Venerable Golden Light

The dying sunlight spilled over a magnificent estate, bathing its carved beams and painted rafters in shimmering splendor.

Covering nearly a hundred mu, the estate stood outside Jing Prefecture's city, with green mountains at its back and clear waters before it. It was the most luxurious residence for a hundred miles around.

Inside the gilded-roof Golden Light Pavilion at the center of the estate, warm, fragrant incense curled upward from a beast-headed burner.

A short, plump middle-aged man reclined on a couch draped in white fox fur. A beautiful concubine knelt to his left, peeling translucent grapes for him, while another beauty on his right gently combed his glossy hair with a jade comb.

He wore a reddish-gold brocade robe embroidered with subtle cloud patterns, its hem trailing beside the couch.

On his round, fleshy face, his narrow eyes were always half closed. Only when gains and losses came up did they suddenly open, flashing with a disquieting cunning.

This man was the famed "Venerable Golden Light" of the martial world, though here in the estate, the servants preferred to call him "Immortal Master"-

A form of address that suited him perfectly. In this mortal land, after all, "Immortal Master" conveyed his status far better than "Venerable."

"Master, the people from the Seven Mysteries Sect have come again. They say they have an extremely urgent matter to discuss." A blue-clad servant's hushed voice came from outside the pavilion, accompanied by a soft knock. He lay prostrate on the blue-brick floor, not daring even to raise his head.

Venerable Golden Light did not so much as lift an eyelid. He merely snorted, though a smug curve crept onto his lips. "Have them wait in the front hall.

"Tell the steward to serve them some coarse tea. We mustn't let our guests think the Golden Light Pavilion neglects its visitors."

"Yes, I'll see to it at once." The servant's reply was distinctly reverent, and his footsteps receded.

The red-clad concubine holding the comb paused, her fingertips lightly tracing his temple. Her voice was so sweet it could have dripped honey. "Immortal Master, this is the third time those people from the Seven Mysteries Sect have come. You refused to see them the first two times. Could something truly serious have happened, something requiring you to intervene personally?"

Venerable Golden Light finally opened his eyes. Pinching her smooth cheek with his short, thick fingers, he laughed disdainfully. "Something serious? For mortal sects like theirs, the greatest calamity under heaven is some miserable squabble over territory or resources-

"What else could it be?"

He took the grape offered by the concubine on his left and tossed it into his mouth, chewing slowly as its sweet juice spread across his tongue.

Only after his concubines had fastened his jade belt and smoothed his hem did he leisurely rise from the couch.

Although the front hall was scarcely more than a hundred paces from the Golden Light Pavilion, he deliberately walked with a stately, measured gait. Every step was firm and deliberate, as though he trod not Bluestone Road but a stairway through the clouds from which he ruled all living beings-

He enjoyed nothing more than making others wait in anxious anticipation.

Inside the front hall, incense curled through the air. The two stewards from the Seven Mysteries Sect had already waited quietly for nearly an hour.

Their tea gradually cooled. Anxiety showed faintly between their brows, yet neither dared make the slightest move.

The sandalwood door screen rustled softly as Venerable Golden Light emerged at a leisurely pace. His broad Daoist sleeves swayed gently as he went straight to the seat of honor and sat down, his expression indifferent.

The older man, Steward Wang, hurriedly rose and bowed deeply with clasped hands. "Please forgive us for disturbing your secluded cultivation, Venerable."

His eyes half closed, Venerable Golden Light tapped the rosewood armrest with his fingertips. "Speak plainly, Steward Wang."

Steward Wang wiped his brow and replied respectfully, "I would not dare deceive you, Venerable.

"For three years, our Seven Mysteries Sect has been locked in conflict with the Wild Wolf Gang. Recently, they recruited several experts of the unorthodox path from somewhere, and those men have injured three of our elders.

"The sect master specifically sent me here to beg for your assistance."

"Oh?" Venerable Golden Light's lips twitched. "The Seven Mysteries Sect claims to be the foremost sect in Jing Prefecture, yet the Wild Wolf Gang has driven you to such straits?"

