IVYSCP - Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Ming Yuan taught Shi Du a mind mantra. Before practicing the mind mantra, Ming Yuan first guided her to draw Spiritual Qi into her meridians.

For the first time, Shi Du felt warm, water-like Spiritual Qi flowing through her meridians. Her whole body felt light, as if lying on a cloud, gently lifted and cradled.

Ming Yuan sat not far away, resting her chin on her hand as she watched her. Her smile curved her brows and eyes. "Junior Sister is truly gifted. For others, the first step of drawing qi takes ten days or half a month. With such good aptitude, Junior Sister will surely rise straight to the clouds one day. When that time comes, don't forget your Senior Sister."

Shi Du was immersed in sheer joy and did not notice the deep calculation within the woman's eyes.

Rising to bow respectfully, Shi Du's eyes were bright and the corners of her lips lifted. "Many thanks for Senior Sister's help. I dare not forget such kindness."

"Good Junior Sister."

Ming Yuan smiled and reached out to touch Shi Du's face.

Shi Du stiffened for an instant. This time she did not step back or dodge. The warm fingertips brushed across her cheek, intimate but not excessive. Shi Du simply took it as care from a senior sister to a junior sister.

Watching from the side, Ling Qingyue's brows furrowed deeply. "That person is clearly harboring ill intentions! Senior Sister... Shi Du, how can she believe her! And that mind mantra, it looks strange too. It seems like there's another half to it."

Pei Yin sat upright, flipping through a scroll in her hands. She replied coolly, "Shi Du has just entered the Immortal Sects, and Ming Yuan looks after her in every way. It's unavoidable that she'll slowly lower her guard. The mind mantra Ming Yuan gave does indeed have another half. If I'm not mistaken, the one Ming Yuan practices is that other half. She saw that Shi Du's innate talent is exceptional, so I'm afraid she's set her mind on raising the girl into a long-term cauldron."

A cauldron with superior aptitude who was also obedient and well-behaved was exactly what practitioners of seduction arts most desired.

With Ming Yuan guiding the way and her own excellent aptitude, Shi Du's initial cultivation went very smoothly. That was until she began practicing that mind mantra. That was when Shi Du ran into trouble.

At night, she practiced the mind mantra in her room. At first there was nothing unusual, but when she followed the mantra's instructions and circulated her own Spiritual Energy past several key acupoints, a sudden heat arose within her body. It burned until her whole body was hot. Sweat continuously seeped from her forehead and neck, soaking through her thin inner garment.

After barely completing a full circulation cycle, Shi Du wiped herself down briefly, dressed, and wanted to go ask Ming Yuan. But after opening the door, she hesitated and retreated back inside.

"It's already late. I'll ask Senior Sister tomorrow."

The next day, Shi Du did not see Ming Yuan. She went first to listen to an elder's lecture. On the road, she encountered many fellow sect members. Their eyes were not kind. Inside them was undisguised mockery. Their faces were full of expressions anticipating a good show. There were also some people who, like her, had come from the Mortal Realm. Shi Du was not familiar with them. She only had some vague impressions. Yet they seemed to recognize Shi Du. Their gazes held disdain and contempt.

Shi Du felt utterly baffled under these stares. During this lesson, she ran into the person who, last time, had told her a single book cost three thousand gold. This time, the person was holding a different book in her hands, one about how to establish a foundation.

Shi Du guessed she must be from the royal family or a great clan of some major country. After all, three thousand gold was not something just anyone could produce.

Seeing Shi Du, the woman frowned subconsciously. Her eyes showed disgust. She took her book and left, as if Shi Du were some filthy thing she must not come into contact with.

Shi Du did not understand. During the lesson, she still listened to the elder spout empty grand words. After it ended, she followed behind that person.

The woman walked to a deserted corner. She turned around and looked at Shi Du unkindly. "Hey! What are you following me for?!"

Pricked into restlessness by those stares, Shi Du pursed her lips and asked, "Why do all of you hate me so much?"

The woman had not expected her to ask so directly. She let out a cold scoff. "Don't you know what you've done yourself? Since you've attached yourself to that person, are you still afraid of how others see you?"

