Watching the Mountain

Chapter 5: Chapter 3: Great Progress in Cultivation, a Favor Hard to Repay

Daily life on Spirit Stream Peak consisted of manual labor like weeding, pest control, watering, and fertilizing the Spirit Medicines in the Spirit Fields.

However, tasks like assisting in the Alchemy Room could only be taken on by disciples who had been in the Sect for a certain number of years and possessed some knowledge of Spiritual Plants.

Perhaps because Yue Qingyu had given special instructions, Xu Ran’s arrival at Spirit Stream Peak didn’t cause any waves.

No one sneered at his age or deliberately tried to provoke or trouble him.

When they saw an old man who looked fifty or sixty but was actually over a hundred years old suddenly join Spirit Stream Peak as a new disciple outside the normal recruitment period, they simply remarked with surprise:

”This junior brother’s devotion to the Dao is truly admirable.”

In short, the atmosphere among his fellow disciples on Spirit Stream Peak was as tranquil and peaceful as the Spirit Medicine Gardens. None of the scenarios he had imagined before joining the Sect ever came to pass.

This allowed him to quickly shed his apprehension and settle into life on Spirit Stream Peak.

During this time, he also learned some news about Yue Qingyu.

She was the Profound Pure Sect Leader’s personal disciple, the foremost cultivator of the younger generation, a Hundred-Year Golden Core, and was regarded by the Sect as a Divinity Transformation Seed.

In a Sect where the strongest experts were only at the Nascent Soul Stage, for her to be designated a Divinity Transformation Seed showed just how immense her talent was.

No wonder she could so easily arrange for an old man over a hundred years old like Xu Ran to enter the Sect.

Xu Ran wasn’t too surprised by this news about Yue Qingyu. When he had first met her, he had sensed she was extraordinary. She gave off the impression of a pure Seeker, unmoved by worldly gains or personal setbacks, her heart holding only the Dao.

After hearing about Yue Qingyu, Xu Ran simply offered a silent blessing to the one who had guided him onto this path, then returned to his daily cultivation.

After joining Spirit Stream Peak, Xu Ran came to deeply appreciate the benefits of being in a Sect.

The Spiritual Qi on Spirit Stream Peak was incomparably denser than what he had experienced in the Mortal Realm.

Not only that, but every month, a Preaching Elder would give a sermon on the Dao. This was countless times better than when he had to figure out his Cultivation Technique all by himself.

Many of the problems he had encountered while cultivating on his own were readily solved after listening to several sermons.

He also discovered many mistakes he had been making in his cultivation. Although these minor errors seemed harmless for now, they would have accumulated over the years and one day erupted, leading to disaster.

’He felt incredibly fortunate. ’Sure enough, one needs guidance for something like cultivation. Just fumbling around on my own would have led to disaster sooner or later. Thank goodness I joined the Profound Pure Sect; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.’’

Furthermore, and crucially, he had learned many magical arts on Spirit Stream Peak.

The Cultivation Technique Yue Qingyu had passed on to him only included two basic forms of Magic: the Fire Control Technique and the Cloud Rain Technique. They were weak and unsuitable for combat or self-defense.

Now on Spirit Stream Peak, he had finally shored up his weaknesses.

The magical arts he chose prioritized Escape Techniques, defense, and enemy incapacitation. As for offensive arts, he only selected a basic Sword Control Technique.

’Mastery of magical arts is more important than quantity. It won’t be too late to learn new ones after I’ve perfected the few I have chosen.’

’With the Longevity Dao Fruit, I have to first ensure my immediate safety before I can even think about the future.’

On Spirit Stream Peak, he finally understood what it felt like to progress at a divine speed. In just ten years, his Cultivation advanced from the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.

This was incomparably faster than his previous rate of advancing one layer of Cultivation every twenty or even fifty years.

The transition from the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer to the Seventh Layer was a bottleneck, similar to the one at the Fourth Layer, that placed more emphasis on one’s comprehension of the Dao.

With his previous experience, he was in no hurry this time, cultivating with a peaceful mind, confident that he would be able to break through.

However, just as he was cultivating at his own pace as usual, one day, Ning Caique suddenly came looking for him.

This caught Xu Ran completely off guard. Based on her previous attitude, he had assumed they would have no further contact, yet here she was, seeking him out on her own initiative.

Ning Caique looked at him and said calmly, ”You still owe me a favor. Do you remember?”

Her directness startled Xu Ran for a moment. He then nodded and replied, ”I have always kept it in mind. I wonder what Elder Ning requires of me.”

Seeing him acknowledge the debt, Ning Caique’s expression softened slightly. She continued, ”Good. I need you to do me a favor now.”

