Chapter 3: Aoki Castle

The Great Elder and Lady Golden Silkworm focused intently on their journey, while Yao Qian whispered amusing tales of her cultivation days to her future sectmates. Those disciples chosen by Lady Golden Silkworm to enter the sect were naturally not the mischievous kind Yao Qian modestly claimed to be.

Jin Xiu’er was teaching Yao Qian how to nurture the golden silkworm eggs. Yao Qian remarked, “Isn’t this a secret technique from the Black Python Stronghold?”

Jin Xiu’er laughed, “Our family’s little bit of gu technique is practically common knowledge now. It hardly counts as secret.” Her words were true; gu masters excelled at combat, and raising gu insects was relatively easy. Many solitary cultivators kept gu insects.

The gu insect arts of their Miao Stronghold had long been widely learned. The only edge they had over outsiders was in cultivating gu insects. “Gu insects rarely appear in grand halls. As long as you don’t mind the time it takes to raise them, it’s a worthy endeavor.”

Yao Qian said, “Humans are the spirit of all things, gu insects the essence of heaven and earth. How could gu insects be unworthy?” She was not merely flattering; she believed that cultivating gu insects to their peak was almost defying nature. For example, the ancestor of the golden silkworm gu, the six-winged golden cicada, ranked among the top ten fierce insects on the extraordinary creature list.

“Humans are the spirit of all things, gu insects the essence of heaven and earth?” Jin Xiu’er was momentarily stunned, then joyfully smiled, “You’re right, gu insects are indeed the essence of heaven and earth!”

Though she was about to formally enter Qingmu Valley, gu technique was something Jin Xiu’er had studied since childhood—how could she give it up? Hearing Yao Qian praise her family’s gu insects, Jin Xiu’er’s impression of her improved immediately. “Once we begin training, I’ll teach you how to refine gu insects.”

Lady Golden Silkworm and the Great Elder listened with smiles to the two girls’ quiet chatter. Lady Golden Silkworm chuckled softly and sent a voice transmission to the Great Elder, “Sister Yao, my Xiu’er is almost being tricked away by your little Jiu.”

The Great Elder smiled warmly, “They’re just children.”

With the combined effort of the Great Elder and Lady Golden Silkworm urging them onward, the four quickly reached the vicinity of Qingmu Valley, though they did not enter immediately. Since they were here to send the children to apprentice and learn, they would have to stay for a few days.

Qingmu Valley was open only to sect disciples. The Great Elder was barely a half disciple and could not live within the sect, while Lady Golden Silkworm had no qualification to enter at all. Jin Xiu’er had to be accompanied by the Great Elder upon entering.

The four first found an inn in Qingmu City to rest temporarily, planning to enter the valley early the next day. Qingmu City was the largest city within a thousand miles and, like Qingzhu Ridge, was inhabited by both mortals and cultivators. However, it was far more prosperous and bustling. Most of the mortals here were families of cultivators within Qingmu Valley.

Most disciples of Qingmu Valley each year were chosen from affiliated sect families; it was rare for outsiders to be accepted. After all, the outer disciples numbered over ten thousand, with several hundred in the inner sect. Cultivators’ long lifespans often allowed them to protect a family for generations.

Small families like the Yao clan, with just two generations of Foundation Establishment cultivators, could grow to several thousand members within three centuries. Not to mention families with longer legacies. The inner sect disciples’ descendants alone were enough to meet the sect’s recruitment needs; Qingmu Valley had no need to open other channels.

Descendants of disciples were also more loyal than outside cultivators, which was why Yao Qian never hoped to apprentice at a grand sect. Those great sects commanded countless subordinate states; they could easily select disciples from their own territories and had no need to recruit externally.

Yao Qian, having come to this world for ten years, was seeing such a lively city for the first time and couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. The Great Elder and Lady Golden Silkworm also intended to buy some cultivation supplies for the children after they entered, since disciples were forbidden to leave for three years.

The Great Elder asked Yao Qian, “You won’t be able to return home for the first three years after entering the sect. The journey is long, and I can’t often leave home to see you. Is there anything else you want to prepare before entering?”

Yao Qian thought for a moment and said, “I’d like to buy some tools for making talismans.”

Cultivation required resources, and the supplies provided by Qingmu Valley alone wouldn’t suffice. Though the Great Elder had told her the family would provide, the Yao clan wasn’t wealthy, and Yao Qian didn’t feel they were obligated to fully support her cultivation.

To earn money, one must learn a craft. Among the myriad arts of cultivation, Yao Qian chose the most common: talisman drawing. The Yao family was best at pill refining, which required costly furnaces and medicinal materials, making talisman crafting a more accessible starting point.

“You want to learn talisman drawing?” The Great Elder immediately understood the girl’s plan to earn her own cultivation resources. She sighed inwardly at how shallow the Yao clan’s foundation was; ordinary children rarely thought so far ahead.

“Among the myriad arts, talisman drawing seems the easiest to start, but it demands high comprehension. Not everyone can master it,” the Great Elder warned. She had once hoped to earn spirit pearls through talismans, but her limited talent meant years of failure.

