Tai Sui paused, then corrected him: “Miss Chen.” 

Yes, her original name wasn’t “Jiangli.” “Jiangli” was a pseudonym of the kind given to girls by Overflowing Splendor, used to place them in a golden tray and sell them. 

“Was she your disciple?” 

Tai Sui was silent a moment. “No. If it had been me, I wouldn’t have taught her.” 

“Why not?” 

“Didn’t your Xuanyin immortal teach you? When a person opens their spiritual eyes, all their meridians link to the universe. Miss Chen was born frail and entered that sort of place when she was young, consumed all kinds of harmful medicines, so her later development was stunted. Her meridians rotted long ago. For another person, opening their spiritual eyes would be a good thing, but for her it would have been fatal. Better to be a mortal subject to all illnesses and hazards.” 

Xi Ping froze. “Then how did she open her spiritual eyes?” 

“She didn’t. She only used the Stone Drilled in Bone technique to give herself a fake set of spiritual bones.” 

“What technique?” 

“Spiritual stones ground into a hundred twenty stone needles. When the needles are stuck in succession into the bone acupoints, the spiritual needles can establish ties to the whole body, amounting to creating a set of ‘spiritual bones’ inside a mortal’s body that can supply spiritual energy. After an ordinary cultivator opens her spiritual eyes and becomes a half-immortal, the spiritual energy passes through the spiritual eyes to circulate through the meridians. She must work bitterly hard to cultivate for over a hundred years in order to change her ‘mortal bones’ to ‘spiritual bones.’ But with the stones drilled into her bones, the spiritual energy doesn’t pass through the meridians. When successful, it immediately produces a complete set of ‘fake spiritual bones.’ If she can endure it, in the blink of an eye, she can have the cultivation of a hundred-year-old half-immortal.” Tai Sui paused, then added, “But when the spiritual energy in the needles is exhausted, she’ll be paralyzed and live no more than two or three years.” 

Xi Ping felt a chill in his joints. 

Jiangli…that girl named Baishao, hadn’t she been a delicate young lady? Her skin could be rubbed raw by taking off an ill-fitting bracelet… What crazy hero was this ferocious person who had driven stone needles into herself and shortened her lifespan to create these spiritual bones? 

For a time, Xi Ping almost suspected that the two of them were talking past each other, that they actually weren’t discussing the same person. 

The night wind shook the osmanthus tree’s branches, tapping them now and again against the rear window. The great demon seemed very willing to talk to him about Jiangli. He tranquilly chattered away. Half a step to becoming an evil god, but not only did he put on no airs when chatting with a mere mortal, his discourse was even rather instructive. For a time, it made one forget his deranged malice at the Blissful Village, with all of Jinping in the balance. 

“She was born to the Chen family of Ning’an Prefecture. The Chen family originally made its living growing medicinal herbs. In their sacrificial land, there was a not very rich green ore field…in other words, some formless residue of green ore. But for mortals, this land was precious. 

“The ore field was less than one mu. In three years, it could grow two batches of Cloud Smoothing Grass—one of the components of the magic Nine Origin Pill. By the time Baishao’s father was born, they had what could be called a prosperous business and a person at court. They had narrowly mounted to the rank of a ‘distinguished family.’ Sadly, Ning’an Prefecture is only a couple of days’ travel from Jinping, and it also has nobles everywhere. In front of nobles, this kind of ‘distinguished family’ is nothing… Viscount, you grew up in Jinping. Have you heard of the four great families of Xuanyin?” 

In fact, Xi Ping had heard of them. 

The power structure of Great Wan’s Jinping was in fact the state sect Xuanyin writ in miniature. 

It was said that Xuanyin Mountain had thirty-six peaks. For generations, they had selected disciples from among the children of the noble and meritorious. Hundreds of thousands of years later, in the inner sect, the “four great families” had taken shape: Lin, Zhao, Zhou, and Li. 

