My Years as a Menace in the Sect

Sun Yongchang was trapped in an abandoned kiln on the back mountain.

The manhunt lasted a day and a night. The Enforcement Hall officers sealed off all exits from the back mountain, searched every cave, poked at the bushes with sticks, and even perched on the treetops. When Su Yin led her team to the abandoned kiln, the half-rotten wooden door at the entrance was ajar, a corner of a dark gray robe peeking out from the crack. She kicked the door open, and a stench of sweat, mold, and excrement nearly knocked her out.

Sun Yongchang huddled in a corner of the abandoned kiln, his hair covered in dry grass and cobwebs, his deacon's robe tattered, one foot bare, and the shoe on the other almost falling off. When he saw Su Yin enter, he trembled like a leaf, his hands gripping his waistband so tightly that his nails dug into the fabric.

"No...don't come any closer!" His voice was shrill and trembling, as if his throat was stuffed with cotton.

Su Yin waved her hand expressionlessly: "Men, tie him up."

Two disciples stepped forward and pinned him down, binding him tightly with spirit-binding ropes. Sun Yongchang's legs were as weak as noodles; his knees buckled as he was lifted up, and he kept muttering things like, "That's not how it works when you're treasonous," and "Qi Kui came to us on his own." The surrounding disciples were baffled. Su Yin raised an eyebrow but didn't ask, only saying, "Take him directly to the Seed Dao Hall."

To get from the back mountain to the Seed Cultivation Hall, one has to pass through half of the sect. It was midday, and disciples were coming and going on the mountain path. When they saw the Discipline Hall escorting someone over, they all craned their necks to see. When they saw who was being escorted, the crowd immediately erupted in commotion.

"Isn't that Deacon Sun? How did he get arrested?"

"You don't know? He stole Master Xie's top-grade turkey! The Master Xie personally ordered his arrest, but he escaped through the window, even losing one shoe in the process. Look at his foot, haha, he's really barefoot!"

"Stealing a turkey? A dignified butler stealing a chicken? What's the point?"

"I heard that he not only stole chickens, but also colluded with the remnants of the Qi family! The Enforcement Hall found fragments of communication talismans in his yard, which are exactly the same as those carried by the assassins from Black Wind Forest."

"My God, wasn't the Qi family wiped out for their treason? How could a mere Danfeng deacon have anything to do with the Qi family?"

"Who knows? Anyway, he's in for a rough time this time. The sect leader and the sect master are waiting to interrogate him at the Seed Dao Hall."

Sun Yongchang was helped along the mountain path, the whispers on either side piercing his ears like needles. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact, his bare foot shuffling coldly on the flagstones, his toes curled up. His mind was a jumbled mess, only one thought echoing in his mind: It's over. Utterly over.

No, that's not right. He thought again, he'd only stolen two chickens, no, he hadn't even stolen them! He'd only tampered with Wei Ping'an's furnace, added some stale herbs to the medicinal materials, hired a few thugs to ambush people in Black Wind Forest, and casually sent a few messages to Qi Kui... How much of this had the sect actually investigated? Why did they say he stole chickens when they arrested him, but then they found a communication talisman when they searched the courtyard?

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, and the less he understood. Stealing chickens might at most result in a beating and a few years' salary deduction, but if the charge of treason were uncovered, it would be a capital offense. He remembered the communication talisman on Qi Kui's body. He had repeatedly told Qi Kui to destroy it after use, but that idiot Qi Kui certainly hadn't done so. Now, the fragment of the communication talisman was in the hands of the Enforcement Hall, and the spiritual energy mark on it pointed to him. The evidence was irrefutable; he couldn't deny it no matter what.

But what does all this have to do with stealing chickens? Did the leader arrest him because of the turkey, or because of treason? If it was treason, why was the arrest based on the turkey? If it was the turkey, why were communication talismans found in his yard?

These questions swirled in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, as if an invisible hand was pulling the strings behind the scenes. But he couldn't figure out who it was. Wei Ping'an? Impossible. That kid was already overwhelmed by the furnace incident; he wouldn't have time to orchestrate such a grand scheme. Su Yin? Even more impossible. The people in the Enforcement Hall always handled cases strictly according to the law; why would they get involved in such a frame-up?

As he was thinking, his foot slipped on a pebble, causing him to wince in pain. Looking down, he saw that the sole of his bare foot was bleeding, leaving a faint bloodstain on the bluestone. The enforcement officer beside him glanced at him, expressionlessly lifted him up slightly, and continued walking forward.

We've arrived at the Zhongdao Hall.

Two rows of disciples from the Enforcement Hall stood at the entrance of the main hall, each with a long sword at their waist and a solemn expression. The hall doors were wide open, and the interior was brightly lit by candlelight. Sect Leader Zheng Xuantong sat in the main seat, Xie Yunzhou on his left, and Ouyang Jie on his right. The three powerful figures were gathered together, and the atmosphere was as heavy as the sky before a storm.

When Sun Yongchang was escorted into the hall, his legs were so weak that he could no longer support himself. As soon as the enforcement disciple let go, he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his knees hitting the floor tiles with a dull thud.

