Secret Lessons and Hidden Truths

“I hereby declare the recruitment event officially over!”

Sect Master Yuxi’s voice brought a wave of relief over Luochen.

‘It’s finally over.’

‘I didn’t see anyone with exceptionally explosive talent in the end, but that was to be expected.’

‘Without me, a perfect score like Junior Sister’s might only appear once every few centuries.’

‘Speaking of which, with the recruitment assembly concluded, the martial arts competition must be next.’

‘Right, the joint discussion conference on disciples’ cultivation techniques and abilities that was mentioned earlier.’

As the only remaining prominent figures of Bamboo Peak, she and Su Yue had naturally both signed up.

Prior to this, Luochen had held the championship for two consecutive years.

However, with Junior Sister now having broken through to the fifth revolution, this competition might hold a touch of suspense.

****

The afternoon sun, like a golden ribbon, draped itself over Luochen’s lounge chair.

Yet, during this pleasant sun-bathing hour, the chair remained empty.

Sword Forging Peak.

Unable to find Luochen, the sunlight curiously slipped through the gaps in the window lattice.

The sunlight fell upon Shuanghua’s slightly parting lips, the Sword Immortal reciting something.

“Red… carp and… and… green carp… and donkey… donkey?”

After a long moment, Shuanghua finally uttered the phrase, which for her was a task of infernal difficulty.

“That’s fantastic!”

Luochen cheered joyfully, her face alight with unmasked delight.

“Martial Aunt, your progress is truly remarkable.”

“Tha… thank you.”

Shuanghua’s cheeks flushed faintly.

“Then let’s try having a conversation now!”

“Mn-hm.”

“What is your name?”

“Shuanghua.”

“Cultivation level?”

“Peak Seventh Revolution.”

“What is your sword called?”

“Shuanghua.”

‘Martial Aunt, how is it that your name, your sword, and your move names are all the same?’

Sherlock Luochen had discovered a blind spot.

“Naming things is too tiring.”

‘What a truly simple reason.’

Luochen pressed a hand to her forehead, pondered for a moment, then continued her questioning.

“Martial Aunt, how long have you been at Feibai Sect?”

“Over ten years?” Shuanghua sounded somewhat uncertain.

“Is something wrong?”

Noticing the immortal before her had fallen silent for a long time, Shuanghua asked.

‘I feel like I’m interrogating a criminal.’

Luochen frustratingly ran a hand through her hair. “But I can’t think of anything else to talk about.”

Shuanghua picked up the comb from the table and meticulously smoothed Luochen’s disheveled hair.

“Just be… the same with me… as you are with others… that’s… fine.”

“No need… to worry about me.”

‘She caught on.’

Luochen stuck out her tongue. She had deliberately only asked simple questions to ensure Shuanghua’s answers would flow smoothly.

“You were afraid… of damaging my… confidence, thank you.”

“But, it’s alright.”

She set down the comb, her almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile.

“Then I’ll chat normally now. Be prepared, okay?”

“Mn-hm.” Shuanghua nodded repeatedly, a picture of confidence.

“Martial Aunt, what do you usually do on weekdays?”

“Cultivate, read, take walks.”

‘So Martial Aunt enjoys taking walks? I wouldn’t have guessed.’

“Actually, it’s just to… to find someone to talk to.”

“But later, everyone… avoided me.”

“Well, you can’t really blame them, Martial Aunt, because the way you used to talk to people was truly terrifying,” Luochen remarked, clicking her tongue.

“Saying just two words and then running off… it made everyone think they’d done something wrong, and they’d return home filled with apprehension.”

“I was afraid of being discovered.”

Remembering her past sad tales, Shuanghua looked a little embarrassed.

“It seems Martial Aunt’s daily life is quite healthy after all; that puts my mind at ease.”

“To be honest, I always thought you were a shut-in.”

“A shut-in… what is that?”

The classic question-and-answer segment that inevitably arose when chatting with Luochen had grandly arrived!

“How should I put it? It’s someone who likes to stay in their room, doesn’t go out, and doesn’t talk to other people.”

“I see.” Shuanghua mused.

“Luochen, may I ask you a… question?”

“Go ahead and ask.” Luochen was somewhat surprised; this was the first time Shuanghua had initiated a topic of conversation.

“Your illness… what exactly is it about?”

‘It seems my previous episode frightened Martial Aunt.’

Luochen pondered for a moment, then decided to start from the beginning.

“Most people within the sect believe my illness stems from this cold poison, but that’s not true. The cold poison was actually voluntarily inoculated into me by Master.”

Observing Shuanghua’s astonished expression, Luochen continued.

