Following a straight line, Shi Xuan walked to the wall directly opposite and, sure enough, found a deep cut. That was after the teacup had blocked it; otherwise, it might well have pierced the wall and shot that wisp of leaking Sword Qi outside.
Shi Xuan nodded in satisfaction. At last, he had another trump card to save his life. Although he had previously obtained the Dharma Artifact Soul-Bewildering Banner, he had only been refining it for a short time, so for quite a while yet, it could not serve as a life-saving measure.
During this time, besides cultivating the Great Yin Lung Yang Geng Metal Sword Qi, Shi Xuan had also trained the Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder to the fourth tier. Its power had made a tremendous leap compared with the third tier. Shi Xuan estimated that if he faced Divine Lord Crimson Cloud head-on now, he would not need to play tricks or use any other spell arts. Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder alone could blast him to death.
However, Shi Xuan's minor divine powers had reached their current limit. Before breaking through to a major realm, constrained by the strength of his soul's essence, they would most likely be unable to rise further in grade.
Furthermore, the Soul-Bewildering Banner had also been refined to its seventh layer of restrictions. Unfortunately, it was still two layers away from completing the First Heaven, and its power had yet to undergo a qualitative transformation.
Shi Xuan coughed softly twice and pushed open the door. He saw Chu Wan'er enthusiastically using a bamboo pole to strike the fish in the little pond in the courtyard. The little girl had tossed in some food, and after recuperating through the winter, the fish were popping up one after another, scrambling to snatch it. Chu Wan'er hugged a bamboo pole far taller than herself and whacked at the fish as they surfaced, having the time of her life.
After spending this time together, Shi Xuan had come to understand Chu Wan'er's nature well. Though precocious and clever, she was still mischievous and eccentric, fond of playing and making trouble, brimming with a child's innocent charm.
When Shi Xuan had first asked Chu Wan'er to take him to see her mother, she had readily agreed on the surface, but in private, she had tried to run away several times. Yet Shi Xuan had caught her red-handed every time—catching her in the grass, catching her inside a Buddha statue's belly, catching her in the firewood shed behind the courtyard. Later on, Chu Wan'er forgot her original purpose entirely and happily began playing hide-and-seek with Shi Xuan, never tiring of it.
Perhaps because she had lacked a father since childhood, Chu Wan'er's affection for Shi Xuan had deepened quickly. Recently, she had already agreed to take Shi Xuan to some hidden location of the Demon Sect to find her mother.
"Master, you finally came out! It's almost noon, and Wan'er is so hungry. If you hadn't come out soon, Wan'er was going to roast these fish and eat them!" When Chu Wan'er saw Shi Xuan emerge, she gave a cheer, threw down her bamboo pole, and ran over.
"Cough, cough. Wan'er, go pack your clothes. After lunch today, we'll head for the Divine Capital. It's about time we gathered the medicinal ingredients for the Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup." Shi Xuan instructed Chu Wan'er.
Over this period, Shi Xuan had taught Chu Wan'er certain methods of visualization and preserving the spirit that did not involve specific cultivation. As expected, Chu Wan'er possessed exceptional talent and had fully mastered them in a short time. Combined with her young age and innocent nature, she was an excellent successor. Thus, Shi Xuan not only intended to teach her the Returning to Truth Scripture, but also to prepare the ingredients for the Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup and ready her to begin tempering her body.
The moment Chu Wan'er heard the words "medicinal ingredients," her little face wrinkled into a ball. She looked at Shi Xuan pitifully. "Master, can't I cultivate without taking medicine? It tastes awful. Every time, mother forced it down my throat."
"This medicine is not very bitter, but you cannot drink it yet. Once we reach the Divine Capital, you must first perform the rites of taking a master before you can drink it. Cough, cough. If Wan'er does not want to drink it, then you need not take a master." Shi Xuan coughed twice, half teasing and half testing her.
Upon hearing that she would not have to drink it right away, Chu Wan'er's spirits immediately soared. "Of course Wan'er wants to take a master! Wan'er still wants to fly in the sky. If the medicine tastes awful when the time comes, Wan'er will... will cry for you to see, Master."
After pausing, Chu Wan'er looked at Shi Xuan with concern. "Master, why do you keep coughing? Did you catch a cold? Should you take some medicine?"
Shi Xuan felt a warmth spread through his heart. "It's nothing. Something went wrong while I was practicing, but it does not affect my daily activities. If I rest and recuperate for half a month, it will naturally get better. I have immortal techniques, after all. All right, Wan'er, hurry and pack your clothes."
After the two had packed up and eaten their fill, Shi Xuan carried Chu Wan'er and used Minor Clear Wind Escape. Before the city gates closed at dusk, they arrived at the Divine Capital.
Though it was not Chu Wan'er's first time experiencing the exhilarating sensation of Minor Clear Wind Escape, transforming into a clear wind and roaming freely, her little face was still flushed red with excitement. She kept asking Shi Xuan how long she would need to cultivate before she could do the same. When she heard that it would take at least ten years, her rosy little face immediately fell.
The next day, Shi Xuan took Chu Wan'er through dozens of medicine shops, large and small, throughout the Divine Capital before finally gathering all the ingredients needed for the Primordial Yuan Marrow-Changing Soup.
The bustle and splendor of the Divine Capital made little Wan'er like a curious kitten all day long, constantly looking left and right. One moment she wanted candied hawthorn skewers, the next she wanted opera masks to play with. Had Shi Xuan not forcibly dragged her back to the inn in the end, the little girl would still have wanted to wander the streets.
