Author: Yang Su
Volume: 1
Age Rating: Mature
Exclusive Extra: Teen
Translator：XiA
Editor：Fussyrabbitsays

Synopsis

An unwelcomed orphan, Qi Yin has resigned himself to living an ordinary and uneventful life under his aunt’s roof, until a young man claiming to be the supreme ruler of the spirits and demons, Fulan, arrives in town with a black cat to marry his bride, Qi Yin. When tragedy struck his aunt’s family, Qi Yin left for Mount Fenghuan with Fulan and the cat to begin his cultivation journey.

However, questions about his father’s death soon arise, drawing Qi Yin and Fulan to Mount Wufang to investigate the mystery of his father’s disappearance. What sinister secrets lie in wait for him at Mount Wufang? What shocking truths will he uncover lurking in its shadows? What untold destiny binds an orphan to a stranger who claims him as his bride? Will Qi Yin ever find a place in the world he can truly call home?

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Preview

The thatched hut looked shabby from the outside, but it was neat and tidy inside. A faded painting hung in the middle of the room, its colors worn by time. Two rattan tables stood below it, each holding a gold-lacquered incense holder, so old the paint was starting to flake off. Wisps of smoke, delicate as gossamer threads, curled upward.

A disciple entered and bowed. “The sect leader fell off his sword the other day and broke his leg. Please wait a moment.”

Qi Yin was stunned. What kind of half-baked sect leader falls off his own sword while flying?

“How could he be so careless?” Yunzhi’s brows shot up. “Is his injury serious? Is his life in danger?”

“No. With some bone salve, he should make a full recovery soon. He’ll just have to lie in bed and groan a bit until then.”

Yunzhi’s face fell.

Qi Yin caught his look of disappointment and had to wonder if he was considering a coup against his master…

After a while, the sect leader of Mount Fenghuan finally arrived, slumped in an old rattan wheelchair as two identical young attendants pushed him out from behind the painted landscape screen. With their uncannily white powdered faces and rosy cheeks, they looked as if they had stepped straight out of a New Year’s painting. The most startling sight, however, was the sect leader himself, so rotund he looked like a for slaughter; his fat body was practically overflowing from the chair.

Qi Yin now understood how he could fall. It was truly asking too much of his sword. 

One attendant handed over a teacup. The sect leader accepted it and skimmed the top with the celadon lid. He had plump fingers that could almost be mistaken for a pig’s trotters when pressed together, and a jade ring intricately carved with a lotus pattern adorned his thumb. Halfway through his drink, a tea leaf got stuck between his teeth. He snapped off a small piece of rattan from his wheelchair and picked at it, but still maintained a thin veneer of decency by covering his mouth while doing so. At the same time, he squinted up at Qi Yin and Fulan, sizing them up.

This bum-like behavior was so far removed from the image of an esteemed sect leader that Qi Yin suspected he had stumbled into a den of swindlers by accident.

Finally, the tea leaf was dislodged. The sect leader flicked it back into his cup and beamed at Qi Yin. “So you’re Qi Yin. You look…”

Here we go again, Qi Yin thought. He already knew what this ball of a man was going to say next. Something like, “You look like your father,” or “You should carry on your father’s legacy.” Zhaoran had said it, as had Yunzhi. The words were starting to grate on his ears, and frankly, he couldn’t care less. He was only here for a roof over his head. Once he saved enough silver, he would disappear without a second thought.

“Spirited!” The sect leader finally finished his words.

Qi Yin froze, then looked up. 

The sect leader tucked his hands into his sleeves and continued with a smile. “The two of you may come from unusual backgrounds, but once you enter our sect, you’re a disciple just like the others. That said, I still have to see if you have what it takes to join the sect before I let you in.” 

Qi Yin immediately straightened up, fully alert. Were they going to be put through a trial? He had heard of such tests before. For instance, the first hurdle to enter Mount Wufang was a grand trial in which a thousand challengers faced off in pairs. Only the final one hundred victors would qualify to cultivate directly under a master, while the rest had to pack up and return home to their mothers. His nerves stirred again. He and Fulan were the only ones here. Surely they weren’t going to have to compete against each other for a spot?

The sect leader held a broad palm out to them. “To enter the sect, you must first pay the entrance fees. One tael per year, or two and a half taels if you pay for three years upfront. Pay a full tael now, and I’ll teach you for as long as I live. Since you two came together, I’ll give you a discount and charge just one person’s fee for both of you.”

Qi Yin froze in place.

Fulan took out his pouch and dropped a tael of silver into the sect leader’s waiting palm.

“Now that’s what I call decisive!” the sect leader exclaimed, giving him a thumbs-up. “Good. From now on, both of you are my disciples. All my disciples take the character Yun in their names. Xiao-yin’s cultivator name shall be Yunyin, and Xiao-lan shall be Yunlan. Yunzhi, take care of their accommodations. The other two elders are out dealing with spirits, so you can skip paying respects to them.”

Qi Yin was still reeling as they stepped out of the hut. One tael of silver, gone just like that?

“Why did you pay him?” He looked at Fulan in utter shock. 

Fulan blinked. “He said so.”

“And you just listened?”

