An Encounter with the Tsundere Immortal Lady Chapter 32

She set up a spirit-gathering array, and Lin Wuxi sat cross-legged within it, focusing her spiritual sense inward. The true energy in her dantian surged continuously, seeming as if it would split in two. Not daring to be careless, Lin Wuxi carefully sent a thread of her spiritual sense from her sea of consciousness into her dantian to perceive the laws contained within. In the initial stage of fusion, true energy is simply integrated into the dantian; it hasn’t truly fused. At a certain point, it tends to separate. At this time, a cultivator must comprehend with their heart, find the common laws within the energies, and guide them to truly fuse.
It sounded easy, but the process was fraught with danger. The slightest carelessness, and the true energy in the dantian might split in two, making further cultivation impossible, or it might explode completely, destroying both body and soul.
The path of cultivation was inherently extremely difficult. Even breakthroughs in the early realms were fraught with peril. Therefore, cultivators always sought a protector during breakthroughs to ensure their safety.
The moon was high in the sky when Lin Wuxi finally finished her cultivation. Wiping the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, she suddenly froze, looking at the figure standing on the wall, and murmured, “Senior Sister, what are you doing here?”
Yu Huang leaped from the wall, landing in front of Lin Wuxi in a few bounds. Her face, illuminated by the moonlight, showed a hint of anger. “Have you always broken through like this before?”
“I guess so.” Before, I lacked spirit stones, so I didn’t even have a spirit-gathering array.
“You! You’re really making me angry!” Yu Huang was extremely furious. “Do you know how dangerous it is when a cultivator breaks through? How could you not find a protector and dare to break through so recklessly!” Yu Huang’s chest heaved; she looked thoroughly incensed.
Lin Wuxi pressed her lips together and didn’t speak.
“Who is your master? Why didn’t I see them acting as your protector?” Yu Huang asked, frowning. When new disciples entered the Wanhen Sect, they were assigned a guiding master. This master not only guided the disciple’s cultivation but also acted as their protector during every breakthrough.
“My master’s surname is probably Sun, I think. It’s been too long; I don’t remember clearly.” Lin Wuxi had only met that master a few times. After these past few years, she had long forgotten what they looked like.
“…” The reprimand for that master died on Yu Huang’s lips. “In the past, what exactly did you go through?”
In the Wanhen Sect, masters taught their disciples once a week, so the relationship between master and disciple was usually quite close. Although Lin Wuxi had moved to Tianheng Peak and no longer had the chance to attend her master’s lessons, not much time had passed. Lin Wuxi should have remembered her master’s name.
“My past…” Speaking of this, Lin Wuxi seemed a little lost. She walked to the small pond in the courtyard, turned her back, and slowly said, “Ever since I entered the Wanhen Sect, I was plagued by inner demons every night. Especially in the beginning, the killing intent in my heart was overwhelming. Afraid of accidentally hurting others, I could only hide in my room to cultivate and meditate, seeing no one. And when I could finally control my killing intent and leave my room, I found that everyone had forgotten me. They were living well; there was no need for me to disturb them.”
Lin Wuxi’s tone was light as she said this, as if she didn’t care.
But hearing these words, Yu Huang felt her heart clench. She didn’t know how the person before her had endured that period. Inner demons were what cultivators feared most. If they couldn’t be eliminated by senior experts when they first appeared, one would either die from their body exploding or become a demonic cultivator. Yet, this girl had described that most difficult period so casually. What kind of fortitude must she possess?
“Junior Sister, if you break through again in the future, tell me, alright?” Not knowing what else to say, Yu Huang could only put her arm around Lin Wuxi’s shoulder and say this.
“Alright.”
Time flew; months passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, the Sect Master’s birthday arrived. The Wanhen Sect’s main gates opened wide, and various sects and factions sent many people to offer birthday congratulations. For a time, the usually somewhat deserted Tianheng Peak became extraordinarily lively.
“Monk Duannian of the Buddhist Sect, leading his disciples, congratulates the Wanhen Sect Master on his birthday! May the Sect Master’s fortune be as vast as the Eastern Sea and his longevity rival the Southern Mountains!”
“Chi Nihuang of the Hehuan Sect, leading her disciples, offers birthday congratulations! May the Sect Master enjoy enduring prosperity and longevity like the pine and crane!”
“Li Yu of the Li family, accompanied by many family members, congratulates the Sect Master on his birthday! May the Sect Master enjoy a long and venerable old age!”
“Cultivators from the Snowy Mountains, invited to celebrate the Sect Master’s birthday, wish the Sect Master longevity like the pine and cypress!”
“…”
Waves of congratulatory announcements came from the main gate. The gifts at the entrance piled up like a small mountain. People were constantly moving the gifts away, but they still couldn’t keep up with the continuously arriving stream of presents. From this, the status of the Wanhen Sect was evident.
Yu Huang was at her busiest. Throngs of guests were waiting for her to receive them. She was so busy she barely touched the ground and didn’t even have a moment to exchange a word with Lin Wuxi.
At this moment, Lin Wuxi realized that her Senior Sister was still the distant, unattainable existence she had been when they first met. Originally, even if Lin Wuxi could cultivate on Tianheng Peak, there was still a vast distance between her and her Senior Sister. Unconsciously, how had the two of them reached this point in their relationship? Lin Wuxi couldn’t quite explain it either.
Lin Wuxi felt that at least half of her Senior Sister Yu Huang’s extravagant ways were learned from the Wanhen Sect. Look at the surrounding tables; spirit medicines and spirit fruits, decades or even centuries old, were piled up as if they were common coins. Attendants bustled about, carrying precious immortal wine and offering it to the guests, though it was in limited supply. And the super spirit-gathering array set up in the plaza – the spirit stones it consumed were more than an ordinary disciple could save in a lifetime.