Among them, apart from the imperial family of Zhou, the other three great families all had shed skin ancestors overseeing the immortal mountains. Each family had some ascended spirit peak masters. Previously, affiliations through marriages had been even more complex…though now it seemed there were only three “great families” left—twenty-three years ago, there had been an internal struggle in the Xuanyin Mountains. It was said that its nature was the Zhao family joining hands with the Zhou family to struggle against the Li family. 

The fates of all the great figures of that family in the inner sect when the Li family fell were unknown to mortals, but the families affiliated with the Lis had all scattered—this was the group of families that Emperor Taiming had seized when disposing of his wife’s relatives. 

The reason that Xi Ping knew about these stories that had happened before he was born was that one of the houses seized in the series of confiscations then had later become the Yongning Marquis Manor. 

When he had been digging up anthills as a child, he had dug up quite a few scattered spiritual stones. The spiritual stones looked like candy. He had bit one and knocked out a loose baby tooth. To cheer him up, the Marquis had told him the origins of the spiritual stone and the previous identity of the Marquis Manor as a story. 

Bloody memories make the strongest impressions. Xi Ping to this day remembered the Marquis saying, “Those immortal forebears, the peak masters in the clouds, are the cornerstones of the great mountain. The direct descendant cultivator disciples are trees growing between the rocks, and the relatives that the great families leave behind in the mortal world are branches on those big trees. Those that depend on them through marriage alliance and by making up their retinue are dew on the twigs. Dew can refract images of rainbows, of the sun, moon, and stars—it’s very impressive. But as soon as a wind comes, it still falls… When the time comes, even the mountain will fall.”

Tai Sui said, laughing, “What your honored father said is in fact rather interesting. The mountain will fall, but so what? Even a pebble sliding down from the ridge can crush a den of animals to death.

“Ten years ago, in the previous Grand Selection Year, all of Jinping’s notables had their eyes fixed on a selection card. The immortal envoy overseeing the Grand Selection that year just happened to be from the Zhao family, a medicine cultivator in the middle established foundation period who had just left seclusion. A collateral branch of the Zhao family in Ning’an wanted to get one of their descendants in and decided to bribe the immortal envoy, so they thought about what they could give to make themselves stand out…and they took a shine to the Chen family’s green ore field.” 

“Senior, didn’t you just say that the green ore field was sacrificial land?” Xi Ping put in. “Great Wan law provides that sacrificial land can’t be bought or sold. Even I know that.” 

“Great Wan law.” Tai Sui laughed softly. “Viscount, Great Wan has four sets of laws. One for immortals, one for nobles, one for commoners, and one for ants. Which set are you talking about?” 

For a time, Xi Ping was speechless. 

“It wasn’t long before the head of the Chen family and Baishao’s father Chen Zhifu went to prison for ‘colluding with evil cultivators and oppressing the common people,’” Tai Sui said casually. “Less than half a month between arrest and trial, quick as cutting through a knot. Afterwards, the family’s males were sent to penal servitude and the females were sold. All their property was confiscated. No need to think about where the confiscated property ended up. And ‘by coincidence’ the tribute that the court offered to the immortal mountain Xuanyin that year contained a green ore medicinal herb field that ‘by coincidence’ fell into the hands of that medicine cultivator surnamed Zhao, and the collateral branch of the Ning’an Zhao family had the eldest son of its senior branch enter the Latent Cultivation Temple, just as they had wished—what do you say, isn’t that a coincidence?” 

Xi Ping was enraged at once. He struck a table and jumped up, blurting out, “And then what? What’s that Zhao bastard’s full name? Did he enter the inner sect or go to Heaven’s Design Pavilion? If it’s the inner sect, forget it, but if it’s Heaven’s Design Pavilion, I’ll…” 

“You’ll what?” said Tai Sui. 

Xi Ping opened his mouth and said nothing. 

