Yujing

The night lay over the horizon like stagnant water, the stars shining so brilliantly they looked like a fraudulent tapestry draped across the sky.

Su Jiushao followed closely behind a figure, her face pale as she strained to fly forward. At only twenty, she was already in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment—an elite among her peers—yet now she was pushing herself to the point of dull pain in her dantian, barely able to keep pace.

Eighteen years old. The Great Circle of the Golden Core. Heaven’s favored son…

These descriptors, when stacked together, felt like a needle pressed against her eyes. Su Jiushao gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, enduring the agonizing exhaustion of her spiritual energy to force herself to catch up.

Fifteen minutes later, the figure led her to a stop before a spiritual spring.

Had she not seen it with her own eyes, Su Jiushao would never have imagined that a Grade Nine Spiritual Spring was hidden within this rift in the mountains. Having exhausted her reserves during the flight, her vision swam with darkness.

By the time she managed to weather the throbbing pain in her dantian and looked up to speak, she saw the youth produce a glazed couch from his storage ring—an object so opulent it looked entirely out of place in the valley. He placed it within the warm spring and then brought out a celestial flask as translucent as autumn water.

He held the flask in both hands. Su Jiushao froze at the sight of his expression; there was a subtle, fanatical reverence in his posture that felt eerie. It was as if he weren’t holding a flask, but a handful of shimmering, fragile dreams.

In the next moment, the youth actually dropped to one knee. Holding the flask high, he said, “Your disciple, Shen Fenglin, respectfully requests Master’s presence.”

—Shen Fenglin had always claimed he had no sect. Where did this ‘Master’ come from?

Before Su Jiushao could ponder further, a wisp of immortal mist drifted from the flask. Upon the glazed couch in the center of the spring, it slowly coalesced into a graceful silhouette.

“…!”

Su Jiushao’s breath hitched. Her eyes widened in shock, and she stood frozen in disbelief.

Leaning against the glazed couch was a beauty dressed in a gold-threaded celestial silk robe, possessed of an elegance that defied description. With her current cultivation, Su Jiushao could only sense that the stranger was in the Golden Core stage; as for which specific level, she could not tell.

“Why have you summoned this Seat?”

The beauty lazily lifted his eyelids. In that instant, the heavens and earth seemed to lose their color; even the sun and moon felt dim by comparison.

His features were lush and exquisite enough to startle the world, yet a closer look revealed a subtle sense of coldness. It wasn’t the coldness of someone pushing others away, but rather a vivid, otherworldly beauty that felt non-human.

Shen Fenglin smiled. He reached out with practiced ease to take the other’s hand, kneeling by the couch and whispering, “Naturally, I have a request for Master.”

He had a pair of handsome peach-blossom eyes. When he looked at someone with a smile, he appeared more devoted than anyone in existence.

The beauty let out a mocking laugh, the coldness instantly replaced by a vivid, spirited charm. “You truly never visit unless you need something, my little benefactor.”

—Benefactor?

Before Su Jiushao could untangle the relationship between this master and disciple, Shen Fenglin pleaded with a smile, “I plan to break my core and reach the Nascent Soul stage next month. But as Master knows, I possess a Heaven-grade Fire Root. Ordinary Nascent Soul Pills are useless to me, but a Heaven-grade pill is…”

His Master waved a sleeve impatiently. “Get to the point.”

Shen Fenglin smoothed his tone and summarized, “A Heaven-grade Nascent Soul Pill requires Purgatory Fire to refine. My new sister here is of the Su family’s direct line; she has extraordinary talent and can discern the secrets of hidden realms to divine fortune and woe.”

“She told me that extreme fire must coexist with extreme water. Therefore, in the soon-to-open Azure Sea Realm, there is a high probability that Purgatory Fire is hidden there. It’s just that the fire is extremely difficult to approach, so…”

His beautiful Master had listened until he was nearly asleep, but finally understood his intent. He squinted at the youth and said, “So, having run out of options, you’ve come to collect a debt from this Seat.”

