Chapter 107 – Homecoming

  Mei Lian arrived at the southern gates of Nan Ao City just as the late afternoon sun shone across the tiled rooftops in brilliant shades of bronze and gold.

  The guards flanking the gates straightened instinctively when they saw her approaching. Her cultivation at the 4th Level of Qi Condensation radiated outward with the steady, refined presence of a Sect Disciple who had tempered herself using the Tranquil Cultivation Method.

  Nan Ao City was a place where most cultivators never surpassed the early levels of Qi Condensation, even the City Lord, who ruled and protected this region, was only in the Foundation Establishment stage.

  Mei Lian’s cultivation, which was unremarkable in the Outer Sect, was enough to inspire respect and caution in Nan Ao City.

  The merchants and commonfolk moving in and out of the gates parted in front of her, making way without her having to ask. When she walked through the crowd, whispers trailed in her wake.

  “That must be a Sect Disciple! Her Qi is so vast!”

  “Is she from one of the great Sects? She isn’t wearing a uniform.”

  Those nearest to her who happened to catch her attention bowed their heads or offered small gestures of respect out of awe and recognition of her talent.

  ‘It’s so strange to be back.’ Mei Lian thought.

  Inside the city, Nan Ao’s bustling streets unfolded in front of her. She could hear vendors calling out to offer their wares while children ran between the market stalls, yelling and laughing. The smell of roasted chestnuts drifted through the air, along with other foods to drive away the lingering chill of winter.

  But if Mei Lian thought that she could blend into the crowd as she used to do when she lived here, she was wrong. Everywhere she walked, the energy would shift as people lowered their voices or cleared the path along the road so that she could pass without being jostled.

  For Mei Lian, it was this contrast more than anything that showed just how far she had come. Back when she lived here, her father was respected for working for the City Lord, but he had still only reached the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation. While that was considered talented in Nan Ao City, Mei Lian knew just how vast the world was.

  Especially when talents like Jun De existed.

  But here in Nan Ao City, her cultivation was considered exceptional. She was now a cultivator who could stand shoulder to shoulder with the city’s most powerful.

  But it still wasn’t enough for her.

  As she walked, she thought about the past few months.

  Her journey in pursuit of the secrets of the Crimson Rebirth Sutra had been pointless and frustrating. For all the rumours and speculation about the method, the truth of it was maddeningly elusive.

  She had followed whispers heard in taverns or listened to conversations heard from travelling merchants, but nothing had come of them. Mei Lian had even pursued rogue cultivators wanted for their crimes, travelled to black markets in search of information, but hadn’t found a single clue.

  Mei Lian spent months tracking leads across towns and villages throughout the region, piecing together stories told by wandering cultivators, or purchasing items from black markets that claimed to contain the method.

  Finally, when she had thought she had finally found a cultivator who had firsthand knowledge of the Crimson Rebirth Sutra, she discovered that he had disappeared without a trace only a few days before she had arrived.

  Worse were those who had been less fortunate. She had found her fair share of corpses left in alleyways, homes burned to ash, or bodies drained of their blood essence and left to rot along the roadside.

  It was clear that the Sects were doing their best to scrub the world of any trace of the Crimson Rebirth Sutra. She learned some of its secrets, how it could use Blood Essence to enhance her own cultivation.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  It was a forbidden technique, and she understood why the Sects didn’t want anyone practicing it. But Mei Lian couldn’t let it go. It was the only way she had to catch up to Jun De and stay by his side.

  Still, just because it used Blood Essence, it didn’t necessarily mean she had to use human blood essence. She was sure that she could use Spiritual Beasts or other creatures to enhance her cultivation.

  With all her leads gone and her time outside the Sect dwindling, Mei Lian had no choice but to continue on to Nan Ao City. She had told the Elders of the Tranquil Mountain Sect that her destination was to go home to see her family, and she needed to do so in order to avoid suspicion.

  But, as happy as she was to be home, her heart was heavy.

  To onlookers who marvelled at her high cultivation, she was no doubt a prodigy. Mei Lian was young, beautiful, and already at the 4th Level of Qi Condensation despite only cultivating for a little over a year.

  It was a height that most people would never dream of touching. But Mei Lian knew that she had reached her limit.

