Chapter 160: 161

Chapter 161 - I Owe a Debt of Gratitude and Grant You a Technique

Su Yi wouldn’t have guessed that the Sword of the Nine Hells would bring him such good fortune as he achieved “full spiritual awakening of the acupoints”.

Just tempering and awakening his acupoints was rare to the point that it was almost unheard of. Even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a few others like him.

But the sudden transformation originating from the Sword of the Nine Hells had, in one fell swoop, turned his “fully spiritually awakened acupoints” into something incomparably terrifying.

In his past life, of Su Yi’s nine inheriting disciples, only the youngest, Qing Tang, had achieved full spiritual awakening of the acupoints under his guidance. Her spiritual apertures shone within her, like the stars of the night sky, giving rise to the miraculous and strange phenomenon, “celestial tides”, or “nebulas”. 

But compared to the “Dao Swords within the acupoints” he’d just condensed, that was small potatoes.

When I first started practicing the ‘Universal Self-Embodiment Sutra’, the Sword of the Nine Hells reacted strangely.

But that time, it moved to suppress the power of the Nine-Layered Divine Chains. This time was completely different.

Interesting! So does that mean that the movements of the Sword of the Nine Hells are connected to breakthroughs in my cultivation?

With the knowledge and countless years of cultivation experience of his past life, Su Yi could roughly discern that when his cultivation underwent a qualitative breakthrough, it would resonate with the Sword of the Nine Hells and bring him unpredictable benefits.

For example, this time, the Sword of the Nine Hells supported his breakthrough as he achieved full spiritual awakening of the acupoints, triggering a metamorphosis in the foundations of his early-stage Qi Accumulation Realm cultivation. 

After a while, Su Yi set those thoughts aside and glanced at the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast sprawled out in the crater. The beast’s snowy fur was stained red with blood. Its bright eyes had dulled, and it was listless and weak. When it sensed Su Yi’s gaze, it couldn’t hide its terror and despair.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then walked right toward it.

“Roar!” The Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast roared in desperation, agitation, and unease.

“Wicked creature that you are, today, you helped me establish my Dao. You’ve done me a good turn. How could I possibly take your life?” Su Yi smiled dryly, then took out a translucent, bright red Fire Peach and tossed it over. “This is one of the three Pure Yang Fire Peaches I’ve been saving. Consider yourself lucky.”

The Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast was stunned, as if it dared not believe what was happening. It sniffed the fruit, hesitated briefly, then opened its maw and devoured the peach in a single gulp.

It instantly regained much of its fading life force, and its eyes shone with renewed light.

Su Yi then tossed over a handful of recovery medicines. “I have always been straightforward. This is true in regard to grudges, but also when it comes to others’ benevolence. Our meeting was a stroke of fate, so once your injuries recover, I’ll grant you an art of transformation.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the stone cave.

When he saw the corpse of the Bright Tiger lying on the ground, he added, “Right, I’m not the one who killed your descendant, so if you want to avenge that particular grudge, don’t come looking for me.”

He didn’t concern himself with whether or not the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast believed him. He just sat, crossed his legs, and began meditating. During this battle, he too had suffered numerous injuries, and it would take a long time for him to fully recover.

Cha Jin watched this play out in a daze; she felt as if she were dreaming.

Finally, she exhaled, then stood silently before the cave, watching the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flame Beast treat its wounds. Her expression changed erratically.

This was a rare powerhouse even among tier-nine spirit beasts, a monster even fifth-level Grandmasters would run from. Yet just now, the early-stage Qi Accumulation Realm Su Yi had suppressed it barehanded!

When she recalled his domineering ease and transcendent bearing in battle, Cha Jin found it hard to suppress her shaking heart.

What she found truly unbelievable was that in the end, Su Yi chose not to slay the beast. On the contrary, he gave it medicine; he saw their fierce battle as a stroke of fate.

And he even offered to teach the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flame Beast to transform!

Is this the bearing of a true cultivator?

Cha Jin was inwardly dazed. She felt as if Su Yi were shrouded in dense layers of mist, which hid numerous, unknowable secrets. The longer she spent with him, the harder it was to suppress her curiosity. She simply couldn’t help herself.

Time slipped by.

Shortly before dawn, the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast suddenly rose. Those lustrous, jade-like eyes glanced towards the cave.

Cha Jin went slightly rigid, but she soon discovered that the spirit beast seemed hesitant. It paused, then quickly disappeared into the inky darkness of the night.

It doesn’t even want the art of transformation? It seems this glorious tier-nine spirit beast has already been scared out of its wits, to the point that it dares not linger…. As this thought occurred to her, a faint, inexplicable smile rose on Cha Jin’s pink lips. She seemed to think it interesting, and she seemed to take pride in it.

Before long, day broke.

The gentle light of dawn dispersed the darkness, bathing the vast mountains and sweeping rivers. The whole world instantly lit up with a wide array of colors, clear and bright.

The distant mountain range was swathed in layers of cloud, and the blue peaks were dotted with scattered, towering trees. From time to time, a flock of birds flew past, their cries sonorous. All of creation flourished.

Cha Jin hadn’t slept all night, but she didn’t feel the least bit exhausted. After all, she was a martial artist. Skipping a few days of rest was no big deal.

“Let’s go.” Su Yi rose, then put away his wicker chair.

It was only then that Cha Jin realized that, at some point, he’d changed out of his tattered, bloodstained clothes. He now wore a new set of pristine blue robes.

He seemed to be in high spirits, and he looked transcendent and detached.

