acted on it. Smiling faintly, he sent his awareness through the storage ring’s interior and directly to the stone platform where the white-robed man sat.
“Xu Ziqing apologizes for the intrusion.” His voice was gentle. He only hoped the white-robed man would not find him bothersome.
The man in white neither raised his head nor opened his eyes. His face remained as cold as ice and snow.
Seeing that he had neither rebuked nor driven him away, Xu Ziqing felt a little pleased and continued, “I came because there is something I wish to ask.” He paused, making sure the man was listening, before going on. “I found this storage ring when I was young, and some time ago it unexpectedly recognized me as its master. Since Your Excellency resides within the ring, I assume it once belonged to you. If I place things inside it, would that inconvenience you in any way?”
Only then did the white-robed man speak. “No. You may use it.”
Xu Ziqing let out a breath of relief. The storage ring was indeed enormously useful to him and could already be considered something in his possession, but he had received many favors from the white-robed man and did not wish to go against his wishes. If the man had disliked the idea, then Xu Ziqing simply would not have used it and would have found another way. It seemed he had worried for nothing.
His smile deepened. He genuinely admired the white-robed man’s bearing and presence and could not help wanting to befriend him. Even the divide between human and ghost did not matter to him.
Besides, the two of them had known each other for several months by now. Xu Ziqing did not think the question too presumptuous. Gathering his courage, he asked, “From now on, Your Excellency and I could be considered neighbors. I… I still do not know Your Excellency’s honorable name.”
Once the words left his mouth, Xu Ziqing grew somewhat nervous.
He remembered that this man possessed such an extraordinary presence even as a ghost; he must have been more remarkable still while alive. Across Xu Ziqing’s two lives, this was the first time he had wanted so badly to make a friend. Even knowing that the distance between them was vast, he still wanted to try.
In his nervousness, Xu Ziqing felt as though time stretched endlessly, impossible to measure.
At last, he heard a single reply…
“My name is Yun Lie.”
*
The Linyuan Secret Realm opened once every five years. When it was closed, it hid within an elusive void, leaving outsiders unable to find any path inside.
None of that, however, affected the living beings within the secret realm in the slightest.
On this particular day, which was clearly not one of the realm’s open days, a young man dressed in short, practical clothes stood in the forest. His clothing was covered in patches, and he was pointing at a patch of jade-green grass suffused with spiritual energy while murmuring to himself, as though reciting something.
Suddenly, a fierce gust rushed at him from behind, carrying a wave of rank animal scent. It came from an Iron-Armored Bull fully as tall as two men!
The bull was extraordinarily ferocious. Its eyes brimmed with greedy bestial hunger as it regarded the young man as a meal. Its four hooves thundered forward, and cold light gleamed from its two horns as it charged straight at his back!
Just when it seemed the unsuspecting young man would be gored straight through, he turned around and extended one hand.
In the blink of an eye, a white shoot sprang from the center of his palm at astonishing speed. It stretched and lengthened in an instant, becoming a slender vine.
The vine was snow-white from end to end, like the finest mutton-fat jade, exquisitely beautiful. Yet it grew with astonishing speed. In barely the span of a breath, it reached the Iron-Armored Bull and wound around it with effortless ease.
The vine was thinner than a little finger and bore no leaves. It looked as though it ought to be exceedingly fragile, ready to snap with the slightest pull. Yet the Iron-Armored Bull reacted as though it had encountered something terrifying. Its four hooves stamped wildly as it struggled with all its strength, bellowing in anguish without pause.
At the sight, the young man sighed softly and turned his head away.
The white vine wrapped around the Iron-Armored Bull three times, tightening until it sank into its flesh. Then a faint blush suddenly stained the vine. The pale red gradually deepened to crimson, then to a glossy dark red, like the color of blood.
Looking closely, one could see blood seeping through the bull’s hide and running down its four legs to form several small pools on the ground. The tip of the white vine quietly extended toward those pools and touched them lightly, and in an instant all the blood was absorbed.
In only two or three breaths, the Iron-Armored Bull silently withered until nothing remained but a skeleton and a hide. Once the beast had been emptied into a shell, the tip of the white vine lifted. The entire vine slowly contracted and shortened before disappearing back into the young man’s palm.
