Chapter 37: There Are Truly Many in This World Who Wish for Your Death

"Where am I?" When Qiao Yu woke up, his face was full of confusion. He moved his fingers uncertainly, then glanced at the two people sitting opposite him and asked hesitantly, "Are you Third Junior Brother? Fourth Junior Brother?"

When he left the illusion, he was awake but his memories were hazy; later, it had been Liang Si who applied medicine for him and Wang Xi who fed him. He didn't have much impression of these two, nor did he remember their rankings clearly.

"Yes." Yang Wenan, seeing him awake, was about to leave. "Master told us to look after you for a while. Now that Senior Brother Qiao is awake, I'll go practice."

"Yes, yes, I will too..."

"Wait." Qiao Yu was still unclear about his situation. He remembered his master bringing him a bowl of medicinal soup—shouldn't he be lying in bed recovering from his wounds?

Wounds?

Yes, what about his injuries?

He looked doubtfully at his own arms, then at his chest. Wherever he looked, his skin was smooth and flawless, with no trace of the trauma he'd suffered.

When he had returned to Wanzhang Peak, he had been so badly wounded that he was practically wrapped up like a zongzi.

"How—how did I end up here? Where is this place?"

He had been at Wanzhang Peak for some time, and apart from the northern bamboo grove, the peak never had so much greenery, nor was there such a pool.

"Wanzhang Peak," Yuan Qingling replied with a smile. Because he hadn't taken any pills these past few days, he had stopped shedding skin but his face was covered with wrinkles. "Master said that although the spiritual spring formation has been set up, it's only for preventing others from stealing spirit stones. It still needs improvement, so its effects aren’t really good yet."

"I see..." Qiao Yu nodded, already guessing that his master must have done this while he was asleep. "I must have slept for many days!"

"Not really, just four or five," Yang Wenan said sympathetically.

Although this Second Senior Brother was a bit stubborn, his cultivation was lower and less stable than any of theirs, and he was obsessed with questions like whether Master truly cared about him.

But after Lu Wei appeared before him wearing Qiao Yu's face, Yang Wenan found it difficult to hold any grudge over such things.

He was just a pitiable soul, manipulated by Master without even realizing it.

"Only four or five days, and it’s already like this?" Qiao Yu frowned.

By the pond, shrubs were thick, the forest lush. Many of the herbs Liang Si usually dried in the sun outside were now growing here, along with many rare and exotic plants Qiao Yu had never seen before.

Even though he was just a country boy, he knew that in only four or five days, transplanted vegetation should not have flourished so densely, especially on this once barren land—it looked as though it had been thriving for five or six years.

"Master instructs us to water them with spiritual spring water every day. He says the effects of the spring haven’t shown even a fraction of their true potential, but it still helps. With the formation in place, everything grows well." The more Yuan Qingling interacted with Wen Jingge, the more admiration he felt.

He even began to dream that, perhaps, before reaching old age, he might break through to the sixth rank.

Master was different from other peak lords; while others might only specialize in a single discipline, in the Illusory Realm, he had seen for himself that Wen Jingge not only knew many arts but was truly proficient in them.

Still, he couldn’t figure out why Master always had to touch others while casting spells, and why those being touched would always faint from exhaustion.

But these were trifles. All he hoped was that Master was also skilled in medicinal cultivation, so he himself might be saved.

"I see..." Qiao Yu’s eyes dimmed. As he thought, Master still disdained him for being useless, leaving even such manual labor to the newly inducted disciples and not to him.

At this moment, Qiao Yu had already forgotten how anxious he had felt that night when he left Wanzhang Peak for the outer mountains.

Master’s love for him had always felt terrifying.

"Yes, that's how it is. Is there anything else, Senior Brother?"

Yang Wenan took a deep breath. He was never good at talking to people, and even his only conversation in the Illusory Realm had almost cost him his life. All he wanted now was to hurry off to his training.

"I..." Qiao Yu had just begun to speak when Yuan Qingling stood up from the pond. Seeing two pairs of eyes fixed on him, he smiled awkwardly. "I—Senior Brother Liang gave me a regimen to follow, so I can’t stay in the water too long. I'll, I'll go out first."

"Oh." Qiao Yu nodded. The atmosphere among the three was awkward.

"I..." Noticing Yang Wenan hadn’t left, Qiao Yu, feeling uneasy, ran his hand through his hair. "Junior Brother, don’t you think there’s something strange about this pool?"

"No," Yang Wenan replied, though he suddenly felt the water’s temperature rising. He looked at Qiao Yu uncertainly and thought he understood why Yuan Qingling had left.

Breaking through to a new rank was Yuan Qingling’s heart’s desire.

He was older now, unlike the younger disciples who still had time to strive and experiment.

"You’re not about to advance to a new rank, are you?" Qiao Yu himself was already at the eighth rank, but it was still unstable. If he were to reach the seventh rank now, the conflicting energies within him might be unbearable. If there was anything odd about the pond, that would explain it.

"Yes." Qiao Yu opened his mouth, feeling that what he was about to say was both demanding and somewhat irritating. "I—Junior Brother, could you help me find Master? I think I'm about to advance, not just strengthen my foundation."

"...," Yang Wenan took a deep breath.

Why, of all people, did Qiao Yu have to be his senior brother?

If he weren’t, Yang Wenan would surely have dunked him into the water to clear his head.

He had reached the eighth rank without mastering the skills of the ninth; now, he was about to attempt the seventh without solidifying the eighth. Did he truly not fear he might burst from within?

"What were you thinking about just now?" he asked.

It couldn’t be that he had some sudden, mysterious enlightenment, could it? If that were the case, every sword-forging prodigy would be flocking to Xuan Yun Sect to cultivate.

"I was...," Qiao Yu blushed in embarrassment, "I just felt ashamed of myself. If I could be a little stronger, I could help Master shoulder more burdens."

Yang Wenan felt exhausted in his heart.

If that alone could bring advancement, he’d have ascended to immortality by now.

"Forget it!" He sighed. "Master and Junior Sister have gone down the mountain. I'll... see if I can find them. If not, I'll go to Lingxiao Peak to seek out Uncle Ai!"

"Why not..." A trace of embarrassment colored Qiao Yu's face. "Why not go to Sect Leader?"

"I don’t know," Yang Wenan replied. After a moment, he added with a peculiar expression, "Anyway, Senior Brother and Master both say that Senior Uncle is very busy. We’re told not to visit Xuanbing Peak unless absolutely necessary. If Uncle Ai can’t help, then look for Uncle Fan; if neither of them can, even Uncle Shan, the good-natured one, will at least pay us some heed."

Qiao Yu frowned. He noticed Yang Wenan's expression matched his own. Clearly, both of them had come to realize once again: rumors from the outside world truly could not be trusted.

After Yang Wenan left, Qiao Yu sat alone in the pool, silently reciting the mantra Wen Jingge had given him when he was Song Ren. As he did, the strange feeling within him grew even deeper.

Suddenly, black mist swirled before his eyes, a demonic wind swept past, and it felt as though a hand from beneath the water was pulling him down.

Qiao Yu panicked, but then realized that even without breathing, he could lie calmly in the water.

"Don't shout," he heard someone say, a voice strikingly familiar.

"You..."

"Your master was right—there really are many in this world who want you dead."

Qiao Yu: ...