Chapter 114 – A Letter Arrives

  Jun De sat alone in his courtyard as evening approached and he finished another long day of training. The fading sun was a reddish-orange glow on the horizon, and the heat of late spring began to dissipate slightly.

  The Inner Sect Competition was only a few months away, and with it would come the end of Shen Weifeng’s wager with the Zhang Clan. The thought was so relieving that Jun De could hardly believe that when it happened, he would finally be free from his commitment to train with the former Elder.

  For nine months, his life had been reduced to a single purpose. Training had consumed his every waking moment, and an endless cycle of sparring, exercise and ruthless but well-meaning guidance from Elder Shen.

  Jun De’s body bore the marks of it internally. Externally, he appeared to be relatively unchanged, but inside his bones and muscles were on a completely different level.

  He was enjoying a rare moment of peace, a reward for his latest accomplishment. He had just stepped into the 8th Level of Qi Condensation, and he should have been exhausted, but it felt as natural as breathing.

  Jun De let out a deep breath.

  “Just a few more months and I’ll be free. I’m going to lock the door on my courtyard and never leave again. I don’t care what kind of wine Elder Shen offers, or where anyone wants to take me.” Jun De promised himself.

  The thought of relaxing, of spending every day without the pressure of training or an upcoming conflict, was almost intoxicating.

  Jun De put his feet up on the stone table and leaned back in his chair to look at the sky above. Some of the brighter stars were just appearing, and he was settling in to enjoy it before he had to head to the Jade Lotus Pavilion in the morning for another round of assessments with Elder Mu Yanyu.

  The sun had just completely set when a flicker of light shimmered across the wards of his courtyard. Knowing what it was, Jun De waved his hand to allow the object entry, and the wards instantly responded.

  A messenger talisman drifted down from the air above him, its paper glowing faintly with an unfamiliar Qi signature.

  Jun De paused before reaching for it, unsure if he wanted to read a message from someone he didn’t know. Normally, he knew who had sent him a letter.

  Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan were the only people who sent him talismans regularly since he had come to the Inner Sect. They couldn’t see him normally, so they sent him talismans to update him on the Outer Sect and to check in.

  Jun De knew their Qi as well as his own by now, and he could sense it in the message talisman before he even touched it.

  But this message was different. The Qi was colder, more restrained, as if whoever sent it were trying to hide their identity in some way. Jun De felt a ripple of curiosity stir in him.

  ‘It must be safe, the Sect wards wouldn’t let in a talisman from someone with hostile intent.’

  Jun De reached out and caught the talisman from the air and channelled a strand of his Qi into it to break the seal. The talisman unfolded before his eyes, turning into a letter written on slightly yellowed parchment paper.

  The lines of ink were rough, as if whoever wrote it was unaccustomed to writing letters. The characters looked as though they were slashed onto the paper as though they held the pen like they would a sword.

  ‘Senior Brother Jun De.’ The letter began, and Jun De’s eyes shot to the bottom to confirm the signature belonged to Mei Lian.

  “Mei Lian? Why did she send me a message now? Lin Yue said she went home to see her parents. She should be back at the Sect by now.”

  Curious and equally worried that something had happened to her, Jun De quickly scanned the letter.

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  Senior Brother Jun,

  I hope this letter finds you well. It has been some time since we have seen each other, and I hope your time in the Inner Sect is going well. To have advanced so swiftly is incredible, and you bring honour to the Tranquil Mountain Sect and our Nan Ao City.

  I apologize that I haven’t written to you before now. I have been travelling the region on tasks for the Sect. I have also been to Nan Ao City to see my parents, and it was there that fate guided me to something extraordinary.

  While walking through the streets of Nan Ao City some months ago, I overheard a rumour about a hidden treasure located far to the north. At first, I dismissed it as just a rumour, but curiosity drove me to investigate.

  After much hardship and weeks of travel, I have discovered the truth behind the rumour.

  What I have found is not just a treasure, but a secret realm! It is a hidden space left behind by a cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm. Within its bounds is a paradise, a place where the spiritual energy is as thick as it is within the Sect, as pure and rich as anything I have ever felt before.

