062. The Deep Pool

After half a day, Lingyu finished her meditation. Her body was temporarily unharmed, and her spiritual energy was fully restored. She packed up her belongings and prepared to leave. Before departing, she took out the Immortal Tome for a glance—the cover shone even more brightly, but unfortunately, lacking nourishment, no new content had appeared. Lingyu tossed it back in, carefully observed her surroundings to ensure no demon beasts were present, and then walked out.

As she stepped out of the cave, the spiritual web suddenly trembled. Lingyu shifted her step, drew the Kanli Sword, and swept it out at an angle.

A ripping sound echoed, followed by a surprised male voice: “It’s you?”

Lingyu flicked open the torn cloth bag—it seemed to be a magical artifact—turned to look, and was startled herself: “Senior Brother Meng?”

The man was Meng Xuefeng.

Meng Xuefeng was the fiancé of Ding Huaqing, the chief disciple of Liu Weiyi. The two had grown up together, their relationship always strong. As a result, all of Liu Weiyi’s female disciples knew him. Lingyu had naturally seen him before, though they were not well acquainted—just familiar faces.

Senior Brother Meng was a disciple of Luo Tonglin from the Palace of Grand Void, exceptionally gifted, now an inherited disciple. With one more step, he would naturally become a master. His selection for this journey was unsurprising; he was one of the Palace’s most promising juniors. Ding Huaqing, though less powerful, was a sword cultivator and Liu Weiyi’s chief disciple from the Palace of Pure Emptiness—her inclusion was expected.

The oddities lay with Lingyu herself, Fan Xianshu, and Luo Yun. She and Fan Xianshu were arranged by Han Funing, while Luo Yun’s presence was clearly due to Luo Tonglin’s influence. Lingyu couldn’t help but wonder—why would Luo Tonglin, having already arranged for his prized disciple, also include a grandson whose abilities lagged behind? What was the intention?

Even stranger, the Immortal Realm was extremely dangerous. Luo Yun was Luo Tonglin’s beloved junior—why allow him to risk entering? Lingyu let the thought drift away; such matters were best left for Han Funing to worry about. She herself had a clear path forward and would adapt as needed.

Meng Xuefeng retrieved the cloth bag, his eyes full of regret. “I didn’t expect it was you hiding here, Junior Sister Cheng. I thought two demon beasts were fighting and was lying in wait to pick up a bargain. Your swordsmanship grows ever more impressive…”

Lingyu apologized, “I didn’t realize it was Senior Brother Meng. I’ve been frightened by demon beasts these days and didn’t hold back. Sorry.”

“No blame to you, Junior Sister…” Meng Xuefeng gathered up the bag, his face troubled. Magical artifacts were precious. Ordinary and elite disciples could not hope for them; only masters and highly favored inherited disciples might possess artifacts beyond spirit swords. Meng Xuefeng treasured his artifact deeply, only bringing it out for this Immortal Realm. It had kept him safe these days, only to be sliced open by Lingyu’s sword. Worse, he could not demand compensation—he had mistaken her for a beast and laid the ambush himself.

Meng Xuefeng pulled himself together and asked, “Since we’ve met, Junior Sister Cheng, shall we travel together?” Han Funing had advised before entering the realm that if they met by chance, it would be best to proceed together. They were collaborators, not competitors; finding the path to the Upper Realm was their shared goal.

Lingyu considered and found no reason to object. “I’d be glad for the company.”

…

“How have you fared these days, Junior Sister?” Meng Xuefeng asked warmly as they journeyed together.

“I’ve managed,” Lingyu replied, keeping a wary eye on her surroundings, “The Immortal Realm lives up to its reputation—treasures abound, so do demon beasts. My luck was poor; I landed right in front of a beast when I arrived and barely survived. I’ve run into many more since, always on the brink…”

“Quite so,” Meng Xuefeng concurred, his heart heavy. “Inside the sect, I always thought myself strong. But here, I realize I was a frog in a well. Cultivation, skill—only real combat reveals one’s true strength.”

“By your words, Senior Brother, you’ve had your share of excitement these days?”

“Excitement—almost deadly!” Meng Xuefeng smiled wryly. “I wasn’t as unlucky as you, falling right in front of a beast, but it was close. On the first day, I encountered a pack of communal beasts and barely escaped with my life. Then, two eighth-level beasts fought right in front of me…”

Lingyu raised a brow, glanced at him, and smiled, “You’re quite bold, Senior Brother. Even knowing there were signs of beasts, you dared to lie in wait for a bargain.”

“Uh…” Meng Xuefeng moved his lips, then forced a smile, “You’ve seen through me. Greed got the better of me—last time I snagged a bargain, I hoped to repeat the luck.”

Lingyu merely smiled, saying nothing more. His complaints painted himself as unlucky, but his words were not quite true. If he truly were so unfortunate, he would avoid beasts altogether, not lurk nearby hoping for gains.

