Chapter 45

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Chapter 45: Liu Yun Sect Master

“Has Qin Chu Yi left?” In the main hall of Qingyun Peak, the Sect Master appeared slightly distracted as he held the storage pouch handed to him by Ming He.

“Yes, Master. Sister Qin has already returned to the Floating Cloud Sect,” Ming He replied, her curiosity piqued about the relationship or dealings between Qin Chu Yi and her Master. Yet she understood that what she needed to know would come in time, and there was no use dwelling on what was beyond her.

“Do you know about the Floating Cloud Sect?” The Sect Master’s gaze sharpened. “Did Qin Chu Yi tell you?” His eyes carried a complex emotion.

Ming He was puzzled by the depth of his expression. “Sister Qin mentioned that Liu Yun Sect was once an affiliated sect of the Floating Cloud Sect. Beyond that, she didn’t elaborate. She only said that once my cultivation advances further, Master would reveal more.”

“Further advancement?” The Sect Master murmured, “Little He has already reached Spirit Guiding stage nine levels!” His tone held a touch of nostalgia but no surprise. After all, someone recognized by the Star Lock could never be ordinary. The ancient spiritual artifact’s acknowledgment alone could propel its owner’s cultivation by several stages.

Had Ming He not been in the ancient cave dwelling at the time, she might have already ascended to the Xuan Wei realm.

Yet, there was no harm in her current progress. The first three stages of cultivation—Qi Refinement, Spirit Guiding, and Xuan Wei—were foundational. The stronger the foundation, the greater the potential for future breakthroughs.

“Little He, have you mastered the Flickering Light sword technique?” The Sect Master’s tone was calm, though he already knew the answer.

His intuition during the outer sect grand competition had not been wrong.

“Yes,” Ming He replied, lowering her head. After a brief hesitation, she decided not to mention the Star Lock or the Big Dipper Seven Star Sword Technique. It wasn’t a matter of distrust; she simply felt some things were better left unspoken.

“Master, I wish to venture out for a time to seek opportunities to break through to the Xuan Wei realm and to refine my combat skills.” Her current strength stemmed from Woodman Lane and a few life-and-death battles, but her ability to face opponents was still lacking.

She aspired to grow stronger, to stand unmatched among her peers and even challenge those beyond her level—geniuses who could be defeated through sheer will and skill.

This was not something she could achieve by practicing swordsmanship day and night within the confines of Chang Ming courtyard.

Training, fighting, and battling—these were the crucibles in which a sword cultivator’s blade was honed.

Only by tempering her sword in blood could its edge remain unyielding.

“Training?” The Sect Master nodded thoughtfully. “Little He, do you wish to go to the Floating Cloud Sect?” he asked, his tone casual.

The Floating Cloud Sect, where Qin Chu Yi’s hidden identity resided.

It was the foremost sect of the Eastern Region, far surpassing Liu Yun Sect in strength.

“I do,” Ming He answered.

She longed to explore the world beyond Liu Yun, but in this realm, rogue cultivators faced the steepest climb. Though cultivation was a path of hardship, one’s own resolve was the cornerstone of success. With the backing of a powerful sect, she could advance further and faster.

Her current cultivation at Spirit Guiding stage nine levels placed her on the cusp of the Xuan Wei realm, but Liu Yun Sect’s support was no longer sufficient.

Liu Yun was too small; she yearned for a grander stage.

So she affirmed her desire.

Qin Chu Yi had mentioned that Liu Yun Sect was once an affiliated sect of the Floating Cloud Sect, but the connection was severed after the Master assumed leadership of Liu Yun Sect.

What ties, then, bound the Master to the Floating Cloud Sect?

“You wish to go, do you?” The Sect Master repeated, his tone layered with complexity yet tinged with inevitability. “It’s only natural. Every prodigy seeks to rise higher.”

“Very well,” he sighed softly. “But perhaps training isn’t what you need at this moment?” he asked Ming He.

“Your inner spiritual energy is stable, but you could push further to reach the peak of the Spirit Guiding stage, unlocking the full potential within. It may take another half a month, correct?”

“Exactly as Master said,” Ming He replied, unsurprised that the Sect Master had discerned her plans. Though she couldn’t fully grasp her Master’s cultivation level, she knew it far surpassed her own, likely beyond the Wind Mastery stage.

