Chapter 81: Ye Lingxiang

In a large courtyard, a dignified man wearing luxurious robes was seated, a table placed in front of him. On the table, lay a long strip of paper. The man held a brush, and with a practised hand he traced graceful lines along the paper, which culminated into beautiful characters.

With a flourish, the man laid the finishing touch.

The man smiled and nodded in satisfaction. 

"Not bad. Your fame as a Calligraphy Master in Xing Luo City is well deserved, Liang Family Head." Suddenly, a voice appeared out of thin air, causing the man to jump in fright, hitting the table and spilling ink all over the strip of paper.

"Oh, sorry." the voice sounded again, sounding a bit apologetic.

Despite all his hard work being spoiled, the man did not dare get angry. Instead, he tossed the table aside with the urgency of someone getting rid of a spider and kneeled on the spot, assuming a devout expression! 

"Ah, Lord Deacon, please forgive my negligence in not noticing your esteemed presence and tainting your eyes with my meagre skill! It is better that such unsightly work has been erased from this world!"

The voice paused for a few seconds, trying to resolve this sycophantic weirdo with the dignified man from before and utterly failing. "... There is no need for such… formality. I'm not like the previous Deacon, you may speak freely."

"Ah, then, please forgive the unsightly display from before, Sir Deacon." The Liang Family head straightened up immediately, snapping back to his dignified self like a rubber band.

The voice was speechless once again. After a while, it sounded again, "... You're quick to adapt."

"Thank you for your praise, sir!" 

"That wasn't… forget it." the voice wanted to say something before thinking better of it. It was best not to delve into the rabbit hole of this man's mind. 

The voice took on a more serious tone, "How are the preparations?"

"Very well, sir. We made sure that the Ferocious Bear Gang had two Flesh Tempering experts on their side. The Yun Family has one - but the Yun Family's expert, Yun Cheng, is much more experienced and is also at the mid-stage of Flesh Tempering. All in all, they are almost equivalent, with the Yun Family at a slight disadvantage.

"Currently, we plan to let the two of them duke it out and exhaust each other. Then, when they are weakened, we will slowly take over their markets and squeeze them out of Xing Luo City, completing a perfect takeover without anyone the wiser." The Liang Family Head said. "The Ferocious Bear Gang will most likely attack during the Welcoming Banquet for the so-called Immortal-"

"Wait, what?" The voice cut in, its tone turning grave. "What do you mean, 'Immortal'?

"Er, there have been rumours floating around the City that an Immortal has graced the Yun Family's residence and has been staying with them for over seven days. It's probably just a trick by the Yun Family to confuse the Ferocious Bear Gang." The Liang Family Head responded. 

"And even if it is not, it wouldn't matter," he shrugged, "given that all Immortal Cultivators at the Earthen Origin and above are restricted by the Five Orthodox Sects' Alliance. 

"I seriously doubt anyone would go out of their way, being condemned and chased by the Orthodox Sects for a mere branch of the Yun Family."

"All in all, there is nothing to worry about."

"Hmm. That is true," the voice conceded. "Very well, then. Do what you have to. I expect good news in a month's time. You will be rewarded for your hard work…" 

The voice faded away.

"Thank you, sir Deacon!" The Liang Family Head bowed respectfully.

***

'Darned bastard. What's the point in fighting so hard? Just to win a few words of praise from a woman who probably wouldn't even spare you a second glance?' Yun Qingfeng cursed his opponent under his breath, wiping away the blood trickling from his broken nose. 

Just as he was crafting a few more colourful curses in his mind, the maid he had been following halted and turned to him, "Young Master, please go inside. Fairy Xiao and the Clan Head are inside.

Yun Qingfeng made a mental note to curse the bastard to his heart's content later. He took a deep breath and entered the door. Lingxiang's happiness depended on this!

Entering the room, Yun Qingfeng's eyes immediately focused on the three people seated around a table, engaged in soft conversation - two of whom he was quite familiar with.

The massive gorilla-like stature and that enviably dense beard unmistakably belonged to the Clan Head - Yun Meng. He had always secretly desired to possess such lush facial hair. Unfortunately, it was a dream sadly crushed by the cruel hand of genetics and he got a chin so smooth it was a mechanical engineer's wet dream!

While on his opposite, a young woman in a Martial Arts gi, leaned back on her chair. Even if she wasn't exactly the prettiest woman, the causal confidence she exuded was a magnet for the eyes. This was Yun Hua, one of the few people Yun Qingfeng actually looked up to in the entire family.