Steward Wang's face twisted bitterly. "You see our plight clearly, Venerable... The sect master has stated that, should you lend us your aid, we are willing to offer a thousand taels of gold in thanks."

"A thousand taels?" Venerable Golden Light suddenly chuckled, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

"A single batch of pills costs me three hundred taels of gold in medicinal ingredients.

"Does the Seven Mysteries Sect think it can fob me off like a beggar?"

Steward Wang exchanged a glance with his companion, his throat bobbing. "Then fifteen hundred taels..."

When Venerable Golden Light closed his eyes without answering, he gritted his teeth. "Two thousand taels! That is the highest amount the sect master authorized me to offer."

Only then did Venerable Golden Light open his eyes slightly. "In consideration of the Seven Mysteries Sect's longstanding respectfulness, three thousand taels of gold-not a coin less.

"You must also provide a hundred-year-old medicinal herb for my pill refining."

Making Steward Wang wait earlier had been deliberate, naturally intended to test the Seven Mysteries Sect's attitude.

Steward Wang paled. "Venerable, a hundred-year-old medicinal herb really is..."

"See yourselves out." Venerable Golden Light flicked his sleeve and made to rise.

"Please wait, Venerable!" Steward Wang hastily stopped him.

"I will send a letter requesting the sect master's instructions immediately. You will have an answer by tomorrow at the latest."

Venerable Golden Light gave a slight nod and waved his fingertips. The two men could only bow and withdraw.

Once their footsteps had vanished completely beyond the courtyard, the mask of indifference on Venerable Golden Light's face melted away.

He settled comfortably into the grand armchair, lightly drumming his fingers on his rounded belly as his lips spread into an openly triumphant grin.

"Wonderful. Another windfall has come knocking." He murmured with narrowed eyes, satisfaction filling his voice.

"The Wild Wolf Gang? A handful of mere mortals is worth this Immortal Master's intervention?

"One Golden Light Technique will have them crying for their fathers and mothers."

He paced back into the inner chamber. A mechanism clicked softly, and a hidden compartment slid open.

He reverently took out the yellowed Qin Family Genealogy. As his fingertips brushed the gilded patterns on its cover, the character for "Qin" rippled like water and quietly transformed into "Jin."

"Jin Family Immortal Genealogy."

His gaze swept over the glorious deeds of his ancestors recorded within.

"The Qin family of Qin Yeling..."

"The Jin family of the Immortal Realm..."

A long sigh rolled from Venerable Golden Light's throat.

"Descendants of immortals... reduced to this."

There was pride in that sigh, but far more bitterness that would not dissolve.

By his generation, the family's fortunes had long since declined. More devastating still was his hopelessly impure five-element spiritual root.

After more than forty years of arduous cultivation through summer heat and winter cold, exhausting the family fortune, he had barely scraped his way to the third layer of the Qi Refining Stage. Beyond that, he could not advance an inch.

"Cultivate to immortality?

"To hell with cultivating immortality!" A sudden, nameless fury surged through him. He slammed the genealogy back into the hidden compartment with a dull thud.

"One pill for those great sects' disciples is worth ten years of my bitter toil!

"Ten years!"

Around ten years earlier, he had finally figured it out.

If the path to immortality held no hope, why not turn back toward the mortal world?

With a few intimidating spells and a smattering of pill-refining knowledge, had he not become a true immortal in the eyes of Jing Prefecture's mortals?

He raised his hand. A faint thread of golden light danced at his fingertips, illuminating his inscrutably complicated gaze-

There was smug satisfaction in it, but deeper still lay a trace of loneliness he refused to acknowledge.

"Master, your bath is ready." A maid's gentle announcement came from beyond the door.

Venerable Golden Light instantly reined in every visible emotion, his face returning to its customary imposing indifference. "Mm. Have Enchantress come attend me."

Warm steam rose and swirled through the bathing chamber, the air rich with the mingled fragrance of flower petals and expensive spices.

