Chen Yang watched Shen Hongmei's expression cool ever so slightly, and his heart gave a sudden lurch.
In an instant he realized that his earlier refusal to let her examine his injuries might have made her feel that her concern had been thrown back in her face.
In a flash of inspiration, Chen Yang pressed a hand to his chest and furrowed his brow, letting a look of mingled pain and confusion cross his face at just the right moment:
"Senior, wait! You mention it, and now that I think about it… I do feel a dull ache in my chest. When I was circulating my energy just now, my qi and blood felt a little sluggish too… Could it be a hidden injury left over from yesterday?"
As he spoke, he turned a gaze full of "weakness" and "worry" toward Shen Hongmei.
Sure enough.
Shen Hongmei, who had already half-turned to leave, stopped in her tracks.
She turned back, her cool gaze settling on the hand Chen Yang had pressed to his chest, and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly:
"Oh? Still feeling discomfort?"
"Y-yes," Chen Yang nodded quickly, pressing his hand harder against his chest as though the pain were truly unbearable:
"Before, I only felt the hairline fracture knit back together and my inner breath flow freely, so I thought I was fine. I never imagined there might still be something lurking beneath the surface… Senior, please take a look!"
Shen Hongmei said nothing more. She stepped forward until she stood directly before him, close enough that Chen Yang could catch the faint, elusive scent that clung to her — cool and clean, like winter plum blossoms after snow.
"Open your robe."
Her voice was as composed as ever, but the chill of her earlier departure had already dissipated.
Chen Yang quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His hands moved swiftly, loosening his upper garment and letting it fall to his waist, baring his well-built chest.
Moonlight poured down like water, illuminating the skin of his chest with perfect clarity.
There, slightly left of center, a pale bluish palm print was stamped plainly into his flesh.
The color was not deep, yet against the surrounding unblemished skin it stood out starkly.
Shen Hongmei's gaze fixed on the bluish mark, her brow creasing further, a faint note of reproach entering her voice:
"And you said you were fine? This bruise has congealed and will not disperse on its own — the force of that palm strike has clearly invaded your meridians and lodged itself here. If it is not dissolved soon, you may feel nothing in ordinary circumstances, but the moment you fight someone with full force, or when your spiritual energy surges as you push against a bottleneck, it could very easily trigger a reverse surge of qi and blood. At best you would be injured; at worst, your very foundation could be damaged."
Chen Yang felt a chill run through him at her words.
He had indeed only noticed the hairline fracture healing and his internal organs settling — he had not paid much attention to the bruise beneath the skin, assuming it was a common injury that would fade on its own after a few days of rest.
Hearing Shen Hongmei describe it so gravely, he realized he had been careless.
He said sheepishly:
"I… I thought it was just an ordinary bruise, nothing serious…"
He had barely finished speaking when he felt an intensely cool, refreshing sensation spread across his chest.
He looked down.
Shen Hongmei had produced a small, exquisite white jade vial at some point, dipped her fingertip into a crystalline salve that gave off a faint chill, and was now gently applying it to the bluish palm print on his chest.
The salve was icy cold at first touch, but it seeped rapidly into his skin and drove away every trace of the dull, stifling ache.
Then, almost immediately, a subtle itching sensation spread from where the salve had been applied.
It was as though countless fine threads of ice were lightly sweeping through him, combing apart the blockages in his meridians.
He could feel it clearly — Shen Hongmei's slender, cool fingertips moving across the skin of his chest with a steady, gentle pressure, tracing the outline of the palm print, spreading the medicine evenly.
This unprecedented intimacy made Chen Yang's heart beat a little faster, and his blood seemed to quicken in his veins.
He instinctively held his breath, his body going slightly rigid, his gaze drifting unbidden to Shen Hongmei's focused profile.
Her long lashes cast faint shadows in the moonlight — cool and serene.
The courtyard fell silent.
Only the occasional rustle of the night breeze through bamboo leaves broke the quiet.
As if to dispel the awkward stillness, Shen Hongmei continued applying the salve and spoke, her voice as steady as ever:
"Yesterday — why did you go out of your way to speak up for those two new Personal Disciples Elder Song had just taken in?"
Chen Yang blinked, collected himself, and answered honestly:
"Senior, I was not speaking up for anyone. I was simply telling the truth."
Shen Hongmei's hand did not pause, but she glanced up at Chen Yang, her gaze deep, as though trying to read something in his eyes.
After a short while, she lowered her head again and focused on what her hands were doing, saying nothing more.
A little later, she seemed to notice for the first time that the main room where Chen Yang had been living looked somewhat different, and she asked offhandedly:
"What happened to your room?"
Chen Yang answered with some embarrassment:
"During the day… I accidentally set it on fire. It burned down."
