Chapter 46: Chapter 46

She has returned to her old routine of safely and smartly exploring her surroundings. By my estimates, we have explored as far as the center of the middle section of the Forbidden Ancestral Hunting Ground — though, considering what Zhao Wei said, it was not forbidden any longer.

Her reconnaissance methods also improve. She has the ability to fuse her consciousness with sword Qi and use it to explore ahead. As a result, we effortlessly avoid combat with demonic beasts when such is not necessary. I understand Lan Xiaohui’s reasons for avoiding combat: if she gets too injured, we do not have a safe place to recover until she explores her surroundings.

Still, I am very interested in her method of scouting, and I wonder if I could achieve the same whether or not I will be able to expand my suite of intelligence gathering tools. Right now, my perception is limited to sixty steps and I do not possess an efficient method to train it further at the moment.

[ Blood points: 24,894 ]

I am so close. Half a day of processing the corpses left in my storage and my opportunities will increase exponentially.

I review my internal storage and categorize its content. I possess about four cubic meters of materials that are not immediately useful: Spiritual Wood, mostly. Another cubic meter is dedicated to medicinal materials, some of which are processed into medicinal pastes. Most of my storage is dedicated to materials we obtained from demonic beasts, which need another processing cycle. Of the five cubic meters in terms of these materials, three are taken up by corpses — especially that large snake from Lan Xiaohui’s first hunt — that are taking a surprisingly long time to process.

Even though she upgraded my array, to stay on the safe side, I have not yet used my consciousness to improve the process. I cannot yet afford to lose my efficiency until Lan Xiaohui is finished scouting.

As we return from our latest trip, to the small pond with the Spiritual Water, I sense the presence of two life forms.

Before I even get a chance to warn Lan Xiaohui, she notices them too, and stops in her tracks. She sucks her lower lip between her teeth and her eyebrows lightly furrow.

She is wearing her dress again, and I float beside her, therefore the proof that she is aware of our guests comes in the form of her snatching me out of the air, and gently threading me through her black sash.

Her dress is pure white, with another layer of black silk draping over her sleeves. This arrangement is useful to hide weapons underneath the silk, but she doesn’t have any. Furthermore, she decides to store me under her sash, where only half of my vessel is concealed. At the very least, she could conceal my length or width, but I cannot deny that, for her Dao, this is the proper way.

Even on the path of demonic cultivation, she remains righteous — only killing those that meet her in fair combat. There is no rule that says one cannot be righteous and walk the path of selfishness. In the end, for the Dao, only the method matters — whether righteous or evil — but if an individual cooperates or kills others for power only has an effect on their reputation in the rivers and the lakes.

Taking a deep breath, Lan Xiaohui slowly speaks: “System command, Lily.”

The first time she spoke the words, I considered telling her that she does not need the “system command” part. But I also understand that her knowledge is limited, and that her upbringing is specific. A very large part of self-actualization is also habit and ritual. For Lan Xiaohui, this may be the only way for her to trigger my mnemonic sequence. At least for now.

Her consciousness falls into my inner sea like a waterfall. I can somewhat — obliquely — measure its potency and detect the presence of a force that seemingly effortlessly commands my consciousness and spills through my meridians, guiding my Qi. Even my Essence is moved by her force and this time our unity is deeper than before.

[ Insight: Gained a Deep Insight into the Dao of Soul after witnessing Soul Force. ]

Soul force. So that is what it is. My inner sea — could it be my soul, not just my consciousness?

I am tempted to direct my improved [Critical Analysis] towards it — very tempted — but I do not let the impatience and prospect of learning new mysteries get to me.

Lan Xiaohui is preparing for the worst. The two lifeforms that wait for her are cultivators, though they are not clear in my perception, and more like blobs of darkness that silhouette the shape of humans.

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One of them is in the Mid stage of Foundation Establishment, and the other is in the Late stage of the same realm.

The first one is familiar, in a vague sense, but I cannot identify them because they are shrouded in the other one’s domineering aura. They did not come to talk or barter, that much is clear.

Lan Xiaohui smiles darkly. “Sword, do you remember one of the first things you said to me?”

I remember everything I said and did while in my awakened state. However, I know what she is referring to.

“I asked you to deliver me to a powerful cultivator.”

Lan Xiaohui nods. “You said you didn’t want a weak master like me.” She brushes her hair over her shoulder. “There is a powerful cultivator over there.”

I am keenly aware of the meaning behind her words. She does not expect a favorable outcome.

“You have already delivered me to a powerful master,” I tell her. “You are no longer that helpless person you were before.”

I feel her heart harden — figuratively speaking — and a powerful resolve rises within its depths.

“You are not Lan Xiaohui anymore,” I tell her, striking while the iron is still hot so to speak. “Your past and attachments to it ended when you consumed my Essence and became mine and I yours. When you kill the Black Tiger, you will sever the last thread that connects you to your previous life. As neither of us has a past anymore, our futures are yours to do with as you please. I will go where you go.”

The soul force within my vessel is like a stream that was rapid and chaotic until that moment. Now, it is slow and organized, and despite the slowness, it feels heavier than before.

"I am not Lan Xiaohui anymore..." she murmurs in a barely audible tone.

“You chose the name Xue Lian; a lotus that survives and thrives in the snow — the most difficult of conditions. What will you do? There is no shame in retreating here.”

Lan Xiaohui smiles. “This Zhu Xuelian does not run from her enemies. The crimson petals of this flower only become redder in the snow.”

A vermilion snow lotus. It is a fitting name.

I sense the weakness in her heart dissipate. I sense her resolve and intent sharpen.

Slowly, she steps forward and heads in the direction of the two cultivators waiting for her. “I see my Dao. Without you, I cannot reach it. Even if there is nothing left for me in the future, I will still have you.”

Just as she speaks those words and steps into the clearing with the Spiritual Water pond, snow begins to fall. It is already winter.

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