Even Emperor Taiming couldn’t shake the Zhao family, so what could he do? Xi Ping was perfectly well aware that he couldn’t openly offend a member of the Zhao family while bearing the name of Prince Zhuang’s maternal family… At most he could secretly use some unworthy means to put a few obstacles in his path, and he couldn’t let any person raise an eyebrow or any ghost let out a breath. 

But his anger somehow managed to ingratiate him with the great demon. Tai Sui’s tone became even gentler. 

“The Chen family’s young lady and I were total strangers. It was only a coincidence that she became acquainted with my followers. Like many hopeless people, she made offerings to me in search of support. Then some loose-lipped person let her know about the Stone Drilled in Bone technique. She was so young, but with a courage that few people have. She could carve her flesh and bend her bones to create a set of spiritual bones for herself. This kind of will and tenacity is many times greater than the good-for-nothings who pour spiritual stones into their spiritual eyes to open them year after year. If she hadn’t been ruined by those people, she would have been a precious jade. Sadly, the lofty immortal mountain’s thirty-six peaks can’t be shaken by a mere ‘open-eyed’ cultivator. Though she burned up her lifespan, paid such a great price, she still couldn’t break apart a single frivolous inscription.

“Such a great injustice…” Tai Sui said, sighing. “When praying to gods and buddhas gets no reaction, you can only submit yourself to an evil spirit.” 

The sage sat meditating in the sweet mists of the southern mountains, untouched by a speck of dust. The “evil spirit” was still willing to sigh for her in the deep and silent night. 

“Senior,” Xi Ping quietly asked, “how do you know?” 

Tai Sui said, “I gave her a small amount of grace once, but she entrusted me with her life. Having no way to repay her, all I can do is remember her hatred and enmity.” 

Xi Ping was steeped in the sound of his sighs, looking at the gently fluorescent calendar block at the head of the bed. In that instant, his vigilance towards Tai Sui seemed to have largely thawed. 

“Senior,” he said quietly after a long time, “will you get revenge for her?” 

Tai Sui said, almost solemnly, “My arrival in this world was for the purpose of exposing these gross injustices and clarifying them through the light of day.” 

An obvious struggle flashed over Xi Ping’s face. He sat there in the still night for a long time. He said, “Senior, are you…are you really not going to hurt me?” 

Tai Sui seemed to think it beneath him to answer this question. He only gave an indistinct laugh. 

“Then how can I help you?” said Xi Ping. 

Tai Sui’s voice was increasingly soft. “Your spiritual eyes haven’t opened yet. The spiritual energy I can borrow is limited. I wasn’t only being polite when I said I would instruct you in cultivation. Every day sooner that you open your spiritual eyes is a day sooner that I have help.” 

“You don’t need to tell me that,” Xi Ping said. Then he remembered something else. “Senior, if someone has reincarnation wood, can you tell me? I’ll definitely find a way to get you a piece.” 

“Ah,” Tai Sui said, voice like a feather, “thank you very much.” 

Xi Ping’s actions were no slower than his thoughts. Once he had made a decision, he immediately sat up to practice meditation. 

Before, he had been finicky and restless. After less than a ke of meditating, he would always complain that his legs were numb. Either his mind would be filled with racing horses that wouldn’t be still for a moment, or else after sitting for a while he would fall asleep. But tonight, the length of time he held out was extraordinarily long. 

In the dark, the evil god watched him, feeling that the words “man at his birth is good¹” were written on this Viscount.  

This kid was soft-hearted and unexpectedly devoted to old friendships. Though he knew a few tricks, he wasn’t at all shrewd. 

Was he being clever and pretending to cooperate, bowing his head under duress after being taught a lesson, or was he truly moved…? It was clear at a glance. 

But was he still “at his birth”? 