The two of them began their journey. As they walked through the wilderness, they occasionally spotted wild fruit, which Cha Jin plucked to fill their stomachs.

After what happened last night, Cha Jin felt that traversing the mountainous wilderness wasn’t so tiring after all.

She was in high spirits. Now, as she surveyed the scenery lining their path, she sensed some of its natural charms.

Splish splash splash!

Around noon, they saw a waterfall pouring down a nearby cliff, like a white dragon lowering its head. The sound boomed like thunder.

Cha Jin’s eyes lit up. She hesitated briefly, then whispered, “Young Lord, I’d like to stop to bathe beneath the waterfall.”

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They’d traversed mountains and rivers for days, and they were already covered in filth. Cha Jin loved beauty and cleanliness, and even she was starting to find her own stench hard to bear.

“I’ll go first, but if you don’t mind, we can also bathe together.” With that, Su Yi headed straight towards the waterfall.

Cha Jin was stunned. It was unclear what she was thinking, but her peerlessly beautiful, delicate features flushed red. Tch! Who the hell invites a woman to bathe with them so casually?

But even as she thought this, she was already rushing after him. She naturally wasn’t that relaxed; she just planned to keep a lookout for him. 

There was a pool of water beneath the waterfall, with scattered rocks. The falling water had polished their surfaces until they were bright as mirrors, and the pool was crystal clear. As the waterfall fell, it stirred up waves and mists, which caught the light, resulting in an indistinct and ethereal rainbow.

Su Yi had already removed his clothes, and he soaked naked within the pool. His tall figure was lean, even thin, but his muscles were clearly defined, and his skin was lustrous as jade. 

When she saw him off in the distance, relaxing within the flowing water and closing his eyes contentedly, Cha Jin felt itchy; she wanted to jump right in and clean herself off too.

But in the end, she held back.

How could she possibly jump in and bathe with Su Yi? That would be way too embarrassing!

A little while later.

Su Yi rose from the pool, dried himself off, put on fresh clothes, and tied his hair up in a Daoist topknot. His entire body felt comfortable and relaxed, which put him in a better mood.

It wasn’t just Cha Jin who loved cleanliness; he was a bit of a neat freak too.

“Go ahead and wash up.” Su Yi put his hands behind his back, then walked toward a shady patch of forest and leaned against a boulder.

Cha Jin started to speak, then hesitated.

She’d planned to request that Su Yi keep a lookout for her, but when she considered her status, she sighed, then turned and rushed off.

When she reached the pool, she peeled off her clothes in layers, then folded them and arranged them in a neat pile atop a nearby rock. She removed her hairpin; she now wore nothing but a blue silk bodice, just enough to obscure the ‘beautiful scenery’ of her chest, and cloth undergarments. She left these on as she walked into the water. A moment later, the entirety of her slender, snowy figure was submerged within the gentle waves of the limpid pool.

When she sensed the clear water flowing over her skin, she couldn’t help but sigh. Her eyes shut, and her pretty face looked utterly content.

But inwardly, she couldn’t help but recall everything she’d experienced with Su Yi.

They met for the first time shortly after arriving in the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital. At the time, she thought he was just a young talent the sixth prince thought highly of, someone with the skill to slay a Grandmaster.

She would never have guessed their first meeting would open the curtains on an ill-fated relationship….

As her thoughts raced, her beautiful face flitted between anger, embarrassment, bitterness, and melancholy….

“You’re still not done?” came an impatient voice, seemingly out of nowhere.

Cha Jin’s delicate figure shook. The sound immediately stunned her back to her senses.

When she saw Su Yi standing not far from the pool, she jumped like a startled fawn and instinctively covered her chest. Her fair features flushed red, and she was instantly on guard.

What’s he doing here?

The waters are so clear…. One glance was surely enough to see many things he shouldn’t. He…. He… What did he see just now?

Cha Jin curled up within the pool and quivered.

Su Yi watched this play out with great interest, and he made no attempt to hide it, either.

After a while, he said, “It’s true; nothing drains a man’s patience more than a woman’s bath.”

With that, a set of clean clothes appeared in his hand. He set them on a nearby rock. “These are my clothes. Take them.”

Cha Jin was dumbstruck. This conceited guy barely even seems to notice other people, yet he realized that I’ve already run out of clean clothes to change into?

She felt an inexplicable warmth fill her heart. So, even someone like him can be kind and considerate like this…

But almost immediately after she thought this, Su Yi took out a heavy bundle and dropped it on the ground. “These are my dirty clothes. When you’re done, wash them too.”

With that, he put his hands behind his back and sauntered off.

Cha Jin was stunned. That thread of warmth and gratitude disappeared on the spot, and the corners of her red lips twitched imperceptibly.

So, he just did this because he wanted me to wash his clothes….

After a moment, Cha Jin sighed to herself. She already knew that he saw her as a servant, and washing and folding his clothes was her responsibility to begin with. Was there anything wrong with his request?

There wasn’t.

So why was she a bit despondent? Why did she find it so hard to take?

Meanwhile, in a shady patch of forest, Su Yi was just about to sit back down when his eyebrows shot up, and he gazed into the distance.

With a thud, something heavy fell to the ground. Then, a blurry white figure flashed and disappeared.

Su Yi walked confidently over, then saw an unconscious wild boar lying in the grass.

Seth's Thoughts

Cha Jin is wearing an old-fashioned style of undergarments no longer in use. If you’re interested, you can find pictures here.

(Don’t worry! The photos are just the garments, and they’re not at all risque. If you dare not look, they’re actually kinda like boxers, except a bit longer and without the elastic waistbands.)

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