63: Eat fish

Three days later.

The mountain wind of Mount Huangya whipped the robes of the four people, making them flutter wildly.

Jiang Xun stood on the broken Sacrificial Altar at the mountain peak, with Yan Qingning, White Fox Jiu, and Bai Ci standing beside him.

This was the highest peak in the northwest of the Southern Region, surrounded by surging seas of clouds. The mountain peak pierced through the clouds like a lonely island.

Further up was the Astral Wind Layer, where ordinary Cultivators simply could not fly.

The Sacrificial Altar was circular, made of a certain dark cyan rock, its surface covered in patterns so eroded by time they were almost invisible.

In the center of the altar was a depression, its bottom holding a thin layer of rainwater that reflected the gloomy sky.

Aside from that, there was nothing.

White Fox Jiu walked a circle around the altar, her black robe flapping loudly in the wind.

A pair of straight, white legs were exposed to the wind.

Faintly, a certain scenery could even be glimpsed.

The golden bells at her ankles jingled softly with her footsteps.

She stepped barefoot across the slippery moss, finally stopping beside Jiang Xun, her golden vertical pupils staring at the mask on his face.

She spoke, her voice somewhat ethereal in the mountain wind.

"I've investigated this mountain a dozen times before. From the foot to the peak, from the ley lines to the spiritual currents... there's nothing unusual."

Her gaze was unfriendly, her tone laced with doubt:

"The Cangwu Secret Realm... is really here?"

Yan Qingning didn't speak.

She just stood in place and closed her eyes.

After a few breaths, she opened them.

"Nothing," she said, her voice calm. "The entire mountain is clean; there isn't even a decent fluctuation of Spiritual Qi."

Both of them looked toward Jiang Xun.

Only Bai Ci continued to admire the fine scenery.

She wasn't particularly interested in the Cangwu Secret Realm; she only came because her master wanted to bring her along.

Jiang Xun didn't answer immediately.

He raised his head and looked at the sky.

The sky was gray-blue, with large masses of clouds drifting at a higher altitude.

Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the clouds, forming a magnificent Tyndall effect and casting patches of light onto the sea of clouds below.

Jiang Xun spoke, his voice coming through the mask somewhat muffled and raspy.

"That's because the Cangwu Secret Realm has never been on the ground."

He raised his hand, his index finger pointing to the sky.

"It's in the sky."

White Fox Jiu followed his finger and looked up.

After watching for a while, she frowned: "There's nothing in the sky."

"There is," Jiang Xun withdrew his hand. "You just can't see it."

He explained:

"The Cangwu Secret Realm exists within a Small World. And that Small World... is right above our heads."

"It's like a satellite, orbiting our world."

Yan Qingning pondered:

"Legends say that ancient Cultivators could open up space, creating their own Small Worlds.

And the creator of a Small World is equivalent to a creator god."

Jiang Xun nodded:

"Exactly. So in the ancient era, Cultivators called those who could open space 'High Gods'."

White Fox Jiu, however, was getting a bit impatient.

She couldn't be bothered with this old history.

"Then how are we supposed to get in?"

Behind her, Bai Ci also raised her head, looking at the sky curiously.

This was the first time she had heard such secrets, and her eyes sparkled with a thirst for knowledge.

Jiang Xun was in no hurry.

"We can enter tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Bai Ci was startled. "Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?"

"Because tomorrow is saturday."

The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Xun regretted it.

Sure enough, three pairs of eyes snapped toward him simultaneously.

Bai Ci was full of confusion: "What do you mean by... saturday?"

White Fox Jiu and Yan Qingning also cast inquisitive glances.

Especially Yan Qingning; her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were contemplating something.

Jiang Xun bit the bullet and explained:

"It's... a way of recording days from the ancient era."

He tried his best to keep his voice steady:

"Ancient Cultivators observed the celestial phenomena and set seven days as a cycle, naming them after the Sun, Moon, Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, and Earth respectively. saturday... is the Day of Metal.

It just so happens to be the day the Cangwu Secret Realm opens."

These words were half-true. The truth was that there indeed was an ancient system of recording days by the seven stars; the lie was that... in the game, the Cangwu Secret Realm's dungeon entrance did indeed open every saturday and Sunday.

This world had no concept of a 'week', only the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches method of dating.

White Fox Jiu stared at him for a long while before finally giving a soft "Oh" and not questioning further.

Her mind was now entirely filled with how to find him and how to get her revenge more satisfyingly.

Jiang Xun pretended not to notice.

He walked to a relatively flat patch of open ground near the altar and sat down cross-legged.

His robes spread across the ground, untouched by mud or water.

Yan Qingning also sat down, pressing close to him.

Her gaze occasionally flicked toward White Fox Jiu, a faint, indiscernible smile on her lips.

As if she were thinking of something interesting.

That smile was very faint, yet it made Jiang Xun's back feel cold.

He knew what she was thinking.

Along the way, Yan Qingning had been very quiet, showing not even a hint of hostility toward White Fox Jiu.

She even spoke very little, spending most of her time just holding his hand or leaning on his shoulder with her eyes closed to rest.

