The Sanwei Meeting and the Enigmatic Skirt

Chi Qiu furrowed her brow, “What is the Sanwei Meeting? I didn’t come here for that.” She had never heard of such a thing.

“In Sang City, we have a special product: San tea. This tea is made from the first tender buds that sprout from a giant mulberry tree in early spring. This tree has been growing here for thousands of years and has become a spiritual plant. As a result, the San tea not only tastes sweet but also enhances a cultivator’s speed of enlightenment and aids in their path to enlightenment. It is highly welcomed by cultivators. Would you like to try some?”

Chi Qiu’s eyes lit up as she heard about the tea’s ability to accelerate enlightenment. She was currently at the Spirit Nourishing Realm, and the next stage, the Heart Scripture, was uncharted territory for her. Without the advantage of her past cultivation experience, her cultivation speed would undoubtedly slow. Additionally, the third section of ‘Blooming Life’ was exceptionally obscure, and Chi Qiu had made no progress in understanding it despite several days of effort. Right now, the San tea mentioned by Ding Shi was exactly what she needed.

“How much does it cost?”

“Clear pricing: five hundred spiritual stones. I can fetch it for you right now.” Ding Shi’s face was filled with smiles, his eyes narrowing to slits.

“I’ll consider it.” Chi Qiu nearly blurted out her farewell. The price was far beyond her expectations, causing her to hesitate.

“No problem. Let me tell you more about the Sanwei Meeting. Whenever a spiritual treasure appears, there will be unusual phenomena. The new buds of the giant mulberry tree are no exception. The tree absorbs a year’s worth of spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, all of which is concentrated in these first buds. Each time new buds sprout, a pure qi spreads from the tree, lasting for thousands of li. At this time, nearby beasts, seeing the unusual phenomena, become restless, wanting to claim a share.”

Ding Shi, seeing Chi Qiu’s hesitation, stopped pushing his San tea and began explaining the Sanwei Meeting.

“At this time, the city lord will convene the Sanwei Meeting, inviting cultivators to Sang City to jointly defend against the beasts’ invasion. Afterward, the city lord will reward them with San tea.”

“Oh? So that’s what the Sanwei Meeting is about…” Chi Qiu’s eyes brightened.

“There are still about ten more days until the Sanwei Meeting. If you’re interested, you might as well sign up.” Seeing Chi Qiu’s interest, Ding Shi encouraged her.

“Of course, I’m interested. But what are the requirements for participating in the Sanwei Meeting?” Chi Qiu didn’t hide her interest and asked directly.

“One must be above the Spirit Nourishing Realm; there are no other conditions.” Ding Shi replied.

“That’s good. Where can I sign up for this?” Hearing that the requirement was the Spirit Nourishing Realm, Chi Qiu sighed in relief.

“Hum hum hum… My Treasure Pavilion is one of the registration points. You can report your name and cultivation level to me, and as long as you meet the requirements, I’ll arrange your accommodation right away.” Ding Shi smiled.

Chi Qiu was a bit surprised to learn that Treasure Pavilion was one of the registration sites. But she quickly realized that Treasure Pavilion was the largest shop in Sang City, with many cultivators coming and going, so it made sense to set it as a registration point.

“I am Chi Qiu, of the Spirit Nourishing Realm.” Chi Qiu extended her hand, and a cluster of too-yin spiritual energy condensed in her palm, proving her cultivation level.

“Indeed, a Spirit Nourishing realm. I’ll register you immediately. Soon, a maid will guide you to the accommodation arranged by the city lord. Your travel necessities will be sent over shortly, courtesy of me.” Ding Shi was overjoyed and handed Chi Qiu a spiritual jade.

Ding Shi originally intended to give Chi Qiu one hundred spiritual stones, but since Chi Qiu wanted to participate in the Sanwei Meeting, which was a task personally entrusted to him by the city lord, he couldn’t afford to be negligent. So, instead of going to the warehouse to fetch spiritual stones, he decided to make a gesture of goodwill by giving Chi Qiu a spiritual jade, saving time.

Chi Qiu nodded and took the spiritual jade. Soon, a green-clad maid gracefully approached to attend to Chi Qiu. Chi Qiu followed the maid to a courtyard behind Treasure Pavilion.

Chi Qiu pushed open the courtyard gate and looked around. The courtyard was quite spacious, with a front yard, a main hall, and guest rooms. Chi Qiu declined the maid’s offer to stay and serve her, instructing her to wait in the guest room. Chi Qiu then closed the main gate and inspected the entire courtyard, ensuring there were no traces of spiritual energy before returning to her bedroom.

Soon, someone knocked on Chi Qiu’s courtyard gate. The maid came to report that Chi Qiu’s clothes and packages had arrived. Without Chi Qiu having to fetch them, the maid brought the package to her.

Chi Qiu opened the package. It was made of unknown beast skin, silver in color, with excellent elasticity and water and cut resistance. Inside, several pieces of clothing were neatly folded, smooth to the touch, all made of high-quality silk.