  The truth gnawed at her. She had pushed herself far too hard, breaking through too quickly, and the injuries she suffered from forcing herself lingered like hidden cracks in jade. Her Dantian had steadied after long months of painstaking recovery, but her progress had halted.

  She was going to be in the early stages of the 4th Level for a long time, unable to advance further. Every time she cultivated, it ended the same way. Her Qi would flicker, then she would feel intense resistance from her body.

  It would be years, if at all, before she could even think about touching the 5th Level of Qi Condensation.

  And in that time, she knew that Jun De would be far beyond her. His talent was a glaring reminder of her own limits. Every time she thought of him, or heard a rumour of his accomplishments, her heart would twist tighter.

  She couldn’t ignore the feeling anymore, not when she compared her own pace of cultivation to his and saw how lacking she was.

  The Crimson Rebirth Sutra was the only answer.

  Her thoughts consumed, she hardly noticed that she had already arrived at her destination. The Mei family residence sat just beyond the high walls of the City Lord’s mansion, and was a small compound that was much smaller than the wealthy merchants owned, but it was suitable for the position her father had in the City Lord’s service.

  The tiled roof gleamed in the sunlight, and a carefully kept garden spread along the path to the courtyard that had been swept clean of the recent snowfall. As Mei Lian passed through the gate, she felt a pang in her heart as she hadn’t realized how much she missed being here.

  Before she could call out to anyone, the front door of the main residence opened, and her mother hurried out to greet her.

  “Lian’er!” Her mother cried, and her voice broke with joy. Mei Hua was slender, with hair that had a little bit of silver, but she still retained the beauty of her youth. Unlike her husband and daughter, she couldn’t cultivate.

  That didn’t prevent her from sweeping her daughter into her arms and clutching her tightly enough to make Mei Lian wince.

  Mei Lian’s composure softened into a smile as she hugged her mother.

  “I’m home!”

  Her mother leaned back to study her daughter’s face, and her eyes widened.

  “Look how you’ve changed! Your skin is like polished jade, and your hair! It’s like silk. Cultivation truly reshapes the heaven’s chosen.” Her mother shook her head in amazement as she reached out to pinch her daughter’s cheek.

  Mei Lian laughed while ignoring the pang in her heart.

  “It’s only from luck and the help of the Sect.”

  “Nonsense! Your father will be beside himself when he sees you. Come, come, he’s waiting inside.” Mei Hua said firmly, and her tone was filled with pride at her daughter’s accomplishments.

  Her mother led Mei Lian into the main hall, where the wood inside was polished from her mother’s care. Her father, Mei Rong, was sitting at a table while reading through some letters that were piled in front of him. His black hair was flecked with grey, but he was exactly as she remembered him.

  Although her father was only at the peak of the 2nd Level of Qi Condensation, his bearing was upright, and he had the discipline of someone who had spent his life in service to the City Lord.

  When his eyes looked up from his letters at the sudden sound of people approaching, his eyes widened before he stood up and smiled.

  “Lian’er! You’re finally home!” Mei Rong said warmly.

  Mei Lian lowered her head respectfully.

  “Father, I’ve returned home to visit. I’m sorry that it has been so long.”

  Mei Rong stepped toward his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder.

  “There’s nothing to forgive. I see your time in the Tranquil Mountain Sect has been well spent! I never thought my daughter would walk so far ahead of me.” Her father said proudly.

  Mei Lian smiled gently.

  “It was only through your guidance that I had managed to come this far.”

  Mei Rong chuckled softly, but as he drew his hand back and turned back to his letters, Mei Lian noticed the way his smile faltered slightly. A shadow seemed to pass over his face before he masked his expression.

  “Father, is something wrong? You seem troubled.”

  The question hung in the quiet hall, and Mei Rong’s jaw tightened before he finally sighed.

  “There is a matter, but it’s not something you need to concern yourself with. We caught a cultivator outside the city gates a few days ago, and we suspect he is part of an unorthodox Sect. We’ve sent word to the Tranquil Mountain Sect, but they have been delayed in retrieving him for interrogation.”

  ‘An unorthodox cultivator?’ Mei Lian thought to herself, sensing that she might have discovered a new lead to the Crimson Rebirth Sutra.

  “Father, please tell me more.”