Cultivation, Night Raid

A falling sensation.

Sluggishness, exhaustion, and the fierce suffocation of drowning washed over Ling Qiuyun. Body and soul spent, she did not even want to open her eyes.

Her mind was clouded. Ling Qiuyun felt half of herself falling while the other half drifted away. At last she broke into pieces, her viewpoint soaring ever higher, as though it would float to the ends of heaven and earth.

She... must have died.

She remembered now. In the end, she had died of illness in bed. Her soul, tainted by the Karmic Bond of body possession, had shattered the instant it left her body.

There had been no time for Soul Binding, not even enough to leave a word of farewell.

"Mo Xue has Uncle Luo to protect her. Her path to immortality should be smooth."

Her thoughts settled, and peace came over Ling Qiuyun. She even felt a little fortunate. "Thank goodness I met Uncle Luo."

She slowly closed her eyes and accepted death, yet a faint, lingering resentment coiled in her chest, denying her peace.

Unwillingness? Worry? No. She had nothing left to cling to.

The thought had barely arisen when frustration surged through Ling Qiuyun. Fierce jealousy erupted from the depths of her mind and ran beyond control.

Why? Why did Mo Xue get a healthy body and extraordinary talent, while she could only wait in agony for illness to eat her away?

If she had a Superior-Grade Spiritual Root, could she have cured her heart condition through Body Refining?

If she had been healthy, would Father ever have fallen to demonic ways?

"Jealous... I want so badly... to become my sister. I want a Superior-Grade Spiritual Root..."

Evil thoughts burst forth, vast and uncontrollable. The Soul Banner's invisible iron chains had already crawled over her body, stirring the tiny wicked impulses she had buried deep in her heart until they swelled exponentially.

Obsession took root, and her nearly transparent Soul Body stopped dissipating.

She staggered forward, her lovely face contorted, and reached toward Ling Moxue, whose little face had gone deathly pale with tension.

"I want to become..."

Her elder sister's cheek was right before her, but Ling Qiuyun's fingertips stopped short.

Her breathing came fast. Pain twisted her face as she struggled to stay clearheaded, only for the evil thoughts to devour her again. Her Soul Body churned like boiling water, and the torment was unbearable.

Even with the Soul Banner stoking her obsession, the goodness deep within her would rather let her dissipate than harm her elder sister.

As she struggled, Ling Moxue stared with wide eyes, her heart trembling. Acting on instinct, she reached out and grasped Ling Qiuyun's hand through the air.

"Qiu... Qiuyun?"

The call came faintly. When Ling Qiuyun's mind cleared again, her elder sister's worried voice lingered in her ears.

"Big Sister?"

Ling Qiuyun froze and looked around. She was still in the familiar bedroom.

A candle flickered, throwing her body in and out of shadow. She looked down and saw her toes hovering above the floor. Her body floated, half-transparent, while her pale hands sometimes took shape and sometimes dissolved into wisps of dark smoke.

She remembered. To save her life, Master Luo had intended to refine her into the Banner Spirit's main soul.

"Whew—thank goodness it worked."

Beside her, Luo Fanchen let out a long breath. At last, his heart settled.

More than a month had passed since he refined her into the Soul Banner's main spirit. All that time, he had nourished Qiuyun with his essence blood and Yi Wood spiritual energy. At last, he had replenished her Soul Power and completed the refinement. She was no longer at risk of dissipating.

"It may feel strange at first, but with the Soul Banner protecting you and regular doses of the banner master's essence blood, you can live almost like an ordinary person."

Luo Fanchen rubbed his chin and studied the girl with curiosity, marveling at the sight.

The Soul Banner truly ranked among the finest magical artifacts. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators struggled to preserve a Soul Essence intact.

Yet this First-Rank Low-Grade Soul Banner could do that and more. In time, it could nourish her Soul Body, let her take form whenever she wished, and help her grow stronger by devouring Soul Essences. She could command a hundred ghosts. Its uses seemed endless.

"Don't worry. Your Three Souls and Seven Spirits are all here. If Mo Xue joins the Dao Sect one day, you may yet return to life."