Before Xie Yunzhou could speak, Sun Yongchang suddenly lunged forward, his forehead slamming against the floor tiles with a thud, his voice shrill and urgent: "Sect Leader! Sect Leader! This disciple is innocent! This disciple is truly innocent!"

Xie Yunzhou was startled by his shout and swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Sun Yongchang raised his head, his face streaked with tears and snot, and spoke rapidly like a machine gun: "Master, please let me explain! I didn't steal the turkey! Even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I wouldn't dare touch your spirit bird! Those two pieces of cloth were deliberately planted, and the spiritual energy was extracted from my documents and placed at the scene! I stayed in the deacon's courtyard that night and didn't go anywhere else. The servants in the courtyard can testify to that!"

Xie Yunzhou looked at him expressionlessly, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the chair.

Seeing that the headmaster remained silent, Sun Yongchang panicked even more. His mind raced. He figured he could still explain away the chicken theft, but the matter of the communication talisman was much more difficult to handle. Rather than waiting for the headmaster to question him one by one, he decided to admit to the lesser offenses first and cover up the more serious ones. He kowtowed again, lowering his voice even further, his voice trembling with a hint of pleading: "Headmaster, this disciple... this disciple did indeed do some things he shouldn't have done. This disciple admits that he did mix some stale herbs into Wei Ping'an's medicinal herbs. It was a moment of confusion on my part, out of jealousy that a disciple of humble origins had gained your favor and suppressed my position. This disciple knows his mistake, truly knows his mistake! As for the matter of colluding with the enemy, this disciple would never dare to! This communication talisman was intercepted from Qi Kui by this disciple. I intended to hand it over to the Enforcement Hall as evidence, but I forgot to report it, so it remained in the courtyard. This disciple has absolutely no collusion with the Qi family. Please, Headmaster, investigate thoroughly!"

Xie Yunzhou frowned. He had only intended to ask about the turkey, but Sun Yongchang had rattled off everything himself: adulterated medicinal herbs, communication talismans, Qi Kui—each incident bigger and more shocking than the last. He turned his head and exchanged a glance with Zheng Xuantong. Zheng Xuantong's face was so dark it could wring water out of it, and the fingers on the armrest slowly tightened.

"Qi Kui?" Xie Yunzhou spoke, his voice not loud, but chillingly cold, "Why are there communication talismans belonging to the remnants of the Qi family in your courtyard?"

Sun Yongchang froze, opened his mouth, and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. He realized that the leader's attention wasn't on the turkey at all, but on the communication talisman. In that instant, he suddenly realized a terrifying truth: the leader had arrested him because of the turkey, but the leader probably didn't even know half of what he had just inadvertently revealed.

"Brother...as I just said, it was intercepted..."

"Intercepted?" Ouyang Jie sneered, picking up a fragment of a broken communication talisman from the table. With a flick of his finger, the fragment flew to Sun Yongchang's feet. "Then how do you explain the spiritual energy imprint on it? Intercepting a communication talisman and then deliberately leaving your own spiritual energy on it—is this interception or leaving a message?"

Sun Yongchang stared at the fragment of the talisman, his lips trembling for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Xie Yunzhou stood up, looking down at him with barely suppressed anger in his voice: "So you tampered with my furnace cauldron too? You even dared to tamper with the furnace cauldron meant for my personal disciple?"

Sun Yongchang shuddered, his forehead slamming against the ground again, and he fell silent. He knew he was finished; nothing he said would make a difference. The turkey matter hadn't been clarified yet, he had already confessed to adulterating the medicinal herbs, and then irrefutable evidence of his treason had been unearthed. He was now kneeling in the hall, his back soaked with cold sweat, the fabric clinging chillily to his spine, his bare foot trembling slightly on the floor tiles.

Zheng Xuantong rose from his seat and walked into the hall with his hands behind his back. He didn't look at Sun Yongchang, but instead looked at Xie Yunzhou and Ouyang Jie, his tone unusually calm: "This matter probably involves more than just him. The remnants of the Qi family were able to infiltrate the sect's territory, pinpoint Wei Ping'an's location, and even set up an ambush in Black Wind Forest beforehand. Without an inside accomplice, they couldn't have done this. Sun Yongchang is merely a Danfeng deacon; even if he has the guts, he doesn't have that much power. Whether there are others behind him, and whether the Qi family has any other spies within the sect, these things need to be investigated thoroughly."

Xie Yunzhou pondered for a moment, then nodded: "What the sect leader means is..."

"Don't make it public for now," Zheng Xuantong said. "Treason is a capital offense, punishable by death. Since Sun Yongchang has been captured, we might as well use him as bait. We'll only say that Sun Yongchang has been temporarily detained for stealing spirit birds and tampering with the furnace cauldron. We won't reveal his treason for now. We'll continue to investigate the leads that need to be investigated and keep an eye on the people who need to be watched. If there are people behind him, they'll be exposed sooner or later."

Ouyang Jie clapped his hands and said, "This plan is excellent. However, Sun Yongchang cannot be locked in an ordinary cell. If he is silenced, this lead will be cut off. Send him to the stone cell in the back mountain, seal off the spiritual energy, and prevent visitors from entering. Only the three of us can interrogate him. The Enforcement Hall will be responsible for guarding him. We will say that the case is still under trial and that we cannot disclose the details."

