Chapter 9: Peeping

Hao Sansi leaned against the doorway as his disciple returned cheerfully. Not knowing what had gotten into him, the boy didn’t even greet his master before heading straight to his room. Once inside, he threw himself onto the bed, grabbed the bedding to cover his head, stuck his butt up in the air, and laughed wildly underneath. He never would have imagined that a single song could be exchanged for such a treasure. No wonder they said in his previous life that knowledge changes destiny—he was a perfect example!

Thinking of this, he couldn‘t wait to get up, sit cross-legged, and follow the Mysterious Heaven Technique to sense the existence of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy.

A night passed, and he didn‘t sense a damn bit of spiritual energy—instead, his butt went numb from sitting. Yue Qianchou was exhausted. Yawning, he couldn’t resist anymore and collapsed to sleep. When he woke up, he was puzzled. He had swallowed a treasure, so why was there still no reaction at all? This didn’t follow the rules for transmigration protagonists!

Another month passed. Hao Sansi didn’t know what was wrong with his disciple—the smile had disappeared from his face, and he grew more somber each day. Hmm! He was looking a bit green.

Yue Qianchou was somewhat at a loss for words. He didn‘t know what he had swallowed, but during this time, his bowel movements and urination had increased dramatically, and his body got dirty very easily. He was practically becoming a major supplier of agricultural fertilizer. ‘Could it be that everything I ate turned into waste and got expelled?’ he wondered.

He had also asked the white fox about it, but she didn’t know the reason either. Yue Qianchou began to suspect that this treasure might only be effective for demons and unsuitable for humans. As days passed, he became more certain of his guess, and his teeth ached with frustration.

…

The once-a-decade ‘Rising Star Conference’ was about to begin again—the most nerve-wracking time for late-stage Qi Refining disciples from all sects. At that time, cultivators from across the world would gather to compete on the same stage, with the distribution of Foundation Establishment Pills determined by wins and losses. What were Foundation Establishment Pills? They were indispensable pills for cultivators transitioning from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage, created through the combined efforts and resources of all sects gathering spiritual herbs. The Foundation Establishment Pills produced couldn’t satisfy the needs of all disciples from every sect—there was a huge shortage. Part of them would be distributed equally as a baseline, while the rest would depend on performance.

The ‘Rising Star Conference’ arose from this situation. Each sect would send their strongest late-stage Qi Refining disciples to compete. The more matches won, the more Foundation Establishment Pills the sect would receive. As for how each sect distributed the pills after obtaining them, that was their own business.

For example, in the Azure Light Sect, Foundation Establishment Pills would first guarantee one pill for each participating disciple. Considering the objective reasons for Foundation Establishment failures, they would consider giving extra pills to disciples who contributed greatly in the competition, with the remainder handled by discussion among the sect elders.

Qu Ping‘er was a tenth-generation disciple of the Azure Light Sect who had reached the early Foundation Establishment stage—she could be considered outstanding among disciples of her generation. The sect’s preparation atmosphere for the ‘Rising Star Conference’ was intense, making everyone feel oppressed. This wasn‘t just about the number of Foundation Establishment Pills, but also about the sect’s reputation and status.

Ten years ago, Qu Ping‘er had been fortunate enough to participate in the competition. Due to her modest contributions, besides the one Foundation Establishment Pill she deserved, the sect awarded her an additional one. The moon waxes and wanes, people have good and bad fortune. Sometimes even having one or two extra pills doesn’t guarantee successful Foundation Establishment—there are many reasons for failure. Qu Ping’er used two pills for Foundation Establishment and failed consecutively. Her mood at the time was imaginable.

At this moment, the handsome and elegant Senior Brother Liu Zhengguang appeared. Who was Senior Brother Liu Zhengguang? He was the direct grandson of Azure Light Sect Leader Liu Changqing, the most outstanding figure among disciples of his generation. He was also the most dazzling disciple from the Azure Light Sect in that ‘Rising Star Conference.’

Talent is talent—Senior Brother Liu, who received three Foundation Establishment Pills, successfully established his foundation with just one pill. Kind-hearted as he was, seeing the dejected Qu Ping‘er who had failed Foundation Establishment repeatedly, he gave her one of his pills. Qu Ping’er couldn’t believe that Senior Brother Liu would actually give away something so precious. Overjoyed, she attempted Foundation Establishment again and finally succeeded!

From then on, Senior Brother Liu became the one Qu Ping‘er secretly admired! Unfortunately, he was devoted to cultivation, which fulfilled the unrequited love of many female disciples, including Qu Ping’er.