"Set it on fire?"
Shen Hongmei's hand paused, and she looked up at him again, her eyes questioning.
"Yes… I lost control while practicing spell techniques. It got out of hand."
Chen Yang offered a vague explanation.
Shen Hongmei did not press further, and simply asked:
"Where are you staying now, then?"
Chen Yang pointed to the small room beside them that belonged to Liu Yiyi:
"I've moved in there for the time being. Liu Yiyi and Xiaochunhua used to live there — it's reasonably tidy."
"Nonsense!"
Shen Hongmei's brow furrowed again, a note of disapproval in her voice:
"A woman's bed — how can you simply lie down in it as you please? It is improper."
Chen Yang scratched his head, unbothered:
"It's not that big a deal, is it? The two of them have already become disciples under Elder Song at Jade Bamboo Peak — they're unlikely to move back. It would just sit empty otherwise…"
Shen Hongmei raised her head and studied Chen Yang for a moment, her cool eyes seeming to try to see through him.
Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she did not. It became a barely audible sigh, and she lowered her head once more to continue applying the salve.
Chen Yang also fell silent, quietly savoring the cool, faintly itching sensation on his chest and the occasional brush of her fingertips, a complex and indescribable emotion stirring within him.
"Done."
After some time, Shen Hongmei's cool voice broke through Chen Yang's thoughts:
"Button your robe."
Chen Yang came back to himself and looked down.
The pale bluish palm print on his chest had visibly faded by more than half in that short span of time, leaving only the faintest of traces!
The efficacy of this salve was nothing short of astonishing!
Chen Yang was inwardly stunned. His mind immediately jumped to the thought that if he could get his hands on some of this salve and duplicate it using a clay bowl, dealing with injuries in the future would be far more convenient.
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The thought had barely formed when Shen Hongmei, as though she could read his mind, pressed the Small White Jade Vial — still more than half full — directly into his hand.
"This 'Jade Flesh Ice Bone Salve' was specially prepared for me decades ago by Elder Zhu Dayou of Crimson Glow Peak. Its medicinal properties are gentle yet capable of penetrating deep into the meridians, dissolving stagnation and promoting renewal. I use it myself when I sustain minor injuries during cultivation."
Shen Hongmei explained in an even tone:
"Take what remains. Apply it once a day and work it in carefully. Given your constitution, the bruise should disperse completely within two or three days."
Chen Yang understood now — it was Senior Shen's own healing medicine, which explained why its effects were so remarkable.
A wave of warmth and gratitude welled up in his chest. Such a precious salve, and she had given him the rest without a moment's hesitation.
He instinctively moved to decline:
"Senior, this is far too valuable — I…"
"Take it when you're told to take it."
Shen Hongmei cut him off, her tone brooking no argument.
Chen Yang knew all too well that this Senior said what she meant and meant what she said. He swallowed his gratitude, quietly closed his fingers around the jade vial, and said solemnly:
"Thank you, Senior, for the gift of this medicine!"
Shen Hongmei gave a slight nod. She watched Chen Yang fasten his robe, then her expression grew serious and she said:
"Chen Yang, remember this — unless it is absolutely necessary, do not go out of your way to provoke Yang Tianming again."
Chen Yang was taken aback, and asked in puzzlement:
"Why? Senior, just because his cultivation is higher than mine, must I simply endure everything?"
"It is not merely a matter of cultivation levels."
Shen Hongmei's gaze drifted toward the darkness of the night, her voice carrying a note of gravity:
"I took some time today to look into this person. He is not an ordinary Verdant Wood Sect disciple — he appears to have some background and connections. The details have not been fully uncovered yet, but he is certainly not someone to be trifled with. If you clash with him, you will be the one who suffers."
Chen Yang's brow tightened. If even Shen Hongmei said so, Yang Tianming's background was likely truly formidable.
Yet a stubborn, unyielding spirit surged up within him.
He slowly finished tying the last cord of his robe, drew a deep breath of the cool night air, and said in a low, firm voice:
"Senior… I'm afraid I cannot do that."
Shen Hongmei turned her gaze back to him:
"Why not?"
"I… have decided to enter the trial for the Sect Master's Personal Disciple, three months from now."
Chen Yang raised his head, his eyes resolute.
Shen Hongmei's pupils contracted slightly:
"Where did you hear of this?"
"I… I heard some of the sect's disciples talking about it!"
Chen Yang answered, and then his voice took on a stubborn edge:
"And according to the rules of the trial, there is a very real chance I will have to face Yang Tianming directly! The humiliation of yesterday is not something I can forget. If I don't even have the courage to fight him, what am I even cultivating for?"
"Nonsense!"