Venerable Golden Light leaned back against the white jade pool with his eyes closed, calculating the deal he had just made-three thousand taels of gold would cover his expenses for a year;

Selling the hundred-year-old medicinal herb to a wandering Rogue Cultivator in urgent need would bring another substantial sum.

It was precisely that thought of the "hundred-year-old medicinal herb" that reminded him of his third concubine, Enchantress-

A woman who likewise possessed a sliver of magical power and had only just reached Qi Refining, First Layer.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him, their rhythm deliberately gentle.

A pair of delicate hands settled lightly against his temples and began massaging with just the right pressure.

"Immortal Master... is this pressure comfortable?" Enchantress's voice carried her distinctive seductive sweetness, its ending lilting upward like a feather brushing his heart.

Venerable Golden Light lazily grunted through his nose in acknowledgment.

Not a hint of displeasure appeared on Enchantress's alluring face. Instead, a long-suppressed joy flickered in her eyes.

She had been neglected for too long, so long that she had nearly withered inside this gilded cage.

Being remembered today was a ray of light piercing the darkness, rekindling her hope.

She leaned forward, her warm breath brushing his ear almost imperceptibly, her voice growing sweeter still. "Allow me... to serve you properly, Immortal Master."

Amid the swirling steam, her clothes quietly slipped away.

At noon the next day, Steward Wang of the Seven Mysteries Sect indeed arrived.

He agreed not only to the payment of three thousand taels of gold, but also to provide a century-old he shou wu, though it could only be handed over once Venerable Golden Light reached the Seven Mysteries Sect.

"Immortal Master, the sect master said that, as long as you help our Seven Mysteries Sect defeat the Wild Wolf Gang, we will offer you tribute every year from now on," Steward Wang said ingratiatingly.

Venerable Golden Light nodded in satisfaction. "At least he knows how to behave.

"Three days from now, this Immortal Master will personally visit your Seven Mysteries Sect."

After seeing off the Seven Mysteries Sect's men, Venerable Golden Light took out several talismans and inspected them.

These talismans had been passed down by his ancestors. Although most had already lost their power, a few low-grade Fireball Talismans and Golden Light Talismans remained usable.

One fireball is enough to deal with mortal martial artists, Venerable Golden Light thought, brimming with confidence.

If all else fails, I still have an Earth-Traveling Talisman to save my life.

He did not take the Wild Wolf Gang seriously at all.

In his eyes, however strong mortal martial artists became, they were merely somewhat sturdier ants.

A cultivator facing mortals struck from an entirely higher dimension.

Three days later, an imposing procession appeared on Jing Prefecture's official highway.

Eight sturdy bearers carried a large gilded sedan chair, their steps steady and synchronized.

Dozens of attendants bearing ceremonial regalia marched before and behind it, the grand procession heading toward the Seven Mysteries Sect.

Commoners along the road hastily stepped aside and stared.

Inside the sedan chair, Venerable Golden Light brushed his fingertips over his newly tailored magical robe-cloud patterns woven from golden thread shimmered in the light.

He had deliberately hung several pieces of spiritual jade in the most conspicuous spot at his waist. Every sway released a warm, lustrous glow.

"Halt the sedan-"

The Seven Mysteries Sect's familiar bluestone mountain gate drew near, with a dense crowd standing before it.

As the curtain lifted, he deliberately paused before slowly emerging, meeting countless reverent gazes.

"We respectfully welcome the Immortal Master!"

Led by the sect master, the Seven Mysteries Sect's elders and core disciples bowed in unison.

Their voices merged into a humble tide that echoed through the mountain valley.

Venerable Golden Light stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze slowly swept across their bowed heads before finally settling on the mist-wreathed peaks beyond the gate.

"Mm..." He drew out the sound, lightly stroking the spiritual jade at his waist. "Encircled by mountains and embraced by water, gathering qi and sheltering from the wind. A fine blessed site."

At his words, the sect master bent even lower. "To earn your praise is truly a blessing upon our Seven Mysteries Sect for a hundred years.

"Immortal Master, please-"

As he stepped aside to lead the way, he exchanged relieved glances with several elders.

