The Immortal Lord of the Path of Ruthlessness Bends for Me - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: A Crimson Only Known to the Intimate

“Zhao beauty, eat.” Fire Sparrow’s porcelain-white hand lightly brushed over Zhao Chi’s hand, which was resting on the table. The hand’s owner was still staring blankly at the steamed dumpling in her bowl.

Taking her silence for tacit consent, Fire Sparrow grew bolder, her fingers sliding toward the gaps between Zhao Chi’s fingers. Zhao Chi snapped back to her senses, jerked her hand away, and moved her chair back in disgust.

Fire Sparrow rested her chin on her palm, teasing Zhao Chi: “Your skin has become even smoother. It seems life on Qingxi Mountain treats you well.”

Every pair of eyes at the table turned toward them. Auntie Hai’s gaze was particularly meaningful. Zhao Chi’s ears turned beet red; she buried her head in her food, not daring to look up. Seeing this only made Fire Sparrow more excited. She slid her chair closer, leaning in as if to reach for a dish, purposefully pressing her chest against Zhao Chi’s elbow. “I can’t reach… Zhao beauty, won’t you pick up a shumai for me?”

Zhao Chi retracted her arm with all her might, leaning toward Li Chang. Li Chang, an eternal “good person” whose brain lacked even a single spark of romantic intuition, accidentally saved the day: “I’ll get it for you!”

Even Ling Shu couldn’t help but snicker. Zhao Chi kept stealing glances at Ling Shu; seeing the girl’s amusement, a faint sense of loss sank into her heart.

Fire Sparrow smiled and held out her bowl to accept Li Chang’s kindness. After thanking her, she heard Li Chang ask: “There’s a monthly exam in mid-February. Are you two coming?”

Zhao Chi answered without a second thought: “No.”

Ling Shu realized her opportunity had arrived. She asked: “Is this trial important?”

Li Chang explained: “It happens once a month and affects your GPA. It counts for a third of your total score. Another third comes from attendance and coursework—you don’t need to worry about that; just finish your work and show up.”

Zhao Chi interjected: “And you don’t need to worry about it?”

Li Chang stammered: “That… we’re talking about important things! Don’t bring me into it!”

“Oh,” Zhao Chi replied.

Li Chang continued: “What matters are the monthly exams and the end-of-term grand exam. If your monthly scores are high, you can pass the grade even if you get a ‘C’ on the final.”

Ling Shu said excitedly: “I’m going! I’m going! I’m going!”

Auntie Hai hurriedly said: “Miss Ling, your memory hasn’t returned yet; you can’t participate in the trials! Besides, it doesn’t matter if you pass or not. The Immortal won’t kick you off the mountain. Those chosen disciples usually just study casually for show anyway. You don’t need to stress yourself over a monthly exam.”

Ling Shu turned to Auntie Hai: “No, no! It’s so boring on Qingxi Mountain. I want to go play at the trial grounds. Besides, the elders treasure the inner disciples; the trials aren’t lethal. I’m going!”

Auntie Hai was firm: “No!”

Ling Shu turned to Zhuang Jinfu. In big matters, the Master had the final say. Zhuang Jinfu was currently staring at a specific spot on the table. Ling Shu followed her gaze, stood up with a grin, and placed the dish of Crab-Stuffed Orange in front of her. She shook the Immortal’s arm, trying her best to act like a sixteen-year-old girl, mimicking Li Chang’s sweet voice: “Master, can I go?”

With her favorite dish before her and hearing Ling Shu’s honeyed voice, Zhuang Jinfu felt a wave of comfort. “You may.”

Ling Shu was overjoyed. She suddenly leaned in and planted a loud “Muah!” on Zhuang Jinfu’s cheek. Tilting her head, she said: “I knew Master understood me best!”

Zhuang Jinfu sat in silence. Ling Shu bounced away immediately after, leaving the Immortal at the head of the table, struggling to maintain her composure.

Auntie Hai cast another one of those knowing looks. Zhuang Jinfu snapped back to reality and, seeing the look, immediately placed a piece of bitter melon—which Auntie Hai hated but Li Chang loved—into the older woman’s bowl. She said mildly: “Auntie Hai, you’ve worked hard on the cooking.”

