Chapter 12: A Man Falls From the Sky
Jiang Qing climbed with extreme caution. Before long, she landed steadily at the mouth of the cave.
It was a naturally formed passage. Not daring to be careless, she made her way inside step by step. The tunnel twisted and turned, winding through nine curves and eighteen bends. As she ventured deeper, the light faded, but this was of no concern; she had plenty of moonstones on her. Guided by their faint, ghostly glow, she pressed on.
The further she went, the more humid the air became, heavy with moisture. She was nearing the heart of the mountain. After walking for the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, Jiang Qing suddenly froze.
"What is that..."
At the end of the passage, she saw a soft, white glow. More than that, she could clearly feel the spiritual energy in the air growing denser—far more concentrated than it was outside.
She took a few more steps and was stunned by the sight before her. It was a natural karst cave, illuminated as if it were daylight. The space was not large, perhaps fifty square meters. In the center stood a natural stone pool filled with a pool of milky white liquid that radiated an intense aura. Above the pool, white, jade-like stalactites hung from the ceiling, glistening with moisture.
"Spirit milk..." Jiang Qing was overjoyed. She had finally found it.
"Deep in the heart of the earth, where spirit stone stalactites gather essence for a decade, it manifests as white, jade-like milk. For commoners, consuming it sharpens the mind, lightens the body, and grants great strength. For cultivators, it cleanses the marrow, elevates talent, replenishes spiritual energy, advances one's cultivation, and can be used in alchemy and forging."
This was a passage she had read in the *Encyclopedia of Cultivation* just a few days ago. Spirit milk increased in potency over time, categorized by the decades, centuries, millennia, or even ten millennia it had aged. What lay before her was centennial spirit milk.
Stifling her excitement, Jiang Qing cupped her hands to scoop up the milk and drank it. The liquid melted instantly upon contact, turning into a torrent of violent spiritual energy that surged through her limbs and bones. Her body began to heat up, white mist rising from her head as if she were perched atop a furnace.
Her expression shifted drastically. *How careless,* she thought. *The spiritual energy in centennial spirit milk is immense—how could I have been so excited that I drank it like water? I truly am a cultivation novice.* But it was too late for regrets.
She hurried to sit cross-legged on the ground, closed her eyes, and began to circulate the *Longevity Six Paths Samsara Sutra* to refine the rampaging energy. Under the guidance of the technique, the wild energy gradually calmed, turning into fine wisps of essence that flowed into her dantian.
Her cultivation level rose steadily. Two days had passed by the time she fully refined the spirit milk. Opening her eyes, she looked down and realized she had reached the Qi Condensation 5th Layer. She was ecstatic. *Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise—is this considered finding good fortune in disaster?*
Though happy, she understood she could not be so reckless again. She had been lucky this time; there was no guarantee for the next. Having no mentor, she had been fumbling through the path of cultivation on her own since she started. Her situation was one most rogue cultivators had experienced; some were lucky enough to be fine, while others ended up crippled or dead. At worst, they suffered injuries. Jiang Qing counted herself among the lucky ones.
"Gurgle!"
Her stomach chose that moment to protest. She realized she had been cultivating for two days without food. Rubbing her hollow belly, she decided, *Fine, I'll see if I can hunt some small game to roast once I get out.* She had left in such a hurry that she hadn't visited the bazaar to buy any hunger-suppressing pills.
Jiang Qing glanced at the stone pool and took out several large wooden barrels she had purchased at the bazaar. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the barrels were full. There was only a tiny bit of liquid left in the pool. It was a pity she had no more containers.
"I should have bought more barrels!" she sighed at the sight of the remaining liquid. *Oh well, I'll leave some for him. I've already taken so much of his opportunity; it would be embarrassing to take it all.*
Rubbing her nose to shake off her guilty conscience, she stored the barrels into her System Warehouse. Seeing nothing else of value, she headed back the way she came.
She climbed the gnarled tree and, in moments, landed steadily on the cliff edge. Just as she prepared to leave, a scream pierced the air, accompanied by the whistle of a body plummeting through the wind.
"Help meeeee!"
Jiang Qing jumped in fright. She looked up toward the source of the sound and saw someone falling from the sky—or rather, from the cliff at the peak. Before she could identify him, a loud "thud" echoed as the man landed squarely on the same gnarled tree she had occupied earlier.
Peering over the cliff, Jiang Qing recognized the man instantly: it was none other than Qin Lingtian.
"Oh, wow. He really is the darling of the Heavenly Dao. Even falling from the sky, he lands on a tree."
She finally understood how Qin Lingtian had discovered the centennial spirit milk. From that vantage point, the cave entrance was clearly visible. Anyone with a shred of curiosity would want to climb over and take a look, and Qin Lingtian was no exception.
Sure enough, as Qin Lingtian lingered on the tree, still shaken, he spotted the cave.
"Huh? Is there a cave there?"
Driven by curiosity, he did exactly what Jiang Qing had done and climbed over carefully. Watching from the cliff, Jiang Qing thought, *That was close. Good thing I left when I did, or we would have run into each other.*
She patted her chest, heart still racing, and didn't dare linger. With a swift movement, she vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, Qin Lingtian reached the cave and followed the passage into the karst cavern. Naturally, he found the stone pool beneath the stalactites.
"Is that... centennial spirit milk?" he exclaimed in delight. But soon, he noticed something off. "Huh? Why is there so little?"
While puzzled, he noticed small footprints around the pool. Judging by their size, they belonged to a woman. *But who could it be? How did she get here? And if she was here, why didn't she take it all?*
He couldn't fathom it. "Whatever. Better some than none. I should have come sooner."
Though slightly disappointed, he took out his containers and collected the remaining liquid. After filling five or six porcelain bottles, the pool was bone dry. It wasn't much, but it was enough for his cultivation needs. Despite his initial disappointment, he was generally quite pleased.
*I thought I was a dead man after being chased off this cliff by that vulture, and yet, here I find a treasure waiting for me. Heh heh! My luck is truly something else.*
Qin Lingtian packed away the spirit milk and searched the cave once more. Finding nothing else of value, he left, wearing a look of disappointment.