Chapter 58: Shocking Secrets of the Purple Mansion!

Qingxi Alley, the Garrison Cultivator’s Residence.

Since it was not yet the day the Ghost Market opened, the Qi Refining guards at the Garrison Cultivator’s Residence naturally would not let Yulou enter.

Yes, the Garrison Cultivator’s Residence is much like a brothel—you can enter if you offer spirit stones, but only on the right days.

If you scruffy cultivators could just barge in every day without notice, where would the Garrison Cultivator’s authority lie?

However, once Yulou revealed his identity as Wang Shizi of Anbei Kingdom and explained his purpose, the guard promptly let him pass.

A scion of a great clan, courting the Garrison Cultivator’s daughter, and still young.

What does “unlimited future” mean?

This is what “unlimited future” means!

Yulou guessed correctly—the Clan Chief indeed intended for him to probe Mu Chunze’s intentions, which was why he specifically named Yulou to deliver the qin himself.

There was a logic here that Yulou had previously overlooked.

Namely: why did Mu Yingxi bypass the alchemists inside Hongdengzhao and instead seek out Huafeng Studio?

Her father is Hongdengzhao’s true disciple—if he wished to connect her with an alchemist, he wouldn’t even need to show up; a single message would suffice to find any alchemist.

After receiving the Clan Chief’s letter, Yulou only then realized that their meeting that day might have been a special matchmaking.

But Mu Yingxi’s visit to Huafeng Studio may not have been known to her father.

The Clan Chief may have spoken with Mu Chunze, but whether it would succeed ultimately depended on Yulou’s and Mu Yingxi’s own feelings.

Having lived two lives, this was Yulou’s first matchmaking—and to say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.

Under the guidance of a servant, Yulou walked along the front courtyard’s corridor and arrived before a side hall within the residence.

Across the corridor from the side hall stood a stone arch bridge without supports—such bridges, suspended over water without pillars, were called Feihong Bridge.

Through the thick stone pillars outside the side hall, Yulou noticed heavy blue-dragon-patterned curtains hanging inside; the owner was hidden behind them, and he could not locate her.

“Young Master Wang, please come in.”

A young maid, wearing a jade hairpin, her hair styled in a Chaotian bun, and tiny tiger-head pink embroidered slippers, skipped forward and pulled back a corner of the curtain, smiling as she beckoned Yulou inside.

Yulou tightened his grip on the seven-string willow-wood qin, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stone arch bridge.

The little maid walked ahead to lead the way, and Yulou said softly.

“I’ve come only to deliver the qin on behalf of the Wang clan—I’m not worthy of being called Young Master.”

The maid didn’t reply, but chirped sweetly toward the person behind the curtain.

“Heehee, Miss, he’s quite shy.”

Shy?

Thinking of this, Yulou grew even more uneasy—was this really going to be a live matchmaking?

After all, the daughter of Hongdengzhao’s true disciple, even if she had only just reached Foundation Establishment, wasn’t bad at all—many would kill for the chance.

“Cui Guo, don’t be rude. Bring me my qin.”

A familiar voice came—indeed, it was Mu Yingxi.

Yulou handed the qin to the maid named Cui Guo, then stood quietly and obediently before the curtain of the side hall.

His head bowed slightly, allowing him to see the vivid, lifelike blue dragon embroidered on the curtain.

The dragon’s body was outlined in blue silk thread, its horns and claws stitched in gold thread; in its front claws it gripped a small boat, as if committing mischief.

To the dragon’s left, a shimmering curved blade was racing toward it—the embroiderer had been meticulous, using varying shades of white thread to depict the blade’s path through the air.

Looking at the embroidery of the curved blade slaying the blue dragon, Yulou thought of the female cultivator seated behind the curtain.

Mu Yingxi, a beginner-level Qi Refiner, was surely at least ten years older than him—in fact, he ought to call her Auntie.

They say a woman three years older brings golden bricks; ten years older? That’s a pile of golden bricks.

“This qin is indeed excellent—the Wang clan of Anbei Kingdom lives up to its reputation.”

Mu Yingxi’s voice came, pulling Yulou from his reverie; he explained:

“The Clan Chief knew this qin was custom-made for you, so he personally forged it—the base material is the finest willow spirit wood, the strings are made of eighth-grade donkey hair.

Fifteen sealing arrays were applied, with two more layers left for future refinement—should the need arise, it can be further refined.”

Mu Yingxi was older than Yulou and held a higher cultivation base; though they were potential match candidates, calling her “Senior” was appropriate.

“Don’t call me Senior. Wang Yulou, do you know why I commissioned the seven-string qin from your Wang clan?”

The person behind the curtain didn’t discuss price or quality—instead, she tested Yulou.

“I don’t know.”

Yulou, after much thought, decided to play it safe with this opportunity.

Mu Yingxi fell silent for a long time, then spoke a sentence that stunned Yulou.

“I need a partner—a cultivator born in the Mao month sixteen years ago, with at least two elemental affinities besides wood.”

So direct?

Are you trying to make me a son-in-law?

Before Yulou could recover from his shock, Mu Yingxi’s next words struck him again.

“I was born in the same year and month as you, but I am a single-element cultivator—opening the Purple Mansion will be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Hongdengzhao possesses a dual-cultivation secret art that allows partners to mutually complement their foundational bases, combining their strength to open the Purple Mansion.

Wang Yulou, if you are willing to become my partner, you will effortlessly attain the Purple Mansion in the future.

What do you say?”

Yulou believed only one part of Mu Yingxi’s words—he didn’t believe a secret art that used another’s foundational base to open the Purple Mansion had no flaws.