Shi Du frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I heard you also came from the Mortal Realm. Yue something country. Never heard of it. Must be some small place that can't produce three thousand gold. But even so, there are some errands you could do within the Rising Moon Prefecture. You didn't have to use your dignity and..." The woman paused as she spoke, her frown deepening. "Enough said. Look after yourself."

Shi Du listened in confusion. When she wanted to ask more, the figure before her eyes flashed and was gone.

Her thoughts were tangled. She carefully recalled what that person had just said, instinctively feeling that the implied meaning pointed to Ming Yuan.

After returning to her room, Shi Du disguised herself. Then she silently blended into the largest inn within the Rising Moon Prefecture.

On ordinary leisure days, the disciples of Liuyun Immortal Sect liked nothing more than to go have fun in the Rising Moon Prefecture. Within the prefecture were both objects of the Immortal Realm and pleasures of the Mortal Realm. Compared to Spirit Stones and spiritual objects, gold, silver, and soft valuables seemed to be more popular.

Shi Du ordered a cup of tea and sat in a corner. The tips of her ears twitched as she listened to them talk.

At a neighboring table were three or four people. Who knew how much they'd drunk, as their tongues had grown thick when they spoke.

Fortunately, they were not speaking the western regions' dialect. Shi Du could understand it.

"The Mortal Realm really is wonderful. I really want to stay there for a lifetime."

"A lifetime? Forget it. The Mortal Realm requires gold, silver, and precious stones everywhere. We brought so much this time, but it was still all spent in just a few days."

"What's there to fear? The sect is full of princesses, highnesses, and scions of great clans. Just randomly take a few books and trick them, and that gold is in your hands."

"Hahahaha, true. Those who come from the Mortal Realm, which one of them isn't of noble status? They want to cultivate but don't want to come to the Rising Moon Prefecture to do chores. Their only choice is to haul their gold and jade over to us."

These people spoke and laughed. Their tone was full of mockery. Their condescending manner was truly nauseating.

Listening, Shi Du's gaze turned icy.

"Still, there is one clever one this time. People from small countries really have no face or pride. I heard her aptitude is also quite good."

"I know, I know. That person, what was her name? Can't remember. She's pretty, though, with a dewy freshness. No wonder Ming Yuan took a liking to her."

"Those Ming Yuan takes a liking to never meet a good end. Sooner or later she'll be drained dry."

Bang!

That table was kicked fiercely by someone. Everyone around turned to look.

Shi Du glared at them, her eyes full of fury.

Shi Du made a move. She fought with them. To be precise, she was beaten up one-sidedly. Shi Du was beaten until she vomited blood. She collapsed on the ground and could not stand.

One person kicked Shi Du's abdomen, slamming her body hard against the wall. The front of her clothes was already soaked through with fresh blood.

Shi Du fell down weakly. She braced her hands on the ground, wanting to stand. But immediately after, someone else stepped on her waist, forcefully pressing her to the ground. Shi Du heard the sound of bones cracking.

Someone nearby tried to dissuade them. "Don't go too far. She's someone Ming Yuan has taken an interest in."

"Am I afraid of Ming Yuan!"

After that furious roar, half of Shi Du's face was pressed down hard onto the ground. The ground was covered in leftovers and broken porcelain.

A woman grabbed Shi Du by the hair and yanked her head up. In a vicious, evil tone she said, "You dog. I'll be waiting for the day Ming Yuan sucks you into a dried-up corpse."

After they left, the innkeeper came over and demanded Shi Du pay for the losses.

Shi Du had not brought many things with her. She wanted to ask for a few days' grace. But the innkeeper had already set her sights on the jade pendant hanging at Shi Du's waist from the very start. She directly snatched it away and demanded Shi Du use the pendant to settle the debt.

That jade pendant was extremely important to Shi Du. She wanted to take it back, but she could not stand. In the end, she was directly thrown outside the door by the innkeeper.

Shi Du had never suffered such humiliation before. Her clothes were dirty and disheveled. She was covered in blood and filth. Her disheveled and grimy appearance made her look like a madwoman.

She curled up in the alleyway, letting out low whimpering sobs. After one or two, they were completely stifled back into her throat.