Chi Qiu took out the first silver-white garment and unfolded it. It was a one-piece leave-the-heaven skirt. The upper part had a golden thread embroidered cloud pattern, and the lower part flowed down to the ankle, looking dignified and elegant.

This leave-the-heaven skirt matched Chi Qiu’s aesthetic, but she needed clothing for travel, and this skirt didn’t seem suitable. She was tempted to ask Ding Shi if he would wear it while traveling the world.

Never mind, she thought, and put down the silver-white leave-the-heaven skirt. She then picked up the second garment, a rose-colored piece. Before even unfolding it, Chi Qiu had a bad feeling, as few people used rose to make hunting clothes or robes.

Chi Qiu reluctantly unfolded the rose-colored garment. As expected, the upper part was a robe, and the lower part was a pomegranate skirt.

Chi Qiu casually tossed the two garments on the redwood table in her bedroom and spread the remaining garments on the bed. Except for a few undergarments, the rest were various styles of skirts and robes, all beautifully crafted and comfortable to the touch. But Chi Qiu couldn’t be happy, imagining herself traveling long distances in these various skirts.

The sky had darkened, and Chi Qiu felt it was not convenient to disturb Ding Shi at this hour to ask for different clothing. She decided to wait until morning and then talk to him about it.

Chi Qiu called for the maid, a fourteen-year-old girl named Anling. She was timid and kept her head down, not daring to look at Chi Qiu’s face.

Chi Qiu asked her to bring a bucket of hot water so she could take a bath. Since leaving the forest, she had been cautious, taking five days to reach Sang City. During these five days, she hadn’t even slept much, let alone bathed. Now, sitting in the bedroom, she felt both physically and mentally exhausted.

Soon, Anling filled the stone bath with hot water and added some flower petals. Chi Qiu nodded in satisfaction, then undressed and slowly stepped into the bath.

“Lady, would you like me to assist you with your bath?” Anling asked, seeing Chi Qiu comfortably lying in the bath.

“No need. You can throw away these clothes for me.” Chi Qiu closed her eyes and lay in the bath, tossing her discarded clothes to Anling, who hesitated at the door. These clothes were mostly severely damaged, and Chi Qiu no longer wanted to wear them.

“Yes,” Anling replied, bowed, and left the bathroom.

Chi Qiu lay in the bath, took off her hat, and scooped water onto her face. Then she looked down at the water’s surface, seeing the blue-haired, blue-eyed girl, and paused.

When did she start adapting to this body? Was it the night she succeeded in detoxification, or the first time she looked in a copper mirror, or the moment she jumped up to touch Su Hanxing’s head with her true energy? Chi Qiu didn’t know. She just felt that with time, her mindset had become increasingly tranquil. Now, looking at herself in the water, she felt no ripple in her heart.

Is this me? Is this… me?

—

After soaking in the bath for over an hour, Chi Qiu finally prepared to leave. Suddenly, she realized she had let Anling throw away the clothes she was wearing, and now she had nothing to wear.

“Anling—Anling—” Chi Qiu lay back in the bath and called out for the maid.

“Lady, what are your orders?” Anling quickly entered the bathroom, asking through the screen.

“Go to my bedroom and bring me a set of clothes.” Chi Qiu lay in the bath and turned over.

Anling agreed and left the bathroom. Soon, she returned to the bedroom, placing a complete set of clothes and towels for drying on the bed, and then left the bathroom, waiting outside.

Chi Qiu stood up and exited the bath. She picked up the towel and dried her body, then put on the undergarments. But when she saw the last piece of clothing, she hesitated. It was the silver-white leave-the-heaven skirt that Ding Shi had sent over earlier.

After much thought, Chi Qiu finally picked up the silver-white leave-the-heaven skirt and, after trying it on for a while, put it on.

Chi Qiu, now wearing the leave-the-heaven skirt, turned around in place. Surprisingly, the long skirt was quite lightweight and didn’t hinder her movements.

Chi Qiu stopped and lifted the skirt to examine it, trying to determine what material it was made from. But after a long look, she gave up and let go.

Chi Qiu arranged her skirt and pushed open the bathroom door. Outside, it was pitch black, with a crescent moon high in the sky.

Anling stood at the door, waiting. Seeing Chi Qiu exit, she quickly turned and bowed, but froze when she saw Chi Qiu’s face.

“M… My Lady, you… you are so beautiful.” Hearing Anling’s stuttered compliment, Chi Qiu remembered she had left her hat by the bath.

“You may return to your room and rest. You don’t need to wait for me.” Chi Qiu touched her cheek, looking at Anling’s blush.

“A… All right, my Lady.” Anling nodded, bowed, and quickly ran back to the guest room.

Chi Qiu watched Anling return to the guest room, and her expression changed. She slowly walked to the front yard. As soon as Chi Qiu stepped into the front yard, the ground began to tremble slightly, and then tender shoots sprouted, grew, budded, and finally bloomed.

A sea of blue flowers enveloped the entire courtyard. Chi Qiu stood in the flower sea, looking toward the courtyard gate for a long time before finally speaking:

“Who are you?”