Chapter 41

Though the mansion was spacious, it was clearly surrounded by invisible barriers on all sides. As Yu Xizhi’s voice echoed against these unseen boundaries, amplified by the energy she infused into her shout, it produced an exceptionally loud reverberation.

“Is anyone there――”
“one there――”
“there――”

The echo lingered in the air, but the mansion remained eerily quiet, save for the headache-inducing sound of iron-headed snakes banging against the walls. The water in the lotus pond beneath the wooden bridge seemed to be stagnant, maintained only by some kind of formation.

“It seems like no one’s here,” Yu Xizhi said, scratching her head, unable to determine if the formation was blocking her voice or if the place was truly deserted.

In front of her was a winding corridor leading to the main area of the old mansion with its white walls and black tiles. On either side of her were lotus ponds, and behind her was a garden by the water. Yu Xizhi looked around uncertainly and asked, “Xiao Zhizhi, which way should I go?”

Xiao Zhizhi didn’t really want to respond but feared that this unpredictable girl might hit him in the face again.

Reluctantly, he said, “Use your spiritual consciousness to explore.”

Yu Xizhi suddenly realized she had inadvertently turned an immortal cultivator into a martial arts warrior, but she felt no embarrassment about the mix-up. After all, as long as she wasn’t embarrassed, it was someone else’s problem to feel awkward. Without feeling embarrassed, she extended her spiritual consciousness, which had been coiled around her when she was first pulled into this place, and cautiously sent it outward.

Through her exploration, she found that the area was indeed rich in spiritual energy, but it carried a strange scent of exhaustion, as if the place was on the brink of collapse. She shared her observations with Xiao Zhizhi, who responded with a derisive laugh, “What do you think supports a secret realm?”

“Spirit stones? Spiritual energy?” Yu Xizhi had never thought about it and replied uncertainly, “Is there anything else?”

“Exactly, it’s spiritual energy,” Xiao Zhizhi nodded.

“A secret realm is like a small world. Every cultivator at the soul accumulation stage has their own domain, which, when filled and expanded, becomes an independent small world. The sustenance for such a world is naturally spiritual energy.”

Secret realms should not be entered recklessly, as each one has an owner with varying temperaments. Some are gentle, designed to benefit future generations without many traps. However, many cultivators are eccentric, believing that leaving a secret realm filled with treasures serves as a test of growth, making it challenging to navigate with numerous hidden dangers.

Yu Xizhi carefully used her spiritual consciousness to probe the path, feeling vibrant life behind her and deathly stillness ahead, both giving off a peculiar vibe. After some thought, she decided to head towards the mansion.

Xiao Zhizhi continued, “Some say the world’s spiritual energy is constant. When a cultivator dies, their spiritual energy returns to nature, cycling back into the world. Secret realms left behind also have a lifespan. Spiritual energy can be trapped by formations and small worlds, but it’s never eternal. These realms might last longer than human lives but will eventually end. If you feel it’s nearing exhaustion, this realm might not last much longer.”

Yu Xizhi looked at the iron-headed snakes outside the walls with growing concern, “How long do we have?”

“Could be any moment now, or a few years. It’s all down to luck.”

Xiao Zhizhi propped himself up with his hands.

“Forcing entry into a secret realm hastens its collapse.”

As they spoke, Yu Xizhi had already exited the waterside pavilion and was about to enter the winding corridor when she suddenly turned back towards the lotus pond.

“Since we’re here, saving Yi Zui is one thing, but we should also see if there are any treasures to find. That way, even if the realm collapses, it won’t matter.”

She split a thread of her spiritual consciousness and sent it towards the lotus pond. Although she had felt a faint vitality from the garden, it was weak. The lotus pond, however, she had somehow overlooked.

As soon as her spiritual consciousness touched the lotus leaves, they seemed to tremble slightly as if aware of her presence. Startled, Yu Xizhi quickly withdrew her spiritual consciousness.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Zhizhi frowned slightly as he watched her, following suit with a furrowed brow.

“Did the lotus just move?” Yu Xizhi instinctively lowered her voice.

“…You were shouting so loudly, asking if anyone was there just now; what’s the point of whispering now?”

Xiao Zhizhi finally voiced his long-held sarcasm, quickly understanding what Yu Xizhi was doing. “Are you probing the pond with your spiritual consciousness?”