Just think: no matter how close a partner, there are always differences between two people.

So he concluded Mu Yingxi was just dangling a carrot.

The only thing he truly cared about now was that Mu Yingxi was born in the same year and month as him!

A little-known fact, one the Wang clan happened to know, was that the laws of heaven and earth had been altered by great cultivators.

From the past thousand years to the present and into the future, all Qi Refining cultivators must rely solely on innate talent to reach Qi Refining.

This was a design by great cultivators to restrict the overall cultivation levels of heaven and earth.

For example, Yulou, if he continued his cultivation normally, wouldn’t reach Qi Refining until he was thirty-one.

During this process, he could use spirit food to ease daily cultivation labor, but no method could accelerate the rate of his cultivation growth.

But if Mu Yingxi’s words were true, then Yulou had a chance to reach Qi Refining early!

“Senior, if we were born in the same year and month, why did you reach Qi Refining so early?

As far as I know, even a single-element cultivator needs at least ten years to reach Qi Refining.”

Indeed, a Qi Refining cultivator with a single element takes over a decade—how did Mu Yingxi become a Qi Refiner in just three years?

Yulou’s question caught Mu Yingxi off guard; after a moment’s thought, she answered:

“Qi Refining cultivators may enter the Purple Mansion’s cavern realm, where there are no limits to cultivation.”

Since the Wang clan was already one of Hongdengzhao’s own, there was nothing to hide.

Within the Purple Mansion’s cavern realm, Qi Refining cultivators face no cultivation limits—the laws of heaven and earth cannot reach the Purple Mansion’s cavern.

Yulou pondered this sentence deeply, remaining silent for a long while.

The great cultivators had locked the car door—but secretly allowed their direct disciples to sneak in for extra meals.

The cruelty of this world revealed itself once again before Yulou.

Now he understood why spirit rice and spirit food were so expensive.

Those consuming them were not the Qi Refiners seated in Zhiwei Fang—they were the direct disciples of great clans and major sects in the Qi Refining stage.

Great clans and major sects naturally had no shortage of funds to buy spirit rice and spirit food.

“I understand, thank you... Sister Yingxi for clarifying.”

She didn’t want to be called Senior—she disliked being called old—so “Sister” would do.

“But I don’t understand—if partners’ foundational bases can be mutually complemented through dual-cultivation, why is the Golden Basin Deficiency-Repairing Pill still so expensive?”

Yulou’s question left Mu Yingxi silent.

Why was the Golden Basin Deficiency-Repairing Pill so expensive?

Because it’s worth it—the foundational base it repairs for a single-element cultivator is their own.

But using dual-cultivation to achieve mutual complementation is, in a sense, cheating in cultivation—and cheating always comes at a cost.

To save on the cost of the Golden Basin Deficiency-Repairing Pill, you must pay elsewhere.

“Are you trying to refuse?”

Mu Yingxi didn’t answer Yulou’s question—instead, she threw it back at him.

Yulou now firmly confirmed: the sweet carrot of becoming a partner was only sweet to look at.

“I dare not refuse, but becoming a partner requires the approval of my elders.

I came today only to deliver the qin—I never expected such a situation.”

Sister, I’m still a child—whether or not I become a partner is up to my family.

I just came to deliver a qin—you don’t need to pressure me like this.

“Hahaha, Wang Yulou, you’re overthinking. Even if you wanted to accept, you’d need to reach Foundation Establishment first.

I’ve already found four other cultivators roughly your age, born in the Mao month sixteen years ago.

Go back and cultivate hard. When you reach Foundation Establishment, you might understand.”

Mu Yingxi’s attitude was surprisingly casual—even revealing she had four backups.

But to Yulou, she sounded stubbornly proud.

Four others roughly your age—you’re not unique.

When you reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll understand— you’ll regret it.

Hmm, hard to say.

He didn’t dare to think more, and bowed deeply.

“I understand, I understand— this qin uses willow wood as its base, with eighth-rank donkey hair spun into pure gold for the strings.

The clan head said that Elder Mu has worked hard protecting Qingxi Alley; the Wang clan will only charge you a thousand spirit stones.”

Mu Yingxi: ...

She was surprised to find that a person could smile with relief when speechless.

“Here! Reach Foundation Establishment soon!”

A storage bag flew toward him, pulled by the curtain; Wang Yulou swiftly caught it with ease.

He was about to take out the spirit stones from the storage bag when Mu Yingxi spoke again.

“I’m giving it to you— the Wang clan doesn’t even provide storage bags to their own disciples.”

Wang Yulou bowed again, then quickly left.

What do you know? The Wang clan isn’t short of storage bags— they don’t give them out because they’re afraid their disciples will be targeted!

Seeing the brat walk off without looking back, Mu Yingxi wasn’t angry.

He’s just a cultivator from a minor clan— narrow-minded. Why get angry?

She shook her head and placed the qin at the edge of the small table before her.

Her pure white fingers, untouched by worldly dust, gently plucked the strings; a graceful, melodious tune slowly emerged.

In the cultivator’s mansion, at the Qingxi Spirit Eye where Mu Chunze was meditating, he opened his eyes upon hearing the music.

He listened for a while, then softly smiled, and resumed his cultivation.

Earlier, behind the curtain, Cui Guo had suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion.

“Miss, when did you get four other young masters? How come I never knew?”

Instantly, Mu Yingxi’s qin melody faltered, and one string snapped under her anger.

Hearing the music go wrong, Wang Yulou instinctively quickened his pace.

Dammit, this seven-string qin seems broken— I’ve got to run!