She then explained to Xu Ran that she was competing with a fellow sect member for the position of Steward. Right now, she had far less support within the Sect than her rival, and if nothing changed, she would lose.

The only way she could think of to turn the situation around was to get Yue Qingyu, the Sect Leader’s personal disciple, to speak up for her.

She hoped Xu Ran would go with her to persuade Yue Qingyu to support her.

After hearing her out, Xu Ran’s first instinct was to refuse. It wasn’t that he was trying to shirk his debt; he could repay the favor in other ways, not by a method that required troubling someone else.

Besides, he thought, the whole thing seemed unlikely to succeed anyway.

”Elder Ning, you seem to overestimate me. You know what my relationship with the Moon Fairy is like. How could I possibly help with this matter?”

Ning Caique, however, replied with a calm expression, ”It’s precisely because I’m aware of it that I’m asking you. There’s no one in the Sect more suitable than you.”

Seeing Xu Ran’s surprised and confused gaze, she took the initiative to explain:

”Senior Sister Yue is a person who values old ties, but her nature is detached. Very, very few people in the Sect have any connection to her.”

”Although you’ve only met her twice, you are able to cultivate because of the Cultivation Technique she taught you, and you were able to join the Sect because she recommended you. Strictly speaking, she is your teacher and guide on the path of cultivation. Given that relationship, she definitely won’t refuse.”

”This...” Xu Ran was taken aback. Thinking it over, he realized she was right.

’But that makes it even more impossible for me to agree. I already owe Yue Qingyu such a great debt of gratitude. How could I have the nerve to trouble her again?’

But before he could voice his refusal, Ning Caique spoke first:

”Don’t even think about refusing. Back then, you used your connection to me to get close to Senior Sister Yue and start on your path of cultivation. Now, I’m just using the same method to have you repay that favor.”

”A debt for a debt. Since you used me back then, you should have expected this day would come. Therefore, you cannot refuse.”

With that, she flicked her sleeve and continued, ”You don’t need to worry about what to say. You just need to come with me. You don’t have to say a word; I’ll do all the talking.”

”Will that work?” Xu Ran asked, looking at her with some surprise.

A faint smile touched Ning Caique’s lips, and her tone was complex as she said:

”Of course it will. Senior Sister Yue may be detached by nature, but she’s just like you were back in Xu Family Village. She knows everything, understands everything. You might think she doesn’t understand, but in truth, she simply chooses not to concern herself with such matters.”

She glanced at Xu Ran as she spoke. ”As long as you’re there with me, Senior Sister will naturally understand what I mean. She’ll also know that I’m coercing you into repaying a debt, so it won’t actually affect you too badly.”

”If that’s the case, why do you insist I come along? From what you’re saying, Elder Ning, it sounds like Senior Sister Yue would agree to your request even without me there, wouldn’t she?” Xu Ran asked, confused.

Ning Caique fell silent for a moment. ”You’re not wrong, but I have my own reasons. You don’t need to worry about that.”

After speaking, she beckoned to Xu Ran to follow, then turned and walked off in a certain direction.

After a moment of silence, Xu Ran quietly followed.

’Favors are hard to repay. Just as she had said, a debt for a debt. This, he could not refuse.’

When they met Yue Qingyu, Ning Caique did exactly as she’d said. She didn’t let Xu Ran speak, but instead spoke up herself:

”Senior Sister, I want to become a Steward in the Foreign Affairs Bureau.”

Yue Qingyu’s calm gaze swept over the two of them before landing on Xu Ran. She sighed softly and said, ”Junior Sister, you didn’t actually need to bring him here. If you truly wish to become a Steward in the Foreign Affairs Bureau, you could have just come to me directly. I would not have refused.”

Hearing this, Ning Caique nodded, her expression complex. She replied, ”I know, but Senior Sister has already helped me so much. Without bringing him, even knowing you wouldn’t refuse, I... I still wouldn’t have had the courage to ask.”

’Hearing this, Xu Ran’s expression grew complicated. He finally understood why Ning Caique had insisted he come. To put it bluntly, she just couldn’t get over the hurdle in her own heart.’

’Troubling a senior sister who had always looked after her, again and again, taking from her endlessly—it would eventually make anyone timid. With him there, she could convince herself that it wasn’t just her own request, and that gave her the strength to speak.’

’It was a bit melodramatic, but very true to life.’

He couldn’t help but picture the day they parted in Xu Family Village. He saw the little girl, fearlessly shaking her tiny fist in Yue Qingyu’s presence and vowing to teach Xu Ran a lesson.

Looking now at this middle-aged woman with her head lowered and an uneasy expression, he found it difficult to reconcile the two images.

And yet, they were indeed the same person.

The person hadn’t changed. Only time had.