"That's settled then." Zheng Xuantong turned around and glanced at Sun Yongchang. His glance held no anger, no pity, only a cold, scrutinizing gaze, as if examining a tool still capable of serving its purpose. Sun Yongchang, lying on the ground, felt a chill run down his spine from that look. He wanted to say something more, but Ouyang Jie silenced him with a gesture.

"Take him away."

Two disciples dragged Sun Yongchang to his feet, and only then did he realize he was about to be imprisoned in the stone dungeon in the back mountain. What kind of place was the stone dungeon in the back mountain? It was a place completely sealed off from spiritual energy, never seeing the light of day, and no one who had been imprisoned there had ever come out alive. He panicked, struggling desperately and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Sect Leader! Master! This disciple has something to say! This disciple knows about the Qi family's spies within the sect! This disciple can atone for his sins by performing meritorious service..."

The sound gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the mountain wind outside the hall.

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Xie Yunzhou slowly sat back down in his chair, rubbing his temples. He never imagined that investigating a chicken theft case would uncover so much. Collusion with the enemy, assassination, and internal injuries to the furnace—these events, when linked together, were no longer simple personal grudges, but rather the infiltration of the Qi family's influence within the sect. And Sun Yongchang was merely a pawn in this game.

"This Wei Ping'an," Zheng Xuantong suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a complex meaning, "ever since he returned from Luoxia Valley, people have been constantly causing him trouble. From the medicine storehouse to Black Wind Forest to the furnace cauldron, everything is aimed at him. Tell me, whose eyes does this kid have to offend?"

Xie Yunzhou gave a wry smile: "He's a disciple who started out as a handyman, yet he rose to become a glorious disciple and a personal disciple in one step without any foundation. Naturally, he would be an eyesore to some people. However, if he hadn't exposed the turkey incident first, Sun Yongchang wouldn't have panicked and lost his composure, and we wouldn't have been able to uncover this hidden thread."

"Let's not talk about the turkey for now." Ouyang Jie waved his hand, his tone carrying a subtle smile. "If the leader really wants to investigate later, the Enforcement Hall can provide a rubbing of the footprint, but the rubbing is too blurry, so I'm afraid we won't be able to find anything."

Xie Yunzhou glanced at him, then at Zheng Xuantong, shook his head, and didn't press the matter further. He knew perfectly well that the turkey incident was most likely related to Wei Ping'an, but there were more important cases to handle right now, and the matter of the two chickens could wait. Besides, that kid hadn't stolen the chickens to eat them all himself. This morning, when he passed by the medicine testing hall, he smelled a familiar aroma, and Old Man Zheng was sitting at the door with a bowl, eating with his mouth glistening with oil. He didn't say anything, just snorted and walked away.

The three bigwigs discussed for a while, deciding on the next steps in the investigation and the arrangements for interrogating Sun Yongchang, before dispersing. Before leaving, Xie Yunzhou specifically instructed, "As for Wei Ping'an, tell him to focus on alchemy and cultivation, and not to get involved in these matters anymore. His foundation is still weak, and getting involved will not do him any good."

Ouyang Jie chuckled: "Sect Leader, do you really think that kid can behave himself?"

Xie Yunzhou thought for a moment, sighed, and did not answer.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the medicine testing hall, Wei Ping'an was squatting next to Old Zheng, peeling peanuts and eating them, his ears perked up. Zhang Erpang had just run back from outside, panting as he sat down on a stone bench, his fat face jiggling.

"Brother Wei! Brother Wei! Big news!" Zhang Erpang gulped down some water. "Deacon Sun has been arrested! The Enforcement Hall personally escorted him away, all the way from the back mountain to the Seed Cultivation Hall. Everyone on the mountain saw it! They say it's for stealing turkeys, and that he tipped off the remnants of the Qi family. They even found a communication talisman in the courtyard!"

Wei Ping'an's peanut shells hovered in mid-air. He slowly lowered them, popped a peanut into his mouth, chewed it, and a smile appeared on his face. It wasn't a gloating, malicious smile, but a smile of relief that had been held back for a long time. He tossed the peanut shells on the ground, dusted off the crumbs, stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, looked towards Danfeng Peak, and took a deep breath.

"You old fool, you've finally met your match."

He repeated the words to himself over and over, each time feeling a slight relief from the tightness in his chest. Sun Yongchang was becoming more and more ruthless and cunning with each step. He retreated time and time again, changed locations, endured ambushes, and swallowed his grievances, but the other party just wouldn't let him go. Now, the accusation of stealing chickens was firmly pinned on him, the irrefutable evidence of treason had come from his own mouth, right in front of the sect leader and the headmaster, leaving him no room for denial.

The thought of Sun Yongchang being imprisoned in the stone dungeon filled him with a sense of exhilaration, like being doused with cool water on a hot summer day. He had heard of the stone dungeon in the back mountain when he was in the servants' quarters; it was a place where spiritual energy was completely blocked, where the sun never shone, and no one who was imprisoned there ever came out alive. Sun Yongchang's old bones wouldn't last long in such a place before he was ruined.

