Chapter 27: Visiting the Neighbor

Jiang Min was not surprised. She took a deep breath, braced herself, and continued, "Forgive me for disturbing you, Senior Brother. I have prepared a modest gift and hope you will accept it. As I am new here, I would appreciate your guidance."

No further sound came from within the house; clearly, she was being ignored.

Seeing this, Jiang Min sighed inwardly. She turned and left to pay her respects to the other neighbors.

Of the nearby neighbors, two were absent, but the rest were at home. Jiang Min visited each in turn. Some accepted her gifts with cold indifference, neither returning the gesture nor inviting her to stay, and politely sent her away. Others received her warmly and invited her in for a chat.

"So young, yet you've already reached the fourth level of Qi Refinement—truly a rare talent. I haven't heard of such a prodigy in a long time. Please, come inside so we can talk further."

The speaker was a senior brother in his early thirties, tall and gaunt, with sunken cheeks, prominent cheekbones, and thin lips that curled outward. His narrow eyes glimmered with a smile as he enthusiastically invited Jiang Min in, his slender fingers unconsciously rubbing together outside his robe sleeves.

Jiang Min lowered her long lashes, concealing the hint of wariness in her eyes, and replied with a polite smile, "Thank you, Senior Brother Wang, but as dusk is approaching, I still need to visit the other senior brothers and sisters. I shall call on you another day."

With a respectful gesture, she turned to leave, pondering as she glanced sideways.

As a child, she had followed her parents selling and delivering vegetables, encountering all sorts of people from every walk of life. She had long since mastered the art of reading faces and gestures; how could she not sense the oddity in this man's demeanor? Besides, there were clearly tables and chairs in the pavilion outside—what reason was there to insist she enter the house? She hoped she was simply being overly cautious.

Even after she had walked some distance away, her spiritual sense faintly perceived a gaze lingering on her back. She thought to herself, "It seems that as an outer disciple, the people I must face will be even more complicated. Only by quickly improving my cultivation can I have the power to protect myself."

Lost in thought, Jiang Min arrived at the last nearby courtyard.

In the yard, a tall woman was bent over, picking vegetables from the garden. The courtyard was tidy and welcoming, with plots of spiritual fields planted with grains and vegetables, as well as simple pavilions and trellises, all arranged in neat order.

"Greetings, Senior Sister. I am Jiang Min, the new disciple in the Ji-Mao Courtyard. I hope I am not intruding by calling on you," she said.

The woman straightened up, revealing a handsome face with a touch of boldness. After sizing up Jiang Min, she smiled warmly. "So Peach Blossom Slope has gained a junior sister with such spiritual energy? You're not intruding at all—come in, have a seat! I was just about to cook; why not stay and eat with me?"

She set the freshly picked vegetables on a stone table and strode toward the gate. Jiang Min handed her a gift, smiling as she said, "It's only our first meeting—I couldn't be so presumptuous. In the future, I hope you will look after me. These are fresh spirit fruits and teas. If you don't mind, please have a taste."

The woman accepted the gift graciously, glanced at it, and said, "Is this the popular spirit orange? And winter tea from the Cold Pool? You've put thought into this. I'll accept it, then. I haven't prepared anything for you, but how about you try some of my cooking? I'll make a few of my best dishes as your return gift—don't be too polite."

"By the way, my name is Xue Yiniang. Don't stand on ceremony—come in and sit. I've just returned from training outside the sect and have been feeling stifled. I was hoping to find someone to talk to."

Unable to refuse such warmth, Jiang Min smiled and entered Xue Yiniang's courtyard.

After some conversation, Jiang Min learned a bit about her. She possessed four spiritual roots, came from a poor mountain village, and had cultivated at Dongling Sect for eighteen years. Because she often ventured out to train, she had encountered a number of fortuitous opportunities and now reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

This Senior Sister Xue was straightforward and generous. Upon learning that Jiang Min had also once been a menial disciple, she expressed her deep admiration—for so few could achieve what Jiang Min had.

