After finishing his tea, Yekong noticed his senior brother sitting motionless and silent, so he couldn't help but ask, "Senior Brother, it’s been a long time since you visited. Now that you’re here, why haven't you said a word?"
"Could it be that your throat is feeling uncomfortable?"
Qin Wuyi shook his head and turned his face away, unwilling to look at Yekong and not daring to respond.
Seeing that he wouldn't engage, Yekong immediately remarked, "Senior Brother, have you been struck dumb?"
"You’re the one who’s d—"
Qin Wuyi caught himself after only three words and instantly clamped his mouth shut.
The scent of the stupefying incense he had brought drifted into his mouth, instantly invading his body and limbs. He felt his hands and feet go numb and his head grow dizzy. He immediately bit the tip of his tongue, channeling his spiritual power to fight off the paralysis.
"See, Senior Brother? You can talk after all," Yekong said with a huff.
Qin Wuyi’s aged face flushed a deep red; the potency of this incense was far too strong.
"Senior Brother, I have a question for you!"
*Don’t ask, shut up!* Qin Wuyi didn't want to hear Yekong speak, but he couldn't leave either. If he left now, all his efforts would be for nothing.
"Senior Brother, is Nephew Qin Shou your illegitimate son? Tell me quietly, I promise I won't tell the Sect Master!" Yekong whispered.
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyi’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. He desperately wanted to say he wasn't, but he couldn't open his mouth.
"Hiss, so it really is true!" Yekong gasped in surprise. "Senior Brother, don't worry, I absolutely won't tell anyone. I promise!"
"It's just that your choice of names is really quite poor. 'Qin Shou'—if people didn't know better, they'd think you named him 'Beast' (Qinshou)," Yekong teased with a laugh.
Qin Wuyi couldn't take it anymore. He forced his mouth open and blurted out, "He is not my illegitimate son, he is—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the incense surged into his brain. In an instant, the world began to spin for Qin Wuyi. His eyelids drooped heavily, and everything went black.
Yekong watched Qin Wuyi slump over onto the stone table, unconscious. He shook his head and took a sip of tea. "Oh, Senior Brother, Senior Brother, you made this incense yourself—how could you not prepare an antidote for your own use?"
Yekong shook his head, picked up the unconscious Qin Wuyi with one hand, and deposited him just outside the borders of Xiaoyao Peak. "Senior Brother, my temple is too small to host you for the night."
With that, Yekong walked back. Qin Wuyi’s position was less than five meters away from where Qin Shou and the others were lying in wait; they would be able to see him the moment they turned their heads.
Back in his courtyard, Yekong had just taken a deep breath when his disciple arrived.
"Master, you..."
*No, this air... it's poisoned!* Before Lin Yaoyao could finish her sentence, she smelled the strange scent and her vision went dark. She collapsed, unconscious.
Yekong looked at her and sighed helplessly. *It’s just the scent of a smoke, isn't it? She fainted from just one whiff—her constitution is really too weak. Ah, my disciple's aptitude is quite mediocre.*
***
When Lin Yaoyao opened her eyes again, she stared at the beams on the ceiling and rubbed her temples with a delicate hand.
"Why does my head feel so heavy?" She patted her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to think. She remembered wanting to find her Master to ask about the Tao Mountain formation, but then... she had smelled something strange and passed out.
*It must be that Master drugged me!*
As soon as she thought of this, Lin Yaoyao felt a pang of misery. *I, the Great Emperor, have conquered everything in my life, never knowing defeat, yet today I’ve been taken down by my good-for-nothing Master. Since he knocked me out, he must be trying to...*
She stopped and checked her body. *Huh? Nothing happened? He didn't do anything to me? That shouldn't be right. I am peerless in beauty; wouldn't a man who knocks me out want to...*
*Wait. What am I thinking?*
*Master was just burning incense in his own courtyard; he wasn't trying to drug me. I was the one who went looking for him.*
Lin Yaoyao realized she had overthought it. Her face flushed, and she buried her head in her hands. *Something isn't right. Why am I thinking such things?*
She regained her composure, but wondered, *Could it be that Master lit the incense to drug Uncle Qin Wuyi, so he could do some... shameful things?*
Lin Yaoyao got off the bed and noticed a bottle of Spirit-Condensing Pills on the table. These were first-grade pills, common in the sect, known for clearing the mind.
"My cheap Master isn't actually that bad to me," she murmured. She took a pill, and it melted the moment it touched her tongue. She immediately felt refreshed, her dizziness vanishing as vitality surged through her.
"This is clearly only a first-grade pill, yet the effect is so miraculous!" she exclaimed in shock. The effect was comparable to a third-grade pill! Seeing four or five pills left in the bottle, a warmth bloomed in her heart. *My cheap Master must have spent a fortune to buy these for me. Ah, this only makes his poverty even worse.*
*Forget it. I am not a person who forgets kindness. Today, I shall guide Master in his cultivation!*
Lin Yaoyao walked out of the room and headed toward the Bitter Sea, where Yekong was still fishing.
