Chapter Thirty-One: The Ning Family Study

The corridor was softly illuminated by the pale glow of luminous pearls, and the floor and walls were paved with intricately carved blue bricks. Yu Youwei, who had some knowledge of formations, recognized that the carvings were actually inscribed array sigils. When the formation was inactive, these sigils simply appeared as ordinary decorative patterns.

Upon reaching the second basement level, she noticed that the patterns on the bricks had changed, and ahead of them, a carved stone wall blocked their path. Before Yu Youwei could examine it closely, she heard the voice of the Ning family patriarch ring out from some corner: “What are you two doing here? Go back at once!”

“I want to see Third Brother,” Ning Mofei called out.

“Good boy, Mofei, Third Brother is sleeping right now. Go back to bed with your wife,” the old patriarch replied, putting extra emphasis on the words “go to bed.” Yu Youwei blushed furiously, wishing she could silence the old man with a handful of invisible poison needles—if only she knew where he was hiding.

“I want to see Third Brother,” Ning Mofei insisted, his voice echoing stubbornly in the silent, confined space.

A faint glow began to emanate from the stone wall ahead, and the sigils carved upon it started to wriggle like tadpoles. Soon, an image appeared, showing a cauldron engulfed in flames. Mist billowed within, and through it, they could just make out a head resting on the rim of the cauldron.

The old patriarch’s figure appeared beside the cauldron. “Third Brother cannot be disturbed right now. When he wakes, I’ll call you immediately.”

“I’ll wait right here for him to wake up,” Ning Mofei declared, sitting down on the floor.

The image on the stone wall faded, and the patriarch flashed into view before Ning Mofei, sighing in resignation. “Little ancestor, this is no place to play. Be good now.”

Ning Mofei hugged his knees and buried his face, remaining silent.

“Let him stay for a while,” Yu Youwei said. “He won’t touch anything; he just wants to be near his brother.”

“Very well, but keep an eye on him. If Mofei gets sleepy, take him to the study next door for a rest.” The old patriarch cast a helpless glance at his great-grandson before vanishing.

Yu Youwei hadn’t noticed any study on the way in, and now another stone wall blocked the passage. Curious, she asked, “Mofei, where’s the study?”

“I don’t want to sleep in the study,” Ning Mofei mumbled without looking up.

“I know, the floor’s cold. Let’s just grab a couple of books to sit on!” Yu Youwei improvised, coaxing Ning Mofei to agree. Together they retraced their steps for about ten meters. Mofei felt along the wall until a glowing doorway appeared—a portal! Yu Youwei marveled inwardly at the depth of the Ning family’s resources: even the study required a teleportation portal to enter.

They stepped through the array, feeling a slight tremor. Suddenly, they found themselves in a grand library. Rows of bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, filled to capacity. The floor was paved with black, white, and gray stone tiles arranged in a cross pattern, dividing the shelves into four sections: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. At the center of the cross, a purple sandalwood divan stood, with a square wooden table upon which sat a set of purple clay teaware.

“So many books!” Yu Youwei exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.

Ning Mofei went to the nearest shelf and took down two thick volumes. “The patriarch said only these two books can be taken out. The rest must stay here.” The books were neither silk nor paper, but gave off a faint herbal fragrance. One was titled Illustrated Compendium of Demonic Beasts, the other, Compendium of Spiritual Herbs.

Yu Youwei, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, “Shall we read for a while before we go?”

“I don’t want to read. I want to see Third Brother,” Ning Mofei replied, shaking his head reluctantly, tears like tiny diamonds clinging to his lashes.

“Third Brother was injured during his tribulation. Let’s see if there’s something we can do to help him!” At this, Mofei nodded eagerly. Yu Youwei felt a pang of guilt, but quickly grabbed an Overview of Spiritual Herb Cultivation and passed it to him, then picked up a pale yellow jade slip.

She probed the jade slip with her spiritual sense and found it contained the Spring Rain Technique, a water-element cultivation method she could not practice. She put it back, accidentally knocking another slip to the floor. Bending to pick it up, she discovered two more slips hidden beneath the shelf.

The two slips were damaged and green as scallions. As Yu Youwei examined them with her spiritual sense, she felt a wave of dizziness. She forced herself to finish reading, and her expression grew strange; she stood motionless for a long while.

“Youwei, what’s wrong?” Ning Mofei asked anxiously.

“An ancient wood-element cultivation method—pity it’s incomplete.” She replaced the jade slip, then glanced curiously at the page Mofei had opened. “Cultivating Ghost-faced Ganoderma? Let me see.”

“The patriarch said you have to have seeds to cultivate them. He only gives me flower seeds to play with,” Mofei pouted.

“Seeds?” Yu Youwei’s heart skipped a beat. The broken jade slip she’d just read included a method for accelerating spiritual herb growth using seeds—a technique that could be used offensively, defensively, or for cultivation. “Do you still have the flower seeds he gave you?”

Mofei reached into his dimensional pouch and handed her a handful of seeds, frowning. “Let’s go. I want to see Third Brother.”

“One moment, let me look at that jade slip again.” As Yu Youwei reached for the broken slip, Mofei was quicker, stowing it in his pouch. “Hey, didn’t you say the patriarch forbade taking the books out?”

“This one’s broken, and I’m not taking it out—I’m sneaking it out.”

“Do you do this often?”

“Mm-hmm. Sixth Brother and the others ask me to sneak books for them. I always bring them back after they’re done. The patriarch never notices.” Mofei was perfectly candid, not the least bit ashamed.

Yu Youwei sighed, pressing her forehead. “Silly boy, from now on, stay away from Sixth Brother and the others. Don’t help them steal books.”

“So I shouldn’t take this one either, right?” Mofei asked obediently, promptly returning the jade slip to the shelf.

Not wanting to go back on her word, Yu Youwei cast a regretful look at the slip, then gathered the two permitted books and had Mofei carry the divan outside.

They set the divan before the restored stone wall and sat side by side. Yu Youwei encouraged Mofei to read, while she pinched a seed between her fingers and fell into deep thought.

After half an hour, green light surged within her, and with a soft crack, the seed split open, sending forth a tender sprout. That fresh green shoot, appearing suddenly in the dim corridor, was vibrant with life.

She gazed, entranced, as the sprout grew, stretching out delicate branches. At the tip, a tender purple bud appeared. When it blossomed, Yu Youwei smiled radiantly, her beauty at its peak. Yet the silly boy beside her failed to appreciate it—he watched the bud greedily and cried, “Ah, I want to play too!”

Handing the flower branch to Ning Mofei, Yu Youwei said, “I’m going to cultivate. You play by yourself.” With that, she sat cross-legged on the divan, entering meditation once more.