Only then did the young man turn around. He went over, rolled up the bull hide, and put it away, leaving the skeleton where it lay.
The young man was none other than Xu Ziqing. Roughly half a year had passed since the day his soul stabilized. The demon-vine seed had sprouted five months earlier, and Xu Ziqing had guided its exit point to the Laogong acupoint in the center of his right palm. The sprout that emerged was small and exquisite, white as snow and jade, and unexpectedly lovely.
Elio’s Notes: Laogong (劳宫) is a traditional acupuncture point located in the central palm area. Here Xu Ziqing uses it as the point through which the demon vine emerges from his body.
Xu Ziqing rather liked the way it looked. His problem was how to feed it. By then, the fledgling Chonghua had also grown to more than one chi long and needed to follow its hunting instincts. At last, Xu Ziqing made up his mind. Relying on his now substantial spiritual power, he forced his way upward through the whirlpool beneath the lake and entered the secret realm to hunt.
At first, because the fledgling needed to practice its hunting skills, it often caught ordinary mice and rabbits that had not developed spiritual intelligence. Chonghua kept one and gave one to Xu Ziqing. Xu Ziqing would then bring the demon vine’s young shoot out through his palm and press it against the small prey, allowing the sprout to feed to its heart’s content. One animal a day was enough.
Later, as the demon vine gradually grew and sent out a thin tendril, it needed dozens of mice and rabbits each day before it was satisfied. At that rate, those two kinds of creatures would soon have faced disaster, something Xu Ziqing could not bear. He understood that mice and rabbits simply contained too little blood vitality and even less spiritual power. If he wanted the demon vine to truly eat its fill, he would have to feed it the flesh and blood of demon beasts.
But demon beasts also possessed spiritual intelligence, and Xu Ziqing was unwilling to kill indiscriminately. So he thought of a method.
He would use himself as bait and travel through the secret realm. Any demon beast drawn in to attack and devour him would necessarily be the sort that preyed on humans, and killing such a creature would be no great pity. Any beast that did not attack him would never fall into the trap. It solved both problems at once.
Having settled on this method, Xu Ziqing no longer agonized over the matter. The demon vine’s manner of feeding was bloody enough to make him uncomfortable, but as long as he did not look too closely, he gradually became accustomed to it.
Now that the demon vine had finished feeding on the Iron-Armored Bull, it naturally withdrew into its master’s dantian to digest. Xu Ziqing tilted his head slightly and gave a whistle. A moment later came the sound of something slicing through the air overhead. Wings flapped, and a heavy weight dropped onto his shoulder.
The fledgling that had once been smaller than his palm was now more than two chi long. Its claws were like tempered steel and its beak like an iron hook, and it fairly radiated vigor. Black feathers covered its body, overlaid by layer upon layer of golden plumage, as though gold had been gilded over black stone, dazzling to the eye. What a majestic, imposing bird it had become!
The eagle gripped Xu Ziqing’s shoulder firmly without injuring his flesh. Its familiarity with him was obvious, and the entire motion was smooth and practiced.
A trace of affection flashed through Xu Ziqing’s eyes. He asked softly, “Chonghua, have you eaten your fill today?”
The eagle tilted its head and gave a low, pleased cry.
Xu Ziqing smiled as well. “Today’s work is done. Come back with me, and then you must keep practicing properly.”
The eagle nodded again in agreement.
The two went to the lakeshore. Xu Ziqing placed the eagle inside the storage ring, and spiritual light immediately circulated around his body, pushing the lake water back to a distance of one fen from him. He swam rapidly, found the whirlpool, and plunged into it!
The whirlpool’s rotational force was tremendous. Xu Ziqing steadied his body and descended at high speed until he finally landed safely, then hurried back into the grotto-heaven.
The moment he entered, he released the eagle. It beat its wings and flapped around unsteadily in the air, making Xu Ziqing laugh again. It was rather hard on Chonghua. Living creatures could not be kept inside the storage ring; otherwise, they would suffocate to death before long. Fortunately, Xu Ziqing had moved quickly enough that the eagle had merely been badly short of breath and suffered no real harm.
After a while, the eagle flapped its wings and flew to a somewhat higher branch to rest. Xu Ziqing smiled faintly and once again entered meditation.