Hearing the news, everyone turned their heads. A large group from the Feiyun Commerce Guild had already arrived.
Xingqiu hurried up to Chongyun, giving him a once-over before clicking his tongue in surprise.
"You've got some luck on your side. I was about to send someone in to rescue you, but not only are you unharmed, you've even come back with a haul of demonic beasts. Looks like Jueyun Karst isn't such a forbidden land after all."
Chongyun gave a bitter smile.
"What are you talking about? If it weren't for Qiqi, I'd already be one of the corpses she was driving around."
"This time I ran into dozens of Foundation Establishment–stage demonic wolves, and their king was even at mid-Foundation Establishment."
"That place is insanely dangerous. If I hadn't been lucky, I'd have died there for sure."
His father shot him a glare.
"Let this be a lesson. Do you think the General Affairs Bureau warns people for no reason?"
Chongyun scratched his cheek guiltily, not daring to say more.
Xingqiu's father looked at the pile of beasts enviously and sighed.
"Old Chong, you really did give birth to a qilin child. With this many demonic beasts, your household will gain a huge boost in strength. Once martial cultivation spreads, your family will already be a step ahead."
"By the way, are you planning to sell any of these beasts?"
Chongyun's father chuckled.
"If it were anyone else, I naturally wouldn't. But given the relationship between our two families, it's not impossible. Still, these are Chongyun's spoils. Let him decide."
Chongyun scratched his cheek again and spoke softly:
"It was just luck. But if Uncle Xing really wants one, I can gift you a beast."
"No need for gifts."
Xingqiu's father shook his head with a smile.
"The Feiyun Commerce Guild will purchase five of them at fifty million each. We'll also throw in some jade vessels to preserve the meat."
"Moreover, I had people ask around at the General Affairs Bureau. These beasts are tricky to dismantle, but every part of them is valuable—the blood, organs, hide, bones… We'll give you a guide on how to make use of it all."
"How about it?"
Chongyun's father stroked his beard, smiling broadly.
"Couldn't be better. But let's talk tomorrow. For now, I'll send for Master Mao and Xiangling."
"Tonight, come over to my place. We'll cook up some demonic beast meat, share a few drinks, and celebrate together."
"Old Xing, you should celebrate with us too—Chongyun's aunt has already joined Mount Shu, and the sect master himself is grooming her to be the next Head of Bamboo Peak."
Xingqiu's father raised his brows in surprise.
"You mean Miss Shenhe, disciple of Cloud Retainer? Then I'd be honored to join. Who knows, it might even bless my two boys' chances of being admitted to Mount Shu at the Opening Ceremony. Perhaps she could look after them then."
Chongyun's father laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.
"We'll see. I hear Mount Shu's rules are strict—the Hall of Discipline is still under the command of the Lord of Geo himself. There's little room for favoritism. But surely Shenhe will give them some pointers."
"That alone would be enough." Xingqiu's father nodded. "After all, we don't understand cultivation. It's all up to the young ones to forge their own path."
The group chatted cheerfully as they dragged the beast meat back toward the Chong family estate.
In the shadows, a figure slipped by like flowing water, vanishing without a trace.
On the third floor of the Northland Bank.
Tartaglia and Rosalyne were quietly flipping through cultivation novels when a debt collector leaned in to whisper a few words into Tartaglia's ear.
His brow arched. He waved the man away, then looked at Rosalyne with a teasing smile.
"Good thing you stayed put, otherwise this time we'd really be in trouble."
"That Chongyun's aunt, Shenhe—not only is she the disciple of Cloud Retainer, she's also joined Mount Shu. What's more, she's already been named the sect master's successor to head Bamboo Peak."
Rosalyne's page-turning paused for a beat. She said calmly:
"I had no intention of making a move. Liyue is like a fathomless lake—who knows what monsters lurk beneath? And with less than twenty days left before the Opening Ceremony, it's no time to stir up trouble."
Tartaglia shrugged, then asked,
"So, you've seen a cultivator now. How do they feel to you?"
"...Unfathomable."
Rosalyne sighed faintly.
"That wisp of aura Qiqi leaked while cultivating made me feel as if I were facing the Jester himself. I had no power to resist—only a submission that came from the very depths of life itself. That's the oppression of a higher plane of existence."
"And their methods… unlike anything in Teyvat. No elemental power, just bizarre arts—corpse-driving, sword-riding…"
"Cultivation is far too mysterious…"
She didn't say the last thought aloud—If only I had passed the assessment! But her clenched, bone-white knuckles betrayed it all.
Tartaglia could only shake his head.
"When I join Mount Shu, I'll look for a chance."
"Hopefully." Rosalyne nodded absently.
"I'll be stationed in Liyue for the time being. Your cultivation plans are the top priority, but we can't neglect collecting the Gnoses either. With the Lord of Geo now serving as Acting Head of Longshou Peak in Mount Shu, you'll be the one to approach him."
