After Faking Her Death and Escaping, the Junior Sister Fell to the Demonic Path - Chapter 10

Upon arriving at Hidden Snow Peak, True Lord Wen Qing did not stop. Instead, she flew her sword further up, taking the two young disciples to the very tip-top of the mountain.

This spot was currently the coldest on the entire Hidden Snow Peak. The ice and frost unknowingly released by Zhou Zhixue during the recent lightning tribulation remained, chilling Qin Qingyi until she shivered.

“Master, why have we come here?” She hugged her arms, shrunken by the cold.

If she had a choice, she truly did not want to come to this place. Her meridians, shattered by the lightning strike not long ago, had not fully healed yet. Remembering this, Qin Qingyi couldn’t help but sniffle. So pitiful. If she hadn’t come here, how could she, a perfectly fine fox, have suffered such a calamity?

As for the fact that she was ultimately struck—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside—because she had been too lax at the time, she chose to conveniently forget that detail.

True Lord Wen Qing didn’t even lift her head, using her jade flute as a sword to continuously etch a Spirit Gathering Array. “To unblock your junior sister’s spiritual veins.”

“Your little junior sister’s constitution is different from ordinary people, and she possesses the rare Ice Attribute. The usual methods for introducing Qi into the body won’t work for her. We must find another way. She just consumed a large number of spiritual plants, and now that the mixed spiritual energy is gathered in her major veins, it is the perfect time to pour Qi into her body and guide her to enter the path of cultivation.”

So that was it. Qin Qingyi suddenly understood.

“Then why didn’t you drop me off halfway down the mountain, Master?”

Qin Qingyi was eager for knowledge.

Master could have brought Zhou Zhixue here alone, so why bring her along, too?

Didn’t Master know she already had a psychological shadow about this place?

True Lord Wen Qing’s movements didn’t stop. The Spirit Gathering Array gradually took shape under her hands, and she could finally answer Qin Qingyi’s question:

“Soon, the spiritual energy of the entire Hidden Snow Peak will gather here. Naturally, you can also take this opportunity to cultivate properly. Perhaps you can attempt to break through your current realm. The pure and abundant spiritual energy might also be beneficial for your recently reconnected meridians.”

So that was the reason. Qin Qingyi nodded repeatedly. This was indeed a rare cultivation opportunity. If that was the case, her staying was not out of the question.

“But we have an agreement: after today, you will be responsible for this child’s cultivation.”

True Lord Wen Qing clearly didn’t intend to be the only one putting in the effort. With one sentence, she lightly roped the little fox in.

How could she be the one to work herself to death only for the little fox to reap the benefits? She cultivated the Carefree Sword path, and the vast world was the true home of the Carefree Sword. How could she remain stationed at Hidden Snow Peak just to teach disciples?

These mundane matters should be left to her eldest disciple to handle.

“Master, that’s not fair!” The little fox stamped her foot.

“She’s your disciple, not mine! Why should I be responsible?”

Unfortunately, True Lord Wen Qing wouldn’t be defeated by her morally upright arguments:

“Cultivators use strength to argue. Do you want to fight me?”

“Besides, she is your junior sister. Now that she is dependent and alone, are you going to abandon her?”

…

In the end, Qin Qingyi could not out-argue True Lord Wen Qing, who was quite pleased with herself.

When she was merely a disciple, not yet an elder of the Sword Sect, she could already shatter an opponent’s Dao Heart with just her words, causing their cultivation to stagnate for years. Now that she had become an elder, she had restrained herself considerably, but her strength had also advanced by countless stages since then.

Now, only a few people warranted her ‘reasoning’ with them; for everyone else, drawing her sword was enough.

Qin Qingyi huffed angrily but was helpless. Seeing that her Master had completed the Spirit Gathering Array, the next moment, the scene changed dramatically. The surrounding spiritual energy, almost solidified, coiled and circulated constantly.

It wasn’t just the spiritual plants consumed earlier, but also the diffused spiritual energy from the Thousand-Year Cold Lotus Elixir that hadn’t been fully absorbed before. Now, True Lord Wen Qing gathered it all once more, and the Spirit Gathering Array beneath the three of them immediately erupted in a brilliant white light.

This was a sign of abundant spiritual energy.

