Disaster is the cradle of blessing.

Su Sangyi let her long hair fall loose, sitting cross-legged on the ebony reading couch, idly flipping through a book on formations. The volume, handwritten by a cultivator from the Sui dynasty, was not particularly exquisite, but contained some clever ideas—enough to captivate her and draw her in deeply.

The incense in the room had not yet burned out. Outside, the steward disciple on duty, eager to catch another glimpse of the elegant and refined Master Su, slipped inside again to add more incense.

Su Sangyi lifted her gaze from the book and asked, “Who’s making such noise outside?”

The disciple answered respectfully, “Master, several senior brothers guarding the forbidden grounds behind the mountain have captured three thieves who broke in during the night. Seeing you were deep in studying formations, I dared not disturb you, so I left them in the outer hall to await your judgment.”

Su Sangyi thought for a moment and, not wishing to move, said, “Bring them in.”

The disciple acknowledged the command, went out, and brought two people in, followed by a red cat.

Su Sangyi glanced at them carelessly, feeling that one of them looked somewhat familiar. She studied him again, unable to suppress her surprise, and a secret excitement stirred within. She masked her expression, asking in a calm voice, “Where are you from, cultivators? What are your intentions breaking into the forbidden grounds of Bamboo Grove Court at night?”

The two exchanged a look, but before they could respond, the red cat spoke up in a crisp voice, sounding like a girl of ten or so: “I heard there’s a lot of Immortal Dew growing on the mountain behind Bamboo Grove Court, so I came to find a stalk for my brother to use in his foundation-building. But the mountain was so hard to traverse! Not only did we get lost, we were also captured by some bad guys! Adults bullying children is wrong! Don’t you know? Human forbidden grounds always have conspicuous signs saying ‘No Entry,’ but yours have nothing at all. You should understand this oversight is your fault. If this happened in the human world, those bad guys would be guilty of unlawfully imprisoning an underage girl—it’s the most shameless crime! If you understand, let us go now! If you insist on compensation, just give us a stalk of Immortal Dew!”

The steward disciple was rendered utterly frustrated by this shameless argument and retorted angrily, “Little demon, stop spouting nonsense! Immortal Dew is a rare treasure of our sect, not something to be given away like wild grass!”

The red cat was shocked, screeching, “What?! Immortal Dew grows on the mountain, not in your homes—how can you hog it all for yourselves?”

As the person and the cat argued heatedly, a foundation-building cultivator hurried in and bowed to Su Sangyi, reporting, “Master, the mountain-guarding formation has been breached, and all the Immortal Dew harvested today has been stolen. We suspect a core formation cultivator infiltrated us and ask you to take charge!”

Su Sangyi closed her eyes and extended her spiritual sense. When she passed over the two young men who had been captured, she paused briefly, then let her sense sweep outward. After a moment, she opened her eyes and asked coolly, “How can you be certain this was the work of a core formation cultivator?”

The foundation-building cultivator replied, “When the theft occurred, a junior responsible for guarding the Dew was present; in the blink of an eye, the Dew vanished. From the breach to the theft was but an instant, and even after searching the entire sect, nothing was found. If not a core formation cultivator, it’s hard to believe a foundation-building cultivator could steal the Dew so easily.”

Su Sangyi nodded, “There are no unfamiliar core formation cultivators in the sect. If so, the culprit must have already escaped. Let it be—if it was a core formation cultivator, let them go. We must not disturb Master Ning’s meditation—such chaos would be unbecoming.”

The foundation-building cultivator silently nodded and withdrew.

Su Sangyi studied the two young men for some time, then waved for the steward disciple to leave, saying, “You two, state your names.”

The younger-looking boy’s face was conflicted; he bit his lip and said nothing. At this moment, the red cat seemed to have lost its intelligence, reverting to a mute ordinary feline.

Su Sangyi shook her head inwardly and turned her attention to the remaining man. This one had a dignified air, his expression calm, meeting her gaze directly without flinching—rare qualities, indeed.

Su Sangyi set her book aside, probing, “You broke into our sect by night. If your conscience is clear, why do you not dare announce your names?”

The man, seeing her attitude was mild, was silent for a moment before saying, “My family name is Qin, given name Yue.”

Su Sangyi’s expression brightened, “Qin, indeed!” She pressed eagerly, “Who is your father?”

Qin Yue replied, “My father was Qin Zhaonian, courtesy name Ye Feng, a native of Shuntian Prefecture.”

Su Sangyi was suddenly moved, “So you’re the son of Brother Qin?” She walked swiftly to Qin Yue’s side, scrutinizing him from head to toe, and praised, “Truly, a tiger’s cub is no dog—excellent! Excellent! Where is Brother Qin now…” As she spoke, she hesitated, “Is he… well? How is it you…”

Qin Yue’s expression turned somber, his voice subdued, “My father was fated not to walk the path of the Dao, and passed from this world seven years ago.”

Su Sangyi was shocked, stunned for a long moment, then murmured sadly, “How could this be? Brother Qin was unmatched in wisdom, with extraordinary talent, destined for the infant stage… Is there a reason for this?”

Qin Yue answered, “He was caught off guard and fell victim to treachery. Thank you for your concern; my father left with no regrets, saying he lived passionately and died fulfilled.”

Su Sangyi was silent for a while, then asked, “And your mother…”

Qin Yue replied, “She went with him.”

Su Sangyi nodded, coldly, “Who would dare such boldness, to harm Brother Qin? Do they think Bamboo Grove Court is easy to bully? Nephew, tell me all that happened—I will avenge your parents!”

Qin Yue hesitated, then bowed, “Thank you, Master. My father in his youth failed his teachers and left Bamboo Grove Court. Now, all past karma belongs to him; I am ashamed to ask you to intervene. Please rest assured, I will avenge my parents myself.”