Shen Fenglin gave a confident smile, a dimple appearing as he acted spoiled. “What can I say? I’m lucky. Master, please dote on me just this once.”

The other didn’t reply. After a yawn, he fished a crystal-clear, crescent-shaped object from his robes and tossed it carelessly into Shen Fenglin’s hand.

The object was as hard as jade, yet it didn’t quite look like jade, nor did it look like a common spiritual tool…

Before Su Jiushao could instinctively use her talent to peer into its nature, Shen Fenglin tucked it away with a beaming face. He stood up and suddenly pulled the figure into a hug. “Thank you for granting my wish, Master!”

He was young and in the prime of his youthful vigor; such a spoiled display toward an elder didn’t seem entirely out of line.

His beautiful Master also seemed long accustomed to his temperament. His brow relaxed with a hint of helplessness as he raised a hand to pat the youth’s shoulder. “Enough. Stop embarrassing yourself and get up.”

Watching this scene, however, Su Jiushao’s frown only deepened.

The Shen Fenglin before her now… and the calculating Shen Fenglin she knew… were worlds apart.

“Sister Su, I forgot to introduce you.” The sudden voice in her ear snapped Su Jiushao out of her thoughts. “This is my Master, Bai Yujing.”

Su Jiushao regained her senses and hurriedly bowed. “Junior Su Jiushao pays respects to Senior Bai.”

Bai Yujing waved a hand. “No need for such ceremony.”

The pearl-trimmed sleeves fluttered with his movement, and a waft of faint fragrance hit Su Jiushao, leaving her momentarily dazed.

After a moment of hesitation, she couldn’t help herself. As if possessed, she offered a compliment: “‘The White Jade Capital in the heavens, with twelve towers and five cities’… Senior has a wonderful name.”

Hearing this, a flash of displeasure crossed Shen Fenglin’s eyes—clearly annoyed by her talkativeness.

Bai Yujing, however, showed a spark of interest. “Why do you say that, little Daoist?”

“…I wouldn’t dare claim the title of Daoist before you.” Su Jiushao felt Shen Fenglin’s gaze like needles on her back, but since the words were out, she couldn’t take them back. she lowered her head and whispered, “I have only heard a poem once that said: ‘The White Jade Capital in the heavens, with twelve towers and five cities. An immortal strokes my head, granting me eternal life.’“

“So, I took the liberty to guess that the person who named Senior must have cherished you deeply.”

“They did not want Senior to suffer the hardships of cultivation; they only wished for you to receive the touch of an immortal and enjoy the path of longevity directly.”

Bai Yujing had been listless and unwilling to speak, but upon hearing this, he froze. Then, a smile like shimmering starlight rippled in his eyes.

Su Jiushao was so stunned by his beauty that she stood frozen, momentarily forgetting even Shen Fenglin.

The peerless beauty seemed genuinely pleased with his name—and exceptionally pleased with Su Jiushao’s flattery. After laughing, he actually pulled the storage ring from his finger and handed it to her. Even his tone of address changed: “Thank you for the praise, good girl. A small gift—take it.”

Shen Fenglin’s expression instantly turned ugly to the extreme.

“…!”

Seeing Su Jiushao frozen, not daring to accept the ring, Bai Yujing’s fingers paused. Realizing something, he turned to glance at Shen Fenglin.

“Come now, Sister Su should just take it. Don’t let Master’s kindness go to waste.” Shen Fenglin spoke with a beaming smile, though it sounded like a half-joke. “You’re making me quite jealous, Sister.”

Su Jiushao: “…”

Her scalp felt numb with dread, but she had no choice. She took the storage ring while suppressing a shudder.

Shen Fenglin withdrew his gaze and smiled at Bai Yujing. “I haven’t properly introduced her. This is my new sister, a direct descendant of the Su family of the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart. Her name is Jiushao. Master, do you think she’s pretty?”