Yet, the person who drew his attention was the other young woman who sat between them.

Yun Qingfeng could say with absolute confidence that this was the single most beautiful woman he'd seen in both of his lives. 

Her long, black tresses flowed like a river of ink, framing her breathtaking visage that seemed to be sculpted by divine beings. 

As if noticing his gaze, a pair of eyes, shaded a red so vibrant it redefined the very concept of 'red', turned towards him curiously. The few dozen butterflies in his stomach decided to rebel and his heart slacked off for several beats.

For a moment, the world around her dimmed, fading into an inconsequential backdrop.

'Alright, I can see why.' Yun Qingfeng had no choice but to concede. 'But still, man. You should know your place. This woman is totally beyond your league. It's not even the same dimension!'

He cursed his final opponent again.

"Well done, little fellow, I didn't expect that there was someone so talented amongst the younger generation. Even Yun Cheng wasn't as strong as you at the same age!" Yun Meng chuckled lightly, "Your father, that brat, has done a good job hiding you."

Yun Qingfeng's mouth twitched slightly upon hearing his father being called a 'brat'.

"I'm undeserving of such praise, Clan Head. Eldest Cousin's strength is unfathomable and I dare not compare myself to him." Yun Qingfeng clasped his fists and inclined his head in a show of respect to elders, pointedly ignoring the second half referring to his father. Why did his ears seem to malfunction for a moment there? He missed out on half of the Clan Head's sentence! Hmm, his ears needed a software update, it seemed. 

Yun Meng smiled lightly, nodding. What a humble little fellow! The future of the Yun Family is bright - as long as those meddling elders don't get up to their headache-inducing antics.

"Now, as promised, you may request Fairy Xiao for one thing as long as it is not too excessive." Yun Meng declared, turning to the stunning young woman and seeming to enquire about something through his eyes, causing her to shrug in response.

"Mhm, just remember that I'm not omnipotent, alright?" The young woman turned to Yun Qingfeng and chuckled lightly.

He nodded in response, took a deep breath and bowed deeply, "Great Immortal, please help my sister escape her suffering!"

Yun Meng's eyes widened before he shook his head and sighed, "Qingfeng, it has already been decided, there is nothing you can do…"

"There is, though." Yun Hua who had stayed quiet all along suddenly spoke up. 

"And what is that?" Yun Meng frowned. 

"Isn't it just an engagement? If Miss Xiao wants to help," Yun Hua's lips raised slightly, "the Third Elder won't really have a say, now, would he?" 

"But-"

"Granduncle, why do you insist on following these stupid traditions? What's the point?" Yun Hua interrupted him, her voice rising slowly, "Why punish a child for the mistakes of their parents? It wasn't her wish to be born to Third Aunt!"

She stood up straight and stared at Yun Meng. "Besides, if I were in Third Aunt's position, I would, without hesitation, do the same!"

"Hua'er!" Yun Meng frowned. "Your Third Aunt's… actions have caused great losses to the Yun Clan - losing us face as well as standing with the Main Family. If it weren't for Yun Cheng showing his talent, we might've directly lost our positions as the three top factions of Xing Luo City! And the other two would never let go of a chance like that!"

"Would we? Would we really?" Yun Hua said, her voice lowering as she narrowed her eyes, "Would the Main Family-?"

"Ahem." Xiao Hong cleared her throat. No matter how juicy the whole thing was, she had no choice but to remind them of her presence. It would be impolite of her to listen in on her host's internal matters. She directed her gaze at Yun Qingfeng and stared pointedly, "How do you want me to save her, then?"

Yun Qingfeng shrunk under the combined scrutiny of the three, squirming uncomfortably. "I-I think she's ill, she says her eyes hurt when she looks at people for too long…"

Yun Hua: "..."

Yun Meng: "..."

Xiao Hong: "..."

An awkward silence descended upon the room. 

"Father called all the doctors in the city, but none of them could help her out…" Yun Qingfeng's voice trailed off like a mosquito flying away under the intense stares of three people. None of them were people he could afford to offend, alright?! 

Though, it seemed he might have offended them, either way.

"... Alright, then. Take me to her, I will see what I can do." After a short while, Xiao Hong managed to squeeze out a smile. "Lead the way."

Yun Qingfeng quickly nodded and led the three of them to the western Section of the estate. On the way, Xiao Hong turned to him.

"I will try my best to help her. But remember, I am not some omnipotent Deity, and I may not be able to help her." She stared at Yun Qingfeng, who nodded in response.

