My Husband’s Ascension C73
Chapter 73 Extra 1
The reconstruction of Cloudculm Abode spanned a full six months.
Having overseen the construction of the original Cloudculm Abode herself, Zhao Zhao was well versed in such matters. She even found moments of leisure to acquaint herself with the new elders and disciples of the sect.
“This is Mu Zimo. Two years past, at the sword tournament held in the Cultivation Realm, he had bested one of Kunwu’s rising prodigies.”
“And this is Ye Yunxiu, our sect’s finest practitioner of the Divine Farmer Dao. When Grandmaster fell gravely ill, Junior Sister Ye even substituted lessons for the other junior disciples.”
Zhongli Shun guided Zhao Zhao along the corridors of the sect. Whenever they passed someone worth introducing, he offered a few concise remarks. “Most lessons in the Divine Farmer Dao are hosted by Grandmaster, while sword techniques remain taught by the two elders of the Zhongli family. Cloudculm’s disciples are increasing rapidly, and with spring approaching, new recruits must soon be selected. Even these few elders may find themselves stretched thin.”
Zhao Zhao had already considered this. “There is no need to fret in regards to the elders of the Divine Farmer Dao. The Divine Farmer Sect has already pledged some assistance for our reconstruction. Moreover, with Grandmaster’s close ties to them, finding a suitable elder to teach within our sect will not be difficult.”
The matter of sword instruction, however…
Swordsmanship in the Cultivation Realm was held in highest regard at Kunwu, yet the relationship between their sect and Kunwu was complicated. Zhao Zhao could not trust just anyone Kunwu might offer.
“The elders may have to shoulder the burden a while more. I will keep this matter in mind and select appropriate elders with due consideration.”
Zhongli Shun inclined his head in assent. He was about to ask how Master intended to manage the people of Mount Ling when a furtive figure appeared around a corner ahead.
“…What is Rong Yu doing over there?”
As if stumbling upon some private scene, Zhao Zhao and Zhongli Shun both fell silent, instinctively lowering their presence to observe.
Rong Yu was staring intently at two figures beneath the pear tree behind the main hall.
“Senior Sister Yao Ling… these–these are your favorite candied hawthorns. Yesterday, I went down the mountain and saw them, and thought of you… so I specially bought a few skewers to bring back for you…”
Yao Ling looked at the two skewers, neatly wrapped in waxed paper. Blunt as ever, she had not yet grasped the tender thought behind them. Her eyes curved into a gentle smile as she took them. “Thanks. Next time we spar, I’ll go a little easier on you.”
The boy, no more than sixteen, panicked at her words. “No! That’s not my intention!”
Yao Ling blinked. If it wasn’t a bribe to make her go easy, what else could it possibly mean?
The boy’s fair face flamed crimson, as if he were burning from the inside out. Puzzled, Yao Ling wondered why he looked so feverish when the sun was hardly that strong today.
“You’re not… sick, are you?” she guessed, following her usual logic. Then she reached out and grabbed his hand. “Grandmaster should be fishing in that new pond he dug. I’ll take you to see him.”
“Eh? N-No… I’m not sick…”
Huddled behind the pillar, Rong Yu’s fingers twitched, nearly clawing a mark. His long brows drew low, eyes dark with indignation.
Why was his hand being held by her? Were they well acquainted…? They’ve…They've gone too far!
Rong Yu’s patience snapped. He was just about to storm out and wrench their hands apart when he suddenly felt a firm grip at his collar.
“This is the time for the brave. Don’t disturb them,” Zhao Zhao said, a faint smile curling her lips as she held him in place.
Rong Yu’s eyes widened with indignation. “He’s taking advantage of Yao Ling!”
“It was Yao Ling who took a hold of his hand,” Zhao Zhao corrected.
“…That doesn’t change the fact that he has ulterior motives!”
“But you are ‘a pavilion near the water*’,” Zhao Zhao teased, reaching out to pat his head. Rong Yu and Zhongli Shun had grown too tall; she could no longer discipline them by pinching their cheeks as she once could. “This isn’t how you pursue girls, A’Yu.”