But that didn't mean she had let it go.

On the contrary, the quieter she was, the deeper the schemes she was plotting in her heart.

Like the calm before a storm, it was so quiet it made one's heart race with unease.

When they were sleeping that night, Yan Qingning had once said to him, "Don't worry, no one can take you away."

Then she had hugged him extremely tight.

Jiang Xun didn't know what she was thinking, but he could feel some suppressed, excited emotion in Yan Qingning's heart.

But it certainly wasn't the kind he liked.

White Fox Jiu also noticed Yan Qingning's gaze.

She frowned but said nothing.

She simply found a spot slightly further away from the two of them to sit down, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing and choosing to ignore them.

But that feeling of being watched was like a thin needle, pricking her from time to time.

When night fell, Bai Ci lit a small fire on the mountain peak.

The fire wasn't large, using withered vines from the peak that gave off a faint, refreshing fragrance as they burned.

The firelight flickered in the night, stretching the shadows of the four people long and casting them onto the broken altar like a group of silent travelers.

The four sat on two sides.

Bai Ci sat close to White Fox Jiu, hugging her knees and staring at the fire, occasionally stealing a glance at Jiang Xun and Yan Qingning opposite them.

Jiang Xun and Yan Qingning sat together.

Yan Qingning's head rested on Jiang Xun's shoulder, her eyes half-closed as if she were asleep.

But Jiang Xun knew she wasn't.

Her breathing was very light and steady.

Yan Qingning never used to sleep; she was only willing to close her eyes and take a short nap when leaning against Jiang Xun.

She was feeling his heartbeat.

Feeling if it accelerated because of White Fox Jiu's presence, or if he was nervous about tomorrow's Secret Realm.

"Brother Jiang," she suddenly spoke, her voice very soft and wrapped in Spiritual Qi, reaching only his ears.

"Hmm?"

"What... are you thinking about?"

Jiang Xun was silent for a moment.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow."

He looked up at the fire.

"I'm a bit... expectant."

This was the truth.

The Cangwu Secret Realm was a major dungeon in the game; he knew its mechanics, bosses, and treasures like the back of his hand.

But being there in person was a completely different feeling. It was no longer a character controlled by a mouse and keyboard, but a body of flesh and blood that could feel pain, die, and be afraid.

"Me too."

Yan Qingning said softly, her finger lightly tracing his waist, "I'm very expectant..."

"To help you resolve this trouble."

Her tone pointed toward a certain person.

Jiang Xun suddenly looked at White Fox Jiu; she was currently lowering her head as if napping.

Her snow-white long hair was dyed a golden-yellow color by the firelight.

"Just ignore her," Jiang Xun tried to dissuade her.

"She won't get in our way."

Yan Qingning only uttered two words: "Is that so?"

...The four of them were each lost in their own thoughts.

Jiang Xun was also thinking about something.

White Fox Jiu didn't have any object of extreme love from Jiang Xun's past life.

And the Three Lives Realm could only reflect one's own three lives, unless there was an object with a very deep Karma with him.

He couldn't think of what she would use to find his Reincarnation.

If White Fox Jiu had one and looked in the mirror, and if the mirror showed him... he didn't dare think further.

Opposite them, Bai Ci whispered to White Fox Jiu:

"Master, it's so strange..."

White Fox Jiu opened her eyes: "Hmm?"

"Why would Yan Qingning take a fancy to... such a weak man?"

Bai Ci spoke bluntly. Although her voice was kept very low, in the silence of the mountain peak, Jiang Xun still heard it clearly.

The corner of his mouth under the mask twitched.

White Fox Jiu didn't answer.

She just raised her head and looked at Jiang Xun through the flickering firelight.

That mask appeared very mysterious and ferocious in the firelight.

The mask covered his entire face, leaving only two small holes for the eyes, revealing a pair of pitch-black pupils.

Those eyes were currently looking at the fire, calm and without ripples, showing no emotion.

The bit of doubt in White Fox Jiu's heart surfaced again.

Along the way, it wasn't that she hadn't tried to test him.

Using Divine Sense to scan, using aura to probe, even intentionally saying ambiguous things, but Jiang Xun's reactions were too indifferent.

Indifferent like a pool of stagnant water; even if a stone were thrown in, it wouldn't even cause a ripple.

It was as if he didn't want to have the slightest connection with her.

But the more indifferent he was, the more problematic it seemed.

A Cultivator at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment being able to stay by someone like Yan Qingning for so long was inherently bizarre.

What was even more bizarre was Yan Qingning's attitude toward him.

It wasn't the intimacy of a Dao Companion, but more like... a possession.

Cautious, yet with absolute control.

White Fox Jiu suddenly thought, if something really happened in the Secret Realm tomorrow... could this man be a means to restrain Yan Qingning?

It was just that Yan Qingning was stuck to him every moment, giving her no chance to test him alone.

She feared he might be a great expert hiding his cultivation.

Or perhaps he possessed some powerful Magic Treasure.

Just as she was thinking... Bai Ci pulled two fish out of her Storage Pouch.

The fish weren't large, about a foot long, entirely silver-white, their scales sparkling with fine rainbow light in the firelight.

