Volume 2, Chapter 32 – First Heart-to-Heart (Double-Length)

The old beggar looked at Bai Xiang full of confidence, thinking she probably wouldn’t refuse.

Bai Xiang glanced at his knuckles, then at the walking stick he had stuck behind his back, and shook her head. “Not going.”

“You can leave.”

“Eh?” The old beggar’s eyes bulged. Just as he was about to step forward and say something more, Bai Xiang had already withdrawn inside and shut the main gate again.

“Quite the personality…!”

The old beggar’s expression shifted several times. He glared at the gate, grinding his teeth.

“You think this’ll make me go away?”

“Useless!”

“I like you even more now!”

Bai Xiang didn’t concern herself with the old beggar any further. After shutting the door, she had Bai Zhuqing and Xu Shu go call everyone, rousing the junior brothers and sisters living at the dojo to come eat.

Breakfast was meat congee, made by Shen Xuelan.

Jiangnan women were good at making congee, and this meat congee was Shen Xuelan’s specialty. Every grain of rice was boiled until soft, sticky, and smooth, with a rich, steamy aroma. Shredded meat and greens were added in; every mouthful melted on the tongue, the flavors coming together right there in the mouth.

Paired with salted duck eggs that would ooze red oil with a light squeeze, their rich yolks no less luxurious than crab roe or crab paste, plus soup-filled xiaolongbao that burst in the mouth, this breakfast held all the disciples hostage for a solid twenty minutes. No one spoke at the table.

“I’m done!”

Putting down his third bowl, Chen Shi leaned back, slapping his belly and giving Shen Xuelan a thumbs-up. “Shiniang, you’re amazing! This is better than the cook at my house!”

A simple-minded fellow’s praise came straight from the heart. Shen Xuelan covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes curved like crescents. She didn’t hold it against him that he’d come over early just to freeload breakfast; instead she reminded him, “Then train your sword properly and let your master see some results.”

Strictly speaking, all of them were Bai Shengju’s disciples. But because Bai Shengju had recently been nursing his body and preparing for a breakthrough to Condensing the Aspect, he had no time to instruct his disciples. Their formal lineage was therefore temporarily attached under Bai Lianzhou.

Shenming Sword Dao was still small, and the rules in this area hadn’t yet been set. So Shen Xuelan spoke fairly casually.

On the other side, Ma Yue was nudging the salted duck egg on his plate toward Lian Feng.

Lian Feng had been staring at that egg for a long time already. Seeing this, he looked at Ma Yue in surprise.

“I don’t like duck eggs.” Ma Yue’s gaze slid away. “If you still have room, help me eat it.”

When it came to lying, Senior Brother Ma was honestly not very professional.

Lian Feng had clawed his way up from the very bottom of society; reading people’s expressions was second nature to him, so he saw at a glance that Ma Yue was talking nonsense.

But it was still his senior brother’s good intention.

He couldn’t help feeling moved and hesitated over whether he should decline.

“If you like them, there are more later.” Shen Xuelan happened to walk by, saw this scene, and came over to ruffle Lian Feng’s hair. “But don’t overdo it. Eating too much isn’t good for your body, understand?”

“Mm!” Lian Feng licked the egg with his tongue, trying hard to hold back a certain emotion.

Hu Hu and Chen Jing were whispering nearby. Seeing him like this, they both laughed.

Hu Hu’s smile was pure, while Chen Jing’s was a bit more complicated.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying them any attention, the twin-tailed girl quietly clenched her fist at her chest, making a little gesture to cheer herself on.

Mom was about to come looking for her.

She couldn’t slack off—she had to be in good spirits!

Bai Xiang, meanwhile, was giving special one-on-one guidance to the two who had just Entered the Dao.

She, Bai Zhuqing, and Xu Shu were at one table. After they’d eaten their fill, Bai Xiang began explaining some of the subtle essentials of the Shenming Sword.

The two listened very seriously, because they could both feel that when it came to comprehension and understanding of Shenming Sword, Bai Xiang’s attainment surpassed even Bai Lianzhou and Bai Shengju. Every word of her interpretation of ‘Zhenjue’ hit the mark.

After listening for a while, Xu Shu couldn’t take it anymore—not from blood boiling, but because his mind wouldn’t stay still. He just wanted to grab his sword and run out to the dojo to practice, to verify everything he’d just heard.

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Seeing him like this, Bai Xiang knew he’d reached the limit of what his mind could absorb. She stopped talking about the Shenming Sword altogether and switched to explaining key techniques of Nurturing the Spirit.