Auntie Hai understood: this was blatant retaliation. She didn’t back down: “Indeed! Making breakfast is exhausting! Shouldn’t the Immortal give me a raise?”

Zhuang Jinfu played deaf: “What? You want more bitter melon?”

Li Chang felt she had found a kindred spirit: “What?! Auntie Hai likes bitter melon too? Here, have mine, take it all!”

Auntie Hai: “…”

After breakfast, Li Chang was supposed to leave, but she saw Ruixue licking her fur by the fish pond and decided to stay a while longer.

Auntie Hai was busy, and the Immortal had retreated to her study for some peace. Ling Shu had nothing to do, but no one expected her to handle social etiquette, so Zhao Chi was left to entertain the guest.

Ling Shu sat on a stone table, her long legs draped lazily as she tossed sparks of magic into the air, lost in thought. She gathered pinkish-purple demon power in her palm, forming it into a ball and tossing it up and down. She felt that while she could control this power, every use came with a price. Heavy usage caused the energy to go wild inside her. Why? She decided to ask Zhuang Jinfu.

Inside the study, Zhuang Jinfu sat behind a desk decorated with qilin figurines. The white paper previously on the desk had been replaced by six dark, irregularly shaped stones.

Entering the room again, Ling Shu recalled the disrespectful drawing she had made here and her argument with Zhuang Jinfu. Her heart fluttered. She tried to steady her voice: “Master, I can control the demon power my mother gave me, but after I use it, it goes into a frenzy. Why is that?”

Zhuang Jinfu toyed with a piece of Cold Iron, her fingers tapping rhythmically. “About that…”

Two choices lay before her. One was to keep the reason hidden, halting Ling Shu’s progress so she would remain at the Foundation stage, dependent on the Immortal’s qi. The other was to go against Wang Lifu’s wishes and tell her the truth. Knowing the reason would inevitably lead Ling Shu to seek higher cultivation. As her Master, she could not ignore her disciple’s path. She had to aid her.

“Because you are only at the Foundation stage. The power you can manage is limited. A thousand years of demon energy is far beyond your current capacity to contain.”

She chose to tell her.

Ling Shu had an epiphany: “So, if I raise my cultivation realm, the problem will be solved.”

“Yes.”

“Then Master, when will you start teaching me to cultivate?”

“We can start now.”

“What?”

Zhuang Jinfu tapped the air. Ice crystals lingered where her finger touched, and the surroundings began to warp. Ling Shu was pulled into a transparent block of ice. When her vision cleared, everything was icy blue.

Beneath her feet was a crisscrossed surface of ice; she could faintly see running water underneath. The sky was a cloudless cerulean. There was nothing around except for Zhuang Jinfu, standing ten feet away.

Zhuang Jinfu held out a hand. In her palm sat a jade qilin. “Today, I will teach you movement.”

“To pass, you must take this jade qilin.”

Ling Shu was eager to try. It was only ten feet; she could just run over. But as soon as she started, several massive square blocks of ice rose from the ground, blocking her path and beginning to shift. Ling Shu charged in.

The blocks moved left, right, forward, and back without any obvious pattern. Just as she dodged one, the block on her right closed in, forming a pincer with the one on the left. Ling Shu stepped back, but the sound of shifting ice came from behind. She turned; a block was heading straight for her.

The blocks on the sides hadn’t collided yet, so she lunged forward. Just as her feet escaped, a loud bang echoed behind her.

The first stage was passed.

A “shing” sound made her heart skip a beat. She looked up to her left; as expected, ice spikes were flying toward her. These spikes shimmered with white magic. Zhuang Jinfu’s ice was no joke; last time, a mere graze had almost cut to the bone.

Ling Shu scrambled to dodge. However, the spikes were too fast, and with the moving blocks, she was becoming overwhelmed. She gathered demon power in her palm, but Zhuang Jinfu stopped her: “No demon power.”

Through the ice blocks, she saw the elegant figure standing beyond. Ling Shu resolved to get that qilin. She retracted her power and used her body’s natural agility to weave through the obstacles. She realized the ice spikes appeared intentionally to stop her from overextending her charges or retreating too far—they were forcing her movement into a balanced rhythm of offense and defense.