Seeing her accept the ring, Bai Yujing nodded in approval. “To have trained the Exquisite Heart to six apertures at such a young age is indeed extraordinary talent. As for the rest…”

Su Jiushao was startled. She hadn’t expected him to see through her family’s innate talent at a single glance.

Bai Yujing withdrew his hand and looked at Shen Fenglin, his tone turning slightly cool. “Judging the appearance of others is not something a cultivator should do.”

“…Master is right to lecture me.” Shen Fenglin paused, then shifted his tone with a laugh. “But even if Master scolds me, I must speak the truth—in my eyes, even if you added up every man and woman in the world, they wouldn’t be half as beautiful as Master alone.”

Bai Yujing gave him another look.

It was an unreadable gaze; Su Jiushao couldn’t begin to fathom what he was thinking.

Shen Fenglin continued to smile. “Why is Master looking at me like that? Could it be that in Master’s eyes… I am the most handsome man you have ever seen?”

Bai Yujing let out a scoff, as if mocking the youth’s arrogance. “Naturally not.”

Shen Fenglin hadn’t expected such a swift reply. His smile stiffened, but he quickly adopted a look of realization. “Master is so vain… then again, you are peerless. You certainly have the right to be vain.”

Another strange word—vain—slipped from Shen Fenglin’s mouth. But this disciple had been eccentric since childhood, often saying things that were out of the ordinary; Bai Yujing was used to it and didn’t give it a second thought.

Bai Yujing was indeed arrogant, but the skin he displayed to outsiders now was merely an ordinary shell used to deceive the eye. Compared to his true form, it wasn’t even worth mentioning.

Furthermore, he never grouped himself with so-called ‘men.’ He wasn’t human. As for the most handsome man in his heart…

As if suddenly touching upon a memory he had to acknowledge but deeply resented, Bai Yujing abruptly snapped out of his thoughts. His expression darkened, and he immediately turned hostile. “Enough of your silver tongue. You’ve gotten your item, why haven’t you gotten lost yet?”

“Just a moment ago, Master was calling me ‘little benefactor,’ but now you’ve turned your back on me…” Shen Fenglin seemed entirely unfazed by his Master’s mercurial temper. He stayed huddled by the couch, looking pitiful. “I still have to take Sister Su to the secret realm. Master, be kind and grant me one more.”

Bai Yujing waved his sleeve irritably, the pearls clinking sharply. “No more. Get out.”

Su Jiushao stood to the side, listening to the crisp sound of gems and feeling the faint, cool fragrance. She realized then that Bai Yujing’s robes were covered in opulent jewels and jade, and a lush green jade bracelet adorned his wrist.

Yet, despite being surrounded by gold and jade, all those vulgar objects seemed insignificant before that peerless face.

While she was distracted, Shen Fenglin persistently clung to the man, acting spoiled until he finally annoyed Bai Yujing enough. Another jade piece was produced and thrown directly into his arms.

“Thank you, Master.” Shen Fenglin was instantly wreathed in smiles, appearing not to care at all about Bai Yujing’s attitude. He hugged the man playfully. “Master is the best to me!”

Bai Yujing said impatiently, “Fine. You have your things, now get out. This Seat is tired.”

With that, he lowered his head listlessly against the glazed couch, revealing a hint of exhaustion he could no longer hide.

Su Jiushao felt an inappropriate sensation—he looked like a clam that was baring its claws, decorating its shell with jewels. But if one were to peer through the cracks of the gems, they would see the pathetic, wounded meat hidden beneath the broken shell.

Shen Fenglin gazed deeply at Bai Yujing for a long moment. Finally, he lowered his head and said softly, “Yes. This disciple takes his leave.”

With that, he respectfully raised the celestial flask. Bai Yujing leaned his head on his hand, closed his eyes, and turned into a wisp of thin smoke, returning to the flask.

Shen Fenglin stood up. He flicked his fingers over the flask; a strange flash of eerie blue light appeared briefly before vanishing along with the flask.

Su Jiushao was filled with questions, but having grown up in a cutthroat cultivation family, she knew when to stay silent. She stood there without a word.