In the void, on the other side of the alleyway, Ling Qingyue stared at this scene in a daze. Then her lashes lowered, casting a ring of shadow.

"If I didn't know she was Lou Wudu, I probably would never have imagined she was once bullied like this."

Night fell. Shi Du, her back bent, limped back toward Liuyun Immortal Sect. Her body hurt terribly. She had to rest every few steps.

The Spiritual Energy she had gained from cultivation these past days had also been exhausted during the day. She could not activate any magical artifact. She could only walk back step by step.

Just reaching the main gate of Liuyun Immortal Sect took her an entire shichen. She leaned against the gate, panting. Her vision was somewhat dizzy.

When she was about to step onto the stairs, a voice suddenly sounded from behind her. "How did you get so badly injured?"

Shi Du turned her head and found it was an unfamiliar face.

But this face was not unfamiliar to Ling Qingyue and Pei Yin.

"Yu Ting?" Ling Qingyue said, surprised.

Pei Yin was also somewhat astonished. She had not expected that Yu Ting was also from Liuyun Immortal Sect.

Yu Ting brought Shi Du back to Liuyun Immortal Sect. On the way, Yu Ting asked Shi Du why she was injured. Shi Du kept her mouth shut and did not answer, only thanking her for bringing her back.

After returning to her room, Shi Du found that Ming Yuan was also there. Seeing her state, the smile on Ming Yuan's face instantly vanished. She asked angrily, "Who did this?!"

Shi Du's expression was calm. She looked straight at her. "I fell myself."

Ming Yuan realized her wariness and guard toward her. The fury in her eyes grew stronger. After setting up a barrier in the room, she went straight out the door.

Shi Du did not care what she was going to do. She noticed the letter on the table. On it was printed a special seal.

Looking at the seal, Ling Qingyue suddenly remembered. "I've seen this before!"

Lou Wudu's ritual robe, and the ritual robes of Shangtianqiong disciples, all bore this seal!

Shi Du carefully opened the letter. In an instant, her eyes reddened.

Ling Qingyue and Pei Yin naturally also saw the contents of the letter.

It was a letter from Shi Du's younger sister, Shi Yanchun. From the fragmented words in the letter, Ling Qingyue and Pei Yin learned that Shi Du was originally the heir apparent of Yuelou Country. But now she had entered the Immortal Realm to cultivate, and her younger sister Shi Yanchun had taken her place as sovereign. When Shi Du came to the Immortal Realm, Shi Yanchun had been confined for three months. Every day she knelt before the ancestors of Yuelou to repent. In the letter she soothed Shi Du, saying that although the queen mother and ministers all held grievances, she was striving hard all along, learning from her elder sister. She also hoped her elder sister could fulfill her wish, entering the Immortal Sects to cultivate well. She believed her elder sister could also become one of those legendary Immortals who commanded the wind and rain.

Tears dropped down one by one, blotting the paper wet. The ink on it also bled and spread.

Not long after, Ming Yuan returned. In her hand she held a severed head.

Seeing that head, Shi Du's face went deathly pale.

Ming Yuan walked toward her. She turned her head away and kept retreating. "Don't, don't come near!"

Ming Yuan curved her lips in a smile. Finally she crouched before her face and asked softly, "Good Junior Sister, Senior Sister helped you teach her a lesson. Are you not pleased?"

A cold, clammy hand covered Shi Du's face. It forcefully pinched her chin and wrenched her face around.

A ring of dark red flashed once within Ming Yuan's eyes. Then it shifted into Shi Du's eyes.

Shi Du's gaze changed from avoidance and disgust to confusion. When she finally looked at Ming Yuan, she had become docile. Her cheek pressed against Ming Yuan's hand and nuzzled it gently.

Ming Yuan sighed. "I didn't originally want to make you like this."

After casting a seduction art on Shi Du, Ming Yuan did nothing else. She even fed her a Medicinal Pill to heal her wounds. After that, she kept her trapped within the room, demanding she cultivate day and night to raise her cultivation level.

Half a year like this, and Shi Du's cultivation was forcefully pushed by Ming Yuan using Spirit Stones to the Core Formation stage.

The time had come.

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