At Xi Ping’s age, he could establish a household anywhere, but he was still so childish. How absurd was this childishness! He could only have grown up like this in a great mansion, in a rich den with gold as his earth and jade as his fertilizer. Under the lightless dust, how many of the old and weak, the sick and crippled, struggled for their lives in the mud? But this noble residence had spoiled this healthy-limbed, sound-bodied man into an oversized infant. 

All that was lovable was disgusting. Was there anything on earth more reprehensible than innocence? 

Tai Sui looked on coldly as this lovable and disgusting Viscount of Yongning “changed his skin.” He saw him not only willing to work morning and night, but also to run to the Yanhai Building to voluntarily borrow books, showing signs of assiduous study. 

After evening class the next day, Xi Ping was climbing a bookcase at the Yanhai Building when he suddenly heard a faint buzz. 

“Oh?” said Tai Sui. 

“Senior, what is it?” 

Tai Sui was silent a moment. “There’s reincarnation wood nearby.” 

Hearing this, Xi Ping jumped down from the bookcase like a monkey and went downstairs to look around. He saw Elder Su leading a big group of stewards in rearranging the Yanhai Building. 

Straw children followed the stewards, busy with this and that, scrubbing and washing and changing the Yanhai Building’s decorations. 

Xi Ping heard some disciples next to him discussing quietly: 

“What great personage is going to come lecture?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“If one of the inner sect’s thirty-six peaks wants to select new disciples, a member of the peak master’s lineage…or even the peak master in person will come to lecture to inspect the disciples’ talents. Who is coming this year?” 

“Do any of you know the history of those decorations?” 

“These…mostly seem to be ordinary objects.” 

Xi Ping wasn’t in the mood to guess. He called out directly to Su Zhun: “Elder Su, who’s coming?” 

Su Zhun looked up and saw that it was him, then said, smiling, “Green Pool Peak’s Duanrui-shishu will come to the Songchuang Great Hall to lecture tomorrow.” 

All the disciples cried out. Xi Ping ran to the noisy main hall. While adding to the noise, he asked Tai Sui, “Senior, which of them is reincarnation wood?” 

Tai Sui said, “Those little decorations on the western windowsill.” 

Xi Ping tilted his head to look and saw a row of adorable karma beasts carved out of wood. The artist had perfectly captured the charm of the karma beasts. They were all different shapes, endlessly entertaining. 

Xi Ping raised his hands and bowed to the karma beasts. “Hey, aren’t these my benefactors?” 

Yang Anli said, smiling, “These were all made for fun by Duanrui-shishu in her spare time when she was cultivating at the Latent Cultivation Temple. She didn’t take them when she left, so they remained in the temple.” 

Xi Ping’s eyes rolled smoothly. He watched the straw children arrange many similar wood and stone carvings. He thought, These are cleverly made. Is this princess of the toolmaking way or something? 

Tai Sui said into his ear, “Don’t get any wild ideas. The Latent Cultivation Temple is the accumulated product of thousands of years. The Yanhai Building is full of inscriptions. Never mind a mortal disciple like you who hasn’t opened his spiritual eyes, even an established foundation or ascended spirit cultivator who wanted to steal something from the Yanhai Building would have to think it over carefully. 

Xi Ping gave an “I see.” “Senior, how much reincarnation wood do you need?” 

“A bit of wooden shavings would suffice,” Tai Sui said heavily. “That old monster Duanrui is the head of the Zhou family in Xuanyin. It’s said that she is already a consummate ascended spirit. Don’t act rashly under her nose, at least wait for her to leave. When the time comes, the stewards will order the straw children to take these things back to storage. I’ll teach you a crooked spell to control the straw children, so you can take the opportunity to get some shavings from the reincarnation wood. Viscount, we’ll see whether you dare to run this risk for the sake of some strangers from Rat Alley.” 

As he had expected, Xi Ping said without argument, “Sure, I’ll try.” 

“You must be careful,” said Tai Sui. 

Hardly had he spoken than he saw Xi Ping step forward and simply say to Yang Anli, “Yang-shixiong, these karma beasts feel very dear to me. Could I have one of the wood carvings?” 