She didn’t know Meng Xuefeng well, but hearing him and recalling his actions, she couldn’t help but think Ding Huaqing’s judgment flawed. He acted insincerely—eager for profit in the Immortal Realm, but spoke differently. If he were merely cautious with her due to unfamiliarity, his manner would be distant, yet he was friendly, likely hoping to rely on her since his artifact was ruined.

Such people disguise themselves as weak, seeking others’ strength without wanting to invest true feeling. Even if his affection for Ding Huaqing was genuine, his conduct would always be colored by his nature. Lingyu could imagine their interactions. Yu Xiyin had said Lingyu was caught between them; most likely, Meng Xuefeng deliberately used her, and Ding Huaqing would change her attitude toward Yu Xiyin, as she would toward other women in the future. One day, Ding Huaqing would have no female friends but Meng Xuefeng alone, listening only to him. If he changed his face, she would be left spinning, feeling as if the world had collapsed…

Lingyu chuckled to herself—events had yet to unfold, why worry so far ahead? Still, she did not doubt such a scenario; her judgment was always sharp, especially with men of poor character. After all, the Cheng family produced plenty of them; her father, smooth-talking and glib, was one such example.

Meng Xuefeng likely sensed Lingyu’s coolness and fell silent. He had one merit—he knew when to retreat and would not openly do things to annoy others.

So be it. She had no desire for closer ties. If she found the path to the Upper Realm, she would no longer have to deal with him.

“Where were you heading before, Senior Brother?” After a while, Lingyu took out her map and asked.

Meng Xuefeng leaned in, pointing about a hundred li south, “Here. The booklet says there’s a deep pool. I’m good with water and wanted to investigate.”

Lingyu checked—her own destination passed right through that spot. She nodded, “Very well, let’s go. But I’m not skilled in water arts; I may have to rely on you.”

Meng Xuefeng glanced at her, then smiled, “No matter, Junior Sister. Just keep watch for me while I dive.”

Lingyu smiled, stowed the map, and continued onward.

Perhaps it was the boldness of being together, or perhaps their luck had turned; their journey was smooth. Half a day later, they reached the deep pool. The pool was not large, about ten zhang across. Its waters were calm, tinged with cold, and bottomless.

Lingyu surveyed the area—it was tranquil, no sign of demon beasts. She was surprised; given the lush vegetation and proximity to mountain and water, it should have been an ideal habitat for beasts. Why so quiet?

Meng Xuefeng was already preparing his water-repelling robe, intending to plunge in and explore. Was he truly willing to risk it?

“Senior Brother Meng,” Lingyu hesitated, then warned, “Judging from the environment, this is a prime spot for demon beasts. The absence of any is odd. Shouldn’t you check further before entering?”

Meng Xuefeng’s expression flickered with surprise. He smiled, “Rest assured, Junior Sister. Someone told me this pool once housed a giant python, slain during the last struggle for the National Preceptor. There shouldn’t be any powerful beasts here.”

“Oh…” Lingyu nodded in understanding.

Perhaps her warning had made Meng Xuefeng feel her goodwill, for his smile grew sincere. “I’ll go down now—please watch over me.”

“Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I’ll stay right here.”

With their agreement, Meng Xuefeng tidied up, took his spirit sword, and leapt into the pool.

In the water, talismans were useless. Water-repelling talismans existed only in ancient texts, never passed down. Meng Xuefeng’s artifact was half-ruined; in the pool, he could rely only on his spirit sword.

Once Meng Xuefeng had entered the water, Lingyu gathered her robes and sat at the edge, releasing her spiritual web to keep watch.

She knew the true path was elsewhere; Meng Xuefeng’s expedition would be fruitless. But she could not reveal this, lest others grow suspicious. The path to the Upper Realm was one matter, but what about Cheng Yue’s other possessions? If word got out, greed would arise.

Time passed slowly, the pool remaining still as glass. Lingyu waited for nearly an hour, growing anxious. Even with water-repelling gear, an hour was about the limit—why hadn’t he resurfaced? Had something happened?

She stood, pacing by the pool, keeping an eye on its depths.

Even encountering a beast, there should be some sign, shouldn’t there?

As she grew impatient, considering whether she should dive in herself, the water finally rippled.

First, bubbles rose, gurgling. Then waves began to surge, rolling ever higher, until at last, enormous waves crashed about.

Lingyu drew her sword, eyes fixed on the pool.

Another massive wave struck, and something was flung onto the shore with a splash. She met a pair of blood-red, cold, sinister eyes.

Lingyu turned to the drenched Meng Xuefeng, thrown onto the bank. “Senior Brother Meng, is this the giant python that was supposedly slain?”

Meng Xuefeng, struggling to cough up water, gritted his teeth. “I’ve been duped!” (To be continued.)