Chapter 5: Returning to the Sect

After drinking the bowl of hot water, Luo Qingci drifted off into a dazed sleep again.

When she woke up, the sky was completely dark.

The campfire had been stoked a bit higher than before, the orange-red flames lighting up the surroundings.

Xiao Han was still sitting across from her, his posture almost unchanged, holding a twig and drawing something in the sandy ground.

Hearing her stir, he looked up.

“Hungry?”

Luo Qingci nodded.

She was indeed hungry.

From morning until now, she had only eaten one piece of osmanthus cake, then went through poisoning, fleeing, jumping into a river, unconsciousness, breakthrough…

After this whole string of events, her stomach had long since emptied.

Xiao Han took two dry flatbreads from his storage pouch and handed one to her.

“That’s all we have. Make do.”

Luo Qingci took the flatbread, bit into it.

It was hard enough to crack teeth, but she said nothing, chewing slowly, swallowing bite by bite.

The bread had no flavor.

Not exactly delicious.

“What are you planning to do next?”

Xiao Han asked.

Luo Qingci chewed the bread and thought.

‘I should go back to the sect.’

But she couldn’t return empty-handed.

She still needed to finish the Azure Scale Python mission.

Because she coveted those few low-grade spirit stones.

Without spirit stones, even the most basic cultivation was impossible.

It was because she needed those resources.

The Qi-Condensing Pills in her storage pouch were insufficient, and the Grand Competition was imminent.

She couldn’t afford to waste time on the road.

Besides, it seemed she had broken through to the peak of Qi Refining, but it wasn’t Foundation Establishment.

It was the so-called eleventh layer of Qi Refining…

A bit confusing…

Though she didn’t understand how she broke through, Qi Refining peak was evenly matched against a first-rank demon beast.

Now that she was at the eleventh layer, she probably didn’t need to fear it anymore.

For the next few days, she would use Qi-Condensing Pills to solidify her spiritual power.

“I’ll go kill that Azure Scale Python tomorrow,” she said.

Xiao Han glanced at her.

“That bruise on your waist will take at least three days to heal.”

“Can’t wait three days.”

Luo Qingci swallowed the last bit of flatbread.

“The Grand Competition is almost here. I need those spirit stones.”

Xiao Han didn’t answer immediately.

A crackle came from the fire, a string of sparks shooting up before being scattered by the night wind.

“You’ll go alone?”

he asked.

“Yes.”

Xiao Han was silent for a moment.

“You can’t beat that snake,” he said.

“You broke through, but your injury hasn’t healed.

If you go alone, you’ll probably end up being chased and jumping in the river again.”

Luo Qingci choked.

She wanted to argue, but the words died in her throat.

He was telling the truth.

“I’ll go with you,” Xiao Han said.

Luo Qingci looked up at him.

“Why?” she asked.

Xiao Han tossed the twig in his hand into the fire.

“If you’re going to help, help all the way,” he said.

“That injury on your waist was…”

He paused.

“You got it when you fell while being chased by the snake. Since I saved you, I can’t just let you go back and get yourself killed.”

Luo Qingci was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright.”

Xiao Han stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

‘As if I’d let my own fiancée die.’

“Then sleep early. We set out at dawn.”

He walked to a large tree not far away, sat down against the trunk, pulled his outer robe tighter, and closed his eyes, looking like he was ready to sleep.

Luo Qingci lay down beside the fire, draping the gray-blue outer robe over herself.

A bit cold…

After all, the surroundings were a mess—trees lying every which way, like a forest that had been savagely ravaged.

With the original woods in such a state, it was no wonder it was cold.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the two set off.

Xiao Han walked in front; Luo Qingci followed behind.

Her waist and stomach still hurt, but it was much better than yesterday.

She could walk without issue, just couldn’t run too fast.

After about half an hour, they reached the cave entrance from yesterday.

The vines at the entrance, which she had cut some the day before, were now blown into a tangled mess by the wind.

Xiao Han stood at the entrance and looked inside.

“Three snakes?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get out?”

“I ran fast.”

Luo Qingci gave him a small smile.