"I understand, Miss Xiao," Yun Qingfeng replied. "If it really doesn't work out, please just give me something you feel would help me the most." 

While the four of them walked forward in silence, Yun Qingfeng's eyes flickered slightly. 'It doesn't seem like the Clan Head will be very happy to help sister escape her marriage. On the other hand, Fifth Cousin seems like she'd be happy to help.' he thought. 

He had deliberately framed his request to be vague, letting the other party draw their own conclusions. And it worked perfectly - they assumed that it was his sister's engagement that was what he was talking about before he 'cleared their misunderstanding'. 

It was recent news after all. It was quite the sensation, in fact! A child of a sinner was fancied by a scion of the high and mighty Main Family. So, it was completely normal for them to associate her 'suffering' with the 'engagement'. Moreover, with her status as the child of a sinner, she did not even have the right to refuse! They even had the gall to say that her descendants would be forgiven thanks to her 'contributions'!

So, taking into account his closeness with Lingxiang, anyone would jump to the wrong conclusion

As for Ye Lingxiang's illness? He already knew what was wrong with Ye Lingxiang. He merely used it as an opportunity to sound out the various stakeholders of the matter and see who would be willing to help her out of her predicament.

'And this Miss Xiao…' he mused, his gaze flickering towards the young woman, 'going by what Fifth Cousin said, this 'Immortal' must have a really high status. Perhaps, she can also help?'

At this moment, he felt a sudden urge. He glanced at her and recited inwardly, 'Appraise!'

[

Name: Xiao Hong

Gender: Female

Age: 16-20 (Estimated; deep scan is not advised)

Lifeform level: Tier 2: Shedding Mortality [Divine Sea] (estimated based on outwardly revealed fluctuations, possibly higher)

Titles: No. 1 Beauty of the Purple Spirit Sect's Outer Division, Genius Formation Master, Genius Medicinal Alchemist, Cultivation Technique Genius, Inner Disciple Candidate, Genius of Body Refining, …

Strengths: Beauty, ??? [Unable to collect data], ??? [Unable to collect data]

Weaknesses: Beauty, ??? [Unable to collect data]

Affiliation: ??? [Concealed]

Special Abilities: ???

Potential: Immortal Path: ??? [Unexpected Error: Unable to calculate]

Danger Rating: Extremely Dangerous. Just kneel down, cripple yourself, hand over your storage bag, cut off your limbs and she might just leave you with an intact corpse!

Remarks: This pointlessly beautiful young woman seems to be a peerless genius of the highest-level faction of this world - the Purple Spirit Sect.

Ended up stranded in this beginner's village due to a series of events.

Extra Remarks: Do NOT appraise again unless you enjoy being vaporised.

]

'Huh? Tier 2? She's a Tier 2 Lifeform?!' Yun Qingfen's eyes widened, staring at the illusory screen floating in front of him with utmost concentration.

'No wonder!' His heart beat in excitement. 'No wonder they are so respectful to her. It is because she's a lot stronger than them!'

From his observations, it seemed that the stronger a person was, the higher their Lifeform level. But for them to be considered a whole other Tier, he believed there had to be a massive gap in strength - like the difference between the Body Tempering and Blood Qi Awakening. Otherwise, there was no point in the Tier System!

'Tier 0 Mortal, Tier 1 Transcending the Ordinary and Tier 2 Shedding Mortality…' Yun Qingfeng took a deep breath, trying to calm down his excitement. 'It is safe to assume there is probably a Tier 3 and Tier 4 and even more beyond them.'

After calming down, he continued looking through the rest of the screen.

'No.1 Beauty of the Purple Spirit Sect's Outer Division?' He sneaked another glance at the young woman. 'Alright, can't refute that.'

'Uh, there's quite a few "geniuses" here... Also, 'genius of Body Refining'? What the fuck is this thing on?' He stared at the screen blankly. He simply could not resolve this beauty with delicate skin and a muscular body refining practitioner!

 'And also question marks,' he noted quietly.

'Interesting. This thing is unable to quantify her abilities, talents, strengths or weaknesses properly.' Yun Qingfeng's brows raised involuntarily. 'Is it because of her higher Life Form level?' 

As for 'Beauty'? Well, that was straightforward. Beauty is a powerful tool if used right. But it is also a disaster, especially in this twisted world where one's strength determines their rights. Anyone with common sense can figure that one out.

