Free Web NovelChapter 307: Chapter 36: Leisure Time
The second game of Go also ended with Yu Cheng Taoist holding a slight advantage.
It was dark by the time they finished. Suddenly, a burst of cheers erupted from the foot of the mountain. Liu Shuang, who had been away, was back. She had always been very popular among the Inner Sect Disciples.
Seeing this, Yu Cheng Taoist took his leave. Soon after, Hu Qianqian and Yu Lian also departed, heading in the direction of the Inner Sect.
The next morning, Wang Ping was waiting for Liu Shuang to join him for tea, but Zhao Wan from the Inner Courtyard arrived first. To Wang Ping’s surprise, Zhao Wan had used the sect’s established trade routes to procure a Gold Vein. It was smaller than a conventional one and would require a long period of nurturing before it could grow into a full Spirit Vein.
It was merely fist-sized and housed in a special metal box designed to contain its aura. Without the box, the journey to bring it here would have undoubtedly been a bloodbath. Its most striking feature was a heavy, metallic scent. Pale gold in color, it resembled an irregular stone. Once removed from the box, it emitted a faint, pale golden halo.
It was incredibly heavy—at least several hundred kilograms. An ordinary person couldn’t have lifted it. The texture was rough to the touch, like grasping a handful of sand. Then, Wang Ping watched as the Wood Spirit Vein in his palm reacted with the Gold Vein. His fingers began to merge with the vein’s surface.
The next moment, the Gold Vein unexpectedly began to absorb the Spiritual Qi from Wang Ping’s body. The process was so slow it was nearly imperceptible unless one was actively sensing it.
Yu Lian remarked, "It’s so mischievous. The Water Vein was very quiet when we installed it."
Wang Ping remained noncommittal. With a single thought, his palm returned to normal. No matter what mischief the Gold Vein attempted, his fingers remained completely unchanged.
"Bury it next to the Gold Vein at the Gold Institute’s Magic Array Core to nourish it. I want you to supervise the process personally." As Wang Ping placed the Gold Vein back into the box, the halo on its surface vanished, and the dense Gold Spirit Qi disappeared along with it.
"Yes!"
Zhao Wan took the box and respectfully exited the small courtyard.
Not long after, Liu Shuang entered the garden unimpeded. Wang Ping had even skipped his morning practice to wait for her.
"Greetings, Master. Congratulations on your election to the Third Seat!"
Liu Shuang’s congratulations were a little late.
After looking Liu Shuang over, Wang Ping smiled gently. "Very good," he said. "The Spirit Vein within you is stable. It’s time for you to attempt a breakthrough to the Second Realm."
"Thank you for your concern, Master."
After this brief exchange, an awkward silence fell between master and disciple.
Slightly exasperated, Yu Lian tapped Wang Ping’s back with her tail before turning to Liu Shuang. "Was Central Island any fun? We always had to sneak around before, so we never got to see anything."
"This time, Liu Chang was our guide, so we saw many new and interesting things. My favorite was the flying competition held by the sea at night. It’s a shame only Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators are allowed to compete. Their clothes are coated in all kinds of luminous mineral dust, and when they fly along the coast at night, it looks just like the Milky Way has descended to earth!"
Liu Shuang slowly recounted the novelties she had encountered on Central Island. Wang Ping had already seen all of this in the memories of his Puppet Zi Hong, but hearing it from his own disciple was a completely different experience.
It was heartwarming.
Deep down, Wang Ping cherished this feeling of closeness.
Halfway through her story, Hu Qianqian appeared sheepishly at the courtyard gate. From the look of her, she had likely overslept. The Demon Race was different from ordinary Cultivators; even after advancing in realm, they still had various physiological needs, since the power they wielded was that of their bloodline.
With Hu Qianqian’s arrival, the atmosphere grew even livelier.
Before long, Wang Yang, Shen Xiaozhu, and Xia Wen Yi heard the news and hurried over as well, turning the quiet courtyard into a bustling hub of activity. By the afternoon, even Liu Huai, a disciple of Zhang Xinghuai, had arrived on the mountain to pay his respects.
