The sun had already climbed high, and Jiang Qingyu enjoyed the first "lazy sleep-in" she had had since arriving in the Cultivation World.
She recalled last night...
Barely three minutes after the Barrier vanished, her small courtyard was paid a visit by a group of rather unusual guests—two ghosts and five demons, two women and five men.
The two women were exceptionally beautiful; based on their attire, Jiang Qingyu was certain that one was a female ghost and the other a snake demon. As for the five men, aside from the pale, clean-looking ghost, the others were—well, it was hard to put into words.
May I ask, how exactly did you manage to strike a balance between having a distinct, individual personality and looking like such a chaotic, yet strangely unique, reflection of your respective identities?
"Yo, Boss! It's a pretty little girl!" The one with round, puffy cheeks and a face full of red acne was clearly a toad, one of the Five Poisons. His tone and mannerisms were eerily reminiscent of a caricature from history, complete with a small smudge of black on his upper lip, and he spoke in broken, awkward Mandarin: "Yo-shi, Taijun! Flower maiden!"
Jiang Qingyu felt her hands itching; she really wanted to tear something apart.
The woman in the lead—no, to be precise, the female ghost who looked like a high-class courtesan—wore layers of light gauze and red robes. A hollowed-out hairpin was tucked into her hair, adorned with red jade, her flowing dark tresses catching the light. With a red plum blossom painted on her brow and delicate makeup, she was elegance personified.
When this female ghost heard the toad, she flashed a smile at Jiang Qingyu that instantly brought the line "A single glance, and she eclipses all the beauties in the six palaces" to mind.
"Third Brother, you’re scaring the girl. Roll away."
The toad pouted, curled into a ball right there on the ground, and used his hands and feet to roll away with surprising, rotund efficiency.
Jiang Qingyu stood stunned before the screen. So, it turned out that some people really could provide a literal answer to the command "roll away."
The female ghost covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice sounding like silver bells. She pointed to herself and the other male ghost: "I am Mei Niang, and he is the Scholar. As for that toad who just rolled away, they are the Five Poisons. They are easy to recognize; you can tell them apart at a glance."
"I am Jiang Qingyu, everyone calls me Xiaoyu. Mei, is there a reason for your late-night visit?"
The address "Sister Mei" made Mei Niang beam with joy.
"Xiaoyu, your mouth is truly sweet. Aren't you afraid of us?" Mei Niang deliberately made a threatening gesture, pointing to her own jade feet hovering three inches off the ground. She shot a look at the Five Poisons, and aside from the green-clad snake woman, they were all forced to reveal their signature claws, tails, and stingers, turning the scene increasingly bizarre.
Jiang Qingyu’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. *Is that all?*
Out of politeness, she decided to play along. "Wow, how terrifying!"
Mei Niang couldn't help but laugh. "Hehehe, Xiaoyu has such a brave heart." Although she wasn't actually scared, she acted as if she had been.
Having been a spirit for many years, she had scared no fewer than eight hundred living souls. But this little girl's acting was terrible—there wasn't a hint of fear in those clear, bright eyes.
Mei Niang gathered a wisp of red mist in her right hand; when it dissipated, it revealed a perfectly round white pearl. Palm upturned, she offered it: "Xiao Yuan's junior sister, since you call me Sister Mei, this is a welcoming gift for our first meeting."
Jiang Qingyu swept her gaze across the group. They were all wearing "kindly" smiles, and though they didn't speak, they all gestured for her to take it.
She accepted the pearl with both hands. They were all so tall that she had to tilt her head back to look at them, her tone sincere: "Thank you, Sister Mei. Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
"No, no, we’re leaving soon!"
"It's the middle of the night, Xiaoyu should be resting!"
"That’s right, that’s right! If Xiao Yuan knew we were bothering his junior sister like this, he’d probably send me off to plow the fields!"
The Five Poisons chattered away until Mei Niang and the Scholar finally signaled for them to leave. They bade farewell to Jiang Qingyu, left the courtyard, and continued on their way under the moonlight.
Clutching the pearl, Jiang Qingyu stood at the doorway until they were out of sight. She closed the door, changed, and went to bed—she really was quite exhausted. In her dreams, she seemed to vaguely hear the voices of Mei Niang and the others on the roof—something about Xiaoyu, the moon, and auras—faint and intermittent.
