Xi Ping went numb all over. 

Just then, there were footsteps behind him. Someone called, “Shiyong, why haven’t you gone to the dining hall yet?” 

The newcomer was one of the Latent Cultivation Temple’s stewards, Princess Xincheng’s son Yang Anli. 

Yang Anli had just finished being pestered by His Fourth Highness, whom he didn’t know very well, saying “cousin” this and “cousin” that while asking him about the trick to opening your spiritual eyes. 

But what kind of trick could there be for this? The publicly accepted method among immortal sects was precisely Luo Qingshi’s idiotic one—steep in a pile of spiritual stones every day training your spiritual sense. As long as you calmed your mind and worked hard enough, even if your natural endowments were a little limited, in a year or two you would still be able to “train” your spiritual eyes open. Apart from that, though there were all kinds of ways to open your spiritual eyes, in summary they all amounted to the words “by lucky chance.” There was no way to learn from others. 

Yang Anli had just muddled through somehow, then turned his head and saw Xi Ping and remembered that he had just had word from his mother. Princess Xincheng had praised Prince Zhuang to the heavens, all “high notions of his duty,” “profound feelings and affections,” leaving Yang Anli all at sea, not knowing what kind of magic potion His Third Highness had been feeding his mother. 

The Latent Cultivation Temple was nominally cut off from the world, but the stewards couldn’t be out of touch with reality. They guarded the barrier between the mortal and immortal year round, each one keeping his attention fixed in all directions. Yang Anli had been watching the changes at court in recent years from the sidelines, and he thought that His Third Highness, laying low and biding his time, wasn’t as profoundly affectionate and harmless as he seemed. As for whether he wanted to make friends with Prince Zhuang, he hadn’t yet made up his mind. But there was no harm in establishing friendly relations with the Viscount of Yongning. So he called an amiable greeting: “The Latent Cultivation Temple is austere. How about it, are you adjusting to it?” 

I absolutely am not! I’ve been possessed! 

Xi Ping’s heart strove to act in place of his mouth and jump out of his chest to cry for help; it beat so hard his ribs hurt. 

But his face wouldn’t be controlled. On its own, it produced a smile and answered in slightly painstaking Jinping formal language: “My thanks, shixiong. Hello, Your Fourth Highness.—The immortal mountain’s spiritual energy is dense, far better than the foul atmosphere of Jinping. How could I not adjust?” 

Xi Ping, “spoken for,” was beside himself with rage: I don’t drawl my words out like that even when I sing!

Zhou Xi returned the greeting with a false smile. He had just seen Xi Ping talking to Elder Su from afar and had thought, So this Xi Shiyong isn’t arrogant and rude, he’s just a master of treating people according to their positions: he sees that Luo Qingshi is indifferent to everything, so he deliberately enrages him to attract attention; Su Zhun is a veteran walker in the mortal world, so he suits himself to his fancy and follows the old thing around asking for stories about Heaven’s Design Pavilion expelling evil. 

Just the type to come from a poor and humble family, full of indecent schemes, of common stock with that Imperial Consort Xi. 

“It’s good that you’ve adjusted. His Third Highness was uneasy and asked me to look after you.” Yang Anli was fifteen or sixteen years older than Xi Ping and his class, almost a generation apart in the mortal world. He had nothing to say to him. After briefly asking after Xi Ping’s well-being, he picked up a few books and left with Zhou Xi. 

Xi Ping would have loved nothing more than to kneel and clutch Yang-shixiong’s leg, but his body politely retreated a few steps to make way, and he stood by watching as the two of them left. 

The Yanhai Building fell silent, and Xi Ping lost hope. 

His memory for voices was perfect, especially given this person’s particular Ning’an accent. No matter what, he sounded like that great demon Jiangli and the others had dug up out of the coffin. 

But hadn’t the great demon been cut up by Zhaoting? 

Hadn’t that unhelpful Elder Su just said “the net of heaven is wide, but nothing slips through”?! 

Xi Ping’s “traitor” hand lifted and stroked his face and chin, making Xi Ping break out in gooseflesh. 

That voice sounded in his head again: “Good, there are no more outsiders now. We can chat.” 

Xi Ping didn’t want to chat with him at all, and he started racking his brain to bring up all the Ning’an curse words he knew. 

“If you call my name in your mind, you can talk to me. Do you still remember me, kid?” the voice said. “You may address me as…‘Tai Sui.’” 

Though he had been prepared, hearing these words, Xi Ping’s heart thumped against his ribs: Xuanyin Mountain’s unreliable heavenly net really had let something slip. 