Venerable Golden Light nodded slightly, his sleeves swaying gently and his jade ornaments chiming with every step. Surrounded by the deferential crowd, he passed through the vermilion mountain gate.

The great hall glittered with splendor, exquisite delicacies covering the long rosewood tables.

After three rounds of wine, the Seven Mysteries Sect's master saw that Venerable Golden Light's face had flushed red. Only then did he cautiously clasp his hands.

"Immortal Master, please hear me out. The Wild Wolf Gang recruited three sinister cultivators from somewhere, and they have cultivated bronze skin and iron bones.

"Five of our sect's skilled fighters have already fallen at their hands..."

His eyes hazy with drink, Venerable Golden Light interrupted with a sweep of his sleeve. "Ants! Why waste words on them?

"Tomorrow, I shall show you what the methods of immortals truly are!"

Flattery immediately surged around the tables like a tide. Amid clinking cups and flowing wine, Venerable Golden Light grew increasingly pleased with himself.

He tipped his head back and gulped down the fine wine. It trickled along his graying beard into his gold-embroidered collar. The dignity he had once possessed as a cultivator had long since vanished, leaving only a mouthful of boasts.

Just as he was about to raise his cup again, the world suddenly spun around him.

Instinctively, he roused his spiritual power to expel the alcohol, only to see a deep-blue curtain of water erupt from the shadows-a water ball as large as a basket descended upon him!

With a soft hiss, the film of water instantly contracted.

A strange force pierced his meridians like countless silver needles. His spiritual power vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

Venerable Golden Light's eyes flew wide. Before he could utter even half a cry, he crashed to the floor like a puppet whose strings had snapped.

The joyous banquet abruptly fell silent. The guests froze where they stood, their ingratiating smiles still lingering as terror crept into the corners of their eyes.

A black-robed figure slowly emerged from the shadows, raising a hand in a spell gesture.

The water ball enveloping Venerable Golden Light floated into the air in response. Its rippling surface reflected the newcomer's handsome features-it was Jing Wen.

Inside the dim stone chamber, the lingering effects of the Water Ball Technique still filled the air with dampness.

Venerable Golden Light lay sprawled on the floor like a dead fish, his magnificent brocade robe clinging wetly to his corpulent body.

His black robe hanging loosely, Jing Wen stood quietly beside the unconscious Venerable Golden Light, holding the man's Storage Bag between his fingertips.

With a slight stir of his Divine Sense, he sliced effortlessly through the crude restriction sealing the bag. The outlines of its contents immediately became clear.

The first things he saw were several yellowed talismans with curled, fraying edges, clearly stored away for many years.

Jing Wen picked one up for a closer look, his fingertips sensing faint fluctuations of spiritual power-of the ten talismans, six had long since lost all their spiritual energy and become wastepaper;

Of the remaining four, the two Fireball Talismans held so little spiritual power that he could barely sense it. Only a Golden Light Talisman and an Earth-Traveling Talisman remained reasonably usable.

He casually tossed the talismans back into the bag. His attention was then drawn to its dazzling assortment of bottles and jars.

Taking out several porcelain bottles, he pulled their stoppers and glanced at the pills inside, then shook his head in disappointment. "All ordinary pills for strengthening the constitution, nourishing vitality, healing injuries, and relieving pain. For cultivators, they're useless scraps barely better than nothing."

Just then, a glimmer of gold suddenly flashed in a corner of the Storage Bag.

Jing Wen's interest stirred. He reached inside, his fingertips touching something cold and metallic-a golden talisman roughly three inches long emerged. A lifelike little sword was depicted upon it, its blade encircled by intricate runes, with sword qi faintly seeping out.

"The Small Sword Talisman Treasure!" A brilliant light suddenly blazed in Jing Wen's eyes, and even his breathing quickened involuntarily.

This was the true objective behind his painstaking scheme against Venerable Golden Light!

Talisman treasures were entirely different from ordinary talismans. Golden Core cultivators created them by sacrificing some of the power of their bonded magical treasures.