“You got pretty lucky then.”

“Pure chance.”

“Alright. Once we’re inside, I’ll take the big one. You handle the smaller ones,” he said.

“You’re injured, but it shouldn’t be a problem to deal with two mid-stage Qi Refining snakes.”

Luo Qingci nodded.

She took her iron sword from her storage pouch, gripped it, and stood to one side of the entrance.

Xiao Han stood on the other side.

They exchanged a glance.

“Let’s go,” Xiao Han said.

Both of them ducked into the cave at the same time.

After walking a short while, the stone chamber was still there, and so were the three Azure Scale Pythons.

The largest snake coiled at the center of the stone platform, its head held high, vertical pupils staring coldly at the entrance.

Seeing someone enter, it let out a low hiss—its body slowly uncoiling, revealing the pale greenish-white scales on its belly.

The two smaller snakes flanked the big one left and right, their triangular heads drawn back slightly, poised to strike.

Xiao Han didn’t waste words.

He charged straight at them.

Luo Qingci only saw a red blur streak past her, moving faster than a Qi Refining cultivator should be capable of.

The next moment, Xiao Han was in front of the big snake.

He bent his right arm at the elbow and drove it into the snake’s head.

‘Such dense fire spirit qi…’

Luo Qingci watched him, slightly surprised.

The elbow struck the snake’s midsection with a dull thud.

The ten-foot-long serpent was knocked back like it had been hit by something heavy, its whole body arching violently before it slammed into the stone wall of the chamber.

Rubble rained down.

The Azure Scale Python’s scales were as hard as iron, normal swords could barely scratch them, but after Xiao Han’s strike, the scales at the impact point cracked with several fine lines, dark red blood seeping through the fissures.

The big snake shrieked in pain, opened its mouth, and lunged at Xiao Han.

On the other side, Luo Qingci made her move.

With her cultivation level, facing a mid-stage Qi Refining lesser snake was indeed nothing like yesterday.

She sliced off one smaller snake’s head with a single sword stroke, the blade trailing icy-blue spiritual power that condensed into a thin, frosty edge.

At the cut, the blood had no time to flow before it froze.

The second small snake lunged from the side.

She sidestepped, then reversed her sword and thrust it through its vital spot.

Two small snakes, dead in less than five breaths.

She turned to look at Xiao Han’s side.

The big snake was badly injured, with several cracked scales and bloody patches.

But it was a demon beast on the verge of breaking through to the second rank, and its ferocity had been fully awakened by the pain.

Its counterattacks grew even more frenzied.

But Xiao Han was faster, charging in with flames erupting from his body to elbow strike.

Though the snake was knocked unconscious by that blow… it looked a bit comical.

Flaring with fire, one would expect a big move, but all he did was run up and elbow it.

Luo Qingci walked over, pulled her sword out of the snake’s neck, wiped the blood on the snake’s body, and sheathed it.

She stared at the three snake corpses on the ground, silent for a moment.

“You didn’t have to come,” she said suddenly.

Xiao Han, leaning against the cave wall, was wiping blood off his hands.

He looked up at her upon hearing her words.

“I know,” he said.

“But I said I would help you.”

“That’s my business.”

“I know.”

Xiao Han finished wiping his hands clean and put away the cloth.

“But yesterday you almost died here. I’m a living person who knows about it. Since I know, I can’t pretend I don’t.”

Luo Qingci looked at him and said nothing.

Xiao Han felt a little uneasy under her gaze.

“What?” he asked.

“You said your name is Xiao Han,”

Luo Qingci said.

“Which Xiao? Which Han?”

“Xiao Han, as in ‘the wind blows bleakly over the Yi River, Xiao Han they call it’,” Xiao Han said.

Luo Qingci nodded, interpreting the meaning of that line, then committed the name to memory.

She didn’t know why she remembered it.

She just felt that this person was worthy of being remembered.

He might be one of the few good people—but good people die fast.

The two dealt with the three snake corpses.

Xiao Han used the System Store to exchange for a cheap skinning knife, removing the skins, gallbladders, and bones.

