Mei Man never got to see what the inner disciples’ residence looked like.
The outer disciples’ quarters lay roughly to the west, the inner disciples’ quarters in the center, while the residences of the immortal lords and their personal disciples stood on the main peak in the east.
Her senior sister took her into a teleportation array, sending her straight to the main peak.
Once they stepped out of the array, her senior sister pointed the way. “Follow this path west. You’ll pass the archery grounds, and Immortal Master Shen’s residence is just beyond them. There’ll be a servant guarding the entrance—just hand the medicine to him. If anything happens, use this communication talisman. I’ve infused it with some spiritual energy. Tear it in half and it’ll work.”
Mei Man took the bright yellow talisman and turned it over several times, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Her senior sister was in a hurry to leave, but before going, she still gave Mei Man a few final instructions. “Once you’ve delivered it, wait for me here in front of the teleportation array. I’ll need about two hours. And remember: don’t wander off, and don’t go inside the residence.”
Mei Man paid little attention.
If she didn’t go in and see Shen Shushi with her own eyes, how would he know that she had dragged her sickly body all the way there to deliver his medicine?
Then wouldn’t this trip have been for nothing?
She nodded perfunctorily and headed in the direction her senior sister had indicated.
She couldn’t sense spiritual energy, but ever since arriving at the main peak, she felt as though she were soaking in a warm pool. Her mind had also grown much clearer. She guessed it was because the spiritual energy here was so abundant, but no matter how plentiful it was, it was of no use to her in her current state.
She hadn’t gone far when she heard a burst of laughter and playful shouting.
Following the sound, Mei Man saw a square training ground. Several tall targets stood along one side, while spiritual targets floated in midair, darting about like birds so quickly that they were difficult to follow with the naked eye.
That must be the archery ground her senior sister had mentioned. Four or five cultivators were practicing there, men and women alike, all dressed in fitted martial robes with sleeves like a swordsman’s, each outfit a different color.
Since they were here, they were probably the personal disciples of the various immortal lords.
One of the male cultivators raised a longbow and condensed an arrow from spiritual energy. He took aim at a target racing chaotically through the air.
The arrow shot out and grazed the target, missing it, though it did make the target wobble wildly in midair for a while.
The others immediately applauded and cheered.
Watching that spiritual energy fly about, Mei Man’s heart twisted with a sourness far worse than envy. It was as if it had been stuffed full of sharp stones. The little stones rolled back and forth, grinding out a pain that was both scalding and jagged.
She stared fixedly at the training ground, wishing she could bore holes through every single one of them with her eyes.
Perhaps her gaze had been too intense, for the cultivators noticed her.
The female cultivator who had started applauding was the first to spot Mei Man. She let out an inquisitive “Huh?” and the others all turned to look as well.
Being watched by so many people at once made Mei Man suddenly feel awkward. Her fingers dug tightly into her palm, and her eyes darted away.
She instinctively wanted to leave, but before she could even turn around, the cultivators had appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye, like a pack of ghosts.
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.” The male cultivator at the front spoke first. He was strikingly handsome, with a bright, open gaze, though there was an unmistakable arrogance to him.
The female cultivator beside him smiled. “You look so unfamiliar. Want to join us?”
The leading male cultivator took a step forward. His tall, broad figure nearly blocked out the sun.
“Yeah, come play with us. I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name? Which immortal lord is your master? Should we be calling you Junior Sister?” he asked, firing off one question after another. He seemed to be something of a chatterbox.
His excessive enthusiasm left Mei Man at a loss and made her uncomfortable. She simply lowered her head and said nothing, regretting that she hadn’t gone around the archery grounds.
Unfortunately, he failed to notice her discomfort and was even preparing to introduce himself. “I’m—”
A tall figure suddenly emerged from the side. He grabbed Mei Man by the arm and pulled her behind him, shielding her completely from view.
She hadn’t had time to compose her expression. Her face was still gloomy, but her eyes instinctively lifted.
The person standing in front of her wore his hair in a high ponytail and was dressed in black-and-red martial robes. A black longbow was strapped to his back, accentuating his narrow waist and powerful frame.
Golden-threaded boots covered his feet, and a cluster of white jade ornaments hung from his waist. When he moved, a faint fragrance drifted through the air—clean and elegant, so refined that he truly looked like an immortal.
Mei Man couldn’t see his face, but she recognized him.
It was Second Brother Qiu, Qiu Heyang.
“Qiu Heyang, what are you doing? Don’t tell me you know this junior sister?” the leading male cultivator asked, his tone somewhat displeased.
“She’s my friend. She doesn’t like dealing with strangers. You lot crowded around her in such a huge mob—don’t you realize how frightening you are?” Qiu Heyang’s voice was light and cheerful, as though he were the most straightforward and genuine person in the world.
But Mei Man knew that this was merely his outward appearance. In truth, he was arrogant enough to regard no one as worthy of his attention, and his methods were as ruthless as his elder brother’s.
The male cultivator said, “So she’s your friend. You should’ve said so earlier. I’ve never heard you mention her.”
Another female cultivator cut in, “Tch, you’re hopeless. Can’t you tell? Qiu Heyang, why don’t you invite her to play with us? We’re strangers now, but we’ll get familiar eventually.”
The male cultivator added, “Does she know how to shoot? If not, I can teach her.”
Mei Man glanced at the distant targets. Just those few targets were probably worth more than the entire outer disciples’ quarters. Even a casual flicker of spiritual energy drifting through the air would be enough to crush the cultivators in the outer quarters until they could barely lift their heads.
Sometimes, it was no wonder her heart had become so twisted that black bile seemed to seep from it. Opportunities that other people could beg for their entire lives were nothing more than a game to these people.
