Chapter 16

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After seeing Li Xiuping walk away, Le Li changed direction at a turn. She did not return to Qianyuan Peak immediately but continued westward along the back mountain.

At the end, there was a Scarlet Moon Lake, renowned for its breathtaking nighttime scenery, especially on bright moonlit nights when the moonlight was hazy like mist and starlight shimmered like jade—poetic and picturesque. Disciples often came here to admire the view.

Le Li’s visit wasn’t for sightseeing tonight; she had no leisure for that. She had just purchased seeds of the Wenjun Lotus in the market. The Wenjun Lotus was a treasure: its flowers could be used as incense, its leaves brewed into spiritual tea, and its fragrant spiritual lotus roots were especially favored by female cultivators.

Growing spiritual lotuses required nutrient-rich mud, and the mud at Scarlet Moon Lake was very fertile. Anyone wanting to cultivate spiritual lotuses would come here to dig, and the sect allowed it.

Le Li arrived at the lakeside and performed a spell, scooping out clumps of mud, placing them into bags, then transferring them into her storage pouch. When the pouch was full, she secretly moved the mud bags into the Jade Lock Space, emptied the storage pouch, and used it again to collect more mud.

Passersby saw her filling one storage pouch after another and thought she had seven or eight, but in truth, she only had two, switching between them.

Only after gathering enough mud did Le Li head back.

Back at the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, she busied herself, digging pits and trenches along the wall beside the purple bamboo to plant a row of Wenjun Lotuses.

This was a disguise for the Jade Lock Space: she had bought the seeds discreetly, but many had seen her digging mud. If she didn’t plant them in her courtyard, someone might grow suspicious, which wouldn’t be good for her.

After arranging the outside, Le Li entered the Jade Lock Space to fill the deep pool with water and sow the remaining Wenjun Lotus seeds. Then she began tending to half an acre of spiritual fields: on one side planting Zhukui flowers, and on the other, Serenity Flowers. She inscribed simple array formations to cover each section. Everything was ready, now all that was left was to wait for the sprouts.

Le Li smiled slightly, stepped out of the Jade Lock Space, ready to sit and cultivate. As she turned, her gaze inadvertently fell on the hourglass timer on the wall, and her eyes froze instantly.

She had been busy inside the Jade Lock Space for at least one full hour, yet the hourglass showed only a little over half an hour had passed.

Le Li did not think the hourglass was malfunctioning; it was a magical artifact, not a mundane hourglass.

If the hourglass was correct, then the only explanation was that time within the Jade Lock Space passed differently than outside.

Her eyes suddenly lifted, flashing with astonishment.

In her previous life, she had heard of ancient powerful cultivators who could manipulate time, controlling its flow. Could it be that time inside the Jade Lock Space moved at a different rate than outside?

Le Li was eager to verify this. She waited for the hourglass to flip, marking the start of a new hour, then entered the Jade Lock Space, sat down, and began cultivating.

Normally, cycling through nine cycles of the Tai Chi Dual Phase Skill would take about one hour, so she completed nine cycles inside the space, then checked outside to see how much time had passed.

Le Li was anxious to know the result. She expected difficulty entering meditation but was surprised to enter the state swiftly.

After completing exactly nine cycles, she immediately concluded her practice and stepped out. Looking at the hourglass on the wall, it showed just over half an hour had passed.

“So time in the Jade Lock Space flows twice as fast — a full day there equals twenty-four hours, not twelve. It’s true! Such powerful magic to manipulate time is simply incredible!”

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Le Li suddenly laughed, her happiness unrestrained. The Jade Lock Space extended a day’s time by double, not accelerating it in a harmful way, so it would not affect her bone age or lifespan.

“My luck is amazing! I get twice the cultivation time others do, greatly compensating for my spiritual root deficiency. This means my cultivation speed won’t be much slower than in my previous life. Heaven has been kind to me!”

A flash of insight sparked in her mind.

The Three Pure Locks were divided into three independent portable spaces: spiritual fields that could grow medicinal herbs and produce yields; spiritual springs rich in spiritual energy, both aiding cultivation; but the courtyard seemed not to offer extra help. Now she understood—the courtyard’s advantage was time itself, a doubled extension of it.

Le Li had a strange feeling that the upheaval mentioned in the scroll might refer to the division of a family treasure into three children, trying to be fair and impartial—otherwise it wouldn’t be so even-handed.

The spiritual herbs were already planted: Zhukui would sprout in about seven days, Serenity Flower and Wenjun Lotus two days later. With doubled time, Zhukui would sprout by the fourth day, Serenity Flower and Wenjun Lotus by the fifth, halving the maturation period from a year to half a year. She was truly going to flourish.

Le Li laughed again. She had previously thought she didn’t need to cultivate inside the Jade Lock Space, but that was a mistake—she needed it, very much.

That night, Le Li began cultivating inside the Jade Lock Space. Whether meditating or practicing swordplay, she was seldom seen in the Purple Bamboo Courtyard, and when she was, it was usually tending the Red Sun Grass in the spiritual fields.

Qi-phase cultivators should not meditate too long at a time to avoid damage to the meridians and bones. She had just enough time each night for cultivation. Now, with time doubled, she arranged her day as if it were two, splitting cultivation and sword training into two sessions.

In the following days, she watched the spiritual herbs closely. True enough, on the fourth day Zhukui sprouted, and the next day Serenity Flower and Wenjun Lotus also emerged. The days were halved, and her heart was entirely at ease, cultivating with even greater focus.

She decided not to visit Quansucheng for now. Without foundation pills, she cultivated directly using medium-grade spirit stones, one stone lasting several days.