Tai Sui: “…” 

Yang Anli was also stunned. He blurted out, “This isn’t an immortal tool.” 

“I know, I can’t use an immortal tool. Do you think I’m that unreasonable?” The “reasonable” Viscount Xi, acting absolutely familiar, drew close to Yang Anli and talked pure drivel. “I have a special connection with karma beasts. Before, Heaven’s Design Pavilion’s Exalted Zhao gave me one, and we got on great. It even saved my life… I really miss it.” 

Yang Anli was dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone mention this kind of request before. “Well…” 

Xi Ping said, “It’s all right if you say no. Duanrui-shishu is coming to lecture tomorrow, isn’t she? I can ask her for it.” 

Yang Anli: “…” 

Wait, no, what is this? Is Princess Duanrui your auntie or something? 

“Let him take one. The old forebear left hundreds of these wooden carvings in the Latent Cultivation Temple. They were all things she didn’t want. Anyway, we can’t set them all out.” Su Zhun, passing by, waved a hand. “She won’t make a fuss over this. Kid, don’t show it off all over the place, or else if everyone comes to ask, I won’t be able to handle it.” 

Elder Su had heard of Xi Ping’s “heroic feat” in the mortal world. He had already known that he was a magic creature without any sense of reverence. He could blab even in front of General Zhi. He really might pull a stunt like asking Princess Duanrui for the carving… Zhi Xiu was amazing. Where had he turned up this weirdo?

Xi Ping took advantage of his forbearance: “Thank you, Elder Su! I want the fattest one.” 

Tai Sui: “…” 

How did that work? 

Just then, someone suddenly said, “Elder Su, could you tell us if this is the legendary Determination Turtle?” 

Zhou Xi stood gasping in admiration next to a stone platform. On the stone platform was a three-chi square big metal tray with strings hanging from it, some thick and some thin. From the strings hung a lifelike Moon Plated Gold turtle. 

The disciples in the Yanhai Building surrounded it. 

“Your Highness, what is it?” 

“This thing is called the Determination Turtle,” Zhou Xi said. “The ‘turtle’ character is also read ‘rule’ or ‘track.’ The blueprints were drawn by Princess Duanrui herself. It’s said that it can answer all enigmas of the mortal world. Sadly, no one has ever succeeded in making it. Elder, is this an imitation or a statue?” 

“An imitation,” said Su Zhun. “A downgraded immortal tool. There’s an array inside the Moon Plated Gold turtle. It can understand human speech. When you ask it a question, if the strings sound three times, it’s an affirmative, and if they sound once, it’s a negative. Naturally it can’t answer questions that are too complicated, but at your level, it should be able to answer. In the future, if there’s some cultivation matter you don’t understand and you can’t find any shixiong to ask, you can go through the ancient books and records, and you can come ask the magic turtle… Though, after all, this thing is only a downgraded immortal tool. It can only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Take care not to ask anything too confusing.” 

As Elder Su spoke, he gently tapped on the gold turtle’s head. “Will there be eight treasure tofu soup in the late night snack the dining hall prepares for the stewards today?”

Thin white steam came out of the metal basin. The gold turtle moved. It waved its tail lightly, and one string hummed. 

No. 

“Wonderful.” It was unclear whether Elder Su didn’t like the “eight treasures” or didn’t like the “tofu.” At any rate, he let out a huge sigh of relief, then said to the disciples, smiling, “Do you all understand? You can ask your question aloud, and if you really don’t want others to hear, you can also think it to yourselves—but if you think it to yourselves, there must be no distracting thoughts in your mind. It will only work if your mind is concentrated.” 

Someone asked, “Elder, what can you ask the magic turtle?” 