(TLN: 近水楼台, or ‘a pavilion near the water’, is an idiom that basically means ‘using one's proximity to obtain favor’. In other words, the person in a favorable position gains a special advantage; being near and dear has its advantages.)
Rong Yu watched Yao Ling lead the flushed boy away, shoulders slumping in defeat. “…I don’t understand. Master, please enlighten me.”
Zhao Zhao felt a flicker of uncertainty at his words.
After all, she herself had little experience in pursuing anyone, let alone a girl.
However—
“Do not, in the name of affection, do things that put her in discomfort. Love is not possession. It is entrusting your heart to another, and giving them the chance to hold it entirely.” Zhao Zhao, drawing on her life experience, spoke thus. “In other words, do not act for your own satisfaction in ways that hold no meaning for Yao Ling. Do you understand?”
Zhongli Shun, having neither experience in love nor infatuation, looked utterly bewildered at her instruction.
Rong Yu, however, nodded solemnly. “I understand.”
In simple terms, he must not follow the example of Master’s late ex-husband.
At the thought, Rong Yu glanced toward the Single Intent Sword at Zhao Zhao’s waist.
He had previously overheard a conversation between Master and Grandmaster. It seemed the Single Intent Sword that the celestial deer had retrieved contained two hun souls* of Xie Lanshu.
(TLN: In Daoist belief, humans possess 三魂七魄 (three hun and seven po). The hun are spiritual, yang souls tied to consciousness and vitality, while the po are physical, yin souls governing the body and emotions. Together they sustain life, and are believed to separate after death. Source: Wiki)
It was said that the Single Intent Sword had been forged from Kunwu Steel, a relic of the ancients, its purity enough to shelter the sword master’s vital essence, and because of this, the sword had managed to preserve two of his hun souls.
As for the remaining seven po souls, they scoured all of Mount Ling and found no trace.
Souls cannot reason; they move on instinct alone. Daoist Ming Jue speculated that the seven po souls had most likely returned to places familiar to him in life.
Zhao Zhao informed Lord Yaoguang of this. With Kunwu’s many hands and great power, their chances of locating the souls were higher.
Yet half a year had passed, and apart from the two hun souls in the Single Intent Sword, no clue had surfaced.
The only unexplored place remaining was Yunmeng Pier in the mortal realm.
On the day Zhao Zhao prepared to visit Yunmeng Pier after settling sect affairs, Yao Ling, who accompanied her, looked unusually pleased.
Zhao Zhao cast a glance at Rong Yu, who was also smiling brightly, and asked, “What’s brought on this happiness?”
“Hehe,” Yao Ling’s eyes curved in delight as she shook a head full of ornate hairpins. “Yesterday, Rong Yu lost to me in sword practice, and he gave me ten hairpins. Each hairpin represents a wish; I can make him do anything I want ten times!”
She had no inkling that, in truth, she could always command this Demon Successor at will.
But—by gifting the hairpins and making Yao Ling happy at the same time, the boy’s cleverness, once awakened, proved… remarkably formidable.
“Yunmeng Pier is only a few hours away by wind; why must we take a carriage?” Li Feng complained as he climbed in, resting his hands behind his head. “I hear your Yunmeng Pier is famous for nothing but delicacies. As host, you’d better do your utmost—or when our yao contract expires this time, don’t expect me to do any more dirty work.”
Xiao Bai, who was feeding the celestial deer, cast him a glance. “When have you ever done any dirty work? All you ever do is eat, then sleep, then eat again.”
“Sounds as if you’re some grandly useful creature,” Li Feng shot back.
“My usefulness is something a filthy dog yao like you could never comprehend,” Xiao Bai said with a faint smile. “Last night, when I returned sore-hipped from Master’s room, you were probably curled up somewhere in a pile of trash, weren’t you?”
“…Xiao Bai was merely helping me with my luggage. There’s no need to put it in such strange words.”
Beside them, Rong Yu covered Yao Ling’s ears, and Daoist Ming Jue promptly covered Rong Yu’s, lamenting, “How unrestrained! Young people these days are so utterly unrestrained! Everything falls into place now. No wonder the female clan leaders of Jimo Sea arrive with several paramours in tow each time they visit.”
Zhao Zhao: “…” Forget it, there’s no use arguing.