Luo Fanchen smiled gently and reached out to stroke Qiuyun's hair.

The girl's Soul Body was full, her figure graceful. Her dewy eyes shone with warmth, and a beauty mark beneath her soft red lips lent her a bewitching charm. Her Soul Body had settled into her most perfect form: the healthy, flawless body she had always dreamed of.

Qiuyun stared blankly and did not resist his touch. To Luo Fanchen's surprise, her hair felt real.

Fine and smooth, it felt just as it had before. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he could even smell the faint sweetness of lavender in her dark hair. Her warmth passed through his skin into his palm without the slightest difference.

So this is an intact Soul Body.

"Qiuyun, don't worry. I'll definitely join the Dao Sect!"

Mo Xue's eyes reddened. The joy of getting her sister back was almost too much to bear.

She copied Master Luo and reached out to touch Qiuyun, but her hand passed straight through the Soul Body. When she looked up, Qiuyun had lowered her eyes and hung her head, seemingly avoiding her gaze.

Her elder sister's heartfelt concern and delight left Ling Qiuyun painfully embarrassed. Her face felt as though it were burning.

She remembered the evil thoughts she had harbored in her Soul Body and wished the ground would swallow her.

"Qiu... Qiuyun?"

The joy faded from Mo Xue's face, and her fingers froze in midair.

She could see Qiuyun shrinking away, but she could not touch her younger sister. For a moment, she did not know what to do.

"Qiuyun still needs time to get used to her body. She can't control when it becomes solid yet."

Luo Fanchen shook his head gently. Having inherited the Soul Banner's teachings, he understood something of how it bound souls.

The Soul Banner had likely stirred Qiuyun's evil thoughts, leaving her guilty toward Mo Xue. It was no lasting rift; a night of whispered conversation would set the sisters right.

Luo Fanchen took both sisters' hands and pressed their palms together, using himself as a bridge so Mo Xue could touch Qiuyun.

"Uncle Luo... I..."

"That's enough. You're not children anymore. Why be so awkward with each other?"

Ling Qiuyun still looked timid and restrained. Luo Fanchen pulled both women into his arms, pressing them together.

The sisters had long been each other's deepest concern. Once they could truly touch each other again,

relief, lingering fear, and longing swept over them all at once. They curled together, clinging tight and sobbing through tears.

Luo Fanchen remained their bridge, looking down at them gently. From time to time, he stroked their backs and murmured reassurance.

He had the odd feeling he was soothing infants. Still, he had managed to save them both.

Three days later, Ling Qiuyun had gradually grown used to her body.

She could now wield the Soul Banner in simple ways and shift between solid and insubstantial forms. She had also begun absorbing moonlight to cultivate her Soul Power.

The sisters did not spend every waking moment together. Since Qiuyun's return, Mo Xue had thrown herself into cultivation, wasting not a moment in her determination to join the Dao Sect.

Luo Fanchen, meanwhile, had time to spare. He continued cultivating the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art, occasionally refining the Soul Banner, practicing its killing techniques, and shoring up his weaknesses.

Late that night, Luo Fanchen sat in meditation as usual. For the first time in a while, he called up the Eight Desolations Record of the Demoness to check his status.

[Name: Luo Fanchen]

[Lifespan: 31/70]

[Spirit Root: Five-Element Spiritual Root]

[Cultivation: Fourth Level of Qi Refining]

[Art: Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art, First Level (10/200)]

[Techniques: Fire Curse Art, beginner; Great Sage Perfected Person Banner Method, beginner (5/300)]

[Demons currently available to bind: 1; accumulated Admiration Points: 432]

He skipped over his unranked movement technique and focused on the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art and the banner method.

The former was the foundation of his cultivation. The latter could make up for his greatest weakness—his lack of killing techniques—and also affected Qiuyun's cultivation.

He tried spending two Admiration Points to improve them. Sure enough, both responded, as though he had completed an entire Lesser Celestial Circuit.

Roughly two Admiration Points equaled one point of proficiency in the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art or the Soul Banner method.

"The Soul Banner needs bound souls before it can wield any real killing power. Improving it now won't do much. The Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art can raise my cultivation, and after its second level, I can try to comprehend a divine ability to fill that gap."