*Master, oh Master, no wonder you've been stuck at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation for a decade. You don't practice properly, spending every day fishing and drinking tea—it would be a miracle if your cultivation improved.*
"Master!" she called out.
Yekong turned to look at her and said casually, "You're awake, then?"
"Yes, thanks to Master's precious pills, I have fully recovered," she nodded.
"Just something I whipped up," Yekong said nonchalantly.
The Spirit-Condensing Pills were actually just made from a few herbs he had plucked at random. Although he didn't know alchemy, he was able to extract the essence of the herbs and use his immense spiritual power to compress them into pills.
Lin Yaoyao sighed internally. *Master really will say anything to save face.* Those pills had the effect of third-grade medicine, something even a typical third-grade alchemist couldn't produce. And yet, Master only had the cultivation of a Qi practitioner; he wasn't even a first-grade alchemist.
"Master, would you like to test your disciple?" she asked, looking up at him.
To avoid hurting his pride, Lin Yaoyao always told him she was "letting him test her," then she would explain her insights so he could learn from them. *Ah, I really worry myself to death for this cheap Master.*
Yekong frowned slightly. *Test her? If you don't understand something, just ask. I'm your Master—what's there to be shy about? My disciple is still too thin-skinned.*
"Very well," Yekong replied. "How much have you realized so far?"
"I have realized the second volume of the Stellar River Reincarnation Sword—'Setting Sun, Ten Thousand Sword Intents'."
She explained her insights in detail. Yekong listened quietly.
***
At Yushou Peak, Peak Master Qin Wuyi sat on his throne, his face twisted in fury. He slammed his hand down, shattering the armrest.
He was livid! Not only had he failed to drug Yekong, but he had been drugged by his own incense. Being drugged was one thing, but he had laid on the cold ground of Xiaoyao Peak all night, catching a chill and getting bitten by bugs.
The damage to his body wasn't great, but the insult was immense! He had been lying right behind his disciples, yet not one of them had noticed! They let him lie there all night. If he hadn't been woken up by bug bites the next morning, who knew how long he would have stayed there?
"A bunch of useless fools!" he spat.
Qin Shou and the others stood at the foot of the stairs, not daring to speak. They had been crouching all night; their legs were numb. *We're the useless ones? You failed to drug Yekong and ended up drugging yourself—that's not our fault.*
Qin Shou complained silently, not daring to voice his thoughts. At a time like this, anything said would be wrong.
"Master, it’s all because Yekong is too cunning! He drugged you and then dumped you out!" one disciple ventured, sounding indignant.
Qin Wuyi gave him a cold glare. The disciple, wanting to say more, felt a chill and shut his mouth. What he had just said was effectively a slap in the face to Qin Wuyi. The incense had been crafted by Qin Wuyi himself; the fact that he was the only one drugged meant his skills were inferior. And to be dumped out of Xiaoyao Peak like trash... if others found out, what face would he have left? He would become a laughingstock!
"No one is allowed to speak of this!" Qin Wuyi shouted with a darkened face. "And you—go to the Spirit Beast Garden and guard the beasts."
The disciple’s face went pale. That place was terrifying, filled with man-eating Demonic Beasts. Once inside, if your strength wasn't enough, you never came out.
"Master, I was wrong!"
"Go, as I commanded!" Qin Wuyi said coldly.
No one dared to plead for him; he lacked the basic awareness of when to keep his mouth shut.
Qin Shou, sensing the tension had subsided, stepped forward and bowed. "Master, we cannot let this rest."
Qin Wuyi looked at Qin Shou, recalling Yekong’s question. Qin Shou wasn't his son, but his nephew. The Stellar River Sect forbade nepotism, so Qin Wuyi had kept their relationship hidden. Only the other Peak Masters knew, and they were happy to turn a blind eye, as everyone had family in the sect.
"What do you have in mind?" Qin Wuyi asked in a low voice.
Qin Shou smiled sinisterly. "Master, the annual tribute is about to begin, isn't it?"
Qin Wuyi understood instantly and smiled faintly. "Indeed. The Dayan State sends tribute to our sect every year, and we always send a peak disciple to receive the envoys. This year, it is Xiaoyao Peak’s turn. Once he leaves Xiaoyao Peak, I’d like to see who can protect him then!"
***
On Xiaoyao Peak, Lin Yaoyao finished her instruction and walked away with her hands behind her back. *I don't know if the cheap Master understood or not. He just kept nodding. It was clearly me teaching him, not him testing me.*
*Still, looking at his serious expression, he must have understood, right?*
She returned to her hut. She was already at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation and only needed a Foundation Establishment item to ascend. However, she didn't want standard Foundation Establishment pills or common treasures. Her talent determined her lower limit, but the Foundation Establishment determined her upper limit.
"Headache. I'm about to break through, where am I supposed to get a Foundation Establishment item?" She sighed. "Master? Forget it. He doesn't even have one, and even if he could get one, it would only be a basic pill. My talent is extraordinary; ordinary items won't help me reach the Emperor Realm."
*Everything has to be done by oneself.*
She sat cross-legged and began to chant a special secret technique of the Empress. Golden runes surrounded her body, mysterious and profound. She couldn't summon anything with her current strength, but she could transmit a message. With a wave of her hand, the runes vanished into the void.
