Chapter 393: I Only Took One Sip!

After leaving Beast Peak, the sky was already nearing dusk.

The setting sun looked like blood. Its afterglow spread across the Cloud Hidden Sect’s layered Greenstone steps. A mountain wind passed, lifting a few slightly yellowed fallen leaves.

Su Ming walked back down the mountain path. His steps were steady. The hem of his purple True Disciple robe fluttered lightly in the breeze.

His storage pouch held the pile of treasures Qin Yi had given him.

The chill of the Snow Velvet Fruit came through the pouch. The sweet scent of the Hundred Flowers Nectar still seemed to linger at his nostrils. That heavy jar of Myriad Beast Bone Powder made him feel exceptionally reassured.

Back then, he wouldn’t have even had the qualification to glance at such things.

Now they had become the casual “snacks” his senior brothers slipped him.

“Disciple.”

Lin Yu’s voice sounded in the Consciousness Sea. His tone carried a hint of laziness.

“This Second Senior Brother of yours is an honest man. That Hundred Flowers Nectar is a good thing. The wood-affinity spiritual energy inside is extremely mild. You just established Foundation, your meridians have widened but aren’t yet resilient. Brewing it into water to drink is far better than taking those tonic pills.”

Su Ming silently nodded in his heart.

“Master is right. Second Senior Brother isn’t good with words, but his heart is very kind. The brothers and sisters on Formation Peak have treated me well.”

Lin Yu chuckled lightly.

“That’s because you’re lucky. You ran into Xuanheng, a master who doesn’t meddle, and got stuck with a few senior brothers and sisters with screws loose. In other peaks, to grab a bit of cultivation resources, disciples would spill each other’s brains.”

Su Ming lifted the corner of his mouth slightly.

He knew how cruel the cultivation world could be. The mountain of corpses and sea of blood at Iron Wall Pass were still vivid in his mind. Precisely because of that, he cherished this rare peace all the more.

He was about to follow the path back to Gazing Star Cliff.

A faint yellow streak of light suddenly cut through the twilight.

The streak moved extremely fast. It darted like an agile bird, turned midair, and flew straight at Su Ming’s face.

Su Ming’s eyes tightened slightly.

He raised his right hand. He pinched lightly with his index and middle fingers.

There was a soft snapping sound.

The streak of light came to a stable stop between his fingers. The spiritual power dissipated, leaving behind a pale yellow communication talisman. The talisman’s paper edge bore a familiar bluish pattern.

That was the unique mark of Guiding Peak’s Purple Bamboo Sea.

Su Ming scanned with his divine sense.

Qingfeng’s unmistakable voice immediately exploded out of the talisman.

“Su Ming! Come to Purple Bamboo Sea, quickly, save us!”

The voice was loud, exaggerated, and terrified. It sounded as if some primeval beast would devour them the next second.

“If you don’t come, we’ll only have you to bury us!”

Su Ming’s brow twitched.

Before he could think further, Mingyue’s voice came from the talisman’s background.

Her tone was crisp, but anger bled through despite her attempt to hide it.

“What bury you! It’s you who’ll be buried! You’re dead today!”

Then came a clattering of sounds, like porcelain shattering, and the talisman’s spiritual power was completely exhausted, turning into a puff of ash that drifted from between his fingers.

Su Ming stood where he was. Night wind moved the strands of his hair.

He was silent for two breaths.

In the Consciousness Sea, Lin Yu was already laughing without restraint.

“Oh, after-sales service has arrived. Your two little ancestors must have gotten into trouble again.”

Su Ming sighed.

Although Qingfeng and Mingyue were older in seniority, they were fundamentally kind-hearted and mischievous. Back when he was grinding through the outer gate’s hardships, these two had secretly helped him many times. Mingyue’s medicinal porridge delivered every day had gotten him through the hardest days.

He had never forgotten that kindness.

“Go check it out.”

Su Ming turned on his heel. He didn’t continue toward Formation Peak. Instead he changed direction toward Purple Bamboo Sea behind Guiding Peak.

Guiding Peak wasn’t far from Beast Peak.

His current status made him too conspicuous.

Walking in a purple True Disciple robe, many passing outer sect disciples glanced repeatedly and stopped to respectfully salute.

He didn’t want to draw more attention.

The core of the Way of Survival was blending into the environment. Even now that he had the Grand Elder as backing, he didn’t want to develop arrogance.

After half an incense stick’s time,

Su Ming reached the edge of Purple Bamboo Sea.

The air carried a faint, bitter-clean scent.

He followed a small path paved with cobblestones deeper in.

Soon, a delicate farmhouse courtyard came into view. A low fence wall surrounded the yard. Unknown green vines crawled over the fence.

Outside the courtyard, gloom hung heavy.

Su Ming stopped.

He took in the scene.

Qingfeng sat crumpled on the stone steps at the gate with no dignity left. He hugged his head with both hands and buried his face deep in his knees. The whole person radiated a dead despair as if life had lost all meaning.

Mingyue sat on a nearby stone bench.

The girl’s usual jade-carved face was puffed up like a ripe bun. She crossed her arms, huffed in anger, and turned her head while glaring at the tea leaves on the ground.

On the stone table in the yard’s center sat an exquisitely made white porcelain tea set.

The teapot lid lay tossed to the side. The spout was clean and empty, not a single drop remained.

Beside the tea set lay a jade tea canister, tipped on its side.

It, too, was empty.

The air around seemed congealed. Even the wind that passed felt cautious.

Su Ming stood outside the fence.

He didn’t speak at once. He ran the Aura Concealment Art, reducing his presence to the lowest possible level.

Lin Yu clicked his tongue in the Consciousness Sea.

“This scene is familiar to your master. In the previous life, when those men broke their wives’ lipstick and were kicked out, their expressions were exactly like this kid’s now.”

Su Ming shook his head helplessly.

He stopped using the Aura Concealment Art and stepped toward the fence. His footfalls sounded unusually clear in the silent courtyard.

Qingfeng’s ears twitched sharply.

He lifted his head and through his fingers saw that patch of purple cloth.

Qingfeng’s eyes lit up instantly.

Like a drowning man grabbing the last straw, he sprang from the stone steps.

“Su Ming!”

He shouted and lunged straight over.

Su Ming instinctively moved half a step aside. Qingfeng missed and clung to the fence, staring at Su Ming with beseeching eyes.

“You finally came!”

Qingfeng’s voice carried a clear sob. He pointed at Mingyue on the bench who wouldn’t meet anyone’s gaze, looking wronged.

“You tell me! I only took one sip! Really, only one sip!”

Su Ming stayed where he was.

He looked at Qingfeng’s face. A conspicuous bruise rimmed Qingfeng’s left eye. Combined with his current wronged expression, it appeared especially comical.

“...What happened?”

Su Ming’s tone was calm. He did not get swept up by Qingfeng’s emotions.

At the sound of Su Ming’s voice, Mingyue sprang up from the stone bench.

Her eyes were red-rimmed.

She hurried to the stone table, grabbed the empty jade tea canister, and smashed it forcefully onto the stone table.

With a muffled bang!

The jade canister hit the stone and made a dull sound.

“He said it nicely!”

Mingyue extended a pale hand and poked Qingfeng’s nose with fury.

“What do you mean ‘only one sip’? You drank like a water buffalo! You wasted it!”