At Jiang Min’s repeated requests for advice, perhaps due to their similar backgrounds, Xue Yiniang was moved to share her perspective. "As an outer disciple, you have more freedom. If you're willing to take risks, learn some self-defense skills and go out to explore. With luck, you might encounter opportunities more valuable than simply staying within the sect."

"But outside, the world is nothing like the peace of the sect. There are open and hidden dangers everywhere, bloodshed and strife. Not a single rogue cultivator who survives in such places is soft-hearted—they are all ruthless and cunning."

She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a deep, long scar. "This is what the outside world is like. With your delicate skin, you'd do better to spend a few more years here in the sect and learn some real skills before venturing out. The triennial training expeditions organized by the sect are intended for this very reason—to temper the disciples."

Xue Yiniang was so candid that Jiang Min thanked her profusely and felt a desire to befriend her. She invited Xue Yiniang to visit her own courtyard someday, promising to cook some rustic dishes with flavors from Weishui Village for her to try.

By the time Jiang Min returned to her courtyard, night had fallen.

Reflecting on Xue Yiniang's words, Jiang Min began to form plans for the future.

First, she had to resolve the anomaly of the peach branch as a matter of urgency.

Now, the peach branch in her dantian was growing ever more dangerous. After she broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, the blood-red buds on the branch had bloomed into eerie, crimson peach blossoms, emanating an even stronger and more potent demonic energy, so much that her dantian was beginning to show signs of collapse under the strain.

Yet this peach branch was deeply rooted in her dantian; no matter how she tried, she couldn't remove it. She could only seek a way to suppress it as soon as possible.

Jiang Min owed all her current achievements to the peach branch—it was her greatest reliance.

But if she couldn't control it, it was a double-edged sword.

"Tomorrow, I’ll go to the archive again and look for methods of refining it. Only by refining the peach branch quickly can I cultivate in peace."

The next day.

Jiang Min made her way to the Cloudstream Peak archives.

She had changed into the blue robe that marked her identity as an outer disciple. Upon entering, she immediately presented her jade identity token to the disciple on duty.

As an outer disciple, she had access to all the books in the archive. None could be taken out, but she was free to copy them herself or hire someone to copy them for her.

It was her second time in the archive. Faced with the vast sea of books, she had no idea where to look and wandered aimlessly for quite some time, only to find nothing. She recalled that during her last visit, she had run into Steward Lu Qingquan, who was familiar with the collection and had helped her find what she needed.

"Uncle-Master Lu?"

What a coincidence—just as she was thinking of Lu Qingquan, she rounded a corner and saw him. It happened that he was on duty again today.

Lu Qingquan was seated at a table by the window, holding a volume of ancient, yellowed text. He appeared quite young, just past his coming-of-age, with a gentle scholarly air. In truth, however, he was nearly a hundred years old.

This Uncle-Master Lu was somewhat famous, known for his obsession with books and called a bibliophile. He hailed from the inner sect’s Kaiyang Peak, possessing both gold and fire spiritual roots. Although his talent was exceptional, he preferred reading to cultivation and had spent decades in the archive.

Even so, his cultivation had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, with Core Formation just within reach.

"Junior Niece Jiang," Lu Qingquan said, setting aside his book and looking at her with a warm smile. "I've already heard of your promotion to outer disciple but haven't had the chance to congratulate you. Well done."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master Lu," Jiang Min replied with a salute, then added apologetically, "I’m sorry to disturb your reading, but I’m looking for some books and don’t know where to begin..."

Lu Qingquan smiled and asked, "What sort of books? Just tell me; it’s no trouble at all."

Jiang Min knew that this uncle-master was always approachable, so she hastened to say respectfully, "I wish to find detailed methods for refining materials from demon beasts, preferably the methods for refining magical treasures."