There was only one ke left before evening class. In the enormous Yanhai Building, there was no help anywhere. He had been trapped in his own body by a great demon who had somehow come back from the dead, and all he could still control was his heartbeat…and the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. 

Xi Ping had to force himself to calm down. 

No parents would name their child “Tai Sui.” This had to be a pseudonym. In that case, it didn’t matter what form of address he used, it just had to be addressed directly to him to work. 

This person wanted to be called “Tai Sui,” so he wouldn’t call him that. Xi Ping thought: Are you worthy of that? Aren’t you worried you’ll lose your tongue if you talk so big? 

So he tried calling to him in his mind: “This…Exalted? Immortal? Senior Demon?” 

“You little devil. You seem reckless, but you’re rather clever.” As expected, Tai Sui had “heard” him. Laughing, he said, “There’s no need for ‘Exalted’ or anything like that. Those are exclusive forms of address for the righteous sects. I don’t like them.” 

Fine, then it’s “demon.” 

Xi Ping addressed him accordingly: “Senior Demon, you honor me with your presence. Please don’t hesitate to give me any instructions you may have. My, what’s-it…my natural endowments are dull, I couldn’t open my spiritual eyes even if you drilled a hole in my skull, so there really isn’t much I can do, but I’ll certainly spare no pains to carry out your wishes.” 

“Don’t be scared, child,” Tai Sui said kindly. “I don’t eat human hearts.” 

“Then what would you like to eat?” Xi Ping said. 

Tai Sui was entertained. “That day at the Blissful Village, I was wounded by Zhaoting and nearly destroyed… That couldn’t have been done without your contribution.” 

Xi Ping’s words came quickly: “You flatter me! I didn’t even know I could enter the Latent Cultivation Temple then. As a mortal, what could I understand? I was purely following along after Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s people and making a fuss. Ancestors above, I had no ill intentions towards you. I won’t conceal from you, I’ve been turning it over in my mind recently, and I keep thinking I shouldn’t have jumped into the battle without regard for the circumstances. Is Heaven’s Design Pavilion necessarily made up of good people? That assistant commander of theirs isn’t a nice person at all! How fortunate that your ill luck has turned to good, and danger turned into an auspicious circumstance…” 

The great demon interrupted his nonsense: “You want to find out why I didn’t die, right?” 

Xi Ping didn’t even stumble. “Absolutely not. Do I need to find out? It must be because heaven has eyes.” 

Eyes that let the net of heaven leak.

Tai Sui said, “By coincidence, I entered the Latent Cultivation Temple with you. Though the Latent Cultivation Temple is part of the outer sect, it is near Xuanyin Mountain, and there’s a foundation of spiritual stones in the valley. The spiritual energy is plentiful. They plotted against me, so I’m using their spiritual stones to restore my vitality. That isn’t going too far, is it?” 

“Perfectly reasonable,” said Xi Ping. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t keep following you. In a year, you’ll either enter Xuanyin’s inner sect or return to the mortal world. Xuanyin Mountain has been established for millennia. It has a few old devils who would be hard to deal with. I’m not about to go looking for trouble there without a reason. There’s no benefit for me in the mortal world, so naturally I won’t follow you there. You and I are limited to one year together. You behave, don’t inquire about my history, and don’t make a sound, and I won’t seize your body for no reason. While I’m borrowing you to stay at the Latent Cultivation Temple, I won’t only teach you to fear. Naturally I’ll instruct you, make sure you open your spiritual eyes before all your classmates, how about that?” 

Xi Ping said, “Then I’ve run into great luck. Senior Demon, if you can teach me a few moves so I can give Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s Pang a good beating, I’ll burn incense for you every day.” 

Tai Sui laughed quietly, raised Xi Ping’s hand, and put Evil Cultivator Record back into the bookcase. 

“I’ll return your body to you. Clever children know when not to get up to little tricks, right?” 

Hardly had he spoken than Xi Ping felt as though he had missed a step while dreaming and fallen from a great height into reality. He suddenly clenched his fists tightly and seemed to spasm all over. 

The demon possessing him said, “Hurry up, take care not to be late for evening class.” 

Xi Ping complied and exited the Yanhai Building, his expression normal. As he walked, he kept asking questions nonstop. 

For example: “What level of cultivation does Pang Jian have?”, “How many odds and ends are there in that junk seller’s bag of tricks of his?”, “How long do I have to train before I can beat Pang Jian’s dog’s head in?”, and so on… If it is said that there are three thousand paths to entering the Way—the way of the sword, the way of medicine, the way of toolmaking—then perhaps in the future Xi Ping would enter the “way of beating up Pang Jian”—he was especially persistent about this.