Though they could only be used a limited number of times, every activation unleashed a portion of a Golden Core cultivator's might, enough even to slay stronger opponents above one's own realm!

He carefully stroked the talisman treasure's surface with his fingertips, clearly sensing the keen sword qi hidden within-even though it had already been used several times, its remaining power was sufficient for another three or four activations.

A satisfied smile curved Jing Wen's lips. With a movement of his fingers, he put the Small Sword Talisman Treasure into his own Storage Bag.

"Is this... an Ascension Token?" Jing Wen picked a bronze token out of the miscellaneous clutter.

The words "Immortal Ascension" were engraved on its front, while the back depicted a mountain peak wreathed in mist-this was a token of Yellow Maple Valley, one of the Seven Great Sects. Its bearer could enter the sect without taking the entrance examination.

This token was worth far more than the talisman treasure, yet to Jing Wen, it was like chicken ribs: little meat to eat, but a pity to throw away.

The spiritual root within Jing Wen's body was a Baleful Bead. How could he possibly join Yellow Maple Valley?

If Jing Wen took the Ascension Token to Yellow Maple Valley, he would probably be slain on the spot as a Demonic Cultivator.

He casually tossed the Ascension Token back into the Storage Bag and continued rummaging, but all that remained were some gold, silver, valuables, and a few rudimentary cultivation manuals. There was nothing else of worth.

Jing Wen flicked a finger, sending a concentrated strand of Spiritual Power shooting out like a silver arrow. It struck the unconscious Venerable Golden Light precisely in the dantian.

The instant the Spiritual Power entered his body, Venerable Golden Light shuddered violently. An indistinct groan escaped his throat, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Cough... cough, cough!" The moment he opened his eyes, he doubled over in a fit of violent coughing. Murky water trickled from the corners of his mouth, soaking the brocade robe over his chest.

As his blurred vision gradually focused and he made out the black-robed figure standing before him, his limp, obese body went rigid. He began trembling like chaff in a sieve.

"S-Senior, spare me!" Venerable Golden Light scrambled backward, his hands and feet scraping against the ground until his back slammed into the stone wall. Only when he had nowhere left to retreat did he stop. All color had drained from his face, leaving nothing but sheer terror.

Jing Wen looked down at him from above, the hem of his black robe trailing on the ground and concealing his toes.

At the sight of this "immortal master" reduced to such wretched begging, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Just as the original novel had described, the man clung to life and feared death, without a shred of backbone.

"Venerable Golden Light." Jing Wen deliberately lowered his voice, his gloomy tone sounding especially sinister inside the stone chamber. "You now have two paths to choose from."

Venerable Golden Light's Adam's apple bobbed hard. Beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his cheeks, landing on his collar and spreading into dark patches. He scarcely dared breathe.

"The first is death." Jing Wen slowly raised his right hand. An eerie green flame sprang into being in his palm, its dancing light illuminating the pale lower half of his face and driving Venerable Golden Light's terror to its peak.

"I choose the second! I choose the second!" Before Jing Wen could name the other path, Venerable Golden Light shrieked and dropped to his knees with a thud. He prostrated himself and kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead striking the stone floor with dull knocks.

"Have mercy, Senior! I'm willing to serve as your ox and horse, to do whatever you command!"

Jing Wen watched his forehead rapidly swell and redden, a flicker of satisfaction passing through his eyes.

Venerable Golden Light knew how to read the situation. It saved him the trouble of wasting more words to apply pressure.

Jing Wen dismissed the flame in his hand and took a pill as black as ink from his sleeve.

"Swallow it."

He tossed the pill onto the stone platform before Venerable Golden Light. It rolled across the rough surface with a faint sound.

Venerable Golden Light picked it up with trembling fingers. Feeling its icy texture against his fingertips, he hesitated for an instant.

But under Jing Wen's cold, unrelenting stare, he ultimately dared not disobey. Gritting his teeth, he tipped his head back and swallowed it.

