Should I give it a try? Shi Chun looked up again at the aurora shimmering in the sky, remembering Duan You's words that this phenomenon might disappear at any moment, and missing it would mean waiting indefinitely.
Resolving himself, he went over to greet Duan You and his companion.
"I need to visit Bian Weiying. She instructed me earlier to come by at this time."
Duan You and his companion seemed suspicious, while Wu Jinliang chuckled and said, "If you don't believe me, you can come along."
Bian Weiying indeed had significant influence, so Duan You and his companion agreed and followed along.
Along the way, they encountered patrol disciples who, upon learning they were summoned by Bian Weiying, allowed them to pass but assigned someone to "escort" them.
The path was challenging.
Everywhere was covered with damp blue bamboo, and one had to walk on it.
The open places in Wukang Mountain were rapidly disappearing.
They escorted them all the way to Bian Weiying’s residence, which was similarly covered.
Upon hearing of their arrival, Bian Weiying came out, and Wu Jinliang exclaimed, "City Lord Bian, didn’t you ask us to come at this time? We’re here."
Bian Weiying understood immediately, glanced at the attendants, and calmly said, "Come inside."
Wu Jinliang chuckled and turned to Duan You and the others, saying, "See, I wasn’t lying. You don’t need to go in, just wait here. We’ll be back soon."
Shi Chun suddenly spoke, "You wait here too."
"Huh?" Wu Jinliang stared at him, incredulous.
He wanted to remind Shi Chun that he had come up with this plan, yet he wasn’t allowed to watch?
But there was nothing to be done; he couldn’t argue openly.
Wu Jinliang could only look at Shi Chun entering with a resentful face.
Inside the courtyard, the only sheltered places were indoors or under the eaves.
Following Shi Chun's suggestion, Bian Weiying took him to a pavilion, and they stood under the eaves, gazing at the dazzling aurora night sky.
Shi Chun casually asked some questions about the blue bamboo being arranged below.
Bian Weiying answered casually too.
During this seemingly idle chat, Shi Chun's hand slowly and steadily moved towards Bian Weiying, aiming to touch her behind without shaking or trembling.
This was a trick Wu Jinliang had taught him to make himself tense up.
His moral standards weren’t high, and thinking it might work, he tried it immediately.
Whether it would make him tense, he didn't know, but as his hand approached Bian Weiying's backside, he felt his heartbeat quickening, fearing she'd notice.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his head struck, like countless insects gnawing at his spine.
"You didn't come just to chat, did you?" Bian Weiying suddenly turned her head to look at him.
Shi Chun’s hand was raised now, holding his throbbing head.
Seeing his face suddenly turn pale with a sickly hue, Bian Weiying asked, surprised, "What's wrong with you?"
Shi Chun didn't answer.
He was in no mood to talk.
The phenomenon in his right eye had appeared.
Enduring the pain, he lifted his gaze to the sky, where the eaves blocking his sight no longer existed in his right eye.
The aurora had vanished too, replaced by another magnificent spectacle in his vision.
Mist was slowly descending, glowing faintly blue, akin to something he had seen—the same blue glow emitted by the talons of an Immobilization Talisman.
His sight couldn't see where the mist came from, as it descended from the skies to the ground.
Looking down, his gaze halted, seeing a pale green haze beneath his feet.
It was apparent this was Wukang Mountain in his right eye, its form existing distinctively, a rarity in his usually bizarre right-eye visions.
Bian Weiying, without receiving a response from him, noticed his sickly face seemed deeply focused, looking at the heavens and earth.
Sensing something strange, she opted not to disturb him, quietly watching.
Something suddenly clicked in Shi Chun, and he asked abruptly, "Can you take me down the mountain?"
Bian Weiying's bright eyes flickered as she quickly decided, "Let's go!" She turned to head downstairs.
Shi Chun urged, "Faster."
Then he leapt from the pavilion, landing on the blue bamboo carpeted ground.
He knew the vision in his right eye wouldn't last long, so he needed to act quickly.
Bian Weiying returned to the railing, glancing down then lifted her dress, and followed him by jumping down.
Leading the way, she guided Shi Chun rapidly away.
They bumped into Wu Jinliang and the others at the entrance.
Wu Jinliang gleefully asked, "How did it go?"
"Just wait," Shi Chun spat out while running off.
"…" Wu Jinliang was left speechless.
Duan You and the others exchanged looks; it didn’t seem like there was any enmity as previously suggested.
At the mountain path's start, Shi Chun’s attire was too conspicuous, attracting patrol disciples' attention.
"I'll take responsibility, move aside!" Bian Weiying bellowed, exuding the authority of a sect leader’s daughter.