***
In the central region of the Great Thousand Continent, a tower stood reaching into the clouds—the headquarters of the Great Thousand Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce had a powerful status in the cultivation world. In the tower, a middle-aged man was lifting his teacup when runes suddenly manifested before him. He trembled, nearly dropping the cup.
*The... the... the Empress is still alive? She didn't fall?*
Xiao Yuan read the meaning of the runes and dismissed them, his face heavy. The Empress wanted a "Foundation Establishment Treasure Bone." He could procure a top-tier bone, but he didn't dare.
*Your Majesty, forgive me. Your enemies are too powerful; I dare not provoke them. I cannot give you the item you seek. If they find out I’ve been in contact with you, the Great Thousand Chamber of Commerce is finished.*
He hesitated for a long time before making a decision. "Someone, take a piece of Red Chicken treasure bone—the one we use for feeding the dragon-dogs—and send it to the barren lands, to Xiaoyao Peak of the Stellar River Sect."
*Your Majesty, forgive me.* He could only provide a makeshift item to appease her.
***
By the Bitter Sea, Yekong was fishing when he remembered his disciple was about to break through.
*How should I give her the Phoenix Treasure Bone?* He shrugged. *Forget it, I'll leave it at her door tonight.*
Time passed until evening. Yekong stretched and walked out of his courtyard, carrying the Phoenix Treasure Bone. He sensed that Lin Yaoyao was in secluded meditation. He left the bone in front of her hut and turned to leave. *Tomorrow, when she sees the gift I've prepared, will she be moved to tears? Probably.*
He returned to the Xiaoyao Hall. Not long after he left, a red bird flew over, dropped a jade box, and flew away.
The next morning, Lin Yaoyao walked out and saw the jade box and a crimson treasure bone. She picked up the Phoenix Treasure Bone, knowing it was the one Xiao Yuan had sent. She then opened the jade box, which contained a mottled, cheap-looking Red Bird bone.
*Master actually gave me a Red Bird bone? Where did he get this? This must be the Foundation Establishment item he prepared for me.*
She looked toward the Bitter Sea and sighed. *Ah, it was hard on you, Master. You must have begged many people to get this for me. Even though the Red Bird bone is inferior, with your limited ability, this is likely the best you could do.*
She bowed in the distance. "Thank you, Master!"
Yekong, sitting by the Bitter Sea, nodded slightly. "You're welcome."
*The Phoenix Treasure Bone I prepared for you will allow for a perfect Foundation Establishment. The higher the grade of the item, the more stable the Tao Foundation. Don't be too moved, disciple; I'm not good at comforting girls.*
Lin Yaoyao collected both bones and returned to her room. She kept the Red Bird bone just so Master wouldn't feel sad, intending to bury it later. *Master, oh Master, I have my own channels for these things.*
After she felt Lin Yaoyao go inside, Yekong waved his hand and activated the Tao Mountain formation to shroud the hut, ensuring she wouldn't be disturbed. Only then did he return to his fishing.
***
At Yushou Peak, Qin Shou sat in his room, his body shimmering with golden light. He had consumed many pills, and his cultivation had loosened.
"Little Black Ant, I couldn't beat you with my Golden Core, but wait until I break through to the Nascent Soul realm—I'll teach you a lesson!" Qin Shou thought viciously.
He closed his eyes, refining his spiritual power, nourishing his Golden Core, and incubating his Nascent Soul. Outside his door, Demonic Beasts guarded the area, arranged by Qin Wuyi.
This was Qin Shou's second attempt at breaking through to the Nascent Soul.
Qin Wuyi stood outside the door, sighing. "Disciple, you only have this one chance. If you fail again, it will be incredibly difficult to try again. I cannot help you, I can only guard you."
***
On Xiaoyao Peak, Yekong, who had just finished fishing, sensed a powerful aura rising. He instantly realized his disciple was beginning her breakthrough.
"Already?" Yekong felt a wave of envy. *My disciple is already establishing her foundation, and here I am, still stuck at the three-thousandth layer of Qi Condensation. Who knows when I’ll ever reach the Foundation Establishment?*
He sighed and watched from afar.
Inside the hut, Lin Yaoyao sat cross-legged, refining the Phoenix Treasure Bone to serve as her foundation. The bone radiated red light, wrapping around her, and a tattered phantom of a phoenix screeched. Even though Yekong had purged the remnant soul from the bone, a trace of the phoenix’s essence blood remained.
Lin Yaoyao’s eyes were shut tight, her immense willpower suppressing the phantom. The phantom stared at her with hatred, wanting to devour her and be reborn. She struggled to defend her consciousness, her face pale.
"A mere phoenix phantom—I, Lin Yaoyao, do not believe I cannot destroy you!" she shouted, channeling her imperial art: *The Nine-Dragon Tyrant Body.*
Nine small, illusory dragons appeared, pouring into her consciousness and tangling with the phoenix phantom. The phoenix burned with intense flames, resisting the dragons. The small dragons struggled and flickered, beginning to dissipate.