His understanding of the path was profound, allowing him to perceive the flow of spiritual energy within her with ease.

“I plan to enter seclusion for half a month to cultivate, and afterward, I will set out to train,” Ming He declared with resolve.

“Half a month.” When the Sect Master looked up again, her tone was resolute, as if she had already made a decision. “Then you go.”

“By the way, before you enter seclusion, go see your Senior Sister,” she added quietly. “She will soon return to the Merchants’ Guild.”

Senior Sister? Lou Qing Shang?

Ming He paused, noticing the complex and faintly regretful expression on the Sect Master’s face. Thinking of Lou Qing Shang, her mood grew complicated. “I understand, Master.”

She bowed respectfully and turned to leave the hall.

Inside the hall, Qu Lingyun, the Sect Master of Liu Yun Sect, watched Ming He’s retreating figure with a faint smile. “Qing Feng.”

“Sect Master,” a young man in white, elegant and composed, entered from outside the hall.

“Bring me my spirit crane for communication,” she instructed lightly.

“Sect Master… are you sending a message to Master Uncle?” Qing Feng seemed slightly surprised.

“Something like that,” the Sect Master chuckled, her thoughts drifting to Ming He’s talent. As she waited for Qing Feng, she sat down and handled a few jade slips concerning important sect matters, her expression reflecting the lofty ambitions of her youth.

Lofty ambitions indeed, for she was Qu Lingyun.

The wind stirred the wutong trees on either side of Qingyun Peak, their rustling mingling with Ming He’s soft footsteps, breaking the silence.

Ming He raised her gaze to take in the endless vista of mist-shrouded scenery—emerald trees, lush vines, scattered buildings, and elegant pavilions—all showcasing the grandeur of Liu Yun Sect.

At this moment, she stood at the fork in the path leading from Qingyun Peak toward Chang Ming courtyard or the bamboo building. Chang Ming courtyard was her own residence, where she planned to enter seclusion for half a month.

The bamboo building belonged to her second Senior Sister, Lou Qing Shang, who was also the Young Master of the Merchants’ Guild.

She had thought she understood the scale of Liu Yun Sect, but upon closer inspection, it still seemed veiled in a layer of mist.

Both her Master and Lou Qing Shang were within this mist, and perhaps her Senior Brother Yun Zhao Feng was as well.

Ming He reflected on the Sect Master’s expression and her various encounters with Lou Qing Shang, standing silently for a moment. On that day, she had received many storage rings—from Yun Zhao Feng, Lou Qing Shang, her Master, and Qin Chu Yi.

Qin Chu Yi’s contained various pills, spirit herbs, and spirit stones, similar to those from Yun Zhao Feng and her Master—practical and ordinary.

But Lou Qing Shang was different.

What she had given Ming He was a storage pouch, superior in both grade and function to the storage rings. Ming He knew it was specially crafted to hold rare stones and cultivation resources, ensuring that the spiritual energy wouldn’t dissipate and even further condense, making it a high-quality storage pouch.

Inside the storage pouch Lou Qing Shang had given her was a full bag of nebula stones.

These were essential materials for continuing to cultivate and refine the Nebula Sword Art after mastering its basics.

Nebula stones, the lowest grade being yellow-level, were among the rarest stones, nurtured by the alternating moonlight and starlight. Their star-like appearance and crystalline glow made them indispensable for advancing in the Nebula Sword Art.

Within Liu Yun Sect, a single nebula stone cost two hundred contribution points, yet Lou Qing Shang had given her a bag filled with them—roughly at least a hundred pieces.

Such generosity.

So, Ming He couldn’t help but wonder: what did Lou Qing Shang truly want?

She still didn’t believe that mere camaraderie among peers could warrant such heartfelt generosity.

Lou Qing Shang was the Young Master of the Merchants’ Guild, where profit was paramount. Once something was obtained, it was held onto tightly.

Forget it. If she couldn’t figure it out, she wouldn’t dwell on it.

After all, when the time came for her to know, she would know.

Accepting her doubts, Ming He set them aside and stepped toward the bamboo building.