This was a new field for Xu Shu—he had just Entered the Dao and was precisely at the stage of needing to Nurture the Spirit. And Bai Xiang’s understanding of Nurturing the Spirit was far from ordinary; some of her phrasing and cultivation tips were things he had never heard before. Instinctively, he suppressed his urge to practice sword and tried to understand the essential meaning.

Bai Xiang didn’t say much. She only pointed out the key to training the skin and then let him go.

Xu Shu’s aptitude wasn’t bad, but nowhere near hers. If she said too much, he wouldn’t remember the terminology, and mixing things up could easily lead his mental flow astray.

Then she called out to Shen Xuelan and, resting her hand on her longsword, walked toward the back.

One person walking, but two sets of footsteps.

Bai Xiang stopped; the footsteps stopped.

Bai Xiang walked; the footsteps walked too.

“You’re that sure I won’t chase you off?”

Almost at her own side room, Bai Xiang turned back and glared at Bai Zhuqing.

“When you were talking about the Nurturing the Spirit Method, you didn’t mention the other ‘key apertures’ at all. Isn’t that you telling me to come ask you about them alone?” Bai Zhuqing stroked the strands of hair falling over her chest. Her lips pursed slightly forward and her two pitch-black eyes were opened wide.

Today, Bai Zhuqing had deliberately changed her style of dress.

On top she wore a light-blue striped long-sleeved shirt with a beige sleeveless short vest over it. Below were pure white, tight-fitting, tapered pants, and on her feet a pair of lace-up sneakers suitable for exerting force, with white cotton socks pulled up to just above her ankles.

She’d put this outfit together purely for ease of movement.

She was that sure I’d teach her sword?

Bai Xiang stared at her for a moment, then stepped into the courtyard without a word.

Taking advantage of the moment she turned away, Bai Zhuqing clenched her fist hard, then turned back into a little tail and hurried after her, taking the initiative to set out a stool for Bai Xiang.

“Auntie—no! Master!” she called sweetly.

“Master, please sit!”

If Grandpa heard that, your little butt really would get a beating.

Bai Xiang was speechless.

Bai Zhuqing wasn’t like the other disciples. She and Bai Xiang had truly been taught by Bai Shengju together since they were small.

So her lineage could only be counted under Bai Shengju. Saying something like that was practically heresy.

“Just call me what you always did…”

Bai Xiang didn’t stand on ceremony with her, either. Sitting down, she gave her a once-over. “Show me your sword forms first.”

Obediently, Bai Zhuqing took off the wooden sword at her waist. Imitating how Bai Xiang discarded the scabbard when fighting, she threw the scabbard aside and began to go through the moves one by one in the small courtyard.

Mm…

Bai Xiang frowned.

She had originally intended to nitpick her little sister’s swordsmanship, but Bai Zhuqing’s forms were virtually flawless. She couldn’t find any faults.

There were indeed spots where her sword posture differed from Bai Xiang’s, but that wasn’t wrong. It was improvement—tiny adjustments based on the differences in their body shapes, arm spans, and leg lengths.

She can make those adjustments on her own already?

Bai Xiang was a bit surprised, because this was a sign of true mastery—it meant what she’d learned had been fully digested and could now truly be called her own.

“Auntie! Hff… How was my practice?” After going through the set twice, Bai Zhuqing asked Bai Xiang, breathing lightly.

“Don’t move,” Bai Xiang stopped her.

“Close your eyes.”

“Feel your inner state.”

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“Tell me if you sense anything different from before.”

Huh?

Bai Zhuqing did as told and immediately noticed something strange about her body.

“I feel… not tired?”

Her eyes flew open in surprise.

My mental flow routes have gotten so complicated… but there’s no conflict? And every time they circulate, it’s like a warm current runs all through me. It’s much more comfortable than the constant tingling after I Entered the Dao yesterday!?

“Auntie!” She was a little excited. “What is this?”

“This is the embryonic form of ‘Qi’.”

At this point, there wasn’t much left to hide. Bai Xiang didn’t hesitate and simply told her little sister how she’d comprehended her Dao from The Scripture of Returning to Origin and Transforming Qi.

The only thing she left out was the soul ability, passing it off as talent.

“This method is called the ‘Transforming Qi Method.’ Outside, it’s considered crooked and deviant.” Bai Xiang laid out the pros and cons. “But the Qi you’re cultivating now isn’t like anything recorded in any ancient text. It’s something I created myself based on my own special talent.”