However, Yun Qingfeng probably never imagined that 'Beauty' as a weakness could mean very different things and this Immortal Fairy's case was definitely one…

Then, his eyes slid further down the screen.

[Danger Rating: Extremely Dangerous. Just kneel down, cripple yourself, hand over your storage bag and she might just leave you with an intact corpse!]

Yun Qingfeng: "???"

'What in the Martial God's massive pecs?'

Yun Qingfeng's mouth twitched, 'This damned thing is starting to act up again!'

Meanwhile, Xiao Hong was employing her Divine Sense with all her might, scanning the surroundings carefully. '... There's nothing? But then, what was that weird gaze I felt earlier?'

She frowned slightly, wondering if it was just her hallucination. 

Before she could continue thinking, Yun Qingfeng stopped in front of a small courtyard, opened the gate and walked in, gesturing for the others to follow. 

'Huh, it's better than I expected.' Xiao Hong thought in slight surprise as eyes darted around, taking in the small and undecorated, but well-maintained courtyard. 'Hm. They are from the same family after all, so it is unlikely that they will be thrown to the slums or something.'

Yun Qingefeng walked up to a door and knocked. "Lingxiang? Are you there? Can we come in? I've brought someone to take a look at your condition. She might be able to help you."

"Yes, come in." The muffled voice of a girl came from the other side.

Inside the small and plain, but distinctly feminine room, Xiao Hong found a teenage girl lying on a bed. A deep grey cloth was tied around her eyes, contrasting the pallor of her face, lending an air of fragile melancholy.

"Welcome, Great Doctor, to my humble home," the young woman spoke up, her voice so meek, Xiao Hong thought it would never reach her without her superpowers!

I must thank you-" Hearing them get in, she made to stand up but was interrupted by Xiao Hong who gently pushed her back into the bed. 

"No need, just stay down." Xiao Hong said. 

"Stay quiet and let me do my thing." She added sternly, noticing the girl opened her mouth to say something.

She then took the girl's wrist into her hand and sent a pulse of Qi through her skin, infusing it into a small amount of her blood. As the Qi-infused blood travelled through her veins, Xiao Hong used her Divine Sense to track the response.

'Oh? She seems to have a talent for Immortal Cultivation? That's a rare find in these desolate regions.' she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She sent out another strand of Qi, pushing it deep into her bones and mobilised another portion of her Divine Sense to parse the response from the marrow. 

Then, she sighed inwardly, 'What a pity - she's almost past her adolescence. If it were a few years earlier, she might have had a chance to tread the Immortal Path. Unless her talent is so phenomenal that she can reach Nirvana in her remaining decade, it is useless.'

While it was possible to determine if a person possessed a talent for Immortal Cultivation, it was impossible to determine the level of talent they possessed. Otherwise, Xiao Hong wouldn't have even caught a whiff of the Purple Spirit Sect!

On the other side, Yun Qingfeng stood a few steps into the room, frozen in place, eyes threatening to leave their homes like rebellious kids! He turned his head to the left in utter bewilderment. 'Wasn't she right next to me?' 

His head snapped back to the side of the bed, where Miss Xiao sat, taking his cousin's wrist into her hands, 'How the hell did she appear there, then?!'

He turned to the other two occupants of the room, hoping to get some insight. However, what greeted him was not looks of shock but identical, curled lips that were practically dripping with amusement. The Granduncle and Grandniece were sporting matching, mischievous grins that could only be described as schadenfreude personified! They were very happy to see someone else suffer the same shock they had. They can't be the only ones enduring random heart attacks every time Miss Xiao did something incomprehensible! 

"Eh?" A gasp of surprise sounded, drawing the attention of the people in the room.

"What is it, Miss Xiao?" Yun Qingfeng asked anxiously. 

"Your sister, she's quite…" Xiao Hong paused for a moment before continuing, "Unfortunate." 

'What does she mean? Wasn't it a special ability?' Yun Qingfeng frowned deeply. 'How can something good be called unfortunate?'

He glanced at the young woman beside his sister suspiciously. His body tensed suddenly as a thought struck him, sharp and cold. 'Could this woman have ulterior motives? Is she fabricating all this to have a legitimate reason for her goals?'

His mind raced, dredging up memories from his past life. Ability Steal, Skill Absorption, Devour. These were all terrifying, but very real abilities in his previous life! Could she be one of those monsters? His heart thumped against his chest as his brain ran through dozens of possible ways someone could extract special abilities. 

