Encountering a Fellow Countryman in the Jade Palace

As they reached a street corner, a nearby archway caught their attention, bearing a plaque inscribed with “Immortal’s Rest Garden.” The two paused to peer inside: a snow-covered path led through the center toward a grand palace, flanked on both sides by gardens ablaze with rare and mystical flowers vying for beauty.

They surmised this must be an inn. The surroundings were pleasant, so they stepped inside, intending to spend the night here. In the lobby, the attendant was a delicate young woman, perhaps in her teens, garbed in snowy palace robes, her hair piled high in the same style as the others they’d seen. Qin Yue glanced at her, sensing her cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refining—likely a disciple of the Nine Heavens Palace, assigned to internal affairs and working here.

When the young woman saw Luo Yu in his T-shirt and jeans, her eyes brightened with delight as she greeted them, “You two… Handsome men, are you… from the modern world?”

Luo Yu’s eyes lit up at her words. “Are you as well?”

“Wow!” the woman cried, leaping from behind the counter and grabbing Luo Yu’s hand as if seeing a long-lost relative. “Finally, someone from home! You can’t imagine how crazy I’ve been—surrounded by old-timers, not a single person speaks my language!”

Luo Yu felt shy, casting a furtive glance at Qin Yue, whose face remained stern. Luo Yu secretly relished this, saying, “How long have you been here? Are you from Nine Heavens Palace?”

The woman replied, “Yes, yes! I was lured here three years ago—such torment! I regret it so much, I really want to go home!” As she spoke, tears welled up. Luo Yu grew flustered, unsure whether to wipe her tears, yet feeling awkward if he ignored her, so he looked to Qin Yue for help.

Qin Yue glanced at Luo Yu coolly and said, “The path of cultivation brings both loss and gain. Without steadfast resolve, any choice will lead to regret.”

The young woman paused at these words, momentarily forgetting to cry. After a moment, she wiped her tears and whispered to Luo Yu, “Is he one of the elders?” Luo Yu thought for a moment and replied, “He’s recently born, but his family’s influence makes his speech sound rather old-fashioned.”

The woman nodded in understanding. “My name is Xia Nuoan. What are your names?”

Luo Yu introduced himself and Qin Yue, exchanged a few pleasantries, and the three settled in the lobby to chat.

Luo Yu said, “The ladies of your sect ride such beautiful clouds! How do they not fall?”

Xia Nuoan looked pained. “I was lured here by my master’s cloud-riding fairy act. Don’t you know? It’s a specialty of Kunlun called ‘Kunlun Mist’—clouds flowing through the mountains, tainted by spiritual energy. It’s expensive! After refining it into a magical artifact, half a square meter costs two thousand spirit stones—even at the Nine Heavens internal price! Compared to that, property prices in the Imperial Capital are nothing!”

Luo Yu clicked his tongue. “So it’s a magical artifact! That price is steep… Why not just go into the mountains and fetch it yourself?”

Xia Nuoan replied listlessly, “My cultivation is too low. The Kunlun realm is vast and full of monsters—I’m no Ultraman. You need at least Foundation Establishment to enter; it’s dangerous.”

Luo Yu tapped the pillar behind him. “Your buildings are so beautiful—what are they made of?”

Xia Nuoan answered proudly, “You wouldn’t know—this is jade! The Hetian jade below the mountain is inferior; real spiritual jade comes from the Kunlun realm! See that mountain by the Jade Pool? That’s Langfeng Peak, once the residence of the Queen Mother of the West—the mountain is pure Kunlun spiritual jade! It’s now our sect’s main gate, brimming with spiritual energy. I’ve advanced my cultivation just by meditating there, no need for pills—amazing, right?”

Luo Yu was full of envy. “Impressive…” It truly was; if he had to rely only on meditation at home, reaching the fifth level of Qi Refining would take seven or eight years.

Their conversation continued, and Luo Yu learned that the Jade Belt River was a type of “Weak Water”—even a feather wouldn’t float, much like the River of Three Crossings. It could devour magical power, and according to Xia Nuoan, the lands beneath Langfeng Peak once belonged to the Queen Mother of the West. After great upheavals, the sect admitted fewer disciples and freed up many places to rent or sell to other cultivators.

After chatting all afternoon, they rented a palace for the night. Xia Nuoan, with a mysterious expression, chose the best location for them and even gave a thirty percent discount, costing thirty spirit stones. Lodging in Kunlun was pricier than elsewhere—its reputation justified the higher rates.

That evening, Luo Yu lay on the flawless spiritual jade bed and said to Qin Yue, “The Jade Pool Gathering won’t start for three days. Let’s explore the mountains and see if we can find some Kunlun Mist! What’s the point of being an immortal if we can’t ride clouds?”

Qin Yue agreed, “Alright.”

The next day, they asked Xia Nuoan for directions and flew on their swords into the vast mountain wilderness.

In the “suburbs,” there were many people; most were Foundation Establishment cultivators, with some Qi Refining practitioners circling the outer edges in search of treasures. Further in, the cultivators scattered like frightened monkeys, each choosing a deserted path.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue picked a sparsely populated area and flew over snow-white forests of spiritual trees. They sensed fierce beasts below, creatures that had evolved some magical power after years of soaking in spiritual energy—spiritual beasts. Their souls and hides made excellent materials for soul talismans. After some discussion, they hunted a few, saving them for Luo Li’s studies.