The spring water was still steaming. Standing under the night sky, Shen Fenglin took out that “jade piece.” He looked at it through the moonlight for a long time, then gave it a gentle shake—and the piece changed its appearance.

The blood that had been masked now appeared like shimmering nectar, quietly manifesting under the moonlight and dripping from the youth’s fingertips.

“…!”

Su Jiushao gasped. She could no longer maintain her composure and looked up in horror.

The blood-stained scale was blindingly white in the moonlight, like a mirror reflecting Shen Fenglin’s hidden, dark nature beneath his refined exterior.

A sudden realization struck Su Jiushao. She felt a bone-chilling cold wash over her, her pupils contracting as she stared at the scene.

The blood at the base of the scale was particularly vivid. One could only imagine the heart-piercing pain of having it forcibly ripped from the body.

Yet, as Shen Fenglin looked at the bloody scale his Master had just plucked for him, he broke into a radiant smile. He even asked her, as if showing off, “Do you recognize what this is?”

Su Jiushao felt as though she were submerged in an icy pond. Her face was deathly pale as she shook her head.

“Ignorant woman.” Shen Fenglin sneered, a strange fervor flickering in his eyes as he stared unblinkingly at the scale. “This is a Sky-Reaching Snake Scale.”

A Sky-Reaching Snake…?!

“Ten thousand years of longevity, severing the path between heaven and earth.” Legend said that an adult Sky-Reaching Ancient Snake could bridge the realms; its scales were as bright as the light of the firmament, and its eyes as vast as the galaxy.

But while this scale was indeed as the legends described—tough as black iron and sharp as polar ice—it was only the size of Shen Fenglin’s palm. From its size… this arrogant snake demon was clearly not yet an adult.

So Shen Fenglin had known all along that his Master was a snake demon—and a young one, less than a thousand years old…

Amidst her mounting horror, Su Jiushao heard a whisper like a voice from hell: “I don’t care what method you use.”

“Tell the Head of the Su Family that I have a Sky-Reaching juvenile snake in my hands, less than a thousand years old.”

“The core of a Sky-Reaching Snake is the only medicinal catalyst for a Brahma-Heart Pill. In all of heaven and earth, only this medicine can cross the Tribulation of Heart-Demons.”

Su Jiushao pinched her palm with all her might to keep herself from shaking like a leaf in front of him.

“This kind of rare, ancient snake demon isn’t something a third-rate power like your Su family can enjoy. Have your family head report this to the Changming Sect. Tell Jinyu to use spots for inner disciples of the Changming Sect as a trade.”

“I want nine spots.”

As he spoke, he carelessly tossed the bloody scale to Su Jiushao. “This is the token. Give it to Jinyu, the Sect Leader of Changming. He will naturally know I am telling the truth.”

Su Jiushao blurted out, “But…”

But… that is your Master.

The one who didn’t hesitate to live-gouge a scale for you, who shed blood just to help you reach the Nascent Soul stage.

But as the words reached her lips, a sense of immense danger made her snap back to her senses. Her instincts forced her to bite back her words.

In the next moment, Shen Fenglin looked at her flatly. “But what?”

“…”

Cold sweat poured down Su Jiushao’s back. she hurriedly changed her tune: “I… I only wanted to ask, regarding the demon core and the scales… how many parts are you willing to share with the Changming Sect?”

Shen Fenglin rubbed the blood on his fingertips and said nonchalantly, “All of it.”

Su Jiushao was stunned—when did this man become so generous?

Shen Fenglin seemed to guess her confusion. He gave a smile that shone brilliantly under the moon, yet felt like falling into an abyss.

“Demon cores and scales are merely treasures in the eyes of fools. To me, they are insignificant. I only want—”

Su Jiushao’s eyes slowly widened. She could no longer stop her body from trembling. At that moment, terror clung to her like a shadow, freezing her to the bone.

“—His person.”

—What he wanted was the beauty-snake after its scales were stripped, its core gone, and it could no longer escape from his flask.