Mei Man lowered her head and stared at a crack between the bricks beneath her feet, only to suddenly realize that even the bricks were etched with floating Taiji patterns. At a glance, it was obvious that they contained profound spiritual energy.
In an instant, she felt as though her heart had been twisted into a knot. At that moment, anyone who spoke to her might cause that knot to snap apart, turning into a verbal whip that would lash the other person mercilessly.
If she hadn’t still possessed some sense, she might have pounded her chest, burst into tears, and demanded through sobs and streaming mucus why Heaven was so unfair.
But no one was forcing her to speak, and she hadn’t yet gone completely mad. So she merely stood gloomily behind Qiu Heyang, resembling a resentful spirit burdened by years of accumulated grievance.
She really was far too well-mannered.
“No.” Qiu Heyang refused without the slightest hesitation. “It’s not easy for her to come visit me. What would be the point of having her play with all of you? Enough. I’m taking her to have some tea. You all carry on practicing.”
Mei Man had assumed he was merely using that as an excuse, but to her surprise, he genuinely thought she had come to see him.
The moment they entered the teahouse beside the archery grounds, he said, “Little Mei, what brought you here today? I can’t believe you actually decided to come see me.”
Apparently, people like him all suffered from the same affliction. They imagined themselves to be a bonfire, believing that the moment they appeared, the whole world would join hands and start circling around them.
But that was the sort of thing one could only think, not say aloud. Mei Man answered honestly, “I only had time today, so I came to see you.”
“I thought you’d become so absorbed in life at the outer disciples’ quarters that you’d forgotten all about your old friend.” Qiu Heyang pinched her arm and looked her over. “You’re sturdier than before. That’s a good thing.”
“The training in the outer quarters is intense,” Mei Man said.
“That’s how you build a solid foundation.” Qiu Heyang lounged carelessly in his chair, propping his chin on one hand. “Did you see that cultivator just now?”
“Which one?”
“The one at the front—the male cultivator who asked your name.”
Mei Man immediately pictured that man.
But knowing Qiu Heyang’s temper, she said, “I didn’t get a good look.”
Sure enough, his expression eased a little. He cast her a haughty sidelong glance. “A piece of trash who’s only at Foundation Establishment, and he dares to make a racket in front of me? That lowlife. If he weren’t still useful, I would’ve shattered his spiritual meridians long ago. Do you think I’d have let him live this long?”
If anyone else had heard him, they might have assumed he was merely speaking out of anger. But Mei Man knew he wasn’t joking.
After all, he had actually done it before.
During a sparring match, he had crushed someone’s spiritual meridians outright, then pretended it had been an accident. With reddened eyes, he had apologized to his opponent.
Everyone believed he hadn’t done it on purpose. After all, he had always seemed cheerful and generous in front of others. Who could have imagined that he was an entirely different person behind closed doors?
Sometimes Mei Man even wondered whether there were two people living inside him. Whenever he was in front of her, the other one would come bounding out.
Vicious, ruthless, arrogant, and disdainful of everyone.
Perhaps he was certain she wouldn’t dare repeat any of this, which was why he could speak so freely.
Besides, she would dutifully flatter him now and then, saying things like, “He doesn’t look as impressive as you.”
Qiu Heyang shifted his gaze back to her, a smile appearing on his face.
His smile was deeply deceptive. With his slightly drooping eyes, he looked fresh-faced and innocent. When he revealed the tips of his sharp little canine teeth, anyone would have taken him for a good person.
In reality, he was just a foulmouthed bastard in private, Mei Man silently cursed inwardly.
“Little Mei, don’t even mention him,” he said. “Someone like that isn’t fit to be called an ant. He’d only dirty your mouth.”
Mei Man couldn’t figure out what he was thinking, so she simply stopped talking.
Qiu Heyang looked out the window again and gave a cold snort. “And he’s even teaching people archery. Who does he think he is? That shabby little archery skill of his isn’t fit for the public eye, yet he actually has the nerve to boast about it.”
As he spoke, he spun an arrow between his fingers. When he finished, he snapped it cleanly in two and tossed it aside.
Mei Man’s heart ached at the sight.
The arrowhead alone looked like it was of excellent quality. Who knew how many spirit stones it had cost? What a wasteful spendthrift.
She asked, “Are you still going to use that arrow? If not, I can throw it away for you.”
Before he could answer, Mei Man had already stepped forward and picked up the two broken halves.
“Just leave it there. Why bother making the trip?” Qiu Heyang caught her hand and, using the momentum, pulled her in front of him. He looked up at her. “How have you been in the outer sect courtyard? I wanted to visit you, but my elder brother said it wouldn’t do you any good. After thinking it over, I decided he was right, so I could only bear to wait for now.”
Mei Man answered sincerely, “You don’t have to visit me.”
Qiu Heyang wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her lower abdomen. Then he looked up at her with his eyes, seeming almost like he was acting spoiled. “Little Mei, Manman, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
He was always saying that the two of them were friends. She, however, didn’t dare think of them that way.
Although he treated her well at present, he acted as if he found everyone displeasing. What if one day he found her displeasing too? Wouldn’t he deal with her the way he dealt with those other people? By then, she wouldn’t even know how she had died.
Naturally, she couldn’t let any of that show. She nodded, all the while thinking only of finding an excuse to slip away as soon as possible.
Just then, a burst of laughter and conversation came from outside the tea room. It was those several cultivators.
Hearing them approach, Qiu Heyang clicked his tongue impatiently.
He rose and said, “Little Mei, wait here. I’ll go out and take a look.”
Mei Man nodded, but the moment he stepped outside, she ran out through the other side.
