Chapter 72: Chapter Seventy-Two: The True Method of Opening the Mansion

「……」

Wei Lingjiang’s fingertips trembled slightly; her heartbeat surged abruptly, like heavy drumbeats pounding thump-thump.

She pressed her lips tightly together, forcibly suppressing the chaotic thoughts in her mind, and gave Chen Hang a calm, indifferent glance, saying nothing more.

Neither spoke again, and the modest bedroom fell utterly silent.

Wei Lingjiang’s gaze swept past Chen Hang’s shoulder; now, the bright white sunlight streamed across the floor like golden sand, illuminating the desk, the inkstone and brush, and the white porcelain teacup with brilliant clarity.

Outside the room, through the open small window, a corner of Fuyu Lake could just be seen.

Emerald waves rippled, the water shimmering, and a few gulls darted swiftly across the surface, chirping faintly, leaving behind only fleeting white trails.

The surroundings were utterly still.

So still it seemed all sounds had vanished.

But this serenity lasted only a fleeting moment before being shattered by hurried footsteps and shouts.

……

“Ninth Senior Sister, I followed Master’s instructions: as soon as the Golden Cloud Boat landed on Fuyu Lake, I gave both of these Daoists the Crane Embryo Pills.”

Luo Zhang, the Daoist with a dark complexion who had piloted the Golden Cloud Boat, walked ahead, smiling at a middle-aged Daoist nun a few steps behind him:

I knew Master gave these pills specifically to show special favor to these two Daoists! Look—here you are, Senior Sister, come yourself! Good thing I was quick-witted and set aside two connected rooms for them, saving you the trouble of searching one by one!

A few steps behind him stood a plump Daoist nun with a face like a full autumn moon and a solid, heavy frame.

She wore a flame-shaped crown, draped in a purple robe embroidered with immortal cranes, and held a fly whisk; now she smiled warmly.

This plump Daoist nun, whom Luo Zhang called Ninth Senior Sister, was about forty-something, her eyebrows slanting sharply like wings; though her body was a full one or two sizes broader than an ordinary person’s, her movements were surprisingly light and agile, like a powerful, nimble bear, radiating an imposing aura.

Hearing Luo Zhang’s words, the plump Daoist nun nodded slightly, her smile genial, and replied:

“Brother, when you handle affairs, both I and Master trust you completely. Don’t worry—these two Daoists, having received Master’s favor, will surely have boundless prospects ahead. You’ve already laid a good foundation by befriending them early!”

Hearing her reply, Luo Zhang’s heart swelled with joy.

Master Huaiwu had always taught without discrimination, with hundreds—even thousands—of formal disciples; though he had achieved Qi Condensation and held a slightly higher status among the disciples, he was still far from being one of Master Huaiwu’s true confidants.

That day, upon arriving at Fuyu Lake, after distributing the Crane Embryo Pills,

he had deliberately gifted the room tokens to Chen Hang and Wei Lingjiang, hoping to curry favor with Master Huaiwu indirectly, to win approval from his own Master.

Today,

seeing Ninth Senior Sister—usually always by Master Huaiwu’s side—arrive in person, specifically inquiring about the whereabouts of the two recipients of the Crane Embryo Pills,

Luo Zhang felt his efforts had not been in vain; signs of reward were already emerging.

Two rooms, a few talisman coins—lost, they could be earned again.

But human favor,

that was not easy to gain…

Those granted Crane Embryo Pills by Master Huaiwu were no ordinary souls; each was a potential dragon among men, destined in time to become renowned great cultivators!

To forge a bond with them while they were still unrisen, with nothing more than two rooms—this was a deal with a hundredfold return!

Luo Zhang knew his Daoist talent was mediocre; he might cultivate till death and remain stuck at Foundation Establishment, destined for the grave unless he found an opportunity, unlikely to enter the Purple Mansion, never opening the “inner and outer mansion.”

Conversely,

in commerce and trade,

he felt he possessed real talent—quite skilled indeed…

Had he not mastered abacus calculations, he could never have acted so swiftly, staked all his talisman coins to buy guest rooms on Puyu Island of Fuyu Lake, and now had earned a modest profit.