The most unique feature was the two long whiskers by the fish's mouth, with faint points of light at their tips.

Jiang Xun recognized them at a glance.

Dragon Catfish.

A rare spiritual fish in the game that only lived deep within underground water veins and was extremely difficult to catch.

Furthermore, this fish had a characteristic: after growing to a certain size, it would follow the water veins into the deep sea and never return.

Jiang Xun had once stayed up all night by a well after taking a fishing quest.

Just to trade for a water pipe to use as a weapon.

Bai Ci clearly didn't know how to handle fish.

She clumsily scraped the scales and removed the innards, then looked at White Fox Jiu expectantly.

"Master..."

White Fox Jiu glanced at her, said nothing, and just reached out to take the fish.

Her fish-roasting technique was very skilled.

She skewered them with branches and held them over the fire, turning them from time to time.

The flames licked the fish, their silver-white bodies gradually turning golden-yellow, and fat dripped into the fire with a soft "sizzle".

When both sides of the fish were roasted crisp and yellow, Bai Ci took out a small jar and sprinkled some powder onto the fish.

Immediately, an indescribable aroma filled the air.

The aroma was very special, having the freshness of fish, the pungency of spices, and a faint, pine-like fragrance.

Mixed together, it made one's stomach feel empty.

Only then did Jiang Xun remember that he hadn't eaten anything all day.

One could indeed fast after Foundation Establishment, but that was predicated on having sufficient spiritual power.

The consumption from traveling and flying on a sword these past few days was greater than he had imagined.

The fish was ready.

White Fox Jiu handed one to Bai Ci, and for the other... with a flick of her wrist, that golden-roasted Dragon Catfish flew lightly over the fire, hovering in front of Jiang Xun.

The aroma was mouth-watering.

"Fellow Daoist," White Fox Jiu spoke, her voice clear and cold in the night, "I see your cultivation is still shallow and your Spiritual Qi is heavily depleted. Why not... have something to eat?"

The fish stayed there, waiting for him to take it.

Jiang Xun didn't move.

"Master, don't you hate sharing food with others the most?" Bai Ci asked in confusion.

In her memory, anyone who tried to ask her master for food usually ended up in a bad way.

White Fox Jiu glanced at Bai Ci and ignored her.

Jiang Xun looked at White Fox Jiu's stunning face.

Seductive, yet... carrying a danger that made it hard to approach.

White Fox Jiu's golden vertical pupils shimmered with an eerie light, reflected by the fire.

Normally her eyes were brown with a hint of yellow, but when she was prepared to attack, they were a pure gold.

She was testing him.

Using a fish to test his relationship with Yan Qingning, to test his reaction, and also to test... what exactly was hidden behind the face under that mask.

Jiang Xun was silent for three breaths.

Then he raised his hand and caught the fish.

The fish was warm, the skin crispy, and the aroma wafted into his nose.

He looked down at the fish, his throat under the mask moving slightly.

"Thank you," he said.

His voice was very calm.

Then he took the fish and handed it to Yan Qingning.

"I remember you like eating fish the most. Try City Lord Bai's handicraft!"

"Alright!"

Yan Qingning wasn't polite either, taking it with a smile.

"Then I'll have a taste."

She bit into the firmest piece of meat on the fish's back.

She began to chew slowly.

Yan Qingning raised her head and looked at Jiang Xun, an expression of surprise appearing on her face.

Her tone was pointed:

"This fish is exactly the same as the ones you roast."

Jiang Xun suddenly stiffened.

The firelight danced on Yan Qingning's face, and some emotion he couldn't understand welled up in her eyes.

Then she spoke softly, saying something seemingly random:

"Your fish-roasting skill couldn't have been learned from the same master as City Lord Bai, could it!?"

Jiang Xun said calmly: "There aren't many techniques to roasting fish; stop saying such nonsensical things."

White Fox Jiu also didn't understand Yan Qingning's logic.

She was always saying things she couldn't comprehend.

Bai Ci was eating the roasted fish nearby, having absolutely no intention of sharing any with her master.

She savored the deliciousness alone in silence.

She liked catching fish and roasting them for her master, and then portioning them out, but she wouldn't share her own portion.

White Fox Jiu was excessively tolerant toward Bai Ci.

Yan Qingning suddenly looked at White Fox Jiu, having eaten the fish she roasted, and said a word of thanks.

"Your fish is very delicious. Once we reach the Secret Realm, I will give you a gift!"

Jiang Xun turned to look at Yan Qingning.

The corners of her mouth were curved into a half-smile.

But that smile made his breathing quicken and cold sweat break out on his back.

White Fox Jiu didn't understand Yan Qingning's meaning and only said:

"Since Senior can bring me into the Secret Realm, I am already very grateful. I don't need any gift."

Yan Qingning said: "This gift... you will like it."

Early the next morning.

The four of them were already prepared to open the entrance to the Cangwu Secret Realm.

Jiang Xun recalled that in the game, entering this dungeon only required clicking a teleportation point to enter automatically.

But now, it required activating the teleportation altar beneath their feet.