However, his elation was tinged with a hint of regret; he hadn't witnessed Sun Yongchang's impromptu confession in court. Zhang Erpang had told him that Sun Yongchang, in an attempt to clear himself of responsibility, had confessed everything about adulterating the medicinal herbs and using the communication talisman, leaving the sect leader and master utterly astonished. Just imagining that scene made Wei Ping'an ecstatic.

"Brother Wei, what are you laughing at?" Zhang Erpang asked, peeking out from the doorway as he saw Wei standing there grinning foolishly.

"Cough cough, it's nothing." Wei Ping'an withdrew his gaze, turned around and walked back to the stone table to sit down. "Fatty, from now on we can do our Wenqi Powder business openly and honestly. With Sun Yongchang gone, the handymen who worked for him in the medicine storeroom and warehouse have lost their backers and dare not withhold our raw materials anymore. After a while, when things have calmed down, we'll move our stall down to the foot of the mountain and open a proper shop."

Zhang Erpang's eyes lit up: "Really? Then can we raise the price a bit? Several senior brothers from the outer sect kept asking me if there was any more of that Qi-stabilizing powder, saying it was much better than the Qi-nourishing powder issued by the sect."

"Raise it, it has to rise." Wei Ping'an slammed his hand on the table. "Raise it by two yuan, oh no, just one yuan. Leave some room for maneuver, so we can meet again in the future. After all, we are all fellow disciples. If we make too much profit, we might get beaten up."

Old Zheng listened from the side, and a low chuckle came from behind the smoke from his pipe.

"Uncle Zheng, you ate half a can of my turkey, so you're partly responsible for this too," Wei Ping'an said, turning to look at him.

"I have a share?" Old Zheng tapped his pipe on the stone. "What share do I have? I'm just a decrepit old man, almost toothless, what share could I possibly have?"

"You ate the chicken and drank the chicken soup, so you call that not getting a share?"

"I didn't know it was turkey either," Old Zheng said innocently. "When you brought it over, you didn't say it was turkey, you just said it was to nourish me. I thought it was free-range chicken from the foot of the mountain. It does taste a bit better than free-range chicken, but maybe you put too much ginseng in it."

"Uncle Zheng, that's not very kind of you." Wei Ping'an leaned closer, lowered his voice, and grinned mischievously. "You recognized it just by smelling it back then, and even said it was one of the top-quality turkeys raised by Headmaster Xie? Now you're pretending not to know."

Old Zheng glared at him, twirling his pipe in his hand, but ultimately didn't argue further. He just muttered "You brat" and continued puffing away. Smoke billowed from his nostrils, slowly dissipating in the setting sun, revealing the deep and shallow wrinkles on his face, hiding something indescribable.

Wei Ping'an stopped teasing him, stopped laughing, and said seriously, "Uncle Zheng, I'm so grateful for your protection these past few days. Without your support, I would have been killed by that old bastard long ago. From now on, whenever there's something good, you'll be the first person I think of."

Old Zheng waved his hand without saying a word, but the embers in his pipe flickered twice. The old man lowered his head, wiped the pipe mouthpiece with his rough fingertips, took another puff, and smoke slowly billowed from his nostrils, leaving two long trails of smoke in the setting sun.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside. Two figures stood at the entrance, one on the left and one on the right. One wore a moon-white Danfeng disciple's robe, and the other wore a black Enforcement Hall robe. Shen Qingyao was carrying a food box, and Su Yin had a bronze token hanging from her waist. The two arrived at the entrance at the same time and walked inside at the same time, their shoulders almost bumping into each other.

Shen Qingyao stopped in her tracks, glanced at Su Yin, and smiled slightly. "Oh, Senior Sister Su, what a perfect time! I have something to discuss with Ping An. Why don't you wait outside for a bit?"

Su Yin stopped and turned to look at her, her tone flat: "Coincidentally, I also have something to discuss with him. Junior Sister Shen can go back after delivering the things, and I need to talk to him about my business."

"Delivering the food was just a side thing." Shen Qingyao carried the food box into the courtyard, placed it on the stone table, turned around and looked at Su Yin who was still standing at the door. Her voice was gentle and soft. "I have something I want to talk to him about. It's not convenient in the courtyard. I'd like to ask him to go for a walk by the river outside the east gate."

"What's so great about walking along the river?" Su Yin entered the courtyard as well, and slowly walked to the other side of the stone table to sit down. She poured herself a cup of tea. "My courtyard is quiet, and the walls are high, so no one will overhear us. Ping An, come and sit with me. I didn't ask about your injury last time in detail, so I'll check on your recovery today."

Shen Qingyao's smile faded slightly. She walked to the stone table, pushed the food box towards Wei Ping'an, and sat down on the stone bench herself. "Senior Sister Su, your courtyard is quiet, but if Ping'an goes with you, people will inevitably gossip. The riverside is open and no one will misunderstand."

"What's there to misunderstand?" Su Yin held her teacup, her gaze falling across the rim to Shen Qingyao's face. "Junior Sister Shen, aren't you usually the one who hates gossip the most? Why are you concerned about this today?"