The first sight that greeted her was a bamboo forest, neatly swaying in the wind, its lush greenery bringing a sense of joy and tranquility. Within the bamboo grove stood a bamboo building, the gentle rustling of the bamboo leaves in the breeze creating an atmosphere of serene leisure.

A woman clad in purple sat in the open space between the bamboo forest and the bamboo building. Her bamboo chair swayed gently with the wind, and with her eyes half-closed, she moved rhythmically with the chair’s motion, appearing almost as if she were asleep.

Ming He approached quietly, observing Lou Qing Shang’s relaxed and natural expression. Gone was the earlier coldness and deliberate distance; instead, there was a genuine sense of peace. Dressed in purple with her dark hair flowing, Lou Qing Shang reclined in her chair, exuding a calm that made Ming He feel a touch of life’s simple beauty.

She was indeed a mystery.

Ming He glanced around, found a spot to sit, and began to ponder about Lou Qing Shang, the Young Master of the Merchants’ Guild and an inherited disciple of the Liu Yun Sect. Her second Senior Sister was far from ordinary.

Previously unaware, Ming He’s understanding of this world deepened as she delved into the Liu Yun Sect’s texts. The Merchants’ Guild was one of the most powerful forces in this world, its wealth rivaling that of nations, earning gold daily. So why would Lou Qing Shang, as the Young Master of the Merchants’ Guild, choose to become an inherited disciple at the Liu Yun Sect?

Her status far surpassed that of the Liu Yun Sect.

Yet, Senior Brother Qing Feng had told her that Lou Qing Shang didn’t start as an inherited disciple. Like Ming He, she began from humble beginnings—her roots in the outer sect of the Liu Yun Sect, and even lower, as an errand disciple before becoming a formal disciple. Errand disciples were at the bottom, servants to others, akin to slaves in a secular official family—the lowest status in the cultivation world.

Lou Qing Shang also seemed absent from the original storyline. Who was the Young Master of the Merchants’ Guild in the original storyline? Ming He searched her memories but found nothing. She had skimmed through the books, focusing only on the main points, and now couldn’t recall what she sought.

“Little Junior Sister has arrived?” A clear voice broke through Ming He’s thoughts, carrying a slight grogginess mixed with softness.

Ming He looked at Lou Qing Shang, who had evidently awakened and sat up, resting her hands while watching her. In her ink-black eyes, there was no hint of drowsiness, only brightness and warmth.

She transformed back into the familiar figure that Ming He first met—close yet untouchable.

“Second Senior Sister,” Ming He nodded. “I heard from Master that you are going back to the Merchants’ Guild, so I came to see you.”

“I am indeed going back,” Lou Qing Shang lowered her head, preventing Ming He from seeing the emotions in her eyes. “Will little Junior Sister miss second Senior Sister?” she teased with a smile.

Before Ming He could respond, Lou Qing Shang shifted topics. “I haven’t congratulated you on comprehending the sword intent of heaven and earth!”

“I will miss you.” Ming He nodded seriously, meeting her gaze, her expression earnest. “I will think of second Senior Sister.”

Missing the nebula stones was also a kind of longing.

Ming He noticed a fleeting look of surprise on Lou Qing Shang’s face and thought that in this moment, Lou Qing Shang seemed even colder than Qin Chu Yi when she learned she had lost the Star Lock.

Another person with a story.

“Hmm.” Lou Qing Shang paused, her smile momentarily frozen. She reached out to touch Ming He’s hair, revealing a bright smile, “Senior Sister will miss you as well.”

“Here, take this.” Lou Qing Shang pulled out a purple disciple token from her robe and handed it to Ming He, standing up. “As long as it’s for the Merchants’ Guild, this token will be useful.”

She put away the bamboo chair as a farewell, turning swiftly to disappear into the air. The bamboo forest continued to sway, yet its owner had stepped out of the Liu Yun Sect.

She might not return.

Ming He furrowed her brow, watching her vanish into the void, pausing briefly. So, Lou Qing Shang was… waiting specifically for her?

She looked at the token in her hand, shaped like a purple landscape, with a dragon and phoenix entwined at its center, carving out the character "商"—the Merchants’ Guild token?

Was it equivalent to a VIP card from her previous life?

Ming He’s thoughts wandered, feeling inexplicably heavy-hearted.