Jade Bamboo Peak lay to the southeast of Verdant Wood Sect, and was the most scenic of the four peaks.
Its summit was wreathed in clouds and mist year-round, and spirit bamboo grew in lush green abundance across every slope. When a gentle breeze passed through, the bamboo leaves rustled softly, as though one had stepped into a realm of immortals.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves and scattered dappled patterns of light and shadow across the ground.
Verdant Wood Sect occupied a vast stretch of land. Besides the main peak, Qingyun Peak, which served as the Sect Master's place of quiet cultivation, there were four other peaks and two valleys.
The four peaks were: Jade Bamboo Peak, Spirit Sword Peak, Crimson Glow Peak, and Qingyun Peak.
The two valleys were Butterfly Valley and Qin Valley.
Each location had its own unique scenery and cultivation resources.
Spirit Sword Peak was renowned for its Sword Cultivators, Crimson Glow Peak specialized in alchemy, Qingyun Peak was the Sect Master's residence, and Jade Bamboo Peak was primarily a place of quiet cultivation for female cultivators.
The small pavilion where Zhao Yanran lived was nestled halfway up Jade Bamboo Peak.
It was a delicate two-story structure built from spirit bamboo, with wind chimes hanging from the eaves that rang out with a crisp, clear sound in the breeze.
Outside the pavilion, several spirit flowers and rare herbs had been planted, giving off a faint, pleasant fragrance.
The pavilion was surrounded by a simple Formation to prevent outsiders from prying.
At this moment, inside the main hall of the pavilion, Zhao Yanran sat with her eyes closed in quiet meditation.
She wore a water-blue long dress, her ink-black hair spread like clouds around her, her skin as fair as snow. Spiritual Energy flowed around her body, a clear sign that her cultivation had advanced further.
Her hands were folded in a seal upon her knees, a faint spiritual glow flickering at her fingertips.
Strand after strand of white Spiritual Energy converged from all directions, slowly flowing into her body.
Seated beside her was a female cultivator of remarkable bearing.
This woman appeared to be in her fifties or sixties, her hair entirely silver, yet her features remained beautiful and unlined by wrinkles.
She wore a pale violet Spirit Robe embroidered at the collar with the Sword-Pattern Mark unique to Spirit Sword Peak — she was none other than Shen Hongmei, Elder of Spirit Sword Peak.
Shen Hongmei's expression was serene, her gaze calm as she watched Zhao Yanran cultivate.
Shen Hongmei's cultivation had already reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, just one step away from being able to form her golden core.
Within Verdant Wood Sect, she was counted among the most formidable cultivators. In her daily life she kept largely to herself, rarely interacting with others.
Yet recently, for reasons unknown, she had been coming to Jade Bamboo Peak with increasing frequency, proactively guiding Zhao Yanran in her cultivation.
Zhao Yanran felt both puzzled and delighted.
To earn the favor of a Late Foundation Establishment Elder was an extraordinary stroke of fortune.
She privately speculated: could it be that Elder Shen had taken a liking to my aptitude and wished to take me as a Personal Disciple? Or perhaps...
She stole a glance at Shen Hongmei.
Though this Elder was advanced in years, she still carried an air of graceful charm — especially those eyes, deep as still pools, which occasionally turned toward her with an indescribable complexity.
Zhao Yanran had also heard that Elder Shen's cultivation partner had passed away early, leaving her alone for decades. Could it be...
Could Shen Hongmei's preference actually be for women?
The thought made Zhao Yanran's cheeks grow faintly warm.
But no matter the reason, earning the favor of an Elder with real authority was an immense blessing.
With Elder Shen's support, her cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds, breaking through in no time!
Perhaps then she could finally shake off the entanglement of those three Senior Brothers and reconcile with Chen Yang.
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Thinking of Chen Yang's recent coldness, a sharp pang ran through her heart.
Once her cultivation improved, she would make him apologize to her properly.
Zhao Yanran was cultivating the Jade Ripple Art, a legacy technique of Jade Bamboo Peak.
It was a water-attribute cultivation technique that required the practitioner to guide Spiritual Energy through the meridians like flowing water.
At this moment she was attempting to break through to the third level of the Jade Ripple Art, cycling Spiritual Energy through nine complete Circulation Cycles within her body, each Circulation Cycle passing through thirty-six acupoints.
As her thoughts drifted, the Spiritual Energy within Zhao Yanran's body suddenly fell into disarray.
On the seventh Circulation Cycle, a strand of Spiritual Energy veered off its proper path and surged toward an obscure meridian.
Her face went pale. She hurriedly steadied her mind, fine beads of sweat breaking out at her temples.
"Clear your mind of distractions." Shen Hongmei spoke in a cool, unhurried tone that nonetheless carried a calming authority. "Nothing is more harmful to cultivation than a restless heart. The Jade Ripple Art demands a mind still as water, with intent flowing like a current. Just now your thoughts were scattered, and that caused your Spiritual Energy to lose control."
Shen Hongmei extended one finger and tapped the air toward several acupoints on Zhao Yanran's chest.
A stream of pure spiritual energy passed through her body, helping to guide the disordered Spiritual Energy back onto its proper course.