“When I first embarked on the path of cultivation, Master discovered that my physical condition was incredibly poor. Every organ in my body was fragile and delicate, and it couldn’t be strengthened as my cultivation improved.”

“Therefore, whenever I circulated spiritual energy, my entire body would be in an overloaded state. Over time, this left me with severe internal injuries.”

“So, occasionally fainting or coughing up blood is quite normal for me.”

“If… you don’t cultivate… you’ll be fine, right?”

Shuanghua was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected Luochen’s illness to be so severe.

“Yes, Master once asked me the same thing.”

“If I gave up cultivating, she could allow me to live for many, many years.”

“I could also continue to live a peaceful life on Bamboo Peak.”

“But Martial Aunt, I have a mission that I must complete. Even if it costs me my life, I cannot stagnate.”

Sunlight fell upon Luochen’s beautiful eyelashes, her pupils tinged with gold.

From those eyes, Shuanghua saw a cluster of burning flames.

“I argued with Master about this for a long time, but in the end, she compromised.”

Luochen revealed a trace of lonely sentiment. “Actually, I truly owe Master too much. Her eldest disciple is destined to be short-lived, yet she still has to painstakingly care for me.”

Shuanghua’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t know how to offer words of comfort.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Luochen regained her smiling expression. “I just got a little emotional.”

“Then in Green Ox Village, why… why did you still fight?”

Shuanghua was somewhat puzzled. If using spiritual energy damaged her body every time, then Luochen shouldn’t have gone out on missions at all.

“That’s what I’m going to talk about next,” Luochen said, continuing to explain in response to Shuanghua’s question.

“Master couldn’t dissuade me, so after much thought, she decided to inoculate me with cold poison. This cold poison, refined by Master, isn’t fatal, but it can cool my overloaded organs, preventing the turbulent spiritual energy from destroying my fragile meridians.”

“It’s a case of using poison to combat poison, I suppose. This cold poison, combined with Master’s spiritual energy treatment, allows my body to barely maintain a functional state, and I can use spiritual energy within certain limits.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand, and spiritual energy coalesced into a small flame.

“I can control the extent, and I don’t go all out. However, this cold poison is not a panacea without any drawbacks; it flares up periodically, as it did last time in Green Ox Village.”

“Actually, the cold poison flaring up can be considered a sign of health, right?” As Luochen said this, an undeniable hint of guilt flickered across her face. “At least for me, it is.”

“If the cold poison doesn’t flare up for a long time, that’s when it truly becomes dangerous. It means the cold poison can no longer suppress my body.”

“At that point, the energy generated by the overloaded operation will manifest as fire poison, and that’s probably when I’ll have to bid everyone farewell.”

Luochen spoke in a feigned lighthearted tone, yet Shuanghua still discerned the gravity in her eyes.

“You’ll definitely be fine.”

“Mm, I’ll definitely be fine.” Luochen nodded emphatically.

“Martial Aunt, let’s stop here for today. It’s getting late, and I need to go back and cook.”

“Alright, take care.”

****

‘Good tea, oh, good tea.’

In his office, Sect Master Yuxi was utterly engrossed.

‘The tea Venerable Zhu Qing sent is truly excellent. I heard her say Luochen made it?’

The thought of Venerable Zhu Qing’s smug expression as she proudly praised her disciple gave Sect Master Yuxi a slight headache.

‘Next time, I’ll ask Luochen for the recipe.’

With that thought, Sect Master Yuxi casually picked up a book, beginning his leisurely day.

From the rising of the morning sun to its westward descent, Sect Master Yuxi quietly turned the pages of his book. His teacup filled and emptied repeatedly.

As the sun set, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Shuanghua entered. “Have you found the information on the corpse?”

“According to the identification, it’s the Third Elder of the Ghost Soul Cult, who went into seclusion several years ago.”

‘It seems there are no issues.’ Shuanghua nodded.

Sect Master Yuxi continued to read leisurely.

“You’ve been here the whole time?”

“Yes, why?”

Sect Master Yuxi was perplexed.

“Shut-in.”

With a hint of disdain in her eyes, Shuanghua turned and closed the door behind her.

‘?’

‘Why is everyone muttering such strange words lately?’

‘Just a few days ago, someone called me an old fogey (TL Note: A derogatory Chinese slang term, ‘lǎo dēng,’ used for an elderly person perceived as out of touch or useless.). When I asked what it meant, they ran off with a guilty look.’

‘This won’t do!’

Sect Master Yuxi indignantly set down his book.

‘If I don’t do something, I feel like I’ll be completely out of touch with the times.’