***
Sitting at her vanity, Jiang Qingyu finished recalling the events and took out the gift Mei Niang had given her from her vermilion jewelry box. It was rich with spiritual energy and felt cool against her palm.
After thinking it over for a while, she realized there was no record of such an item in her memory. She tucked it into her robes and ran toward the training grounds; surely, her Senior Brother would know what it was.
She was a full hour late compared to the previous two days.
Baixin sat at his desk, leafing through an ancient tome, his presence blending perfectly with the surrounding scenery. Jiang Qingyu tiptoed into the pavilion, preparing to kneel on the cushion to beg for forgiveness, but before she could bend her knees, a trace of spiritual power held her upright.
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry, I'm late."
Baixin looked up and suddenly laughed. "I hadn't even said anything yet, and you're already so quick to admit your fault. Go on, go take your seat."
Jiang Qingyu obediently sat in her place and took out the book she hadn't finished yesterday. Aside from apologizing, she remained very well-behaved today, without her usual chatter or expressions, and she didn't mention a word about last night.
Baixin’s smile faded. Perhaps feeling a bit "guilty," he couldn't sit still. Ever since he had exposed his identity as a Half-Demon, he hadn't bothered to hide his tails, and at this moment, his eight fox tails were flicking back and forth impatiently. The phrase "be careful not to overdo it" replayed in his mind, carrying a strange, masochistic beauty.
A cup of tea’s time passed...
Baixin rubbed his nose awkwardly. It seemed Xiaoyu was genuinely upset. Jiang Qingyu was the youngest in the sect, only nine years old. Before her, the youngest was the second disciple, Yayin, who had joined at sixteen. By then, they had all crossed the threshold of cultivation and were essentially young adults, making them hard to tease.
Finally having a younger one, his demon nature—suppressed for over a century—had finally been unleashed. He had been quite happy last night, but now he felt a mix of regret and helplessness. His master had never taught him how to coax a child!
His Senior Brother’s expression was so innocent. Those fox eyes, which should have been seductive and charming, now looked like a drowned puppy, drooping and pitiful, making it hard for Jiang Qingyu to ignore.
She pulled herself out of her book. "Senior Brother, is there something you’d like to say?"
Jiang Qingyu thought her words were perfectly fine. However, the guilty man latched onto the word "Senior Brother," his heart secretly collapsing as he gave a silent, internal howl: *Xiaoyu dropped the "Great"! She’s definitely angry!*
The title "Senior Brother" could apply to many—to Xiao Yuan, to Yayin, or to him. But just one day ago, Xiaoyu would have been beaming, calling him "Great Senior Brother~" with a sweet smile. Now, he had ruined it.
Baixin remained expressionless, the air around him thick with gloom. Jiang Qingyu seriously suspected this Senior Brother was an impostor! Ever since the news of the Third Senior Sister and Fourth Senior Brother’s return had spread, he had changed. First, he was moody, then he removed the barrier, and now he was acting like this half-dead soul.
Even across the desk, she could feel the wave of melancholy and disappointment radiating from him. *Could he have been possessed?!* That didn't seem right. This place was in the middle of nowhere; who would come to such a remote corner? The Wuya Sword Sect was an ancient secret realm site; unless they had the token given by the Master, no one could enter silently.
That was ridiculous. At the very least, her Senior Brother was a powerhouse at the Divine Transformation Peak; he wasn't made of paper, waiting to be molded by others.
"Great Senior Brother, you aren't acting like yourself. Are you having some kind of trouble?" Not daring to guess, Jiang Qingyu was genuinely worried about his mental state.
Baixin was touched. His junior sister still cared about him; it wasn't beyond saving. He had to make amends! "Xiaoyu, about last night, actually..."
Jiang Qingyu understood instantly. "Huh? Senior Brother, were you concerned that because you removed the barrier around my courtyard, I ended up chatting with Sister Mei in the middle of the night, which made me oversleep and miss my morning lessons?"
"..." Baixin paused. "Xiaoyu, aren't you angry that I took down the barrier?"
She looked at him, bewildered. "Why would I be angry?" She had thought it was a much bigger deal.
"Those ghosts and demon beasts of Xiao Yuan's... some haven't awakened their intelligence and can act quite strangely. It's frightening. I regret that I let you meet Mei Niang and the others in that way."