The hesitant disciples didn’t know what to do, finally being shoved aside by Bian Weiying, who made the decision for them.
On the stone steps, Shi Chun kept urging “Faster, faster,” and Bian Weiying, seizing his arm, leapt down the mountain with him.
They descended swiftly to the mountain’s base, rushing forward, enough to satisfy Shi Chun's demand for speed.
Approaching Skyward Gaze City, Shi Chun suddenly said, “This is far enough.”
Bian Weiying immediately halted.
Shi Chun turned around.
A thought had suddenly struck him, and he wanted a broader view of the phenomenon before him.
Then he witnessed a breathtaking sight.
It was a tree—a tree reduced to a mere stump, rooted deeply like Wukang Mountain itself.
One couldn’t see the roots from atop the mountain.
Only from afar could the roots spreading across the land beneath Wukang Mountain be discerned.
Both tree stump and the vast spread of roots appeared in his right eye with a light green hue, the roots' expanse beyond imagination, stretching underfoot, through Skyward Gaze City, occupying all the surrounding mountains.
Such an enormous, magnificent sight was understandably shocking.
From the size of the remaining stump, he imagined what Wukang Mountain’s full form looked like—a truly majestic spectacle, unimaginably grand.
Where did the tree go, and who cut it down?
The mist descending slowly glowed with a faint blue, settling on the stump, unaffected by the wind.
From ancient times, the tree’s crown must have basked in this glowing mist high above.
As the mist neared the stump, Shi Chun's vision returned to normal, now only seeing the illuminated Wukang Mountain above.
Reflecting on the mist’s descent, he finally understood why Bian Weiying had said mastering the refining secret was useless outside Wukang Mountain—the environment was unique.
What then was the point of sneaking here to learn?
Thinking about his current predicament, Shi Chun felt a trace of regret; he brought it upon himself.
Yet, since he was here, he couldn’t leave empty-handed.
If he could refine a batch of Immobilization Talismans to take with him, it would greatly aid his journey within the cultivation world.
Seeing Shi Chun awaken from his entranced state, Bian Weiying, who had been quietly observing, asked, “Anything to say? Don’t try to fool me.”
Shi Chun’s biggest headache was this woman.
Bian Jixiong wanted him to pursue Xiang Lan’er, and the plan agreed with the Demonic Path was to do just that, but now this woman intervened, demanding he give up on Xiang Lan’er and pursue her instead.
He couldn’t refuse, yet could not agree.
Pursuing someone wasn’t just pretending; he had to give what they desired, yet he couldn’t divulge the secret of his right eye.
How could he solve this problem? Thinking about it made his head spin.
Fortunately, there was some leeway; he could only feign contemplation, saying, "I need to observe more."
Bian Weiying sneered, "You have plenty of time for observing, but it doesn’t stop you from explaining the secret stealing method. Don’t think of stalling. Whether you need to discuss with your backers or not, I’ll give you three days. Fail to give me what I want, and you know the consequences!”
Shi Chun didn’t agree nor respond.
At this moment, several figures approached, and several Wukang Mountain disciples found them, looking at Bian Weiying with a hint of wariness.
One addressed Shi Chun, “Shi Chun, Elder Xia wants to see you. Come with us.”
Bian Weiying raised an eyebrow, knowing this was a precaution against her, fearing she might harm Shi Chun.
She scoffed, then, with a sweep of her skirts, vanished into the night.
Back in the mountain, Shi Chun didn’t see Elder Xia, who supposedly had urgent matters.
The mountain was indeed busy; every so often, they had to turn the blue bamboo over.
Reuniting with Wu Jinliang, Shi Chun recounted what he had seen.
A tree that big? Wu Jinliang marveled, then eagerly asked if he managed to touch anything or if Bian Weiying noticed.
The auroras lasted till late at night before vanishing, and Wukang Mountain disciples collected the blue bamboo, but Shi Chun and others couldn’t observe the refining, as the Punishment Hall wasn’t part of it.
The next morning, Bian Weiying kept her promise.
Wu Jinliang retrieved their confiscated items.
Bian Weiying still showed her goodwill, allowing them to pick a few buckets of water, then gave them all their tally tokens.
After turning in the tokens, Wu Jinliang immediately went into meditation and pill cultivation, much to Shi Chun's envy.
Shi Chun had his own business—pursuing Xiang Lan’er, as his task had begun.
In Wukang Mountain's council hall, high-ranking members gathered.
Bian Jixiong handed a gold-edged letter to the one below him, "Shengshen Prefecture is hosting a grand gathering. This is an invitation from Sheng Prefecture Domain, specifically naming Wukang Mountain to attend. Everyone, take a look."
(Chapter ends)