“Extravagant! This is simply too extravagant!” Lin Wuxi felt a pang of distress. But when she remembered that this birthday banquet was actually entirely managed by Yu Huang, she felt somewhat relieved. This is indeed that extravagant Senior Sister’s style.
Shaking her head and sighing, Lin Wuxi was about to pick up a two-hundred-year-old spirit fruit from the table when someone blocked her path. Looking up, she saw it was Li Yu.
Li Yu looked somewhat hesitant. After raising his hand to stop Lin Wuxi, he asked in a deep voice, “What exactly is your relationship with Yu Huang? Why does she care about you so much?”
Even though Yu Huang had been so busy lately that she was barely seen, Li Yu had still noticed her unusual concern for the woman before him.
Lin Wuxi also pressed her lips together. This Li Yu currently had no relationship with Yu Huang at all; on what grounds was he questioning her relationship with Yu Huang? Before, he had shown some propriety and restraint, so even though she wasn’t too pleased, she couldn’t say much. But now, to so brazenly block her and question her like this was truly a breach of etiquette.
Lin Wuxi didn’t bother being polite anymore and retorted, “Young Master Li, it’s truly strange for you to ask this. You are an outsider, Young Master Li. Even if you harbor feelings for my Senior Sister, there’s no reason for you to question those around her like this. Since you’ve asked, Young Master Li, then I’ll also tell you: whatever my relationship with Senior Sister is, there’s no need to inform you.”
After speaking, she directly picked up that two-hundred-year-old spirit fruit and left without looking back, leaving Li Yu standing there. She didn’t even look to see his expression.
“Miss Wuxi, you truly have great spirit. No wonder that Purple Lotus chose you back then. But for you to rebuke Li Yu so directly, aren’t you afraid of his retaliation?” A voice full of admiration came from beside Lin Wuxi. Lin Wuxi turned to look and saw it was Chi Nihuang of the Hehuan Sect. They had met a few times, but the two didn’t have much interaction. I didn’t expect she would still remember my name.
“Miss Nihuang, you flatter me. Wuxi is just straightforward; I don’t deserve your praise.” Lin Wuxi would never provoke trouble for no reason, but since Li Yu had taken the initiative to approach her, she wouldn’t let herself be wronged either.
Lin Wuxi was a stubborn person. This could be seen just from her unwillingness to yield to her inner demons, let alone other matters.
“Meeting you today, Miss, feels like we’re old friends. If you encounter any trouble, Miss, you can seek Nihuang for help.” Saying this, Chi Nihuang clearly had the intention of winning Lin Wuxi over.
“Thank you for your kind intentions, Miss,” Lin Wuxi said lightly.
Parting from Chi Nihuang, Lin Wuxi hadn’t walked more than a few steps when she was stopped again. Turning back, she saw it was Qi Chun.
“Senior Sister Wuxi! Over here, over here!” Qi Chun, who had just come out of seclusion, seemed very excited to see Lin Wuxi.
Since the battle on the sea island, many young disciples of the Wanhen Sect felt their own strength was insufficient. They felt extremely ashamed that Yu Huang had risked her life to save them, thinking that if they were stronger, they could have fought alongside their Senior Sister against enemies, instead of only being able to flee. Spurred by this, most of them went into seclusion after Yu Huang returned safely. Qi Chun and Zhou Cheng were also among those who went into seclusion, only emerging for the Sect Master’s birthday banquet.
Qi Chun and Zhou Cheng, having just come out of seclusion, had a much more condensed aura. It seemed the sea island incident had a significant impact on them. Not just them; Lin Wuxi noticed that the strength of the surrounding young disciples had all improved considerably.
Smiling and nodding, Lin Wuxi still had a good impression of this simple Junior Sister. Seeing her again now, the gloom in her heart caused by Li Yu dissipated quite a bit.
Reunions were always joyous occasions. But at this Sect Master’s birthday banquet, the three of them didn’t have much free time. Even if they weren’t as busy as Yu Huang, as prominent disciples, they wouldn’t have too much time for chatting.
At this point, the guests had all entered, and it was almost time for them to present their birthday gifts. Lin Wuxi’s birthday gift was a Purple Orchid. Thinking of the series of events that occurred in search of this Purple Orchid, Lin Wuxi sighed inwardly. A small Purple Orchid; she never thought it would ultimately lead to such a situation. When it came to being special, few gifts here could likely compare to the one in her hand.
Among the younger generation, the first to present a birthday gift was naturally Yu Huang, followed by Chi Nihuang and Duannian, and then Li Yu. Cultivators paid the most attention to strength and status. Even the order of presenting birthday gifts was meticulously arranged. With Lin Wuxi’s status, not even considered a core disciple, she would undoubtedly be the last one.
But it was precisely this gift, which could only be considered somewhat novel, that caused a slight change in the Sect Master’s expression. One must know, even those astonishingly valuable treasures presented earlier hadn’t caused the slightest change in his expression. Yet this ordinary Purple Orchid almost made him laugh despite himself.
For no other reason than that the consequences brought about by this Purple Orchid were too shocking. Thinking of his original plan, which had been ruined because of this Purple Orchid, the Sect Master wished he could crush this flower.
But now was not the time. Song Qingde could only suppress the frustration in his heart and accept Lin Wuxi’s birthday gift with a smile. Since things had come to this, how to pull the derailed plan back on track was the most pressing matter.