"Pay attention to the connection between the Qi Sea Acupoint and the dantian," Shen Hongmei continued to instruct. "Water-attribute cultivation techniques rely on unbroken continuity — you must not force rapid progress. Each Circulation Cycle must be built steadily, allowing the Spiritual Energy to flow naturally, like a stream."
Zhao Yanran quickly gathered her focus and adjusted her breathing as instructed.
Under Shen Hongmei's guidance, she soon steadied the turbulent Spiritual Energy within her body.
The Spiritual Energy resumed its course along the Jade Ripple Art's pathways, flowing through her limbs and bones and bringing with it a wave of cool, refreshing ease.
Shen Hongmei rose and walked to the window, lifting a cup of spirit tea to her lips for a small sip.
Her movements were unhurried, carrying the composed steadiness of someone tempered by long years.
Her gaze swept over Zhao Yanran in what appeared to be a casual glance, but she was in fact quietly observing this young female disciple.
"When you are not cultivating, spend more time observing the flow of mountain streams," Shen Hongmei said, her tone even as she gazed at the bamboo grove and brook outside the window. "The Great Dao of water is both the softest and the hardest of things. It appears yielding, yet it can wear through stone and split mountains. Cultivation is the same — impatience and recklessness will only yield half the results for twice the effort."
Zhao Yanran answered respectfully, "I will heed your teachings, Elder." In her heart, her admiration for Shen Hongmei deepened further.
Every word of guidance from this Elder struck at the heart of the matter, and Zhao Yanran had benefited greatly.
Shen Hongmei gave a slight nod, though her thoughts had already turned to other matters.
She had originally come here following the character "Yan" on the jade token, searching for that mysterious Menial Disciple.
When she first saw Zhao Yanran, she had even suspected the other party might be a man disguised as a woman — but after a careful examination, she confirmed that Zhao Yanran was indeed female.
Through inquiries on multiple fronts, Shen Hongmei had learned a great deal about Zhao Yanran: she had come to the mountain to cultivate three years ago, had contracted a Passion Gu and become cultivation partners with three Senior Brothers, and was currently a registered disciple under a Jade Bamboo Peak Elder...
At this thought, Shen Hongmei gave a faint shake of her head.
In her younger years, she too had once been afflicted by a similar vile poison to the Passion Gu.
But even in those desperate circumstances, she had endured it in silence, concealing it from her husband, venturing alone into the back mountains to seek out demon beasts that had not yet developed spiritual intelligence to cure the poison — and afterward had personally erased every trace of what had happened, deeply ashamed.
How could she have done what this Zhao Yanran had done — becoming cultivation partners with three men at once, making it known to everyone?
Every time she thought of it, she felt a flicker of contempt for Zhao Yanran's conduct.
"The female disciples of today are truly..." Shen Hongmei sighed inwardly. "A cultivator should always guard the integrity of their heart."
Shen Hongmei took another sip of tea, her gaze drifting into the distance.
Yet whenever she swept her divine sense through this small pavilion, she would involuntarily find herself thinking of that Menial Disciple's figure.
Those crimson eyes. That body covered in scars yet brimming with vitality.
That silhouette, that night... it would always, at the most inopportune moments, drop a stone into the still, ice-cold lake of her heart, sending ripple after ripple spreading outward.
Shen Hongmei felt heat rise to her aged face and quickly took a sip of tea to cover it.
In over a hundred years of cultivation, this was the first time she had ever encountered someone who so thoroughly unsettled her.
Who exactly was that Menial Disciple?
Why did he have a connection to Zhao Yanran?
These questions swirled in her mind, compelling her to come here time and again — ostensibly to guide Zhao Yanran's cultivation, but in truth to observe in secret.
Just as her thoughts were swirling, a voice laced with anger suddenly rang out from outside the pavilion:
"Zhao Yanran! Come out!"
That voice... Shen Hongmei's teacup gave the faintest tremor in her hand.
She had only heard it once before, yet she could never mistake it — this was unmistakably the voice of that Menial Disciple!
Zhao Yanran heard the voice too, and immediately snapped out of her meditation.
Zhao Yanran's eyes flew open.
It was Chen Yang's voice!
He had actually come to find her on his own!
In an instant, all her breathing exercises, all her stray thoughts, were flung to the far corners of her mind.
She leapt up from her meditation cushion and gave Shen Hongmei a bow. "Elder, it seems someone is looking for me outside. Please excuse me for a moment."
Shen Hongmei gave an outwardly composed nod, though inwardly her heart surged.
So it really was him!
That Menial Disciple who had lingered in her thoughts — he actually knew Zhao Yanran?
And judging by his tone, the relationship between the two was clearly no simple matter...
Zhao Yanran walked quickly toward the door, her heart a mixture of anticipation and unease.
This was the first time Chen Yang had ever come to find her on his own initiative. Though his tone was unfriendly, it at least meant she still held a place in his heart.
Shen Hongmei remained in the hall, but her divine sense quietly extended outward.
She wanted to see for herself just what kind of relationship this Menial Disciple — the one who had so thoroughly unsettled her — had with Zhao Yanran.