“I haven’t seen Senior Brother Liu these past few days. I wonder what he’s doing? Is he well?” Walking toward the back mountain, Qu Ping‘er couldn’t help but blush at this thought. The sect prohibited disciples from flying on swords. Although Qu Ping’er had reached the Foundation Establishment stage and could already fly on her sword, she still carefully made her way through the thorn-covered path leading to the forbidden area below.

Qu Ping’er had discovered this place by accident several years ago. After seeing the imprisoned woman in the forbidden cave, she, who had always been confident about her appearance, immediately felt inferior by comparison.

It had been several years, and she had never spoken a word to that imprisoned woman. Once, while browsing through texts in the sect‘s ‘Scripture Pavilion,’ she made a discovery and learned that the woman was actually a fox spirit who had achieved human form.

While shocked, she also marveled at her beauty. Especially her qin playing, which was very pleasant to listen to—that faint longing was just like her own feelings for Senior Brother Liu. For several years, she never tired of listening. Whenever she missed Senior Brother Liu but couldn’t see him, she would come here.

Thinking of Senior Brother Liu, her steps unconsciously quickened. Taking out a piece of fluorite, she quickly moved through the pitch-black cave. “Eh! Someone’s singing!” The singing voice accompanying the qin music made her stop. After a moment‘s hesitation, when she reached the stone chamber, Qu Ping’er was shocked and covered her mouth. She really couldn‘t believe that the woman who hadn’t spoken a word for several years was actually singing!

Qu Ping‘er leaped to the front of the pavilion, confirming that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. After being stunned for a long time, she slowly sat down as before, supporting her chin with her legs, listening to the woman sing about that bitter past.

“I am a fox who has cultivated for a thousand years… In the dim lamplight, does anyone see me dancing… I left you when you achieved fame and entered the bridal chamber… All vows of eternal love have turned to nothing…” Listening to the song, Qu Ping‘er could already imagine the white fox’s past: “A woman in white as snow, heartbroken to the extreme, dancing gracefully in the shadows, watching the man drinking and celebrating in the dim lamplight, hoping only that he might look at her once more, knowing she was dancing for him…”

Two silent tears slid down Qu Ping‘er’s cheeks. By the second time listening, she was already crying with sobs. By the third time, she was crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t listen anymore. She suddenly stood up, wiping her tears and sobbing “woo woo” as she ran outside.

Running out of the cave, Qu Ping’er was still immersed in that story, sobbing. It seemed this kind of thing was too devastating for innocent young girls. Who knows what Young Master Yue would think if he knew?

After a long time, Qu Ping‘er stopped, staring blankly at the cave entrance behind the waterfall. Only when she felt moisture on her face did she come to her senses. Raising her hand to wipe it away, her hand was covered with tears. She couldn’t help but stamp her foot and spit, “Oh no! My face is all tear-stained. What if I run into Senior Brother Liu?” Turning to look at the clear pool beneath the waterfall, thinking of something, she looked around…

But she didn‘t know that not far away, behind the trees, Yue Qianchou was staring at her with his mouth wide open. For some unknown reason, despite Qu Ping’er‘s cultivation level, she hadn’t even noticed this waste Yue Qianchou.

That face was all too familiar—it was exactly the fairy sister of Yue Qianchou‘s dreams. He just hadn’t expected she was also a disciple of the Azure Light Sect. Someone kept shouting in his heart: ‘Fate, fate! If this isn’t fate, what is? This is so damn fateful! Uh… what is the fairy sister going to do?’

Qu Ping’er walked to the edge of the pool, took off the long sword from her back and placed it at her feet, then gently untied the snow-white silk robe on the outside. The close-fitting clothes underneath outlined a curvaceous figure. After putting down the robe, her slender hands started from the fabric buttons at the collar, undoing them one by one downward.

“Jackpot! Jackpot!” Yue Qianchou watched dumbfounded, his already wide-open mouth opening even wider, shouting wildly in his heart: ‘Take it off, take it off, keep taking it off!’ As he wished, Qu Ping’er by the pool revealed limbs with skin like congealed fat. Her slender, graceful legs stood elegantly, and her lotus-root-like jade arms reached behind her back, her delicate fingers grasping a section of red cord.

“Holy cow! The legendary red bellyband! Dear God, you’re not messing with me, are you?” Yue Qianchou couldn’t believe that the first time he saw his dream fairy sister, she was actually performing a strip show for him.

He bit his finger hard—it hurt! This wasn‘t a dream. Hmm! Can’t waste such a gift from heaven—continue appreciating!