chapter 5

It took me an entire day to sort the haul.

Pills, talismans, spirit plants, enchanted treasures—it contained everything imaginable. I even found two pairs of Shen Yuening’s underpants in one storage pouch.

I stared at them in silence.

Those were unnecessary.

I resolved to cultivate even harder. I absolutely could not tarnish Master’s good name.

Before locking me away, the enforcement elder warned me not to steal again. To his face, I said I would obey. The moment he turned around, I muttered, “As if.”

I might not have studied, but even I knew that a teacher for one day was a father for life. The old servants at home also said that an unmarried woman obeyed her father and a married woman obeyed her husband. Therefore, within the great family of the Wuji Sect, I naturally had to obey Master in all things.

There were too few disciples on the rear mountain, so my cultivation advanced slowly. In response, I developed a new skill.

I rolled my divine sense into a thin thread, stretched it all the way to Lingxiao Peak, and continued stealing Shen Yuening’s spiritual qi.

Feeling my cultivation begin to grow again, however slowly, I nodded in satisfaction.

They released me before my three-year sentence was over.

The reason was that the Enforcement Hall disciples were too petty to tolerate me.

They lay on the floor and threw tantrums before the elder.

“Elder, please let her out! I delivered her meals twice, and now my storage pouch is so empty I could crawl inside it!”

The elder ordered a different disciple to take over.

The replacement reacted even more violently, fleeing a great distance before shouting that they had been assigned only a few days ago. Everyone else’s storage pouches had already been reduced to cleaning rags.

So I returned to Lingxiao Peak.

I happened to arrive as Eldest Senior Brother emerged from Shen Yuening’s cave. He was astonished to see me.

“It has not been three years. Junior Sister Shen, how did you get out?”

I thought about it. “I suppose they released me early for good behavior.”

He told me that Shen Yuening was about to enter a minor secret realm to find heavenly treasures for the Vermilion Bird, hoping to help it hatch sooner.

My eyes lit up. “Is there a lot of spiritual qi inside?”

Eldest Senior Brother puffed out his chest with pride. “This secret realm is renowned throughout the cultivation world. It holds abundant resources and belongs to the Wuji Sect alone. Unfortunately, only Qi Refinement disciples may enter. Junior Sister Shen, I am afraid your cultivation is too high.”

Before he finished speaking, I dispersed half the spiritual qi in my body. My cultivation instantly dropped to the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

Eldest Senior Brother stumbled backward. He looked me up and down for a long time before stammering, “Th-this is impossible! Junior Sister Shen, how did you do that?”

He had cultivated for forty years and had never seen anyone lower their own realm at will.

I waved a hand. What was so remarkable about it?

All this qi had been borrowed. Borrowed things were supposed to be returned.

Eldest Senior Brother stuffed a secret-realm token into my hand and walked away with his arms and legs moving in stiff unison. Under his breath, he muttered, “Master must have taught Junior Sister Shen a secret art.”

With the token in hand, I felt slightly calmer.

Ever since he mentioned Shen Yuening’s trip, invisible needles seemed to prick my entire body. My heart also felt strangely hollow, as if I were about to lose something important.

This mysterious intuition had saved me many times.

The day Perfected Yuanchen came to the Shen estate to accept disciples, no one intended to tell me. Yet I grew so restless that I slipped into the front courtyard. Just as they were putting away the spiritual-root stone, I overcame my terror of punishment from Father’s principal wife and slammed my hand onto it.

I had gambled correctly.

That was how I escaped a mortal life in which I controlled nothing and entered the cultivation world.

When the secret realm opened, I charged inside one step ahead of Shen Yuening.

From the corner of my eye, I saw her staring at me in disbelief. The hatred and killing intent in her gaze left no doubt that, if she had the strength, she would cut me into a thousand pieces.

I sighed. I truly could not understand when I had offended her.

As expected, spiritual qi filled the secret realm.

Countless streams fought to enter my body. I dared not absorb too much, afraid an accidental breakthrough would get me expelled.

I looked coldly at all the qi that had once been beyond my reach.

“Oh? You want me now? Beg.”