Once in his stomach, the pill immediately dissolved into a cold current that spread through every limb and bone, freezing him until his teeth chattered. At last, that chill settled near his dantian, lying dormant like a venomous snake and leaving his entire body suffused with cold.

"This is a Heart-Eroding Pill. You must take an antidote once a month, or the cold poison will attack your heart and leave you in such agony that you'll wish you were dead," Jing Wen explained indifferently.

"Of course, if you obediently carry out your duties, I will restore your freedom after ten years."

Jing Wen stood with his hands behind his back, his black robe utterly still in the damp, chilly air. He lowered his gaze to examine the trembling, corpulent body at his feet, pleased with the reaction he saw. This obedience born of a thoroughly crushed will was exactly what he needed.

Sparing this man's life was, of course, a calculated decision.

Someone who clung to life and feared death this much was the easiest kind to control.

Besides, a living Qi Refining Stage cultivator could earn him a considerable number of contribution points when he brought him back to the cult.

As for the promise of ten years...

A barely perceptible trace of icy mockery crossed Jing Wen's lips.

If he's still breathing by then.

"Stay in the Seven Mysteries Sect and deal with the Wild Wolf Gang first," Jing Wen instructed, his tone as indifferent as ever.

"Remember, if even half a word of what happened today gets out, you're welcome to sample the effects of that Heart-Eroding Pill ahead of time."

"I wouldn't dare, Senior! I swear! If I breathe even half a word, may the cold poison pierce my guts and kill me!" Venerable Golden Light hastily vowed, pressing his forehead to the ground, wishing he could tear out his heart to prove his loyalty.

Jing Wen nodded slightly, then pointed to the pile of miscellaneous items emptied from the Storage Bag onto the floor: a few yellowed talismans, several empty porcelain bottles, and, among them, the two nearly useless Fireball Talismans.

"I'll leave these things for you to keep yourself alive!"

Looking at the pile that had once been his own "possessions," Venerable Golden Light could not keep a bitter smile from tugging at his lips.

Yet he dared not show the slightest disdain. He hurriedly gathered the odds and ends into his robe and bowed again.

"Thank you, Senior! I will brave boiling water and raging fire..." Venerable Golden Light wanted to keep professing his loyalty, but Jing Wen raised a hand to cut him off.

"Remember, come collect your antidote on the fifteenth of every month." With that, Jing Wen's figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot like a ghost, leaving only a faint black mist to slowly disperse.

Venerable Golden Light sat in a daze for a long time. Only after he was certain Jing Wen had truly left did he let out a long breath.

The chill in his dantian reminded him constantly that he had already become the other man's puppet.

He instinctively felt his empty waist. His Storage Bag should have been hanging there, but it had long since vanished without a trace.

The cool fabric beneath his fingertips instantly brought him to his senses. Compared with his life, what did these worldly possessions amount to?

"At least I'm still alive..." Venerable Golden Light muttered, consoling himself. He pushed against the ground several times before finally managing to heave his obese body upright.

He circulated the little Spiritual Power remaining in his body. A faint warm current spread through his meridians, slowly drying his soaked clothes as he tried to make himself look less disheveled.

After straightening his robes, he took a deep breath and reached out to push open the chamber's stone door.

The daylight outside was rather dazzling. He narrowed his eyes and saw the Seven Mysteries Sect's sect master and several elders waiting at the entrance, their faces filled with anxiety and anticipation.

Seeing him emerge, they hurried forward. The sect master was the first to cup his hands and ask, "Immortal Master, might I ask..."

"Don't ask what you shouldn't!" Venerable Golden Light abruptly raised his voice and sharply cut the sect master off. The cowardice and humility he had shown inside the stone chamber vanished without a trace, replaced once more by the lofty bearing of an "immortal master."

"Make preparations. I will pay the Wild Wolf Gang a visit in the next few days!"

This sudden change left everyone utterly bewildered, but none dared ask further questions. They could only voice their agreement again and again.

Only the sect master knew something of the inside story, but he too pretended to know nothing.

Venerable Golden Light strode through the Seven Mysteries Sect with his head held high, as though he were still that respected "immortal master."