The incident caused a huge uproar. Word was that Feng San had been caught in the act by someone's Taoist partner and was almost beaten half to death on the spot before being sent back.
When Mu Zixu learned about it, he healed Feng San immediately, then punished him by sending him to Bitter Sea, and even compensated the couple afterward.
Even though everything was handled fast, the whole sect still buzzed with gossip.
When Lan Yue told Song Wanníng, she was stunned.
Feng San didn't seem like that kind of person. He might be a bit hot-tempered and similar to Mu Zixu in some ways, but he wouldn't purposely commit something like that.
Song Wanníng kept feeling that something wasn't right. But she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Lan Yue also sighed, talking nonstop. "I thought Feng San was just slow, but I didn't expect him to do something this outrageous."
"He deserved the punishment."
"Mm."
Song Wanníng nodded. If it was truly his doing, then even death wouldn't be enough to pity him. She chatted with Lan Yue for a bit, then returned to her cultivation. Her relentless focus even pushed Lan Yue into closing herself off for training as well.
At least that made Situ Yue feel much better. While Song Wanníng was nowhere to be seen, the senior brothers acted like her loyal attendants again. She enjoyed that feeling way too much.
Dao Qing watched everything silently and let out a long sigh. If he hadn't been in danger back then and gotten saved by Situ Yue at a crucial moment, Alchemy Peak wouldn't have become so messy. He had tried teaching Situ Yue a few times. She always spoke sweetly, but she hated cultivating.
Sometimes he genuinely wondered how someone like Situ Yue had ever ascended to the Immortal Realm. But besides reminding his disciples to stay diligent, Dao Qing couldn't do much. She hadn't done anything truly out of line and she did save his life.
He sighed again. Alchemy was much simpler. Dealing with these trivial matters was such a waste of time. He shook his head, then glanced toward the newly built house he prepared for Song Wanníng. Satisfaction flickered across his heart.
Song Wanníng was still the most worry free.
…
Months passed, and Song Wanníng hit a bottleneck.
She wanted to change her cultivation method to something that would nourish her Primordial Soul in a cycle, but she couldn't grasp the basics and eventually had to give up.
Leaving the training room, she ran into Situ Yue and a few senior brothers.
Song Wanníng greeted them with a smile and learned that Mu Zixu had gone into seclusion to break through.
She raised a brow, ate a meal in the dining hall, then went to find Dao Qing.
When Dao Qing heard she wanted to go out for some experience, he didn't stop her. Instead, he stuffed her with piles of items. He even gave her countless pills, all kinds and categories.
Song Wanníng looked helpless. "Senior, you're basically giving me Alchemy Peak's entire stock."
Dao Qing laughed. "Even if I give you the whole peak, your master won't feel any heartache."
He said it half jokingly.
They laughed again. Then Song Wanníng took the map Dao Qing had prepared for her and left Wuji Sect.
She had been in the Immortal Realm for nearly two years, staying in Wuji Sect the whole time. She really should take this chance to travel and see more of the world.
Following the map, she chose the nearest city.
She kept a very low profile, traveling on her flying sword toward the city. On the way, she paused here and there, full of curiosity about everything in the Immortal Realm. Until now, she had only read about many things in books. This time, she hoped she could see more of it with her own eyes.
It took her about half a month to reach Linxi City. At the entrance, she saw a pile of stone slabs that looked messy, yet something about them felt strange when she looked closely.
Curious, Song Wanníng stared longer, and suddenly her vision flushed red, streaks of blood color flooding her sight until that was all she could see.
She blinked fast until the discomfort faded.
But when she opened her eyes again, the world had changed completely. Behind every immortal cultivator stood a strange shadow. Those shadows clung to their backs like parasites, faintly releasing wisps of yin energy.
The sight sent chills all over her body. She quickly took out a mirror to check herself. Thankfully, she didn't have anything following her.
She stared at the crowd, full of doubt.
Different people had different numbers of shadows. Some had many, even stacked in layers.
Some had only one.
But from the moment she stepped into the city, she hadn't seen a single person without a shadow.
Gradually, Song Wanníng guessed the meaning. She had just ascended and had never killed anyone, so she had no shadow.
Those people had all taken lives, more or less, so they carried shadows behind them. The number of shadows might reflect the number of people they had killed.
Of course, this was only her guess.
Suppressing her shock, she walked down the street.
Soon, she stopped at a stall.
The stall owner sat cross-legged on a cushion, wearing a kasaya. Golden light surrounded him, and a staff rested at his side. He was a Buddhist cultivator.
Song Wanníng had seen Buddhist cultivators in the lower realm, but very few. She didn't expect to encounter one in the Immortal Realm. But what mattered more was the countless shadows behind him. They were truly countless.
Shadow upon shadow, layered like a mountain. The killing intent around them nearly spilled out. Even standing nearby made Song Wanníng feel suffocated.
"Buddhist cultivators cultivated merit. How could someone like him carry so much karmic sin?"
In that moment, Song Wanníng even doubted her guess.
"Maybe these shadows weren't karmic sins?"
While she was deep in thought, the Buddhist cultivator suddenly raised his head. His breathtakingly handsome face met Song Wanníng's eyes before she could react.
His gaze was pure, gentle, full of compassion. He looked like spring breeze itself.
If she ignored the shadows behind him.
"Xiaoyou, are you here to buy something?"
He smiled softly at her.
Song Wanníng stopped inspecting him and looked at the items on the stall.
Everything looked unusual. The shapes were normal, but the aura around them felt strange.
She shook her head. "No, I'm just looking."
She turned and walked toward the next stall.
Even after she left, the Buddhist cultivator kept staring at her back.
Song Wanníng felt uneasy. She suddenly turned around, but the Buddhist cultivator had already packed up and disappeared.
"How strange…"
She wasn't mistaken. Someone had definitely been staring at her.
But she had just ascended and dressed plainly. She shouldn't attract attention.
After all, ascenders couldn't use their old spirit stones anymore. Ascenders were the poorest. She didn't have anything worth coveting…