Luo Fanchen did not hesitate long. After investing his Admiration Points in the Lesser Yang Wood-Transforming Art, he felt an odd emptiness in his dantian.

His True Essence remained full and calm, but his control over its circulation had improved by an entire level.

A great surge of Yi Wood True Essence welled up from his dantian, pure, dense, and brimming with life. Without his noticing, it helped him break open an auxiliary acupoint in his spleen and stomach. Pain twisted through his belly like a knife.

After several trips to the privy expelled a mass of foul-smelling filth, he felt refreshed, his hearing sharper and his sight clearer.

"So this is what improving my cultivation feels like..."

Luo Fanchen clenched his fist, excitement rising.

He could plainly feel the improvement, a rarity in twenty years of painstaking cultivation. Ever since he met the Ling sisters, had his fortunes been soaring to the skies?

"Tsk. A higher-level Mystic Method really is in another league from the Longevity Art."

After the improvement, Luo Fanchen had fifty Admiration Points left.

He tried improving the art again. Now it cost three Admiration Points for one point of proficiency, far more than the fourth level of the Longevity Art.

"Spiritual energy is thin in the mortal world, and resources are scarce. Once Mo Xue has laid a solid foundation and Qiuyun's Soul Body is stable, we should return to Flying Cloud Market."

Luo Fanchen raised an eyebrow. Flying Cloud Market had a Spirit-Gathering Grand Array and nearly a hundred times more spiritual energy, but every residence there required Spirit Stones.

A suitable art for Mo Xue would also cost a great many Spirit Stones, and materials for refining the Soul Banner were sold only on the black market.

"Money flows away like water."

Luo Fanchen clicked his tongue. Mo Xue and the Soul Banner were veritable money-devouring beasts, and he had only eighteen Spirit Stones to his name.

He needed to learn a trade and earn some Spirit Stones, or he would be driven out of Flying Cloud Market within half a year.

He still had forty-seven Admiration Points. He had studied several First-Rank Low-Grade Talismans before, but his limited talent had left him with only a patchy understanding.

Ling Youdao had also left behind a few Talisman Jade Slips.

Once Qiuyun removed the restrictions on the Jade Slips, he could study them, then spend Admiration Points to raise his proficiency and master talisman-making.

First-rank talismans brought meager profits, but the craft was a trade nonetheless. Earning five Spirit Stones a year would make it a sought-after livelihood among Qi Refining cultivators.

The night had grown late, and fine rain fell steadily outside.

Luo Fanchen had used a great deal of mental energy. He decided not to force himself to cultivate through the rest of the night and rolled over to sleep.

Knock, knock, knock.

The wooden door creaked open a crack on its own, revealing two furtive little eyes that blinked softly.

Ling Qiuyun gripped the doorframe with both hands and peeked in, half her head showing. "Uncle Luo, it's me..."

A faint blush colored her lovely face. Mist glimmered in her dewy eyes, making her look adorably shy.

She clasped her hands before her chest. Her lips parted with shallow, heated breaths.

"Qiuyun? You..."

Luo Fanchen froze. He could smell the warm moisture of her breath, faintly sweet and a little hot.

"Sorry, Uncle Luo. I... I really can't hold out anymore."

Ling Qiuyun's toes, hovering above the floor, curled tight. She bit her red lip, pressed her thighs together, and rubbed them unconsciously.

She threw herself at Luo Fanchen. Her damp lips parted and closed as she pleaded, "Uncle Luo, blood... please..."

The girl hooked her knees around his waist, her soft red lips inches away. Though she was only a Soul Body, Luo Fanchen could clearly feel the warmth and softness of her body. Qiuyun swallowed again and again, her beautiful eyes unfocused.

"It's only been seven days. Isn't essence blood supposed to be once a month?"

Luo Fanchen was taken aback. He could easily have pushed Qiuyun away, but he let her interlace her fingers with his and pin him beneath her.

According to the Soul Banner's teachings, a Banner Spirit needed essence blood only once a month.

If she took it more often, he feared he could not bear the cost.