"What I care about is him..." Shen Qingyao said lightly, reaching out to lift the lid of the food box, revealing neatly arranged spirit jujube cakes inside. "Ping An, you said last time that you liked to eat this, so I specially made an extra plate today. Eat it while it's hot, it will harden when it cools down."

Su Yin's gaze swept over the food box, and her lips twitched. "Eating too many sweets is bad for your cultivation, as it causes bloating. I got some spirit bone broth from the kitchen of the Enforcement Hall, and it's been simmering for a day and a night. It's even more nourishing than the turkey soup he just ate. If you want some, come with me now."

Shen Qingyao's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. She turned to look at Su Yin, her smile fading slightly: "Aunt Su is so thoughtful. However, Ping An has just suffered a serious injury and hasn't recovered his energy yet. Drinking such nourishing bone broth all of a sudden can easily cause him to get overheated. People from Danfeng know more about these things when it comes to food."

The moment the words "Aunt Su" were uttered, Su Yin's fingers tightened noticeably around the teacup. She set the cup down, the bottom tapping against the stone table with a crisp sound. She looked up at Shen Qingyao, a half-hearted smile tugging at her lips: "Junior Sister Shen, you're not young anymore, are you? How can you still speak so tactlessly? A cultivator's qi and blood are stable; if you get heaty from drinking soup, what's the point of cultivation?"

"Age and manner of speaking are two different things." Shen Qingyao remained gentle and soft, her voice so sweet it could melt your heart. "Aunt Su works in the Enforcement Hall under the sun and wind, so she looks several years older than she actually is, and her skin is a bit rough. I happen to have some moisturizing ointment here; I'll send you two bottles later. I guarantee it'll be more effective than the Spirit Bone Soup."

Su Yin's expression finally changed. She stood up abruptly, her hand gripping the whip handle, her knuckles turning white: "Shen Qingyao, what do you mean by this?"

"It didn't mean anything," Shen Qingyao blinked innocently. "I was just concerned about my senior sister. What, does your senior sister not like others caring about you?"

"You call that concern? You're just indirectly saying I'm old!"

"Senior sister misunderstands. I didn't say a word about 'old.' It was you who said it." Shen Qingyao stood up. She was a head shorter than Su Yin, but her aura was in no way inferior. "Besides, senior sister entered the sect two years earlier than me. Calling her 'auntie' is a sign of respect. If senior sister doesn't like this title, then I'll change it. Should I call you 'Sister Su'? Or 'Senior Su'?"

Su Yin took a deep breath, her chest heaving, clearly quite angry. Being a member of the Enforcement Hall, her verbal skills weren't as nimble as those of an alchemist, and Shen Qingyao's words left her face flushed. But she wasn't willing to admit defeat so easily. Gritting her teeth, she sneered, "Junior Sister Shen, your mouth is more like a knife than a elixir. I wonder if Ping An was ever this harshly treated when he was with you."

"I've never been harsh on Ping An." Shen Qingyao turned to look at Wei Ping An, her gaze soft. "Right, Ping An?"

Wei Ping'an sat on the stone bench, with Shen Qingyao's gentle gaze on his left and Su Yin's icy stare on his right. He held half a piece of spirit jujube cake in his hand, unsure whether to bite it or put it down. He now truly understood what it meant to be on pins and needles. These two were like fighting cocks from the moment they met, exchanging barbs and veiled barbs. He had to be careful even to breathe, afraid of accidentally stepping on a landmine.

"Uh..." He put down the jujube cake, wiped his mouth, and gave what he thought was a very natural smile. "Senior sisters, why don't we sit down and have a cup of tea together? Senior Sister Shen brought some pastries, and Senior Sister Su brought some soup. Although the soup is still in her courtyard, we can have someone go and get it. The three of us can eat together and have a good time. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"No good," Shen Qingyao said.

"No good," Su Yin said.

They both spoke at the same time, paused at the same time, and then turned to look at each other at the same time.

"Ping An, come with me to the river." Shen Qingyao reached out and tugged at his sleeve.

"Ping An, come with me to my courtyard." Su Yin reached out and pressed her hand on his shoulder.

Wei Ping'an was being pulled on both sides, feeling like he was about to split apart. He looked up at the sky and silently prayed: May some passing deity save me, whoever it is, even if it's Fatty coming back.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate, and an outer disciple rushed in, panting and excited: "Senior Brother Wei! Senior Brother Wei! Something big has happened! Great news!"

Wei Ping'an had never felt such warmth from an outer disciple. He practically sprang to his feet, shoving aside Shen Qingyao and Su Yin's hands, and rushed forward: "What is it? Speak slowly, no rush, be detailed."

The disciple gasped for breath, his face flushed red: "The Trial Competition! The Azure Cloud Secret Realm is about to open!"

Wei Ping'an was taken aback: "What trial competition? What secret realm?"

"It's the Azure Cloud Secret Realm!" The disciple exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly. "The sect's most core training ground, said to be an ancient secret realm personally laid out by the founding patriarch. It contains the cultivation techniques passed down from the patriarch and generations of powerful figures, lost elixir formulas, top-grade magic artifacts, and spiritual herbs long extinct in the outside world! This secret realm only opens once every few thousand years, the last time being over three hundred years ago! Countless cultivators have waited their entire lives without ever seeing it open, but it's opening in just a few days!"