Fulan looked puzzled. “Should I not have?”

Qi Yin covered his face in exasperation. “Good grief! That’s a tael of silver we’re talking about. It could have lasted us a whole year! And that was the tael I gave you, wasn’t it?!”

Qi Yin was certain now. This was a scam. Mount Fenghuan was nothing more than a freaking con job!

***

Yunzhi launched into an introduction as he led them down the slope. “Halfway up the mountain, you can find the Elder of Discipline’s vegetable garden. Before you can abstain from food completely, you can use the kitchen there for meals. But as someone who has been through it, I advise you to start practicing inedia as soon as possible. All that garden has are carrots and leafy greens, and the only meat available comes from the caterpillars crawling in the fields.”

The black cat’s eyes widened at the mention of no meat.

Yunzhi continued, “The bamboo abode in the northern grove houses the Elder of Medicine’s pill furnace.”

Qi Yin’s eyes lit up. “Does the elder make all kinds of miraculous pills that can boost cultivation by leaps and bounds?

“You wish. His pills can only treat colds, fevers, and minor injuries. That’s about it. And his medical skills… Well, they aren’t the most reliable. A few years ago, a senior fell off his sword mid-flight and broke a leg. The elder not only failed to heal it but ended up breaking the good one, too.”

“Dare I ask where this senior is now?” Qi Yin’s voice faltered.

Yunzhi shrugged. “His family took him home, and our master had to pay quite a sum in compensation.” He then tilted his chin toward the south. “Walk three hundred steps that way, and you’ll reach the Cliff of Penitence. You can meditate there; the view is excellent, but never go below. That’s the forbidden grounds. Mount Fenghuan has ten peaks, but only the northernmost serves as our sect’s base. The other nine are off-limits. Allegedly, all the spirits and demons captured by our sect since its founding are imprisoned there. Each would be several hundred years old. Don’t even think about sneaking in for fun.”

“They’re kept so close. What if they break out and wreak havoc?” Qi Yin asked worriedly.

“The Skybound Barrier holds them in.” Yunzhi pointed to the southern sky. “Watch.”

Qi Yin looked up. A flock of wild geese skimmed across the sky over the cliff. As they passed, a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer of light rippled outward, like waves on water.

“Any creature carrying the aura of a spirit or demon won’t pass through that barrier. But Yunlan should be fine; his spiritic aura is so weak it’s barely noticeable.” Yunzhi walked down the slope with his hands behind his back. “Mount Fenghuan may rank last among the four sacred mountains, but it was greatly favored by the deities in ancient times. Those immortals set up the Skybound Barrier themselves, and it’s probably the oldest thing here.”

Qi Yin was skeptical. This sect was likely the work of charlatans who had taken root here—self-proclaimed Daoist masters pretending to teach a hodgepodge of superficial cultivation techniques while secretly scamming disciples. Those disciples, in turn, learned the art of deception and passed it on, perpetuating the cycle to this day.

Yunzhi sighed dramatically. “Things haven’t been looking good in recent years. Spiritual energy is getting scarce, and cultivation arts are on the decline. There used to be thousands of cultivation sects, but many have disappeared. Who knows how many remain? Our master said he would check the feng shui of this place one of these days. Maybe a little rearranging will make us the top sect in the world.”

Yunzhi led them to the cluster of tiled houses they had flown past earlier. It was, in fact, a small village with earthen walls and tile-roofed houses scattered all around, with the disciples’ own personal spaces marked out with fences. A well and water vats stood out front, along with drying poles on which sun-bleached garments hung. Qi Yin, with his sharp eyes, even spotted a few red undergarments and green underpants. A muddy path wound through the houses, snaking toward the steps leading up the mountain.

Yunzhi pointed to the outermost house. “This one’s empty. You two can share it for now. The last disciple who stayed here left his bedding; you can use his.”

“What happened to him? Why isn’t he living here anymore?” Qi Yin asked.

“He couldn’t make headway in his cultivation, so he went back home to farm.” Yunzhi leaned over, wrapping an arm around Fulan’s shoulder, and grinned. “Listen, my dear juniors, cultivation is never easy. Since you’ve joined the sect, I’ll help you out.” He fished a book with a blue cover from the depths of his interspatial sleeve and shoved it into Fulan’s hands. “The Complete Guide to Talismans for Dummies, personally compiled by yours truly. Everything’s in here: shape-transformation talismans, fire-igniting charms, water-repelling spells, you name it. Every disciple of Mount Fenghuan has a copy. With this, you’re guaranteed top marks in your talisman classes. I see you only have three copper coins… Ah, well, I’ll take the loss and let you have it for three copper coins.”

Fulan looked helplessly at Qi Yin. Resigned, Qi Yin took three copper coins from Fulan’s pouch and tossed them to Yunzhi.  “All right, senior. Take care. We won’t be seeing you off.” Then he pulled Fulan inside and shut the door.

Yunzhi poked his head through the window and flashed him a broad grin. “Oh, right, one last thing. Don’t wander around at night, and stay out of the forest.”

Wait, what? Is this godforsaken place even haunted after dark?!

…

_{Proofreader: My Nguyen}, _{Ambrose E.}

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