  Rare herbs grow in abundance here, with many that I only recognize from descriptions from Sister Lin, and spirit beasts roam freely within the space. It is as though I stepped into a world that is apart from ours, one untouched for many years.

  Yet, I must confess that my own strength is not enough to explore this place fully. The spirit beasts here are formidable beyond my abilities, and I dare to risk exploring deeper.

  I immediately thought of you, Jun De. With your abilities, and perhaps with some other elite talents the Sect may choose to send, this Secret Realm can be explored safely. I am certain there is more than enough within this place to benefit everyone who enters.

  I ask that you bring this news to the Sect. I will remain near the entrance to the realm until you arrive. I trust in your judgement, and I look forward to exploring this paradise by your side.

  With respect,

  Mei Lian.

  Jun De let the glowing script fade and the message to refold itself carefully before he slipped it into the storage bag at his waist. Mei Lian’s words lingered in his mind, and Jun De felt a slight mixture of curiosity at exploring a hidden realm, but also a fair amount of caution.

  A Secret Realm with abundant herbs, dense spiritual energy and beasts that were stronger than Mei Lian was an extremely valuable discovery.

  “Remember, Jun De, you don’t ever want to leave the Sect again.” Jun De said to himself as he tapped his finger on the top of the stone table.

  “She seems fine, so maybe it isn’t that dangerous.” Jun De continued, feeling conflicted. He didn’t care about the riches in the secret realm, or fighting against the dangerous beasts, not if it meant leaving the safety of the Sect.

  But, at the same time, he was worried about Mei Lian. She had been gone for a long time, and he knew that people killed for the sort of Secret Realm she had found. If he didn’t help her, she could find herself in a lot of trouble.

  Jun De let out a sigh before his gaze drifted toward the direction of the Jade Lotus Peak and the pavilion at the top where Mu Yanyu resided.

  “The timing is uncanny. The competition is only weeks away, and everyone is looking for opportunities to grow stronger. I bet that Elder Mu would lead an expedition there.”

  Jun De soon came to a decision. He would bring the message to Elder Mu and let her decide. Hopefully, with the Sect Elders and as many Inner Sect Disciples as they wanted to bring, the Secret Realm would be as safe as the Sect itself.

  Decision made, Jun De stood up from his chair and walked toward the pavilion. Despite the late hour, he hoped that Elder Mu would be willing to see him.

  “She did say that I could come see her at any time.” Jun De muttered.

  A few days before Jun De received his message from Mei Lian, she was bent over the talisman with a thin brush in her hand. Each stroke of ink on the talisman paper was steady, but anyone observant could see the tension in her hand and expression as she wrote.

  Behind her, Ren Sihan leaned against the cave wall with his arms folded loosely, watching her work with an amused smile on his lips. His injuries had mostly healed, although there was still some bruising along his jaw and right eye.

  “Your calligraphy needs work. Unfortunately, there are things that the Crimson Rebirth Sutra cannot improve.” Ren Sihan commented.

  Mei Lian set her brush down and straightened her back.

  “You remember our agreement. No one dies, we just take a single drop of blood essence from anyone with a rare physique and spare the rest.” Mei Lian said coldly.

  Ren Sihan’s smile deepened as he bowed mockingly.

  “Of course, just a drop. Nothing more.”

  Her eyes locked onto him for a moment, searching for deception, but seeing none. Nodding, she sent the message talisman flying into the air toward its distant recipient, before stepping out of the small hut along with Ren Sihan.

  The pair were residing in a desolate stretch of wilderness far to the north of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, where hundreds of Crimson Rebirth Sect Disciples had gathered.

  Several talented men and women were laying the foundation of a massive array, one that would create a temporary ‘Secret Realm.’ It would be here that the Tranquil Mountain Sect would be trapped and disarmed in order to take the required drop of blood.

  Ren Sihan had told her that the Sect Master of the Rebirth Crimson Sect had agreed to leave without hurting anyone, dropping the array once they had fled far enough away.

  Mei Lian watched them work and let out a deep breath.

  ‘I’ll see you soon, Senior Brother Jun De.’