"But I like Sister Mei and the others! And those little ghosts and demons watching the moon were cute, too!" She reached under her belt and took out the welcoming gift, saying crisply, "Look, this is the gift Sister Mei gave me. Sadly, I don't know what it is. I brought it here hoping to ask you after class. Could you take a look?"
Baixin took the pearl with heavy hands, feeling embarrassed and wishing he could find a place to hide. The demon clan was simple-minded; once his nature was released, he was inevitably influenced. He just hadn't expected it to affect his *brain*! Because he was afraid Xiaoyu was angry, he had subconsciously brainwashed himself, obsessing over minor details and forgetting that Xiaoyu had also called him "Senior Brother" respectfully in the past. It was just one word—what difference could it possibly make?
His heart settled, and he retracted his restless tails. Baixin returned to normal, though his right ear felt a bit hot. Jiang Qingyu looked down at her toes with regret; the fluffy tails had been so close, she had almost been able to pet them. What a pity.
Baixin didn't notice this. He examined the pearl seriously. It had a milky, translucent texture, and under the sunlight, it shimmered with iridescent colors, its luster far exceeding that of a regular pearl. His gaze flickered as he settled on an answer. "This... should be a Shark Pearl."
"A Shark Pearl?" As in, the tears of the Merfolk?
"Legend says that in the South Sea, there exists a demon race with human heads and fish tails. Whether male or female, they are beautiful beyond compare. On the nights of the full moon, when the tide rises, they leap from the sea to sing. Their voices are as melodious as clear jade and as limpid as a calm lake. Later generations call them Merfolk."
Baixin paused. "Merfolk live in seclusion. A Merfolk Maiden once saved a fisherman who had fallen into the sea. Yearning for the outside world, she transformed her tail into legs for love. The fisherman fell in love with her at first sight. His parents, unaware of the Merfolk, thought their son had been bewitched by an evil spirit. To exorcise the 'curse,' the villagers tied the fisherman to a wooden stake and burned him alive. When the maiden arrived, only a charred husk remained. After slaughtering the village, she held him and wept blood, which turned into pearls, before taking her own life."
"...Are there still Merfolk now?"
Baixin shook his head. "I don't know."
"Some say the Shark Pearl can enhance one's cultivation. For the sake of these pearls, Evil Cultivators slaughtered the Merfolk in the South Sea, driving them to extinction. The sea turned scarlet overnight, and the surface was filled with their bodies, but not a single Shark Pearl was found. People assumed that those who were quick had snatched them up, and those who didn't get one went searching the seabed. As for whether anyone ever found one, no one knows."
Jiang Qingyu looked at the pearl, the image of the Merfolk’s tragic fate rising in her mind. Her nose stung. "If this really is a Shark Pearl, does that mean the legend is true? Did the Merfolk truly go extinct because of such a baseless disaster?"
He didn't speak, which was as good as an admission.
Jiang Qingyu’s throat felt dry. Disputes over resources—this was merely the tip of the iceberg in the Cultivation World. In just two days, the Half-Demon and the Merfolk—each one was more heartbreaking than the last.
"Great Senior Brother, can this Shark Pearl really be used to enhance cultivation?" If one could improve their cultivation simply by using external objects, Jiang Qingyu couldn't even imagine it. Every benefit came with a price; had those people truly become so blinded by greed that they lost all sense of right and wrong? She didn't say the rest, but her Senior Brother surely understood.
"This Shark Pearl does indeed contain pure spiritual energy, but it cannot enhance cultivation." Baixin sneered. Thinking of something, he slowly tightened his grip on the pearl, his tone dark and ruthless: "Heh, a small rumor destroyed an entire race. Xiaoyu, you must remember: once you leave the Wuya Sword Sect, if you obtain something good, hide it well, or you’ll attract the eyes of thieves!"
"Great Senior Brother, the Shark Pearl is going to crack."
Baixin snapped back to reality, narrowing his fox eyes to meet hers. The child’s gaze was clear, her bright eyes blinking as she looked at him, as if she truly were just reminding him that her gift was about to be crushed.
Whether intentional or not, he felt fortunate. The awakening of his demon nature had stirred deep-seated hatred; one wrong step, and he would have fallen into the abyss.