Wei Ping'an's eyes lit up instantly, shining like two newly lit lanterns. He grabbed the disciple's shoulder: "What did you say? It only opens once every thousand years? It's full of treasures?"

"Yes! And all direct disciples and inner disciples must participate! The sect leader personally issued the order, saying it's a once-in-a-century opportunity, and no one is allowed to miss it. The entire sect is in an uproar now; the line of disciples signing up stretches to the mountain gate, and everyone is preparing what they need to go in—pills, talismans, magic tools, they're preparing as many as they can!"

"What's the reward for first place?" Wei Ping'an asked.

"Besides keeping all the treasures obtained in the secret realm, the first-place winner also receives an extra special reward from the sect afterward!" The disciple counted on his fingers. "I heard that in previous years, the worst reward for the first-place winner was a Foundation Establishment Pill, and sometimes it was even a mid-grade magic weapon or a lost cultivation manual! This year, it's said that the sect leader personally increased the reward, making it even more substantial than in previous years, but the specifics haven't been announced yet, and everyone is guessing."

"Foundation Establishment Pill..." Wei Ping'an murmured, repeating it over and over, his mind racing with calculations. He'd keep the treasures of the secret realm, and return the Foundation Establishment Pill upon exiting—it was practically a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Moreover, while others might only be able to stare longingly at the lost pill formulas and spiritual herbs within the secret realm, he was different. He possessed the Mystic Pattern Cauldron; he could purify and nurture them, using even the worst ingredients to refine the best pills. Those pill formulas, once in his hands, would be an inexhaustible gold mine.

More importantly, he had been stuck at the fifth level of Qi Refining for a long time. Hei Fenglin had fought a desperate battle, and although his injuries had healed, his cultivation level remained stagnant. He had consumed countless Qi Gathering Pills and consumed Qi Stabilizing Powder daily, but the Qi in his dantian showed no sign of breaking through. Just when he was worried about finding an opportunity, this secret realm delivered itself to his doorstep. A place that only opens once every thousand years, the concentration of spiritual energy inside must be much higher than outside. Cultivating inside for a few days might allow him to reach the threshold of the sixth level, and with the assistance of Foundation Establishment Pills, breaking through to the sixth level and attempting to reach the Foundation Establishment stage would not be a dream.

He grew more and more excited, wishing he could rush in right now. But then he suddenly remembered something: the Xuanwen Pot was still broken.

Last time in Black Wind Forest, Qi Kui slashed him with his ring-pommel sword, leaving several deep and shallow cuts on the pot's surface. The deepest one was on the rim; although it wasn't cracked, he could feel something amiss every time he poured spiritual energy into it. Warmth would leak out a little from the cut, making the purification of medicinal power less effective than before. He tried repairing it using ordinary methods, but this pot wasn't made of ordinary iron; common repair methods were completely useless. Pouring spiritual energy into it was like pouring water into sand—it produced no reaction whatsoever.

This won't do. Entering the secret realm is a life-or-death situation; the pot is his lifeblood. If the pot leaks at the crucial moment, then he won't be going in to find treasure; he'll be going to his death.

He released the disciple's shoulder, turned and walked back to the stone table, taking the Xuanwen Pot off his back and placing it on the table. The knife marks on the pot's surface were particularly conspicuous in the setting sun, especially the one on the rim, which was a full two inches long with a slightly upturned edge, like an old, scabbed scar. Shen Qingyao and Su Yin also came over to look. The two, who had been arguing fiercely just moments before, had stopped arguing and were now frowning as they stared at the knife marks on the pot.

"Was this from when you were slashed in Black Wind Forest last time?" Shen Qingyao reached out and gently touched the edge of the knife wound, her fingertip lingering on the deepest cut. "It hasn't been repaired yet?"

"I've tried, but it can't be fixed." Wei Ping'an shook his head. "There's no reaction when I infuse it with spiritual energy, and I can't flatten it even with a hammer. I even tried the refined iron furnace repair material that Master Xie gave me, but it just falls off as soon as I apply it and it won't stick."

"This pot of yours is no ordinary iron," Su Yin said thoughtfully, standing to the side with her arms crossed. "Qi Kui's ring-pommel sword is made of refined iron. If he were to strike it with all his might, an ordinary iron pot would have shattered in two long ago. Your pot only has a few marks on it, so the material is definitely different. There aren't many things that can damage it, and naturally, there aren't many things that can repair it either."

Wei Ping'an's heart skipped a beat. Su Yin's words had reminded him. The true form of the Xuanwen Pot was a fragment of the Xuanwen Black Gold Cauldron, an ancient treasure of alchemy. To repair it with ordinary refined iron furnace repair materials was like trying to plaster gold with mud—it would be normal if it didn't stick. To repair it, one needed something of the same level.

He turned the pot over and slowly ran his fingertips along the grooves of its rim. The tadpole-like ancient medicinal patterns gleamed with a faint dark light in the twilight, and felt slightly warm to the touch, a little hotter than usual. When he reached the knife mark, his fingertips suddenly stopped. At the bottom of the knife mark, between the grooves, there was a small indentation, not like it had been cut by a knife, but more like… something had sucked a piece away from the inside.