Yu Xizhi nodded, “Something feels off.”

Xiao Zhizhi hummed, “There are snakes outside the walls and under the water…”

Before he could finish, Yu Xizhi’s spiritual consciousness had already lightly touched the surface of the water again.

The naked eye couldn’t see through the thick layer of lotus leaves covering the lake, but spiritual consciousness could. The water wasn’t clear, and the moment her spiritual consciousness entered, it felt like a swamp. Under the lotus flowers, there were clusters of lotus roots, but they were rotting in the mud. The mud was thick, but not bottomless. Her spiritual consciousness easily penetrated it and then came to a halt.

Xiao Zhizhi hadn’t finished his sentence, but whether it was intentional or casual, he was clearly right.

Under the mud… there really were snakes.

Patterned scales extended across the slimy snake bodies, and the large, intertwined snakes silently moved in the dark, unfathomable water beneath the mud. The extreme darkness and silence, combined with the sight through her spiritual consciousness, makes people feel physically nauseated and fearful.

These snakes seemed even thicker than the ones she had seen outside Tianjiu Town. It was hard to imagine that such colossal monsters were beneath the ground she stood on!

Yu Xizhi nearly bolted in fright.

Having seen so many of these creatures, her numbness turned into intense physical revulsion.

“Snake soup tastes pretty good, but anyone who makes soup from these snakes must be insane,” Yu Xizhi said, covering her mouth to suppress her nausea while simultaneously quelling her desire to hunt for treasure.

If getting the treasure meant fighting snake demons, she’d rather not bother.

Xiao Zhizhi thought to himself that other people have thousands of ways to express that something is disgusting, but why is it that for her, it seems that all inedible ingredients are not good things?

Entertaining this thought, Xiao Zhizhi couldn’t help but tease, “But I’ve heard that the meat of snake demons is even more tender than regular snakes.”

Yu Xizhi looked at him incredulously and said, “Xie Junzhi, are you a pervert? Even eating demons?”

Xiao Zhizhi: …

This is ridiculous.

Normally he’s Xiao Zhizhi, but in emergencies, she calls him Xie Junzhi. What exactly goes on in Yu Xizhi’s mind?

Caught off guard by being called a pervert, the boy sitting outside the wooden house had a complicated expression, unable to even focus on his book.

The boy in white remained silent for a moment, stood up, and tossed the book onto the chair behind him with a sudden laugh.

The paper talisman man was Xiao Zhizhi; what did it have to do with him, Xie Junzhi?

Although he thought this way, the little junior uncle on Qianya Peak clearly couldn’t read anymore either. Standing at the edge of the cliff, he paused for a moment and took out the small, sleepy Zhizhi from his pocket.

The tiny girl, the size of a palm, blinked sleepily, shivering from being moved out of the warmth. Half awake, she opened her eyes, saw Xie Junzhi’s face, and broke into an unguarded, silly smile.

Xie Junzhi stared at the small Zhizhi without expression for a moment, then flicked her face with his fingers, just as he had done before, with a “pop.”

The small Zhizhi seemed surprised by his action, covering her face and widening her eyes.

It was a simple expression of surprise, yet looking at her face, Xie Junzhi couldn’t help but hear the words, “Xie Junzhi, are you a pervert?” echo in his mind.

The voice didn’t just repeat once; as long as the small Zhizhi’s expression remained unchanged, it continued to loop in Xie Junzhi’s mind.

Xie Junzhi kept a blank face, but his emotions were somewhat complicated.

There was something oddly addictive about flicking her face. However, he knew that if he did it again, the little paperman’s expression might freeze, causing the voice in his head to persist indefinitely.

After much internal deliberation, Xie Junzhi’s rational mind and emotions waged an eight-hundred-round battle. Ultimately, the boy raised his hand and flicked the small Zhizhi’s face once more.

…

Yu Xizhi abruptly covered her face, feeling a slight itch on her cheek. She scratched it with her finger. Xiao Zhizhi, seeing her action, turned his head indifferently, pretending to know nothing.

―What Xie Junzhi does is none of Xiao Zhizhi’s business.

The slight itch on her face was just a minor distraction. After scratching it, Yu Xizhi quickly forgot about it. She quickened her pace, eager to get far away from the lotus pond.