That night, Shi Xuan arranged incense and a memorial tablet in their room at the inn, then had Chu Wan'er perform the rites of taking a master.
Although Wan'er was young, she came from a family with deep learning. She performed the entire apprenticeship ceremony with impressive form, without the slightest error. Yet she was simply too small, making her look both childish and adorable.
After the ceremony was complete, Shi Xuan explained the five sect rules he had devised last time to Wan'er. In particular, he repeated the rule against privately passing on cultivation methods several times, wearing a stern expression as he made Chu Wan'er solemnly promise that she would obey.
Why had he emphasized this rule again and again? Because Shi Xuan intended to seek out the Daoist Sect, and the journey would hold many dangers. Taking Chu Wan'er along would not only be unsafe and inconvenient, but would also delay the crucial time for her to temper her body and lay her foundation. Therefore, once he found the Demon Empress, he planned to let Chu Wan'er return with her mother. After he found the Daoist Sect, he would come back for her.
After explaining this, Shi Xuan told Wan'er the arrangements for the coming days. "Tomorrow, we'll rent a courtyard. Just as before, your master will prepare the medicinal soup for you and teach you the first part of the cultivation method. Wan'er, you must drink the medicine yourself, bathe yourself, and temper your body yourself. You must be disciplined. This is a test!"
The first portion of cultivation Shi Xuan planned to pass on included not only the first part of the Returning to Truth Scripture, but also part of the Ten Dragons Subduing Demons Fist from the Treasure Record. After all, she was his first disciple; he had to let her learn something good.
As for why he would not teach the Treasure Record directly, Shi Xuan mainly considered that it was a supreme cultivation method. He himself could be careful with his words and actions, but Chu Wan'er was still young. If she carelessly leaked even a little of it, it could very well bring a catastrophe that blotted out the sky. It would not be too late to teach it to her when she was another seven or eight years older and more mature in temperament. After all, by then, Chu Wan'er certainly would not yet have reached the realm of Soul Departure, so there would still be time to make up the body-tempering and qi-nourishing portions.
Chu Wan'er pouted. "Wasn't the test supposed to come before taking a master? Also, where are you going, Master? Are you trying to leave Wan'er behind and go play by yourself?"
"Tomorrow, your master is going to investigate Mang Mountain. There may well be great dangers there, so naturally I cannot take you along. Your master will prepare medicinal soup, food, and silver for you. If I have not returned after one month, then go find mother yourself." Shi Xuan explained the arrangements to his eldest disciple.
"But what if Wan'er runs into danger here?" Chu Wan'er's eyes sparkled, and no one knew what scheme she was hatching.
"Heh heh. Your master will cast a Concentric Charm on you. Mang Mountain lies less than ten li north of the Divine Capital. If you encounter danger, your master will naturally sense your fear." Shi Xuan explained the method he had used before to Chu Wan'er.
"Ah, Master, was that how you found Wan'er before, with that Concentric Charm thing? No wonder Wan'er couldn't hide no matter where she went." Wan'er suddenly understood.
But Chu Wan'er's eyes darted about, and she added, "But it's so far away. If Wan'er gets into danger, can Master make it back in time?"
"Uh, that is true." Shi Xuan thought it over and realized that it did indeed make sense.
Chu Wan'er lowered her little head and stared at the stone slabs beneath her feet. "So, wouldn't it be better to take Wan'er with you? If danger comes, at least Wan'er will have Master to protect her. That's better than Wan'er being all alone here. If Wan'er meets bad people, Master won't be able to come back either."
Shi Xuan thought for a moment. What Wan'er said did make some sense. After considering it, he nodded. "Then Wan'er will follow Master tomorrow, but you must be obedient."
With a cheer, Chu Wan'er lifted her head, her face full of excitement. "Wan'er will definitely be good! Master, will we see those hopping zombies tomorrow? And ghosts with long tongues..." Wan'er circled around Shi Xuan, asking one question after another.
Only after much effort in soothing Wan'er to sleep did Shi Xuan begin his cultivation for the day.
The next day, as Shi Xuan held Chu Wan'er's little hand and headed toward Mang Mountain, he looked at her happy, rosy face and could not shake the feeling that Wan'er had led him around by the nose yesterday.
This little girl had run away from home for nearly a thousand li and still managed to live perfectly well, lively and kicking. How could she possibly encounter some danger she could not handle while staying in a courtyard with food and drink, properly exercising and cultivating?
As they neared Mang Mountain, Shi Xuan looked at Chu Wan'er, who seemed to be out on an excursion, and recalled a question he had long wanted to ask. "Wan'er, why did you run away from home in the first place?"
At that question, Chu Wan'er's cheerful little face immediately darkened. "Mother always made Wan'er practice this and practice that. It was tiring and painful, and if Wan'er did not do well, she even hit Wan'er. The medicinal soup tasted awful too. And also..." When she reached "and also," Chu Wan'er seemed to recall some painful memory, and her eyes began to redden.
"And what else?"
"Wuu wuu wuu, mother also wouldn't let Wan'er wear shoes! She wanted Wan'er to practice some Heavenly Demon Dance, and even normally Wan'er had to go barefoot. It hurt Wan'er's feet so much and felt so awful, wuu wuu wuu. That's why Wan'er secretly hid beneath a vegetable cart and escaped." With tears in her eyes, Chu Wan'er accused her mother of her "evil deeds."
What could Shi Xuan say? He could only comfort the little girl gently. It took quite some effort before Wan'er stopped sobbing and calmed down, and only then did the two set off again.
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