Xiao Hong continued, oblivious to Yun Qingfeng's thoughts that had completely derailed. "In normal…" she cast a hesitant glance around the room, "- er, other - circumstances it would have actually been quite a blessing." 

"Miss Xiao, could you elaborate a bit more?" Yun Hua asked, somewhat confused.

Xiao Hong nodded. She stood up.

"Miss Ye, here," she gestured to the woman lying on the bed, "was born with a special talent. An Innate Divine Ability."

Facing the bewildered faces of the other people in the room, Xiao Hong elaborated a bit more, "In simple terms, it refers to an ability that is beyond the norm for an ordinary mortal. Some people are born with tremendous strength, capable of lifting far more than their peers; extraordinary eyesight that allows one to see farther than eagles; a sense of smell sharper than wolves. These, we call Divine Abilities.

"But for Miss Ye, this ability is more of a curse than a blessing. Because of her complete lack of supernatural power, she is unable to wield it properly.

"Since she cannot wield her ability - which uses her eyes as a medium - properly, she is only able to activate it by instinct. She is unable to manually deactivate it and can only rely on exhaustion for it to deactivate automatically. This results in a great strain to her eyes."

"I see," Yun Hua nodded. "Then, to resolve this issue, all she has to do is practise Martial Arts?"

"Well, that's not wrong, but," Xiao Hong shook her head lightly, "she's already past the best age for Cultivation - Martial or Immortal."

"Huh? What has age got to do with anything?" A confused Yun Qingfeng spoke up.

"The best time to start Body Refining is during the beginning stages of adolescence. While your sister is already at the end of it. 

"If she starts Body Refining now, it would take much longer and it would also be very difficult to break through to the Qi Gathering Stage. And without reaching the Qi Gathering Stage, she will never be able to control her ability anyway.

"And once she's past 30, it might become entirely impossible." Xiao Hong said plainly. 

A silence fell over the room. Yun Qingfeng's jaw clenched. He had believed that she would gain control over her ability with time and practice - like the Supers in his previous life. He had never imagined that a special ability would be so detrimental to Ye Lingxiang. 

After a pause, he spoke up, his voice low and somewhat strained, "Why only 30? Why not 40? Or even 50?"

Xiao Hong sighed and let out a somewhat bitter smile. 

"Well, you see, the life cycle of a human being has several stages. But broadly, they can be divided into three."

Xiao Hong raised her index finger, "The first is the Initial Period. Spanning from birth to the end of adolescence, it is during this time that there is an increasing trend in the life force of a human being, bringing them from a helpless babe to vibrant youth."

A slender middle finger joined the index finger. "Then comes the Prime. It starts at the end of adolescence to around thirty. A human being's life force crests like a high tide. Breakthroughs come easily, cultivation flourishes - it is the cultivator's golden age.

"And finally comes the Decline. Beginning from right after the Prime at around thirty and lasts until the end of one's life. At this point, the human being's life force starts a downward trend. 

"Slowly, at first, but as one ages, one's vitality declines and spirit dims quicker and quicker. At this stage, breakthroughs become increasingly difficult." she let out another light sigh, "To the point that one would probably live longer by not attempting to break through."

It was because of this that the Super Factions wanted their disciples to attain Nirvana before 30. 

Nirvana is a reconstruction of one's Self, but it still uses the Immortal Cultivator's current foundation. If one achieves Nirvana before 30, the Cultivator's Life force is set at the Prime Stage and would not reach the Decline Stage until the very end of their life. On the other hand, if one achieves Nirvana at the Declining Stage, the decline in Lifeforce only slows down and their breakthroughs to higher stages will see an exponential increase in difficulty. 

"I see…" Yun Qingfeng trailed off, the strain in his voice apparent.

An oppressive silence enveloped the room as the rest of them remained lost in their own thoughts. 

Yun Meng wore a resigned smile on his face. He knew very well that, as old as he was, there was little chance for him to ever break through. He glanced at Yun Hua and Yun Qingfeng and suddenly his smile brightened, 'I can rely on the younger generation to achieve glory.'

"Miss Xiao." A soft voice suddenly interrupted everyone's thoughts. But her voice gained strength as she spoke. 

"I wish to tread the Pathway of Ascension. Maybe I am destined to never achieve anything, seeking the Dao. Maybe I am destined to turn into dust with ever catching the scent of success. I still wish to try!" Jaw set, Ye Lingxiang removed the blindfold and stared straight at Xiao Hong, orbs of cyan glittering like the purest gems.

"At the very least, I do not wish to regret not even trying!"