As they delved deeper, their spiritual senses grew less effective. By now, they were well into the mountains, where the beasts’ strength had significantly increased and their presence was harder to detect. Most Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn’t venture this far.

Relying on their unique flames for protection, Luo Yu and Qin Yue pressed on boldly. Luo Yu glanced at the beast corpses and asked, “These spiritual beasts are a hundred times stronger than cats—why haven’t they taken human form?”

Qin Yue expertly skinned the beasts and stored the pelts in her bracelet. “Spiritual beasts have ranks. The closer their genes are to ancient divine beasts, the stronger they are, and the later they take shape. Ancient divine beasts didn’t need to transform—their physical forms were already perfect. Turning into humans was merely one of many transformations, often less preferable than their true form. Conversely, cultivators who reach a certain level can also transform into myriad forms. But such powers are now legendary. Today’s cultivators can only use illusions to trick people.”

Luo Yu asked, “Do they undergo tribulation?”

Qin Yue replied, “Of course. They also evolve, gaining intelligence equal to humans. But because their appearances differ from cultivators, they avoid human settlements, their thinking remains wild and direct, almost beast-like. If a spiritual beast transforms only after several evolutions, its strength stays at that level, but such demon cultivators are extremely violent and lawless. Encountering one requires extreme caution.”

Luo Yu nodded thoughtfully. Suddenly, he became very excited, his cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling, gazing at Qin Yue. “Let’s catch a spiritual beast cub and raise it!”

Qin Yue was momentarily stunned by his expression, feeling an odd itch in her heart. After a pause, she replied, “If we find a suitable one, we’ll catch it.”

After cleaning up the spiritual beasts, they continued deeper. The Kunlun Mist here had long since been scoured by Foundation Establishment cultivators. They guessed that such flashy but impractical items wouldn’t interest Golden Core cultivators, so perhaps further in they might find some.

As they walked, their conversation resumed. Luo Yu asked, “Why do monsters take human form?”

Qin Yue answered, “No one has studied it; I’m not sure.”

Luo Yu pondered. “Maybe it’s a form of advancement—a kind of evolution? Didn’t you say the origins of today’s species come from ancient divine lineages? So fundamentally, they’re related to humans. Perhaps the bodies of plants and animals can’t adapt to continuous advancement, so they undergo a kind of postnatal ‘evolution or atavism,’ suddenly mutating into human form.”

Qin Yue said, “That makes sense.”

Just as their discussion grew lively, they suddenly sensed distant waves of magical power—someone was fighting.

They exchanged glances, concealed their forms, and quietly crept hand in hand toward the source.

In a mountain valley, faint voices could be heard. Using their spiritual senses, they saw two human cultivators: one lay unconscious in a pool of blood; the other was barely able to sit. Nearby stood a demon cultivator: naked and muscular, his body gleaming with golden scales, with no sign of his privates. If not for the pouch hanging from his neck, he would have been the epitome of a “beast.” The demon’s head sported two sharp horns, small triangular eyes, fanged mouth and forked tongue, nostrils reminiscent of Voldemort—looking equally like a snake demon or a golden dragon.

The demon’s aura was formidable and unrestrained—a Golden Core expert.

The fight was over. The demon sneered, retracting his scales as he strolled to the unconscious cultivator, pinching his face and hissing like a snake, “Such tender skin—what a shame to mar it.” With that, he began tearing at the man’s clothes. A ripping sound echoed as the clothes were torn. Suddenly, the other cultivator sprang up, wielding his sword with thunderous force, stabbing at the demon’s back.

The demon didn’t even turn. Golden scales sprang forth—there was a metallic clash, and the cultivator was knocked back several steps, coughing blood, unable to rise again. The demon’s back was unscathed; the desperate sword strike left no mark.

The demon shook his head, hissing again, “Too impatient? Rest assured, I won’t forget you. Let me finish with this one first, then I’ll deal with you, lest he dies too quickly and wastes his potential. Don’t hurt yourself too badly, or you won’t survive my games—if you die halfway, it would be disappointing.”

The wounded cultivator weakly pulled out a pouch, stammering, “If you want the Gold Essence Grass… take it… just… don’t hurt him.”

The demon smiled darkly. “No need to worry—I’ll get the herb soon enough. After I make you both soul-bound lovers, I’ll take it at leisure.” With that, he ignored the pleading man and continued stripping the other.

From afar, Luo Yu was furious, recalling the flower-loving old Daoist from before. He felt a surge of righteous indignation—this demon was even more bestial, intent on killing both men here. Though Luo Yu longed to rush in and stab the demon, he valued his own life. He sent a secret message to Qin Yue, “What should we do? Can we defeat him? Should we help?”

Qin Yue replied calmly via secret voice, “Last time, with the vampires, we used true fire to deal with several old monsters. But this demon’s golden scales look strange—burning them might be tricky…”

Before she finished, Luo Yu urgently tugged her sleeve, sending a string of secret messages, “Look, look! His privates are out! Wow, they’re hidden in the scales—look! Tentacles on his privates! Ah—he’s going to violate him! Quick, burn his privates!”

End of chapter: Cultivator Chronicles 52—Encounter with a Fellow Townsman in Qiong Palace