Once she caught the rhythm, she dodged smoothly and moved to the next stage.

Zhuang Jinfu’s silhouette became clearer. Ling Shu was happy, but she grew careless. Her foot landed on a patch of ice that shattered instantly. As she began to fall, a thread of magic wrapped around her, keeping her afloat.

Zhuang Jinfu’s voice came from nearby: “In an array, you must watch all directions and listen to all sounds. Monitor the changes at all times.”

“Do not make this mistake again.”

“Mhm, Ling Bao understands.”

The magic carried her forward. Ling Shu’s toes touched solid ground. The ice blocks were still moving, and the ground beneath her began to crack again. She jumped immediately to the next spot. Every foothold was temporary. The speed of the moving blocks was now faster than ever.

Ling Shu hesitated for a split second, and it was too late. Blocks were closing in from all sides, and the ice beneath her gave way. She fell directly into the water.

The water was bone-chillingly cold. Fortunately, her feet could touch the bottom. Seeing blocks closing in over the surface from all directions, Ling Shu held her breath and dove deep.

Thud, thud! Two blocks collided above her head.

Zhuang Jinfu’s clear voice echoed: “If this were a true killing array, you would be dead.”

Refusing to lose, Ling Shu climbed out of the freezing water. “Again!”

She didn’t stop at any foothold this time. Overcoming the numbing cold of her wet clothes, she moved through the array like a nimble wild fox. She realized the trick: only by staying in motion, stepping from one block to the next without pause, could she prevent the ice from shattering.

She had understood. This stage had only one secret: “No hesitation.”

Once your foot lands, do not doubt. Even if you step in the wrong direction, do not stop to think about turning back. Move forward quickly and correct your course as you go. Progress through the mistakes.

Firmly choose the ice you have chosen. This was what Zhuang Jinfu wanted to teach her.

She understood. Every step thereafter was lightning fast. Finally, dripping wet and looking somewhat bedraggled, she reached Zhuang Jinfu. She said proudly: “Master, I made it!”

Zhuang Jinfu raised her finger. A white light enveloped Ling Shu, instantly drying her clothes. The Immortal opened her hand to show the jade qilin. Ling Shu lunged for it without a word, but Zhuang Jinfu closed her hand and hid it behind her back, evading the grasp.

Ling Shu’s eyes were bright: “I can’t use magic, and neither can you!”

“Mhm. I won’t.”

Ling Shu reached behind her, but her other hand was blocked. Zhuang Jinfu’s movements were efficient and powerful. Ling Shu tried twice more but was blocked both times. She grumbled: “Master is bullying a child.”

Zhuang Jinfu’s lips curled into a rare, pleasant smile. “You are nineteen. Not a child.”

Every move Zhuang Jinfu made was backed by solid, fundamental skill—firm yet graceful. Ling Shu had no formal martial training; any “fierce” attack she attempted looked like a kitten’s scratching to the Immortal. Ling Shu simply couldn’t win!

As Ling Shu bounced around trying to find an opening, Zhuang Jinfu found herself in an unusually good mood. “I will teach you two moves.”

A cool body slid behind her. Zhuang Jinfu grasped Ling Shu’s wrist, guiding the range of her movements, showing her how to strike and how to parry.

Zhuang Jinfu was serious, her voice clear and steady. The scent of jasmine from her hair was the only “warm” thing about her—something that could only be felt and smelled when one was truly close.

As if bewitched, Ling Shu wanted to look at her dark hair, but as she turned her head, something else caught her eye. She saw a smooth profile—a high bridge of the nose and an elegant jawline. Beneath the left ear, where the neck met the jaw, there was a tiny red mole, as vivid as lipstick.

She stared at that dot of red. It was a secret—a crimson only known to the intimate.

“Do you remember?”

“I remember.”

“Demonstrate it for me.”

Ling Shu followed the instructions. She remembered them perfectly, but when she struck, she purposefully aimed at the wrong height.

As she hoped, Zhuang Jinfu grasped her wrist to correct her again. When the movement finished, the moment Zhuang Jinfu went to let go, Ling Shu turned her head. Her movement was lightning fast. Her left hand steadied the side of the Immortal’s neck as she stood on her tiptoes.

She tilted her head up and kissed that red mole.

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