"How is your master faring in the Northwest?" Wang Ping realized it had been a long time since he had heard any news from Zhang Xinghuai.
Liu Huai replied respectfully, "To answer Grand-Martial Uncle, the situation in the Northwest is currently stable. I received a letter from Master a month ago. General Wang Lian has gathered some unaffiliated Cultivators and has managed to establish tenuous control over the two prefectures surrounding Shangning Lake."
"Do they need help?"
"Master says that sending people over now would cause the Court to lose a great deal of face. The people of the Court may not care about much else, but they are obsessed with appearances!"
"All right. Come and have some tea."
"Thank you, Grand-Martial Uncle. Master had another message for me..." Liu Huai glanced around at the others. Hu Qianqian, Liu Shuang, Wang Yang, and Xia Wen Yi were all standing nearby. His primary concern was Xia Wen Yi.
"It’s fine. Go ahead and speak."
"Yes. Master said he has friends from the Balance Faction of the Jimin Association helping him. The recent conflict between the four Third Realm Cultivators... it was instigated by them."
"What did you say?"
The question came from Xia Wen Yi. It was an involuntary outburst, and he immediately realized his slip of the tongue. He stepped forward to apologize. "Master, I... I was wrong."
Shen Xiaozhu clearly had something to say as well, but just as she was about to step forward, Yu Lian’s serpent tail snaked out and pulled her back.
Wang Ping simply waved his hand, then gave Shen Xiaozhu an impassive glance. She saw the signal and understood immediately: she was to have a talk with Xia Wen Yi later.
"Your master is certainly resourceful," Wang Ping remarked. He motioned for Hu Qianqian to bring Liu Huai a cup of tea, then added a warning, "Next time, you report matters like this to me first."
"Yes, sir!"
Wang Ping wasn’t typically strict with the younger generation, especially not with the sole remaining disciple of his late senior brother, Liu Zixiu. Even if Liu Huai did something truly outrageous, the most Wang Ping would do is confine him.
For the next few days, Wang Ping’s small courtyard remained a lively place. But for a cultivator, such noise and excitement is only ever temporary.
Five days later, Wang Ping sent his disciples on their way. Yu Lian went with Hu Qianqian to Baisui Lake. Liu Shuang, after descending the mountain, went to check on her own two disciples. Shen Xiaozhu was busy preparing for her breakthrough; she wasn’t young anymore and needed to enter the next realm as soon as possible, so she dragged Xia Wen Yi away with her when she left. Wang Yang returned to the Wang Family to handle worldly affairs.
The main reason Wang Ping had sent his disciples away was that he had received a reply from Zi Luan. Just as Wang Ping expected, Zi Luan was very enthusiastic about the proposed alliance. He stated that he would come to Qianmu Temple with Ganxing and Wu Quan within half a month to discuss the details.
In the days that followed, Wang Ping returned to his former routine of ascetic cultivation. He spent his nights in deep meditation and his mornings, before dawn, attempting to merge with the Heaven-Reaching Talisman. After that, he would work on refining the Pocket World Mirror, followed by studying and crafting puppets. In his spare time, he tended to his flowers, brewed tea, practiced carving the five-colored stone, or checked on the production of the Power Pills. When the mood struck, he would fly to a scenic mountain range just to take in the view.
Yu Lian returned after a three-day trip to Baisui Lake. For some reason, she started arguing with Tongyu Taoist the moment she got back. Wang Ping was in the middle of experimenting with a puppet’s sensory array and was growing frustrated after several failures. Annoyed, he decided to put down his tools and listen in.
After listening for a moment, he finally understood the cause of the dispute: upon her return, Yu Lian had called Tongyu Taoist by the wrong name.
Tongyu Taoist could be just that petty sometimes. Wang Ping had no intention of mediating their argument. They bickered for half an hour before finally stopping. And as he listened to them, Wang Ping found that his own frustration had miraculously vanished.
