Paper Crane

For some reason, ever since the matter with Xia Dong, Qin Wan had felt that her relationship with her master had grown closer.

Her master had also warned her not to let anyone know about it.

Perhaps it had become a secret shared by master and disciple.

In recent days, officials from the foot of the mountain had often come up to discuss matters with the Sect Master and her fellow elders. After that, the older senior brothers and sisters of the immortal sect began descending the mountain one after another.

But Qin Wan keenly observed that other cultivators, who were not officials, were also quietly making their way up the mountain.

Though she saw them, she simply pretended not to know.

Later, her master reminded her of something.

She told Qin Wan that if anyone approached the Qin Family about joining some religion, she must tell the family not to get involved, but not to offend the other party either.

Qin Wan committed this to memory.

Her master also mentioned a few things happening at the foot of the mountain. The court was planning to establish an Eagle-Wolf Guard in Linyuan Prefecture.

Previously, in places like Linyuan Prefecture, where an immortal sect had held sway for many years, the authorities had never established an Eagle-Wolf Guard. The Guard was responsible for keeping watch over martial artists and cultivators.

In Linyuan Prefecture, that duty had originally been performed by the Qixia Immortal Sect.

But now, the Qixia Immortal Sect had actually given up that authority.

Even so, the disciples of the Qixia Immortal Sect would make up the bulk of the Eagle-Wolf Guard in Linyuan Prefecture.

More precisely, most of the immortal sect's enforcement squad had now joined the Eagle-Wolf Guard and been given official positions in the court. Each month, in addition to the Spirit Stones they received from the sect, the court would also pay them a monthly stipend.

Moreover, members of the Eagle-Wolf Guard could accumulate merit by completing the court's missions or distinguishing themselves, then exchange that merit with the court for the cultivation resources they needed.

In terms of both abundance and variety, the court's resources had now surpassed those of the Qixia Immortal Sect.

The Eagle-Wolf Guard included not only cultivators, but also powerful martial artists.

The court now had an unknown number of Mortal Transformation Realm martial artists. They could fight top-tier cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm, and above the Mortal Transformation Realm were martial artists of the True Intent Realm, who were not the least bit afraid even when facing Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Compared to cultivating immortals, the court seemed far more adept at training martial artists. Now, it was even beginning to promote martial arts throughout the provinces and prefectures under its rule.

Qin Wan naturally had no intention of getting involved in any of this. Instead, she redoubled her efforts in cultivation. No matter how the world's situation changed, only sufficient strength could keep her safe.

Qin Wan carefully folded the thin sheet of paper on the table. With a flick, she turned it to ash, which drifted away on the mountain breeze.

The paper had been a letter that Xia Dong had sent from the mortal world through an intermediary.

The handwriting in the letter was neat and square, its strength restrained within each stroke.

At the end, Xia Dong had solemnly promised that if any of the Xia Family's descendants ever possessed a Spirit Root, he would find a way to save up for a Foundation Establishment Pill and trade it to her.

Looking at those few lines, Qin Wan finally felt the stone weighing on her heart fall away.

She possessed a rare Spirit Root. Even with her decent aptitude, it would take at least ten or twenty years of painstaking effort to advance step by step through the Qi Refining Realm to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer and knock on the door to Foundation Establishment.

She could afford to wait. There was no need to rush.

Cultivation was a race against the years. Securing a guarantee for the long term was already a great comfort.

However, Xia Dong had also asked her for something in the letter—he wanted Qin Wan to help him find a martial arts manual that could help him control his qi and blood and unleash his body's potential.

Qin Wan was slightly surprised, then understood. So Xia Dong had already begun pursuing the path of martial arts.

Martial arts manuals were not uncommon in the Qixia Immortal Sect. Quite a few were even piled carelessly on the first floor of the Scripture Depository. Cultivators had never thought much of these mortal martial arts.

Immortal breathing techniques drew the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body, subtly cleansing the marrow and nourishing the flesh. Their effects far surpassed those of mortal martial arts.

What was more, many mortal martial arts techniques relied on draining one's vitality and damaging the body in exchange for a brief surge of power. They were hardly the path to immortality.

But since Xia Dong had asked, she would do her best to help.

Half a day later, Qin Wan found a yellowed book in a corner of the Scripture Depository: Dragon-Capturing Technique.

This technique did not cultivate inner strength; it focused entirely on the body. Its core principle was to seize the "great dragon"—the spine—and use it to lock in the qi and blood throughout the body, preventing them from leaking away. This greatly enhanced a martial artist's control over their qi and blood, as well as their ability to unleash explosive power in an instant.

After obtaining the manual, Qin Wan did not keep it from her master. She went straight to True Person Lone Moon's cave dwelling to report what had happened.

In the quiet cave dwelling, True Person Lone Moon heard the whole story and remained calm. She merely said, "No matter how vigorous a mortal martial artist's qi and blood may be, in the end, he cannot overcome the passage of time. But since he is willing to forge this bond, there is no harm in giving him a manual."

With that, the True Person's sleeve shifted slightly, and an ancient-looking token, neither gold nor jade, fell into Qin Wan's hand.

"I'll send him a letter first and arrange for the two of you to meet discreetly at a Marketplace outside the sect. When the time comes, give him this token. Afterward, he'll be able to use it to enter and leave the cultivation marketplaces in Linyuan Prefecture as well." True Person Lone Moon's voice was calm. "Though he has no Spirit Root and cannot cultivate by absorbing Spirit Stones, cultivator households come and go in the marketplaces, as do mortal martial artists. He can use Spirit Stones to buy resources that will help him cultivate martial arts."

True Person Lone Moon casually picked up a sheet of yellow paper from the table and folded it into a paper crane. She flicked a finger and chanted an incantation. Xia Dong's aura and image appeared in midair, then transformed into a streak of spiritual light that flowed into the crane. The paper crane suddenly came to life, spread its wings, and soared into the air.

A faint halo circled the paper crane, perfectly concealing its outline and aura in the night. In an instant, it vanished into the sea of clouds, its destination unknown.

Pingyang County, within the city.

Xia Dong stood in the courtyard practicing a stance. His breathing was steady and deep, and as the Crane Stance perfectly stirred his qi and blood, they steamed faintly like a blazing furnace.

Suddenly, his heart tightened. He snapped his eyes open.

In the dark night wind, a faintly glowing paper crane pierced through the darkness without warning. It circled down without a trace of worldly smoke and finally landed steadily in front of him.

The spiritual light around the paper crane gradually faded, turning it into a letter.

Xia Dong reached out and took the letter. His fingertips brushed against its ancient patterns, feeling the cool, otherworldly aura that lingered on it.

He said nothing, only gazed for a long time at the deep night sky from which the paper crane had flown.

His palm was cool, but his blood was beginning to burn.

Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had so directly, so tangibly touched the methods of the immortals who stood high above.