“I still want to try,” Yao Qian had some confidence in her aptitude. She had learned some talismans in the clan and was confident she could draw those she had learned.

The Great Elder nodded slightly. “Trying is good.” She supported the child’s interest and could afford the expense. She bought Yao Qian a talisman brush, ten boxes of talisman ink, and two stacks of talisman paper.

She explained, “Buying whole stacks of talisman paper is more cost-effective than pre-cut sheets. I’ll teach you how to cut them. From one stack, I can cut a hundred and twenty sheets.”

Though she had failed at talisman drawing, the Great Elder had developed skill in cutting paper. Others might cut a hundred sheets per stack, but she could manage twenty more. Seeing Yao Qian’s admiring gaze, she felt quite proud.

The Great Elder also bought Yao Qian a bottle of Qingyuan Pill to aid cultivation. “With your aptitude and the environment of Qingmu Valley being better than home, you probably won’t need external pills, but it’s good to have one for quickly restoring your true essence if needed.”

She paused, then softly said, “Little Jiu, Qingmu Valley is not home. You must be careful.”

Qingmu Valley was not a grand orthodox sect; even among orthodox sects there were hypocrites. The sect disciples were a mixed lot—many were of poor character.

“I will be careful,” Yao Qian nodded. Even in the modern world, one must be cautious alone; in a high martial cultivation world, all the more so.

The Great Elder also bought medicine for injuries before returning to their temporary inn. Lady Golden Silkworm and Jin Xiu’er had not yet returned.

The Great Elder took out a yimu divine needle and handed it to Yao Qian. “This needle was forged using the bamboo heart of the Qingling Bamboo Emperor combined with yimu energy. It may not match a flying sword, but its lethality is not weak. Here is the refining mantra; after entering the sect, you can slowly refine it.”

Yao Qian was speechless. “But without the bamboo heart, what about the Bamboo Emperor?” How could the Great Elder give such a precious item for her to refine into a weapon?

The Great Elder smiled, “I didn’t take the entire bamboo heart, only about thirty percent. The Bamboo Emperor won’t die but won’t grow another bamboo heart.”

She sighed softly, patting Yao Qian’s head. “Little Jiu, I’m getting old. If one day I’m gone, the family will have to rely on you.”

She had spent many years carefully guiding the family’s disciples, hoping to produce another Foundation Establishment cultivator. Yet after all these years, only Little Jiu had potential—and she was only ten. The Great Elder might not live to see her reach Foundation Establishment, so she prepared whatever she could.

She had considered getting Yao Qian a flying sword, but the Yao family’s shallow resources meant that even sacrificing everything would only forge a common flying sword. The Great Elder had no choice but to refine the flying needle instead.

“It’s a pity Qingmu Valley has the refining mantra for the yimu needle, but it’s not a true needle technique. You’ll have to strive for that yourself later,” the Great Elder lamented. Qingmu Valley primarily used the yimu needle as a spell, not as a flying needle weapon.

Yao Qian smiled brightly. “What you’ve given me is more than enough. I’m starting ahead of most. The path ahead is mine to walk.”

She knew the Great Elder’s kindness was largely for the Yao family, and she did not resent the clan’s care. Though her feelings for the Yao family could never match the Great Elder’s, they had raised her, and she was willing to repay them within her means. At worst, with her purple aura and a few spirit plants grown, she could elevate the Yao family further.

Hearing Little Jiu’s reassurance, the Great Elder felt comforted. “I’ll teach you how to refine the yimu needle. Once you channel your energy into it, you can nurture its spirit.”

Yao Qian asked, “You’re teaching me this early? Won’t the sect blame you?”

The Great Elder smiled, “If we don’t say, who would know? This refining method is only for inner sect disciples and costs many merit points. You’d be better off spending merit points learning other spells.”

Qingmu Valley was just a minor left-path sect. While it had rules, they weren’t so strict. Little Jiu was basically a sect disciple, and the Great Elder teaching an outer sect disciple privately wasn’t a serious offense, as long as it wasn’t passed outside.

The Great Elder began explaining the refining method in detail, but suddenly Yao Qian’s expression changed drastically. Before she could react, a colorful smoke screen enveloped her, and she was swept out the door, trying to escape—but it was too late.

A dark cloud had already enveloped Qingmu City. Yao Qian felt a powerful suction from the cloud pulling her involuntarily upward. Horrified, she looked up at the Great Elder, who was also being pulled skyward.

Almost everyone in Qingmu City was being drawn into the cloud. They were lucky to have gotten outside in time; those still indoors were violently dragged out, hitting roofs and walls, bleeding and uncertain of their fate.

Yao Qian stared at the looming cloud in terror. What was this? Some sinister cultivator attempting to refine a weapon? She noticed many were stopped just before entering the cloud by some force, their suction vanished, and they fell straight to the ground.

If they were cultivators, they might survive; most ordinary people died from the fall. A few fortunate ones landed on rooftops or branches before falling again and perhaps escaping death.

Tense and alert, Yao Qian silently gathered energy, planning to flip and cushion her fall. Yet suddenly her vision went dark—she was drawn into the cloud itself.