Tai Sui didn’t like “clever people,” but he was quite tolerant towards idiots. He answered every question good-naturedly. 

“Commander Pang is in the consummate open-eyed period, his spiritual bones already complete. No one below an established foundation could match him.” 

“Heaven’s Design Pavilion is rich in immortal tools. Commander Pang holds the real power, he can use all of them at will.” 

“Haha.” 

Just as he had finished listening to Xi Ping’s “lofty aspirations” and couldn’t help laughing, Xi Ping came to the Qiankun Tower’s gate. Luo Qingshi came out to meet him. 

In the blink of an eye, before the tail end of Xi Ping cursing Pang Jian had faded from his mind, he pulled the tinderbox out without warning and was about to throw it at Luo Qingshi. 

Xi Ping’s line of thought was very clear: calling for help definitely wouldn’t work. If he called for help and people came, the great demon would take over his voice to smooth it over. 

But attacking his shixiong was different. When Elder Su had been reciting the sect rules, he had said that the Latent Cultivation Temple prohibited fighting, and disrespect towards elders was a serious offense. If he made an unsuccessful attempt to light Tall Luo on fire with his tinderbox, that ridiculous crime would definitely qualify to get him taken to the discipline hall for a soul-searching. 

Time to risk it all! 

This was a great demon half a step from being an evil god; it had taken the genius General Zhi to control him. So what about a little ant like him? Ants could only survive by risking it all. 

In both timing and movement, Xi Ping’s action of lighting the tinderbox was absolutely what was least expected. 

But before the tinderbox could leave the front of his clothes, he once again lost his body. 

Xi Ping heard Tai Sui give a cold laugh. Next, acute pain that came from his bones and meridians wrapped up his whole body. 

At a certain degree of bodily pain, the brain would become blank. Reasonably speaking, under this kind of torture, a mortal body should have fainted already. But his stolen body had lost that function. 

Xi Ping’s hand gently put the tinderbox back and patted him on the chest. Then he straightened his sleeve and executed a faultless salute towards Immortal Luo with a smile on his face. “Hello, Luo-shixiong.” 

Luo Qingshi have him a glance, passed by him, and didn’t notice anything. 

In the midst of torture, Xi Ping found a trace of clarity. “Senior, Jiangli…Miss…Miss Chen traded…her life for mine…” 

Tai Sui narrowed his eyes slightly. The fierce fire burning Xi Ping suddenly receded. 

Xi Ping’s body relaxed, and cold sweat suddenly poured out. He nearly lost consciousness. The insistent burning pain still remained in the cracks of his bones. 

Dazed, he allowed Tai Sui to move his legs and take him inside the Qiankun Tower. The noisy greetings around him, “himself” answering…and whatever Immortal Luo said—not a word of it made it into Xi Ping’s ears. 

Not until the straw child at the door banged the gong did Xi Ping give a start and come back to himself. 

A delicate scent flooded the Qiankun Tower. Breathing it in, his body and mind eased. At last the burning pain Xi Ping felt eased slightly. 

Tai Sui said almost gently, “Just a little punishment to prevent future great offenses. Do you know what you should do now?” 

Xi Ping, like a small animal scared out of its wits by a sudden beating, didn’t make a sound. Then, his body gave a shake, and he regained control over it. 

This time he kept his mouth tightly shut and didn’t dare to make any other attempts. 

“I’m glad you understand,” Tai Sui said gently. “Now pay attention to your…’honorable’ shixiong’s instruction.” 

There were all kinds of spiritual stones piled up on the platform, the glow lighting up the inside of the Qiankun Tower like midday. Outside were mixed bird calls; egrets, cranes, peacocks, and larks all gathered outside the Qiankun Tower. The long feathers of the immortal blue luan swept past, leaving behind a tiny rainbow. 

Immortal Luo watched from on high, letting off a faint green glow as though about to sprout buds. 

At a closer look, it turned out that he was sitting on a chair made of jade stamp stones. 

“Ha,” Tai Sui laughed. 

The cultivators of the mortal world could fight to the death over a few liang of jade stamp spiritual stones. Here, they were only low grade impure stones that no one liked using. A mere established foundation cultivator dared to sit right on top of them. 

Perhaps Immortal Luo sensed the gaze full of hatred. He shuddered for no reason. He looked around in total incomprehension for a moment. Perhaps thinking the jade stamp chair was a little cold, he stood up. 

Luo Qingshi cleared his throat and drawled, “To be able to come to the Latent Cultivation Temple, you presumably have some family resources. White spirits, blue jades, green stamps, you’ve seen them all, so I won’t waste words. Who knows what use spiritual stones have apart from powering your downgraded trash?” 