At that moment, Le Li wielded the Hongming Blade, its blade light flickering like fiery red blossoms drifting and blooming. Suddenly, her storage pouch vibrated, and her divine sense detected Yu Sulan’s voice.

“Junior Sister Le, I’m outside your door. Do you have time?”

“Yes, Sister, just a moment!” Le Li withdrew the Hongming Blade, performed a cleansing spell to wash away sweat, then slipped out of the Jade Lock Space. She lifted the talisman and array sealing the courtyard and went out to greet her.

“Sister Yu, what brings you here? Please come in!”

Yu Sulan entered with her hands behind her back, glanced around, and said, “Junior Sister Le, your courtyard is nicely arranged, and you’re even growing Wenjun Lotus.”

She didn’t enter the house but sat on a stone bench beside the purple bamboo. Le Li brought out a teapot, poured some spiritual tea, and handed it to her.

“There were some empty spots by the wall. Leaving them empty was a waste, so I planted some to earn a few spirit stones and satisfy my appetite.”

Yu Sulan took a sip and said, “Many in the sect grow Wenjun Lotus. If you want to make more spirit stones, plant better ones. Senior Sister Mengxuan’s courtyard has third-grade Wansha Lotus. When we have time, I’ll take you to visit her and help you ask for a few seeds. I’m quite close to Senior Sister Mengxuan, so I have some influence.”

“Senior Sister Mengxuan?” Le Li was momentarily stunned. Yu Sulan thought she didn’t know her and introduced, “She’s the daughter of Master Hua Wuying from Blackwood Peak and also her top disciple. She’s exceptional at growing spiritual herbs and refining pills.”

Le Li naturally knew Mengxuan. She suddenly recalled seeing her once in Tianming Ravine in her past life.

Back then, she was attacked and injured by toxic beasts, and Mengxuan helped her escape. She had feared implicating Mengxuan or revealing her whereabouts to Yan Yueheng, so she only thanked her briefly and left.

Mengxuan had probably come to Tianming Ravine seeking herbs to cure toxic miasma. She had suffered from the poison for years, likely during this very period.

No, it should have been a bit later, near the start of a new trial round when chaos among toxic beasts erupted in Pingyao Valley, with many toxic beasts escaping the ravine to harm civilians.

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The southern continent was a land of abundant fire energy, but also heavy with toxic miasma. Demonic beasts lived amid the miasma year-round, their forms twisted by the toxins. Their bodies were infused with poison, some extremely so, hence they were called toxic beasts to distinguish them from ordinary beasts.

When toxic beasts left the valley, the sect took it very seriously. They immediately dispatched disciples to slay the beasts, protect the people, and investigate the cause of the chaos.

After more than a month of effort, the toxic beasts outside were either eliminated or driven back to Pingyao Valley, but the cause of the outbreak remained unknown. The investigation continued, only to be disrupted by an even greater upheaval of toxic beasts within the valley.

To prevent further escape, all disciples fought fiercely to quell the chaos. Mengxuan was injured during this battle, infected with a very strange toxic miasma that entered her meridians and lungs, remaining unresolved for many years. She could no longer grow spiritual herbs or refine pills, as the poison would contaminate the herbs and pills, causing them to wither or turn toxic. Thus, a once-great prodigy fell from grace.

The exact cause of the toxic beast upheaval in Pingyao Valley was widely speculated. Some said it was a sudden shift in the earth veins; others believed a mysterious beast threatened the valley; still others suspected covert sabotage by sect enemies.

Only the sect’s higher-ups knew the truth. At that time, Le Li was just a minor Qi-phase disciple, with no way to learn the real story.

“Hey, Junior Sister Le, why are you zoning out mid-conversation?” Yu Sulan waved her hand in front of Le Li’s eyes.

Le Li’s eyes flickered, smiling lightly. “Sister Yu, sorry, I was just thinking how wonderful it would be to cultivate Wansha Lotus. I’ll trouble you to introduce me to Senior Sister Mengxuan. By the way, why did you come to see me today?”

“Oh, right,” Yu Sulan tapped the table lightly, “Our master went into seclusion and entrusted you to my master. My master noticed I’ve been wandering outside the sect a lot lately and told me to take you out for some experience. Staying on the peak all the time isn’t good. I took a job: a prominent family in Beiliang County has suffered incidents where someone is killed by unknown forces on the 15th of every month. Three people have died, the third being a cultivator. The family asked the sect for help. I’m going to investigate, and if you’re free, come with me and see for yourself.”

Beiliang County was not too far from Pingyao Valley. Le Li immediately nodded, “Sister, I have no other matters. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

“Good, it’s settled then. Let’s go to Beiliang County and complete the task. No rush when we return—we can wander around. Make sure you bring everything you need. I’ll come for you early tomorrow morning.”

“Sister, also prepare well for unexpected situations. ‘Poor family, rich road,’ as they say.”

“You’re a smart one, reminding me. Don’t worry, I’ve been out many times and know what to prepare.”

Yu Sulan smiled and left. Not long after, Le Li followed out to the market to buy medicines, talismans, clothes, and other possible necessities, preparing extra just in case.

Unfortunately, her cultivation level was still low, and she had never been far afield. Even knowing what might happen, she couldn’t issue warnings. Someone who never left the sect wouldn’t know what was about to unfold thousands of miles away in Pingyao Valley. It was hard to explain.

This trip to Beiliang County was a good opportunity to get closer to Pingyao Valley. If she could discover any clues, it would be best; if not, she could fabricate some to alert the sect in advance, preventing casualties among civilians and disciples. That way, Mengxuan might avoid further poisoning, repaying the help she had received in her past life.