Shen Hongmei's voice rose sharply, carrying unmistakable anger:
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that trial is? Yang Tianming is at the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Realm — do you think you can shake him? Are you not afraid of…"
She stopped herself there. The words "dying at Yang Tianming's hands" had made it to the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down.
As long as she was at the Verdant Wood Sect, she would never allow that to happen.
She rephrased, her voice heavy:
"Are you not afraid that in the heat of battle you might damage your cultivation foundation, leaving you unable to achieve Foundation Establishment for the rest of your life?"
"Foundation Establishment…"
Those two words struck Chen Yang's heart like a hammer blow.
In the past, when he had been a laborer, Foundation Establishment had been utterly beyond his reach.
But now that he had entered the Late Qi Refining Stage, those words were no longer the distant, formless dream they had once been — they had become a goal he could work toward and hope for.
Hearing that he might be unable to achieve Foundation Establishment, he did feel a genuine pang of dread.
Seeing Chen Yang go still, Shen Hongmei thought he had taken her words to heart, and her tone softened slightly:
"I hope that after you have seen this, you will reconsider your decision."
As she spoke, she turned her hand over.
A dark-brown wooden box of antique craftsmanship appeared in her palm.
Simple restriction runes were carved into its surface, preventing spiritual energy from leaking out.
Chen Yang looked at the box with curiosity:
"Senior, this is…?"
"Open it and see."
Shen Hongmei held the box out to him.
Chen Yang took it. It was warm and smooth to the touch — made from some kind of spirit-wood, it seemed.
He slowly lifted the lid as instructed. Inside, nestled on soft silk, lay a mutton-fat jade vial slightly larger than his thumb.
The jade was warm and lustrous, brimming with spiritual energy.
Affixed to the vial was a small red talisman paper, and in its center, written in bold, vigorous brushstrokes, was a single character — "Foundation"!
"This is…"
Chen Yang's heart gave a violent leap. He thought he knew what it was, but he did not dare be certain.
He instinctively reached out to pull the stopper from the vial.
"Don't!"
Shen Hongmei immediately stopped him:
"This pill is dense with spiritual energy. Once opened, the medicinal aura will escape and may attract unwanted attention."
Chen Yang's hand froze in midair, his gaze locked on that single character, his breathing growing slightly ragged.
Shen Hongmei looked at him and said, each word clear and deliberate:
"Inside this vial is a Foundation Establishment Pill. Moreover, it is one from the batch personally refined by Elder Zhu Dayou of Crimson Glow Peak several years ago — of exceptional quality, sufficient to raise a cultivator at the Perfected Qi Refining Stage's chances of achieving Foundation Establishment by more than twenty percent!"
A Foundation Establishment Pill!
It truly was a Foundation Establishment Pill!
Chen Yang felt his mind go blank with a resounding hum.
He had suspected it, but hearing it confirmed from Shen Hongmei's own lips still sent a shock through him that he could barely contain.
He had heard in the market that the Foundation Establishment Pill was a realm-breaking divine elixir that countless cultivators of the Qi Refinement Realm dreamed of but could never obtain!
With it, the hope of achieving Foundation Establishment would increase enormously!
He looked at the wooden box again, his eyes transformed, as though he could see through the jade vial to the boundless energy and infinite possibility contained within that single pill.
Shen Hongmei continued her explanation:
"This item was originally meant to be awarded to you at the sect's recent assembly in the main square — a reward for the merit you earned during the demon beast rampage. Unfortunately, that day you became embroiled in a dispute with Yang Tianming and the others, the scene grew chaotic, and it was not convenient to present it publicly, so it was delayed."
Chen Yang finally understood.
The sect had already intended to reward him — and with such a precious treasure at that!
Thinking back to the events of that day, he could not help but feel a complicated mix of emotions.
Just then, Shen Hongmei abruptly changed the subject and asked a question that caught Chen Yang completely off guard:
"Chen Yang, I recall that when the Elders were selecting their Personal Disciples, you… were you watching me from below the stage?"
As she spoke, she actually stepped forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
Close enough that Chen Yang could clearly see the moonlight reflected in her eyes — and his own startled face mirrored there.
She even reached out and lightly grasped his wrist. The faintly cool touch made Chen Yang's body go rigid.
Chen Yang had never imagined that those small, secret feelings of his had already been noticed by Shen Hongmei long ago.
His face grew warm. Under the gaze of those clear, cool eyes, he found he could not lie, and could only nod with some embarrassment:
"Yes… at the time, I thought… perhaps there was a chance I might become your Personal Disciple, Senior."
Shen Hongmei's grip on his wrist tightened ever so slightly, and her voice dropped, carrying an indescribable quality:
"Do you know — if you had become my Personal Disciple, we would have a clearly defined master-and-disciple relationship… That would not be ideal."