Knowing what lay beneath the pond, she surmised that under the stone slabs and perhaps throughout the entire estate, there were likely snake demons. The thought was terrifying.

Yu Xizhi planned to quickly find the other disciples and leave immediately, letting the snake demons keep each other company.

With these thoughts, she stepped onto the winding corridor.

…

The winding corridor was indeed intricate and extended beyond the section Yu Xizhi could see.

After being suddenly pulled into this place, Yi Zui found no lotus pond behind him nor any iron-headed snakes by the walls, but he was still in this mansion. He cautiously extended his spiritual consciousness, opening several doors to side rooms, only to find deep courtyards and intricately arranged rooms covered in a thick layer of dust.

The secret realm obviously wasn’t inhabited. The so-called dust wasn’t real but something the realm’s creator had intentionally included.

Yi Zui, having traveled with the old red-robed Taoist in his youth and possessing an excellent memory, started to piece things together as he observed the architecture and furnishings.

The style closely resembled that favored by the people of Nantianfu.

There is a rainforest in the south, and there are many poisonous insects, snakes, and poisons in the rain forest.

They even had a profession called snake handlers.

The “handler” in snake handler meant to control, not to drive away.

Thinking this, Yi Zui felt he had a rough idea about the mansion’s owner and began recalling what tools besides flutes, xiaos, and wooden whistles might be used to control snakes.

(T/N: The xiao is a Chinese vertical end-blown flute. It is generally made of bamboo. It is also sometimes called dòngxiāo, dòng meaning “hole.”)

As he pondered, he came upon a winding corridor.

…

“You’re quite lucky. The life force of this secret realm is almost exhausted, which is why you were able to enter so easily and unharmed,” said the old man’s remnant spirit.

“This is indeed the secret realm of the He family from Nantianfu. Kid, you’ve made a profit.”

“Have all the snakes outside been sucked in?” Cheng Luocen ignored him, staring at the snake heads beyond the walls.

“Besides the ones chasing us, what about the other snakes? Is the power of this secret realm enough to engulf them?”

The old man’s remnant spirit wanted to roll his eyes.

“It’s enough; it’s enough. Look at you worrying over this. In the struggle for the Great Dao, how can you be so compassionate? The spiritual energy between heaven and earth is limited. Be aware that everyone here could be competitors for the spiritual energy you should possess! Whether they live or die, you can pretend to care, but don’t overdo it. When I first met you, you were cold-hearted and decisive. I admired that. How did a mere six months in Kunwu Mountain Sect change you?”

“People always change,” Cheng Luocen said coldly.

“If you regret it, you can find another host.”

The old man was speechless for a while, unwilling to reveal that he actually had the ability to see people’s auras.

The art of looking into one’s aura involves observing destiny and fate, peering into the will of heaven, and consuming a tremendous amount of energy. When Cheng Luocen approached, the old man felt compelled to use a significant amount of energy to activate this technique and took a glance at him.

What he saw was a grand eastern purple aura surrounding Cheng Luocen, which was might and majestic, a purple aura that is more profound than any he had seen in his lifetime.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him “Child of Destiny.”

This was the main reason he chose Cheng Luocen, and their interactions over time had somewhat confirmed this.

… Except for the unexpected decision to join Kunwu Mountain Sect.

While the old man was silent, Cheng Luocen continued walking. Branches and flowers brushed against his cheeks, irritating him. He impatiently brushed them aside, eager to find the others who had been scattered throughout the secret realm.

As he exited the garden, he spotted a girl stepping onto the winding corridor on the other side of the lotus pond.

“Second Senior Sister!”

He called out softly, not daring to raise his voice for fear of disturbing something. He moved quickly, weaving through the area to catch up.

…

Huang Li, Shen Ye, Sun Tian’er, and Lu Zhiheng had also landed in different places. Some encountered snakes, while others found themselves in eerie silence. Startled and cautious, they searched for paths, and eventually, they all found themselves facing vermilion corridor pillars, intricate ceiling paintings, and elaborate carvings.

If examined closely, the ceiling paintings revealed densely packed, vividly colored images—indigo, crimson, turquoise, and purple sandalwood—depicting countless lifelike snakes surrounding a man in dark green robes, bowing submissively.

It appeared as if thousands of snakes were worshipping.