Tartaglia curled his lip. He couldn't understand it—why chase after the Gnoses when the path of cultivation was right in front of them? Could a Gnosis possibly surpass cultivation?
"The Tsaritsa is reorganizing the homeland. Once things are stable, she'll come in person. When that time comes, you'll need to arrange a meeting between her and the Lord of Geo."
"If we can build a bridge to Mount Shu, it will be invaluable."
Rosalyne's reminder made Tartaglia pause, then he gave a small nod.
"Understood."
The vast Northland Bank was silent except for the soft turning of pages.
Yet beneath that calm sound lurked hearts as turbulent as stormy seas.
Meanwhile, Qiqi—who had bolted in panic after running into Hu Tao—returned to Mount Shu.
Landing on Tongtian Peak, her short legs carried her as fast as they could toward the summit. She glanced back repeatedly, as though Hu Tao might be chasing after her. For a while, she even forgot she was on Mount Shu at all.
Hu Tao had carved fear into Qiqi's very bones.
Even now that she was cultivating, she couldn't escape that shadow.
If Qiqi were ever to develop a heart demon, its form would undoubtedly be Hu Tao's.
Which was why it was best for Qiqi not to have one at all—otherwise, she might never pass that hurdle.
Only when she reached the sect's main hall and felt the familiar aura did she finally relax. She let out a small sigh of relief and knocked on the door.
The great doors swung open. Jiang Yan opened his eyes slightly, smiling as he looked at her.
"Qiqi, come in."
Of all Mount Shu's disciples, Jiang Yan liked Klee and Qiqi the most. Now, perhaps Qingluan would be added to the list.
No reason other than that—these little lolis were just too pleasant to look at. And each of them was extraordinarily gifted.
"Master Brother, Qiqi's finished cultivating today. I drove a total of one hundred and thirty-two corpses."
She stood before him, reporting her results as earnestly as ever. Though she still lacked some emotional depth, her speech and reasoning were already normal. Qiqi was becoming more and more like a proper little girl—aside from having no heartbeat, of course.
"There were that many corpses in Jueyun Karst?" Jiang Yan was surprised. He knew many who ventured there met their deaths, but the number still exceeded his expectations. At this rate, Jueyun Karst would soon become a forbidden zone for all life in Teyvat.
"There were only twenty-seven human corpses. The rest were demonic beasts I encountered along the way. After dealing with them, I brought them to Liyue Harbor."
She recounted the day's events, especially her run-in with Hu Tao. As she spoke, her little face scrunched up in obvious distress, as though the words "unlucky" and "detestable" were written right on her forehead.
Jiang Yan found it amusing. He could imagine Hu Tao fuming—after all, the old client she'd tried to send off again and again had not only survived but even learned corpse-driving, stealing her business. It almost sounded like a cutthroat commercial drama where a client swipes a company's family secret and becomes a rival.
But given Hu Tao's "clients" were corpses, and Qiqi had stolen the funeral trade, the whole thing was downright bizarre.
Surely Hu Tao was about ready to ascend to heaven in fury.
Smiling, Jiang Yan beckoned Qiqi over. She obediently sat at his side as he placed a hand on her wrist to check her condition. He nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. You've absorbed plenty of yin energy and moonlight tonight. At this pace, in about half a month you'll be indistinguishable from an ordinary person. Once you reach late Refining Essence into Qi, part of your special constitution should awaken as well."
Qiqi tilted her head in confusion. She didn't really understand what cultivation was, only that Baizhu was obsessed with it—and that it could give her the life she longed for. So she listened to Jiang Yan unconditionally.
"Master Brother, when will I reach late Refining Essence into Qi?" she asked curiously.
He considered her progress and chuckled.
"Soon. If you just follow the proper path, with your accumulation of immortal power and talent, you'll break through in about three or four years."
Qiqi blinked. She didn't know whether three or four years was long or short, but she could tell Jiang Yan thought highly of her. He'd praised her.
A faint smile curved her cold little face—a smile she'd only recently regained as her body grew more supple. The first time she smiled again, Cloud Retainer and the others, even Zhongli, had been overjoyed, as if a weight had lifted from their hearts.
Jiang Yan rubbed her head gently.
"That's enough cultivation for today. Go rest, and continue tomorrow. By the way, Qingluan underwent her tribulation and took human form today. You've gained a new companion."
Qiqi's eyes lit up.
"Qingluan…"
"Go rest now. You can see her tomorrow." Jiang Yan patted her head, watching her leave in excitement.
Thus, the Mount Shu Loli Squad gained yet another member.
Deceptively harmless though they looked—one in early Qi Refinement, two in late Refining Essence into Qi—these little girls were Jiang Yan's favorites. Backed by both strength and background, they were in fact the ones no one in Mount Shu could afford to cross.
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