"Not ideal?"
Chen Yang blinked, at a loss.
"I would rather… support you, and see you go further." Shen Hongmei's gaze seemed to flicker slightly.
"Go further?"
Chen Yang was even more confused. He glanced at the wooden box in his hand, thought of the precious Foundation Establishment Pill inside, and a sudden idea flashed through his mind.
Could it be… that the sect…
Or rather, Senior Shen, believed in his potential to achieve Foundation Establishment, and wanted him, after achieving Foundation Establishment, to…
Convinced he had grasped the key point, he blurted it out:
"I understand! Senior wants me to achieve Foundation Establishment and then join Spirit Sword Peak directly — to take up a position as an Elder!"
At his words, the corner of Shen Hongmei's eye twitched almost imperceptibly. She met Chen Yang's gaze — that look of sudden, earnest enlightenment — and was silent for a moment before, with a touch of resignation, going along with what he had said:
"That… is one way to look at it. If you achieve Foundation Establishment, you would naturally be welcome to come and live on Spirit Sword Peak and cultivate alongside me."
Chen Yang immediately felt as though the path ahead had opened wide before him. So the sect and his Senior had such great expectations of him!
A surge of ambition rose in his chest. He nodded firmly and pledged:
"Alright! I promise, Senior! If I am fortunate enough to achieve Foundation Establishment one day, I will go to Spirit Sword Peak without fail — to stand by your side and share your burdens!"
Shen Hongmei heard his declaration and was first taken aback, then the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch slightly, as though she wanted to laugh but was forcibly holding it back.
She gave a nod, a faint note of approval in her voice:
"Mm. It is good that you have this resolve."
However.
Before that approval had lasted even a moment, Chen Yang followed it up with an equally firm addition:
"But — I am absolutely going to enter the Sect Master's Personal Disciple trial!"
The brief softening on Shen Hongmei's face vanished without a trace, replaced by an anger even greater than before:
"You! How can you be so obstinate?! Your cultivation is weak — you couldn't even react in time when Yang Tianming suddenly closed in on you. How do you expect to hold your own against him in the trial? If you dare enter that trial, I will…"
She did not finish. Her anger surged, and the powerful Spirit Pressure of a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator erupted from her in an instant!
She was not directing its full force at Chen Yang, but even so, the Spirit Pressure that flared in that moment made the air in the courtyard feel as though it had solidified.
At the same time, she raised her hand sharply. With a clear, ringing shring, the long sword at her waist — smooth as autumn water — leapt three inches from its scabbard.
Icy sword light flashed in the moonlight, carrying a piercing chill, poised to come slashing down at Chen Yang's head!
This was, of course, only a bluff. How could Shen Hongmei truly mean to harm Chen Yang?
She had measured her strike with great care, deliberately slowing her speed considerably, intending only to use this to make the reckless young man back down and face reality.
However.
In the split second that the sword light flared and the strike was on the verge of being unleashed — in that lightning-fast instant — Chen Yang, who had appeared to be frozen in place by her aura and the sudden draw of her sword, moved first despite having started later, drifting backward like a ghost, without the slightest warning!
His movement was not a simple retreat.
It carried a mysterious arc!
His feet wove and crossed, like the fleeting shadow of a startled swan, and in the blink of an eye he had retreated more than three meters away — precisely beyond the reach of Shen Hongmei's deliberately restrained strike!
Shen Hongmei's sword — three parts anger, seven parts bluff — hung suspended in midair.
Where the tip pointed, Chen Yang was nowhere to be found.
She stood there, sword in hand, frozen.
For the first time, her cool eyes showed an astonishment she could not conceal. She stared at Chen Yang, who had retreated to a distance, and the words escaped her before she could stop them:
"You… how did you retreat so fast?!"
Though she had not drawn on her spiritual energy or cultivation, relying only on her physical strength and the pressure of her sword, and had deliberately slowed her speed considerably — still, with her Foundation Establishment Stage mastery of her body, the speed and timing of that strike was not something a disciple who had only just broken through to the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm should have been able to dodge with ease!
Let alone dodge it so effortlessly, as though he had known it was coming — stepping aside with perfect, uncanny precision!
In the moonlight, Chen Yang's figure stood still at a distance, his chest rising and falling gently.
A flicker of surprise crossed his own eyes as well.
That last movement had been almost entirely instinctive — the Startled Swan Step he had only just begun practicing, not yet fully mastered, had somehow performed far beyond his expectations.
In the courtyard, only the sound of the night breeze remained, and Shen Hongmei's gaze — filled with disbelief — lingered on Chen Yang for a long, long time.