The words of the old man Xuan Ya suddenly flashed through his mind. The Xuanwen Wujin Cauldron was shattered back then, with fragments scattered in all directions. The pot in his hand was only refined from one of the main fragments. If he could find other fragments, even just a small piece the size of a grain of rice, and integrate them into the pot, it might be able to repair these knife marks, and even further enhance the pot's power.

"I understand," he muttered to himself, putting the pot back on his back. "I'll figure out how to fix this myself. But I need to ask Uncle Zheng for something before entering the secret realm."

Shen Qingyao looked at the pot covered in knife marks on his back, her brows still furrowed: "It's too dangerous for you to go in like this. The secret realm is dangerous enough, and the pot isn't fixed yet. What if something happens..."

"Don't worry." Wei Ping'an smiled at her. "When have I ever let you down?"

Shen Qingyao opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. She simply took two more pieces of spirit jujube cake from the food box, wrapped them in oil paper, and stuffed them into his hand: "Take these with you on the road."

Su Yin glanced at Shen Qingyao, then at Wei Ping'an, and took a small cloth bag from her waist, placing it on the table: "Inside are two teleportation talismans and one defense talisman. The teleportation talisman is specially made by the Enforcement Hall; it's more stable than the ones on the market. Crushing it will teleport you fifty miles away within three breaths. The defense talisman can withstand a full-force attack from a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator. Use them sparingly; these are all I have."

Wei Ping'an paused for a moment, picked up the cloth bag and weighed it in his hand. It wasn't heavy, but his heart felt heavy. He put the bag away and nodded to Su Yin, "Senior Sister Su, thank you."

"You're welcome." Su Yin turned and walked out, but turned back to look at him again at the door. "If you encounter trouble in the secret realm, just crush the teleportation talisman. Don't be as reckless as you were in the Black Wind Forest; someone won't always come to your rescue."

After saying that, she strode away, her dark robes fluttering in the night. Shen Qingyao also stood up, closed the lid of the food box, whispered "Be careful," and then carried the food box out of the courtyard gate. The two left the courtyard one after the other, each going their own way, neither looking at the other.

Wei Ping'an stood in the courtyard, holding Shen Qingyao's spirit jujube cake in his left hand and Su Yin's talisman bag in his right. Looking at the empty courtyard gates in both directions, he let out a long sigh. He put the things away, slung the Xuanwen pot over his shoulder, and headed towards the medicine testing hall.

The candlelight still burned in the medicine testing room. Old Zheng sat on a small stool in front of the stove, using the firelight to flip through a tattered old booklet. The cover was worn away, the pages inside were yellowed and brittle, and the edges were curled up terribly. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up: "What is it now?"

"Senior Uncle Zheng, I have something to ask you." Wei Ping'an squatted down opposite him, took off the Xuanwen Pot and placed it between the two of them, pointing to the deepest knife mark on the rim of the pot. "Qi Kui slashed this pot several times, and the spiritual energy leaks out here. I can't repair it with ordinary furnace repair materials, and even adding spiritual energy won't stop it. You spent a long time in the sect before, have you ever heard of any special repair methods?"

Old Zheng put down the old booklet, picked up the pot, and examined it several times under the oil lamp. He gently scraped the edges of the scraper marks with his fingernail, then ran his finger along the lines, finally turning the pot over to look at the bottom. After a long silence, he spoke: "I told you before about this pot of yours. The patterns on it are ancient medicinal patterns, not something an ordinary blacksmith could forge. These patterns naturally possess a nurturing power, able to absorb medicinal properties and retain spiritual energy. In theory, it has the ability to self-repair."

"Self-repair?" Wei Ping'an was taken aback.

"Hmm." Old Zheng put down the pot and pointed to the knife mark with the pipe bowl. "Look at these patterns. The knife mark cut off the direction of the patterns, and the spiritual energy can't go any further. But if you provide it with enough medicinal power or spiritual energy, these patterns will slowly seep into the knife mark on their own, like flesh growing back from a wound, reconnecting the broken parts. The premise is that the medicinal power or spiritual energy has to be strong enough, strong enough to bring these patterns back to life."

Wei Ping'an's heart skipped a beat. He recalled that when he was testing medicines in the Medicine Testing Hall, the patterns on the rim of the pot would deepen after each pill was consumed, and sometimes it would even get hot. Also, in the Black Wind Forest, the pot had released a black light after absorbing Qi Mang's sword energy. All of this indicated that the pot was capable of reacting; it just needed something strong enough to stimulate it.

"How much potency would be needed?" he asked.

What kind of pills do you have on hand right now?

"Qi-gathering pills, Qi-stabilizing powders, and some hemostatic powders and detoxifying pills."

"Not enough." Old Zheng shook his head. "The medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pill is too weak. It can't even fill the edges of the Qi Gathering Pill. You need a high-grade pill or a spiritual herb that's old enough. Didn't you get some blood ginseng rootlets from Uncle Liu before? If they're old enough, the medicinal power of blood ginseng is much stronger than that of the Qi Gathering Pill."