Su Sangyi, hearing this, praised, “Good! Well said! If Brother Qin knew your sincerity, he would be deeply comforted. Don’t call me Master anymore—address me as Uncle. Though Brother Qin left the sect, I never saw him as an outsider. He taught me much, as close as kin. Even without sect ties, you can call me ‘uncle.’”

Qin Yue accepted, obediently calling out, “Uncle.”

Su Sangyi was delighted, “Nephew, your powers are deep and your spiritual roots excellent. Would you join my school? Though I am not great, I could teach you well.”

Before Qin Yue could reply, the pretty boy beside him suddenly grew anxious, “He… he…”

Su Sangyi looked at the boy, who stammered for a long while, finally pouting in disappointment, “He… lives at my house.”

Qin Yue turned to comfort the boy, holding his hand, then said to Su Sangyi, “Thank you, Uncle, for your kindness. My father once told me, the path of cultivation is long—though forging ahead is necessary, the scenery along the way is beautiful, and seeing more of it is a reward in itself. I have promised him to accompany him on the Dao, never to leave his side. I regret disappointing your good intentions, and ask for forgiveness.”

Su Sangyi’s gaze lingered for a long moment on their clasped hands, a look of understanding on his face as he sighed, “Like father, like son. Yet, nephew, your decision comes early… And this friend—how should I address you?”

The boy blushed, shyly replying, “I’m Luo Yu; you can call me Xiao Yu. Luo as in Luoyang, Yu as in feather… We’re not… that…”

Su Sangyi smiled gently, “Cultivators are not bound by convention. I do not object to the two of you. Turning to Qin Yue, he continued, “But nephew, you are about to build your foundation, and have come for this purpose. If you joined my school, a Foundation-Building Pill would certainly be yours. Resources are scarce now, and such pills are rare; every one is accounted for in the sect. Even Immortal Dew has its own storage and record, reserved for future generations. If you refuse to join Bamboo Grove Court, I cannot secure one for you, which is a shame for your father. But… I heard the elders say that a thousand years ago, someone acquired Transforming Spirit Essence somewhere… Whether it still exists, I do not know…”

At this, Su Sangyi frowned and fell silent.

Luo Yu grew anxious—why stop at the most tantalizing part? He couldn’t help but ask, “Where is it?”

Su Sangyi glanced at them and shook his head, “The place is dangerous for you both; I don’t know if telling you is right or wrong.”

Qin Yue said, “Uncle, please speak. I will act within my abilities.”

Su Sangyi nodded, “The place teems with ghosts, its spiritual energy depleted. It is under the jurisdiction of the Underworld, a treacherous realm called Nine Yin Mountain. As for where the Transforming Spirit Essence lies, I’m not certain.”

Luo Yu, hearing it was a haunted place, thought of vampires refining corpses and how creepy the old mansion grew. What must the legendary Netherworld be like? He shivered.

Qin Yue bowed deeply to Su Sangyi, “Thank you, Uncle, for your guidance!” Luo Yu hurried to follow suit.

Su Sangyi added, “If you insist on going, prepare antidote pills to ward off yin toxins… If you are skilled in formations, lay down two grand arrays to avoid getting trapped among the ghosts.”

Luo Yu froze: Formations? He wants us to prepare grand arrays? Has he figured something out?

Su Sangyi noticed the change in Luo Yu’s face and secretly found it amusing. Others might not sense it, but as a core formation cultivator, could he fail to detect the Immortal Dew’s aura on the cat demon? These youngsters were reckless, but lucky to fall into his hands; anyone else might not be so lenient. The cat demon was especially tricky, spinning lies with bold confidence—more cunning than the two boys, and who knows where she learned it. The two young men had unusually strong spiritual senses—what adventures had they experienced? If they stayed in the sect too long, other brothers might grow suspicious; better to let them go soon.

With that, Su Sangyi said, “Your spiritual sense is extraordinary—undetectable to foundation-building cultivators but obvious to those of core formation. Be careful in the future; don’t be so reckless. This is not a place to linger. The three of you should leave the mountain now. If you face trouble later, come to me through the main gate, just give your names and no one will stop you.”

He asked them where they lived, warned them not to reveal the matter of Transforming Spirit Essence, then summoned the steward disciple to lead them down the mountain.

Outside the gates, morning had fully broken. The two boys and the cat all breathed a sigh of relief.

Luoli sprawled in Luo Yu’s arms, giggling wickedly, “He definitely knows we stole the Immortal Dew! Yet he let us off easy! Brother, why didn’t you say you have such a powerful backer?”

Qin Yue replied calmly, “I’ve never been to Bamboo Grove Court—I had no idea anyone in the sect remembered my father.”

Luo Yu said slyly, “He’s really a good guy! So handsome! That guy next to him kept staring and drooling, didn’t he?”

Luoli twitched her ears, “The one who argued with me? Must be a real fanboy!”

Luo Yu clicked his tongue, “This place is paradise for fanboys!”

Luoli exclaimed excitedly, “Nii-san, you and brother should get married! Then no women will try to take you from me, and when I grow up, I’ll bring home another handsome guy! Hohohoho~”

Luo Yu flicked her forehead, “Only eight months old and already thinking of marriage? Girls these days are too precocious—by the way, Beauty, when is your birthday?”

Qin Beauty glanced at him coolly, “Planning to give me a gift? October twenty-seventh.”

Luo Yu gasped, “It’s coming up! Why not bring back the Transforming Spirit Essence as a gift?”

Qin Beauty said, “That would be quite the present. I accept.”

Luoli rolled in his arms, “Meow~ I want a gift too~~!!”

The two boys and the cat, laughing and quarreling in the sunlight, strode through a sea of flowers on their way home.