“Other methods, to reach Condensing the Aspect, require going from Nurture the Spirit to Forge the Sword, then to Visualization and Divine Union, reaching ‘Six Harmonies Complete’ before they can condense the Aspect. My Transforming Qi Method is all methods advancing together. Mind and body are nurtured at the same time. As long as the Transforming Qi succeeds, it can rival Condensing the Aspect.”

“Especially the quality of the Qi.”

“It far surpasses cultivators of the same realm.”

As she spoke, Bai Xiang stretched out her left hand and released a thread of blood-colored Qi miasma into her palm. She condensed it into a small Qi sword and flicked her hand, sending it flying.

“Puchi!”

The Qi sword sank straight into the concrete ground, cutting a deep sword mark into it.

It wasn’t very long, but it was enough to make Bai Zhuqing cry out in amazement.

“So strong!” She immediately threw herself at Bai Xiang, shouting, “Thank you, Auntie!”

“Don’t be in a rush to thank me.” Bai Xiang pressed a hand to her face, frowning slightly.

“Listen carefully. This is a new path, different from the usual Sword Dao.”

“I know.” Bai Zhuqing nodded.

“I opened this path myself. Don’t just look at how powerful it is in front. Whether it can be walked all the way in the back is still unknown.”

“I understand.” She nodded again.

“I’m not thanking Auntie for teaching me the method…” Her eyes shimmered with moisture. “I’m thanking Auntie for being willing to trust me completely… Auntie must’ve taught me this to save my life, right?”

Bai Xiang looked down at her. Though her brows were still knitted, the strength of her grip eased a little.

“Of course!”

Taking the opportunity, Bai Zhuqing burrowed forward and broke through Bai Xiang’s blockade, burying her entire face in Bai Xiang’s chest. She sank into the softness, taking a deep, intoxicated breath.

Xiang’er-jie…

She smells so good…

Bai Xiang was about to snap when she heard her murmur against her chest, “Zhuqing owes Auntie a life. I can only stay tied to Auntie’s side for the rest of my life, willing to be Auntie’s ox and horse~”

Where did she learn this stuff?

Bai Xiang was both exasperated and amused by her little sister.

Calling sticking to my side “being my ox and horse”—who wouldn’t see through that?

But… since she’d taught her a new method, she really couldn’t just leave her be. Bai Xiang ordered Bai Zhuqing to stand properly and told her about the dangers she’d face after Entering the Dao.

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“You have a secret in you,” Bai Xiang said with certainty.

Both regression and manifestation of demon blood appearing at the same time—this wasn’t recorded in any of the Bai family’s books.

“It means my talent is good.” Bai Zhuqing brightened.

“Too good.” Bai Xiang did not see this as a good thing.

As for Bai Zhuqing’s talent, she currently had one guess: the Bai family had lain dormant for far, far too long. After several hundred years of slumber, that trace of demon blood could no longer be suppressed and had taken form as an instinctual consciousness manifesting in this little sister.

It was very possible. Many Sword Dao families, when on the brink of decline and extinction, would suddenly produce an unmatched genius. Most of the time, that was “demon blood regression” or “demon blood manifestation.”

The difference between the two was that regression would affect a person’s temperament, causing them to become more and more like a simulated Demon Pool as they trained sword, strengthening the power of the heart-aspect.

Manifestation, by contrast, had little impact in that area and mostly strengthened the physical body.

If not for her own existence, Zhuqing really would fit that sort of role very well.

Bai Xiang pondered.

In Great Yu, this sort of thing was half-myth, half-reality. Everyone took it for granted that it worked that way, but there was no real proof.

There was another possibility: that Bai Zhuqing had been modified.

That didn’t even need thought. Leaving aside that Bai Shengju and the whole family watched over her, even from Bai Xiang’s own merged memories, Bai Zhuqing had never had any accidents. That could be ruled out directly.

“Even though it’s all Transforming Qi, everyone’s constitution is different, so the final mental flow cycles you settle on won’t be the same.”

“So, come here.”

After saying a bit more, Bai Xiang felt she’d almost said enough to wrap things up and beckoned her sister closer. She used sword-fingers to tap and vibrate along the acupoints of Bai Zhuqing’s entire body.

“Auntie… that tickles…” Bai Zhuqing tried to dodge, pleading with her mouth.

“No dodging.” Bai Xiang lowered her eyes. “Feel this diagram carefully. You have to memorize it all.”