These were all materials that could be exchanged for spirit stones, and he gave them all to Luo Qingci.

Then he took some trivial, insignificant items.

Luo Qingci had no objection.

“I’m returning to the sect,” she said.

“I’ll see you off. Let’s go.”

He walked ahead, his pace neither fast nor slow.

Luo Qingci followed behind, her pace also neither fast nor slow.

They made their way down the mountain path, through a pine forest, across a dry creek, and over a small hill.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The chirping of birds came from all directions, giving the forest a kind of quiet bustle.

Walking behind him, Luo Qingci watched his back.

A gray-blue long robe, sleeves washed white from age, steady steps that were neither hurried nor slow.

She was pondering a question.

Why was this person helping her?

Helping her detoxify, helping her treat her injuries, helping her kill the snake, and now escorting her back to the sect.

“Help all the way”—anyone could say that, but not everyone would do it.

She thought of the senior brothers in her sect who always tried to curry favor with her.

They would help her too, but the look in their eyes was wrong.

Their eyes said, ‘I’m helping you, so you should repay me.’

There was none of that in this person’s eyes.

She thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out.

“Ahead is the mountain gate of your Azure Cloud Sect,”

Xiao Han said, stopping and pointing with a twig.

“Beyond this point is the Guardian Sect Array. I have no pass token, so I can’t go further.”

Luo Qingci stepped out from beside him and looked ahead.

The main peak of Cangwu Mountain, shrouded in mist, appeared indistinct in the distance.

The archway at the mountain gate gleamed faintly in the morning light.

She had arrived.

She turned to face Xiao Han.

Morning light shone from behind her, casting a soft glow on her face.

Her strikingly beautiful features lost a bit of their coolness in the sunlight, gaining a touch of worldly warmth.

Xiao Han looked at her, recalling the character illustration in the bestiary from his System, and saw it overlap with the person before him.

But he felt that the person in front of him was far more beautiful than the illustration.

“I’ll go now,” Luo Qingci said.

“Mm.”

Xiao Han nodded.

Luo Qingci took two steps forward, then stopped.

She took something wrapped in cloth from her storage pouch, turned around, and handed it to Xiao Han.

“This is for you. A return gift for the bread.”

Xiao Han took it, sniffed it—osmanthus cake.

Luo Qingci had already turned around and was walking toward the mountain gate.

Her white robe fluttered in the wind, her long hair blown back, scattering like ink in the air.

Her voice came from ahead, soft but clear.

“Thank you.”

Xiao Han stood in place, watching her back as she walked away, disappearing into the mist, through the mountain gate, until she became a tiny white speck lost in the verdant mountain scenery.

He looked down at the small cloth bundle in his hand.

He opened it.

Inside lay a piece of osmanthus cake.

He took a bite.

Soft, chewy, and sweet, the fragrance of osmanthus filling his mouth.

Xiao Han finished the cake, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and walked away.

Over there, Luo Qingci walked along the path back to the sect, her smile slowly fading.

Her right hand unconsciously touched the storage pouch at her waist.

Inside were the snake skin, bones, and gall.

A wandering cultivator in worn-out, faded clothes, cultivating in the mountains—where did he get such a high-quality Detoxification Pill?

She had examined that small porcelain vial.

There were no markings on it.

The porcelain was fine and warm to the touch, as if it were a custom-made item from some major sect, yet it bore no sect insignia at all.

How could a wandering cultivator possess pills of such quality?

Everyone had secrets.

If he didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t ask.

Luo Qingci quickened her pace and headed toward the sect.

She needed to go back and turn in the mission, exchange the snake skin and bones for spirit stones, cultivate, and prepare for the Grand Competition.

And finally, she needed to dissolve the engagement.

These matters were lined up waiting for her to handle.

She had no time to waste on speculating about someone she had only known for a short time.

“A chance encounter. They probably wouldn’t meet again anyway.”

“My name is Xiao Han, as in ‘the wind blows bleakly over the Yi River, Xiao Han they call it.’”

Xiao Han.

She silently repeated the name in her mind.

Nothing special.

A very ordinary name.

But she remembered it.