Zhao Zhao summoned her spiritual power, and the massive carriage slowly rose into the air.
Li Feng propped his chin in his hand, studying her for a moment before asking, “Exerting so much spiritual energy… what realm have you reached now?”
“I’ve just stepped into the Second Major Realm,” she replied.
“The Second?!” Li Feng nearly choked on his own saliva. “Only half a year! Your speed…”
Ordinary cultivators might spend centuries before even approaching the Second Major Realm. How infuriating! He suddenly wished he also could die once just to catch up.
Under Li Feng’s glare of vexation, Zhao Zhao innocently looked away. Perhaps this was what they called a blessing in disguise.
Of course, her rapid progress from Foundation Establishment to the Second Major Realm had been mostly due to the previously gained spiritual energy of an entire Mount Ling via Spirit Refining Array, coupled with the Daoist principles she had mastered in the Three Thousand Million Worlds. Beyond this, her path of cultivation would remain step by step, each threshold arduous and steep.
…
By evening, their carriage set down at the outskirts of Yunmeng Pier, wheels crunching over the muddy ground, finally halting before the gates of the Xie Residence.
More than fifty years had passed since she last stood here. Though Zhao Zhao had kept in touch with her uncle and aunt through the Yearning Mirror from time to time, nothing compared to the sensation of standing at the gates of the Xie Residence in person.
“Zhao Zhao!”
A voice drew her attention.
From within the gates, the Xie Couple hurried forward. Though both were well into their nineties, their heads white as snow, they were still vigorous—thanks to the longevity pill Zhao Zhao had sent them years ago, which they had split and consumed. Even at over ninety, their physiques rivaled that of men in their forties or fifties.
“It really is Zhao Zhao! You’ve come back!”
Uncle Xie’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Auntie Xie, pushing aside the throng of grandchildren who had come to support her, rushed forward and enfolded Zhao Zhao in a warm embrace.
“Truly no surprise from a cultivator, you haven’t changed a bit since the day you left home. Still like a young girl who hasn’t yet married,” Auntie Xie said, cupping Zhao Zhao’s face and turning it left and right, beaming with joy. She ran her hands over Zhao Zhao’s slender shoulders and delicate hands, suddenly feeling a twinge of worry. “All those wandering Daoists say that cultivators abstain from food, fasting to nourish themselves. You haven’t been eating properly, have you? After so many years away from home, not a bit of flesh on you?”
Zhao Zhao’s own eyes glistened. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she replied, “I’ve eaten, of course I’ve eaten. Auntie, don’t let my thinness fool you, I’m stronger than ever now. Those big buff men? I could take down a hundred of them all by myself.”
Auntie Xie laughed through her tears. “You child, why do you go fighting with others for no reason… Lanshu as well, could it be that you cultivators spend all your days in endless battles?”
Hearing someone speak so familiarly of Xie Lanshu’s name after so long, Zhao Zhao felt momentarily disoriented.
Behind her, Xiao Bai, disguised as Xie Lanshu as Zhao Zhao had instructed, answered in his imitation of Xie Lanshu’s voice, “Auntie, there’s no need to worry. Zhao Zhao is now a sect master, with hundreds—no, thousands of disciples. She need not go into battle herself. Besides, with me here, she will never be harmed.”
Auntie Xie’s face lit up, holding one hand of Xiao Bai and the other of Zhao Zhao. So many emotions welled within her that she could scarcely speak. “…You must all be hungry. Come in quickly! Today I’ve prepared a table of your favorite dishes, all the ones Zhao Zhao and Lanshu love…”
Xiao Bai supported Uncle Xie, Zhao Zhao held Auntie Xie, and together they slowly introduced the Cloudculm Abode disciples behind them.
As they passed a certain area, Zhao Zhao suddenly felt the Single Intent Sword at her waist tremble.
“What’s the matter?” Auntie Xie noticed her pause and asked with a hint of curiosity.
Zhao Zhao glanced at the gathering in the Xie Residence. Everyone bowed respectfully, heads lowered. The Single Intent Sword’s hilt subtly tilted toward a direction where, besides a group of ordinary servants, no one else was present.
“…It’s nothing.”