"I..."

A little clarity returned to Qiuyun's hazy eyes. She lowered her face and parted her lips, seemingly about to explain.

But the moment she opened her mouth, her soft tongue slipped out of its own accord and greedily licked her lips.

She could not control it at all.

Her Soul Body was solid, and she truly did not need essence blood to nourish it yet. But she could barely master her mind. The craving had haunted her since three days ago; after suppressing it for two days, she had lost all control tonight.

She had tossed and turned inside the Soul Banner, her Soul Body nearly burning up. When she came to her senses, she had already made her way to Uncle Luo's door.

"Please, Uncle Luo."

Longing filled Ling Qiuyun's eyes. Unable to wait for Luo Fanchen's consent, she buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent.

Her lips parted, ready to bite his neck and suck.

"Stop. Not the neck. Mo Xue will see. Somewhere else."

Ling Qiuyun froze. She wiped the moisture from her lips, swallowed repeatedly, and summoned all her willpower to sit upright.

"Just this once. Come on, then."

Luo Fanchen sighed. He knew Qiuyun would not give up tonight unless he satisfied her.

He extended his index finger, intending to squeeze out two drops of essence blood. But as soon as he cut the pad and a trace of blood appeared, Qiuyun seemed bewitched. Her breathing quickened, warm and fragrant. She bent down and took his finger between her lips.

"Hiss..."

Her canine teeth brushed the wound, sending a sharp sting through it.

Luo Fanchen frowned slightly. Her mouth was warm and soft around his fingertip, and the pain soon vanished.

The girl looked up at Luo Fanchen with desire in her eyes as she drank his blood. Only after a long while did the flush fade from her cheeks and clarity return to her dazed gaze.

"Little glutton. Had enough?"

The pressure around his finger eased. The girl opened her mouth and released it, drawing two glistening strands of saliva between her lips and his fingertip.

The girl stared blankly. The blush that had just faded spread visibly down her pale neck and up to her ears.

"I didn't mean to—hic."

She hurriedly floated off Luo Fanchen. Halfway through her stammered explanation, a little hiccup escaped. Mortified, she covered her mouth and lowered her head, wishing she could crawl into a crack in the floor.

Luo Fanchen smiled. He studied the glistening moisture on his finger with some curiosity.

How strange. Can a Soul Body leave moisture behind? Is it ordinary saliva, or pure Soul Power?

"Tell me what happened."

Luo Fanchen patted his backside and stood. He let his shoulders droop and kept his body loose so his embarrassment would not show.

Her touch, warmth, scent, and reactions were no different from an ordinary person's. And her Soul Body would always remain in her most perfect form. He truly needed some self-control.

Ling Qiuyun lowered her head, looking aggrieved. Her voice was soft. "Uncle Luo, there are no Soul Essences in the Soul Banner."

"I see. That was my oversight. Thanks for bearing with it."

Luo Fanchen nodded, understanding her predicament at once.

A Banner Spirit relied on the Soul Banner as her foundation and fed on the power of Soul Essences. Ling Youdao had exhausted the Vengeful Ghosts inside the banner, leaving Qiuyun with nothing to replenish her strength. She had been hungry all along and could only turn to essence blood.

To a Banner Spirit, the banner master's essence blood was a rare delicacy. Luo Fanchen worried she might acquire a taste for it and turn up her nose at ordinary Soul Essences from then on.

"It's time to leave Cloudmist City. Pack your things tomorrow and come back to Flying Cloud Market with me."

Luo Fanchen pursed his lips in thought. He knew it was time to go.

Cloudmist City couldn't provide enough evil spirits to replenish the Soul Banner. Besides, it was time for Mo Xue to see what the true cultivation world looked like.

The oil lamp burned with a dim yellow glow. Their shadows fell across the oiled-paper window, flickering in and out of view.

Outside the courtyard, Ling Moxue tilted up her small face. Her almond eyes stared blankly at the two silhouettes on the paper window, her thoughts impossible to guess.

She pressed her lips together and stood there for a long time, her pretty face troubled.

Things have come to this. I should practice my swordsmanship first.