Wei Ping'an's eyes lit up. He still had half a packet of processed blood ginseng rootlets hidden in the drying room. It had been processed according to Uncle Liu's book last time, and it was old enough with a strong medicinal effect. If he used the blood ginseng rootlets to refine Qi Gathering Pills together, and then purified them in the Xuanwen Pot to feed the medicinal effect back, it might stimulate the patterns to repair themselves.

"There's another way." Old Zheng opened the tattered booklet and pointed to a page. "This booklet records a folk remedy. It says that after an ancient alchemy cauldron is damaged, you can use your own life essence mixed with medicinal power to inject into the cauldron's patterns, using the blood to guide the medicine and accelerate the recovery of the patterns. However, this life essence consumes vital energy and cannot be recovered in a short time. You're about to enter the secret realm, so this method can't be used."

Wei Ping'an nodded, keeping this in mind, intending to use it only as a last resort. For now, he would try the blood ginseng rootlets. He bid farewell to Old Man Zheng and hurried back to his small courtyard.

After closing the courtyard gate, he rummaged through the deep recesses of the cabinet and found a half-packet of blood ginseng rootlets. He also took out a few Qi-gathering pills that he had refined himself and placed them on the alchemy table. He placed the Xuanwen pot above the alchemy table, with the bottom of the pot suspended in the air facing the fire, then lit the alchemy fire, put the Qi-gathering pills into the pot, and added a small pinch of blood ginseng rootlet powder.

The fire slowly heated the pot, and the elixir inside began to melt, releasing the medicinal power of the blood ginseng root. Instead of condensing the elixir as in traditional alchemy, he controlled the medicinal power, preventing it from dissipating and allowing it to seep entirely into the patterns on the pot's surface. The patterns along the pot's rim began to shimmer, first with a very faint dark sheen, then slowly brightening, like a dried-up riverbed being moistened by water, the patterns lighting up one by one, spreading downwards along the pot's walls.

As the patterns spread to the knife mark, their speed noticeably slowed. The broken patterns lingered at the edge of the knife mark, like water struggling to find its way, tentatively probing forward. Simultaneously, the patterns at the bottom of the knife mark also began to glow upwards, the patterns on both sides resonating with each other through the thin gap, their dark light flashing simultaneously on both sides of the gap, their frequencies becoming increasingly similar. However, the knife mark remained an obstacle; the patterns on both sides could not connect, and the spiritual energy leaked out as soon as it reached that point, forming a very thin layer of spiritual mist above the knife mark.

Wei Ping'an held his breath and added a small pinch of ginseng root powder. The moment the medicinal power was injected, the patterns on the edge of the pot suddenly brightened, and the dark light on both sides of the knife mark rushed forward, barely connecting in the middle of the gap. At the moment of connection, the entire pot vibrated, and a warm current flowed around the patterns. The knife mark became shallower at a visible speed. It didn't disappear completely, but the raised edges had flattened, leaving only a shallow mark.

Wei Ping'an reached out and touched the shallow mark. The moment his fingertips touched the pot's surface, a warm current flowed through his fingers and into his meridians, a comforting sensation even more pleasant than when he was purifying the medicinal properties. He then infused the pot with a wisp of spiritual energy, which flowed smoothly along the lines without leaking. Although the shallow marks on the pot's surface remained, the deepest knife mark had been largely repaired and would not affect its use in the short term.

"It's alright, it works." He took the pot off the alchemy platform, wiped the dregs from the bottom of the pot with a soft cloth, and put it back on his back. There was still a small tuft of blood ginseng whiskers left, which he wrapped in oil paper and put into his storage bag, preparing to take it into the secret realm. In case the pot was damaged again, it could be used as a repair material.

For the next three days, he locked himself in the courtyard, focusing all his efforts on preparing the supplies needed for entering the secret realm. He stocked up on thirty Qi Gathering Pills, ten packets of Hemostatic Powder, and five Antidote Pills, all of them high-quality, purified using the Xuanwen Cauldron, with potency at least 30% stronger than the standard supplies provided by the sect. As for talismans, he kept the two teleportation talismans and one defense talisman given to him close to his body in the most easily accessible place. He also went to the storeroom and used spirit stones to exchange for two speed-up talismans and one formation-breaking talisman. Although their grade was not high, they might be lifesavers in a critical moment.

Dry rations and water were also prepared. Zhang Erpang specially carried over a sack of spirit rice cakes for him, saying they were freshly baked by the medicinal kitchen, fragrant, and kept for a long time, ten times tastier than dried cakes. Wei Ping'an accepted them all without hesitation.

By the evening of the third day, everything was packed. He hung the storage bag on his waist, re-tied the straps of the Xuanwen pot with new hemp rope, and padded it with two layers of soft cloth, making it stable on his back. He stood at the courtyard gate, watching the sunset gradually sink on the horizon, feeling both expectant and a little nervous.

This secret realm, which opens only once every few centuries, holds no certainty about what awaits him within. But he knows one thing: this is his chance. No matter what dangers lie within, he is determined to venture in and face them.

Lights had already been lit in the direction of the Seed Path Plaza in the distance, and the disciples participating in the competition were gradually gathering there.

The trial competition is about to begin.