Qin Qingyi’s eyes lit up, and she quickly sat cross-legged.

This was a rare opportunity. With such dense spiritual energy, if she could absorb some of it, she might truly be able to fully repair her meridians, saving her the trouble of enduring those torturous medicinal baths.

On the cold jade platform at the peak of Hidden Snow Peak, True Lord Wen Qing etched complex array patterns into the ice surface, which flickered and gathered the surrounding spiritual energy.

Zhou Zhixue sat in the center of the array, her body gradually emitting a faint blue glow.

Three zhang (about 10 meters) away, Qin Qingyi still felt the chilling cold pierce her bones. The white mist she exhaled instantly condensed into ice crystals.

“Watch closely,” True Lord Wen Qing said, her wide sleeves fluttering, frost flowers dancing with the trajectory of her fingers. “The crucial points of introducing Qi into the body…”

The dense spiritual energy formed a vortex, continuously bathing the three people sitting in the array. It circulated through all the meridians for three major cycles, finally converging in the Dantian, where it was continuously compressed and merged, eventually turning into energy for their own use.

This process repeated over and over. Night fell and morning broke, and after the sun and moon had cycled three times, the spiritual energy on the peak of Hidden Snow Peak gradually thinned. The ice melted, and the Spirit Gathering Array beneath the three finally dimmed.

Qin Qingyi was the first to open her eyes, exhaling a mouthful of turbid air.

She stood up, stretching languidly, feeling refreshed.

Next was True Lord Wen Qing, and then Zhou Zhixue, who had successfully advanced from the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment.

The Thousand-Year Cold Lotus was truly a good thing, True Lord Wen Qing thought with satisfaction. Now, Zhou Zhixue’s Dantian was full of spiritual energy and was more resilient than that of ordinary cultivators. These were the benefits brought by the heavenly and earthly treasures.

This benefit was not only reflected at this moment. Her nourished meridians could withstand more spiritual energy, which would also be helpful for her future cultivation. One couldn’t say she would advance a thousand li in a day, but she would certainly have a major advantage over her peers.

“Master.”

Qin Qingyi bowed her hands.

Zhou Zhixue imitated her, bowing to True Lord Wen Qing: “Hello, Master.”

She was only a six-year-old child, just barely reaching Qin Qingyi’s waist, and, to be precise, only a little taller than the sword Remaining White. Her obedient appearance was enough to evoke pity and love in anyone’s heart.

However, True Lord Wen Qing took two steps back, flicked her sleeve, and soared away from Hidden Snow Peak. “Qingyi, I must enter seclusion for a few days. I will temporarily entrust this child to you.”

“Don’t disappoint me.”

With that, her figure gradually disappeared into the clouds and mist.

From a distance, a sound transmission reached Qin Qingyi’s ear: “While I’m away, make sure you hide your fox tail well for me. If you are exposed and caught, don’t blame me for not warning you today.”

“Master!” Qin Qingyi called out urgently. Her gasp startled the birds nesting on the cliff, and their wingbeats carried away True Lord Wen Qing’s gentle laughter, which faded into the distance.

Zhou Zhixue turned to look at Qin Qingyi blankly. A few ice chips still clung to her hair, yet she seemed not to feel the cold. Suddenly, she flashed a sweet smile at Qin Qingyi: “Senior Sister, I’m cold…”

Qin Qingyi looked at those clear eyes and finally sighed helplessly.

“Honestly, how can a Master be so irresponsible?”

She resignedly draped a fox-fur cloak over the little girl. When her fingertips touched the other’s palm, she was frozen numb by a sudden burst of cold air.

As expected of someone with a innate sword bone and an Ice Spirit Root. Even at the Foundation Establishment stage, she found the icy cold to be chilling to the bone.

Qin Qingyi withdrew her hand and blew hot air on it to warm it up. Then, she spoke softly to Zhou Zhixue, as if afraid to frighten her: “Come down the mountain with your Senior Sister to meet your other two senior brothers.”

It was just taking care of a young one. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before. She used to take care of fox cubs; now that she was at the Sword Sect, she took care of human cubs. It was all the same; as long as she could keep her alive, that was good enough.

The little girl nodded obediently, her moist eyes fixed on Qin Qingyi, looking utterly adorable and pitiful.