“Anything at all. Anything you don’t understand about cultivation, daily trifles, even the health of your relatives in the mortal world,” Su Zhun said. “But you must not ask about the sect’s taboo matters. If you aren’t sure whether something is taboo, then make sure to only ask about yourself—don’t ask about other people’s business—for example, ‘Is Luo-shixiong in a good mood today?’ or things like that. That could touch his spiritual sense.” 

Xi Ping put in a question: “Elder, what are the limits? Suppose I ask ‘Am I the one making the fastest progress in cultivation among my classmates, with the greatest hope of entering the inner sect?’—I’m asking about myself, but I have to be compared to others. Does that count as asking about others?” 

The arrogance in these words was simply brazen. Zhou Xi’s eye twitched. 

Elder Su said, smiling, “That’s actually all right, but if you mentioned some person in particular to be compared with you, that would count as asking about others—would anyone like to try?” 

Xi Ping was about to speak, thought of something, and turned his gaze on His Fourth Highness. By coincidence, Zhou Xi just happened to be looking at him. Across the distance of a few zhang, the two of them held a quick confrontation with their eyes. Xi Ping gave an insincere smile and made a “please go ahead” gesture at Zhou Xi. 

Zhou Xi coldly looked away. “I would like to try.” 

As he spoke, he stepped up, glanced at Xi Ping out of the corner of his eye, concentrated, and inwardly said: “Am I currently making the fastest progress in this class of disciples?” 

The gold turtle puffed steam. Under everyone’s gazes, it lightly waved its tail. 

Clang—

No. 

Zhou Xi’s features twisted, but he very soon adjusted himself and forced himself not to break his demeanor. He saluted Su Zhun and openly said, “I am without talent. What I asked just now was whether I was making the fastest progress, and the magic turtle said no. Indeed, I have not been diligent enough. I wonder which of my classmates is a step ahead.” 

Hardly had he spoken than several obvious or concealed gazes were aimed at Xi Ping—he was currently the only one who had received a spiritual stone from Luo Qingshi. 

“Why don’t you all come try, too?” Zhou Xi turned his head and smiled. “Shiyong, don’t stand so far away.” 

Mentioned by name, Xi Ping didn’t shirk. He handed Chang Jun his book and stepped forward as asked. 

Putting his hand on the gold turtle, he gave Zhou Xi an inadvertent-seeming look, then sloppily said, “The same question.” 

Su Zhun was just about to warn him that downgraded immortal tools weren’t so sensitive, and it was better to say his question clearly, when the gold turtle slowly moved on the strings, plucking three times. 

It happened to be lying on the thinnest string. The sound of it was very sharp. The three sounds, for no apparent reason, made your scalp go numb. 

Xi Ping slowly returned his hands to his sleeves. For a moment, his expression was blank. 

But this strange expression lasted for only a flash, so brief it seemed to be an illusion. When Xi Ping looked around, he once again wore that look that was asking for several good beatings. He even nodded rather provokingly to His Fourth Highness. 

However good Zhou Xi’s self-restraint was, his expression still nearly crumbled on the spot. 

Chang Jun quietly said, “It’s all right to ask, but you could have just asked silently. You shouldn’t have said it aloud! You’ve put His Fourth Highness in an embarrassing position.” 

“Even if I had asked silently, he still would have known what I was asking. With Long-legged Luo’s provocation every day, if I so much as breathe it puts His Fourth Highness in an embarrassing position,” Xi Ping said carelessly. “Don’t fuss, they’re all lining up. If you don’t go now, you won’t get to touch it.” 

Chang Jun gave an “ah” and, with no more attention to spare to speak to him, quickly went to line up. 

Xi Ping took back the book he wanted to borrow, put the reincarnation wood carving he had begged for away in his clothing, and strode away as though nothing were the matter. Humming a tune he had composed himself, he returned to the Qiu courtyard. 

No one knew that when he had just said “the same question,” in his mind he had asked a different question. 

What Xi Ping had asked was: Can my body only be snatched after I’ve opened my spiritual eyes?