Xiang’er-jie is so fierce.

Bai Zhuqing pouted but endured the tingling and silently focused.

She’d never admit… the only reason she could hold out was because she kept her head down, staring at Bai Xiang’s black-stockinged feet.

Bai Xiang didn’t notice where she was looking. After testing her twice and confirming she’d truly memorized it, she finally let out a long breath inside.

Teaching is exhausting…

It’s nothing like practicing herself.

Still, she had to admit that by explaining these key points, her own grasp of ‘Zhenjue’ had improved again, and she’d come up with quite a few new ideas.

Luckily her cheap master was out of town.

Bai Xiang glanced at the wall of the neighboring courtyard.

Otherwise, to teach Zhuqing she’d have had to go rent a room somewhere else.

Since the opportunity was rare, Bai Xiang spent the whole morning and even through noon teaching Bai Zhuqing sword practice.

She also took out a Nurture the Spirit Pacifying Tablet for her sister to take, then personally used ‘Zhenjue’ at her side to examine the changes in Bai Zhuqing’s internal mental flow. In the end, she concluded that Bai Zhuqing’s Transforming Qi progress was slower than her own—much slower.

Even without taking medicine, Bai Xiang’s Transforming Qi wouldn’t take half a year to reach the final step.

For Bai Zhuqing, it would probably take more than a year, and it wasn’t clear whether medicine would speed that up.

She remembered it clearly—once Transforming Qi got stuck at the last step, just one step from completion, normal cultivation no longer had any effect on progress.

Back then, she’d only pushed through in one go by devouring Daokong Chan Master and the cicada demon. A normal breakthrough could never be that extravagant.

She still had to research.

Later she’d ask her cheap master to find some “forbidden books” for her to read and look for ideas.

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Mm…

She had to first think of how to trick her.

As Bai Xiang sat there, one leg crossed over the other, occasionally flexing her black-stockinged foot while she thought, Bai Zhuqing was being worked to the point of death.

It felt like being force-fed… Auntie didn’t care whether she could digest it or not—she just crammed everything into her all at once!

Bai Zhuqing had thought about slacking off, but whenever she did, Bai Xiang would grip ‘Feixiang Heaven’ and press the long scabbard against her. A mysterious vibration force would transmit through, forcing her into the correct posture. She couldn’t even take a step to run.

They kept practicing like this until three in the afternoon, when Bai Zhuqing finally couldn’t take it anymore.

She’d completely given up on maintaining an image. Her shoes and socks were all thrown aside. Barefoot, pants legs rolled up, she lay spread-eagled on the concrete ground, surrounded by the sweat she’d poured out.

“That’s it for today.”

Bai Xiang finally relented.

“We’ll continue tomorrow morning. Don’t even think about slacking.”

I’m going to die…

Bai Zhuqing rolled her eyes at the sky.

After all that, she still hadn’t gotten to touch those feet.

Auntie was really something. She couldn’t even give a little reward…

I barely touched them yesterday. I haven’t had my fill at all!

“Right, Auntie.”

After resting a bit, she sat up and asked, “What’s the deal with that old beggar?”

When she’d gone out to eat at noon and asked Xu Shu, the old beggar still hadn’t left.

He was lying at the dojo’s main gate, and visiting guests would even toss money to him.

“He’s probably one of Fang Xiaochun’s people.”

Bai Xiang didn’t even blink.

“Auntie’s that sure?”

“To find out what I’ve been doing out there lately, and not harbor any malice toward me, just purely wanting to help—that already narrows down the list a lot.”

There was a crucial trick to it: Bai Xiang could vaguely sense that the look in the old beggar’s eyes carried no malice when he looked at her.

“Malice” was a pretty metaphysical word. She wasn’t even sure whether this was a built-in feature of her soul ability or an illusion born from absorbing Daoist theories.

But so far, that sense hadn’t been wrong. For example, she could use it to pinpoint gunmen’s positions with precision.

“So what’s Auntie’s take on it?”

Bai Zhuqing really enjoyed this atmosphere of talking over private matters with Bai Xiang.

It felt like they were truly on the same side, talking heart-to-heart. It felt even better than touching her feet.

“Free benefits delivered to your door don’t exist in this world.”

Using her own experience as a warning to Zhuqing, Bai Xiang’s tone grew solemn.

“Anything I can take with my own hands—someone like Fang Xiaochun has no right to call that charity.”

“If he wants to cooperate,”

“he’ll have to put more chips on the table.”