Zhou Xi said, “After we cultivators open our spiritual eyes, we can take spiritual energy from spiritual stones to sweep our meridians and cleanse our marrow. After we reach the established foundation period, we can convert the spiritual energy in the spiritual stones for our own use and avoid harming heaven’s order.” 

“No need to talk about what comes after establishing a foundation. You’re far away from that,” Luo Qingshi said impatiently, eyelids drooping. “Some idiots here may have breathed in too much dust and have completely blocked senses, with no ability to distinguish spiritual from turbid. It would be an insult to the stones to give them to you. For the next few days, I want to give you all an airing out before Chengjing Hall issues your monthly allowance.” 

At this point, he waved his sleeve, and a roll of white paper and a set of writing materials appeared in front of each disciple.

“There’s a picture hidden on each paper, drawn with secret ink with spiritual stone fragments mixed in. Your ordinary mortal eyes can’t see the brushstrokes. Today, I want you to follow the spiritual energy on the paper and copy out the hidden drawing with brush and ink. It doesn’t matter what method you use… Where are you looking at? It’s no use looking at others. The picture hidden on each paper is different. Finish drawing within two incense sticks. Whoever takes first place will have an extra blue jade for this month as a reward.” 

All the disciples buzzed—in a whole day, Elder Su had only given two or three people a “spiritual stone point” as a reward, and here was Immortal Luo giving a whole blue jade away as a raffle prize! 

Before the happiness could appear on their faces, Luo Qingshi suddenly raised his eyelids and said, sternly, “What are you so happy about? Anyone who can’t draw a thing within two incense sticks will have two blue jades deducted, to spare the spiritual stones from being polluted by idiocy! What are you all staring at me for? Is there a picture of my face? Pick up your brushes!” 

The disciples didn’t dare to waste any more time. Each one quickly bent his head over a page. There were some who held the paper up to the light, some who lay on the table like rats and sniffed, and one who tried licking the paper to taste it. 

Only Zhou Xi smoothed a hand over the paper—there was a grey ornamental ring on his right thumb, the style so old-fashioned it was almost shabby, with a slight protrusion. The thumb ring gently rubbed the surface of the paper. Zhou Xi muttered slightly to himself, calmly picked up his brush, and began to copy the drawing right away. Among the crowd of disciples wishing to stuff themselves into the papers, he seemed unusually composed. 

Xi Ping seemed not to have recovered from the earlier torture. He was staring blankly at the paper in front of him with his head down. Suddenly he found a faint pattern appearing on the paper… The pattern became clearer and clearer, the whole drawing reaching his eyes. 

Whether by coincidence or predestination, the paper that had been issued to Xi Ping had a drawing of a dragon on it. 

Wait, hadn’t Long-legged Luo just said that the naked eye couldn’t see the drawings on these papers…?

“A mortal’s weak spiritual sense is above the five senses. Because of me, you can already link your spiritual sense…which means concentrating your spiritual sense in your ordinary senses,” Tai Sui explained dully. “No need to be astonished.” 

Xi Ping froze. So last time, when he had been able to hear the difference in his footsteps inside the spiritual sense mustard seed, it had also been because of this, and nothing to do with his outstanding natural endowments? 

Just then, a grim childish voice sounded beside his table: “Are you staring so helplessly at the paper to read its fortune? Will that tell you what’s drawn there?” 

Xi Ping felt his muscles tense. It was the demon warning him. All he could do was pick up the brush without showing a trace of oddity and slowly copy out the picture. 

When he was done drawing the lines, he found that the dragon on the paper had become even clearer. There was a picturesque alternation of light and shadow on it. 

Xi Ping didn’t know what it would be appropriate to draw, so he diluted his ink with water and also drew the varying shades. Before his last stroke had left the page, a hand reached over and yanked away his drawing. 

At the same time, His Fourth Highness spoke in a solemn voice: “Shixiong, I’ve finished drawing.” 

Hardly had he spoken than Zhou Xi noticed the sketch in Luo Qingshi’s hand. The zealous smile on his face instantly took on half a pot of cold water and cooled. 

Luo Qingshi reached out a hand without so much as looking up. The paper in front of Zhou Xi also floated over beside his hand. 

There was a beauty drawn on His Fourth Highness’s paper. But Luo Qingshi only took a glance at the drawing, then casually tossed it aside. Without any comment, he said to Xi Ping: “You, hold out your hand.” 

Xi Ping’s heart rate suddenly sped up. He’d been found out! 

The all-saving Luo-shixiong had found out there was something different about him!