……

“Still, human favor aside—if those two become great cultivators someday and merely remember my gift of the rooms, that alone would make my efforts worthwhile… But most importantly, I’m glad I showed myself well before Ninth Senior Sister today; perhaps I’ll soon impress Master even more!”

Luo Zhang grinned as he climbed the long staircase, bowing slightly backward to gesture, continuing to lead the way while happily thinking:

“If Master sees how respectfully I treat those he favors, he’ll surely be pleased—and praise me! If he’s in a good mood and generously grants me a passage of the True Method of Opening the Mansion, that would be real benefit! True, genuine great fortune!”

Like the thousands of other disciples of Master Huaiwu, he bore the title of disciple but had no true master-disciple bond.

He merely used the title to gain some prestige.

As for real gains,

there were few…

Luo Zhang had reached Qi Condensation Eighth Layer, just one level away from completing Qi Condensation, after which he could naturally cultivate True Qi and establish his Dao foundation.

Then he could rightfully call himself a Foundation Establishment Daoist.

But after Foundation Establishment came the Purple Mansion.

To reach that realm, one needed a “True Method of Opening the Mansion” to guide the process and open the Purple Mansion.

And the Purple Mansion’s manifestation had three grades—upper, middle, and lower—each differing as vastly as heaven and earth.

Within the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, there were tens of thousands of “True Methods of Opening the Mansion,” not to mention ancient relics and those seized from celestial realms and terrestrial lands—countless beyond measure.

Yet even though “True Methods of Opening the Mansion” were as numerous as stars in the night sky,

the true methods capable of producing an upper-grade Purple Mansion manifestation were as rare as morning stars.

Such superior methods were always passed only among the Eight Sects, Six Clans, and Twelve Noble Houses, never leaked outward.

Even great sects like the Five Lights Sect and the Flower Goddess Mansion had no access to them.

Recently, Luo Zhang had heard a Five Lights Sect disciple say, drunk:

Even their inner-designated true disciples, when reaching Foundation Establishment Third Layer and seeking to achieve the Purple Mansion, had only two options if they wished to enhance their manifestation.

Either, their masters would lead them beyond the heavens to seek fortune, hoping to stumble upon great luck and obtain a superior “True Method of Opening the Mansion.”

After all, the myriad worlds, countless Dao paths, and infinite beings were as numerous as sands of the Ganges.

No one knew what transformations lay hidden in this void and star-sea, or where ancient hermitages might be concealed.

If one truly struck great fortune, not just a superior “True Method of Opening the Mansion,” but even the legendary “Ninefold Taiyi Return Pill,” said to revive the dead and rival heaven’s creation, might be found in several gourds.

But never mind the extreme dangers of the celestial void, where countless outer demons lurked—millions upon billions—who could easily kill even Golden Core and Nascent Soul True Persons with a single misstep.

Merely seeking fortune beyond the heavens

was like fishing for a needle in an ocean…

Rumor had it that Zhenjun Junyao, who won the Grand Elixir Assembly, had once found a superior “True Method of Opening the Mansion” and an unnamed celestial great technique beyond the heavens before his Dao ascension.

Yet among the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, those with such fortune were exceedingly rare; most returned empty-handed.

Some met even worse fates: they departed safely, but barely beyond the Gangqiquan , their corpses and primordial spirits vanished without trace.

Their families and friends could only erect empty tombs to mourn them.

After repeated failures,

according to that drunken Five Lights Sect disciple, most elders in their sect now despised this method as too costly for too little gain—and even for the true seeds favored by the sect’s ancestral elders, when reaching Foundation Establishment Third Layer and seeking to achieve a superior Purple Mansion manifestation—

they had only one option:

to beg the Eight Sects, Six Clans, and Twelve Noble Houses for permission to study their “True Methods of Opening the Mansion.”

But what price such borrowing demanded, the drunken disciple could not clearly say…

After all, though he had joined a great sect, he was no true heir—otherwise he would never drink and carouse with men like Luo Zhang.

And superior “True Methods of Opening the Mansion,”

Luo Zhang dared not even dream of them—let alone hope for them.

Though he had joined Master Huaiwu’s sect, his own Master was merely at Dongxuan Third Layer, not Golden Core, not even a Nascent Soul True Person.

Without the backing of a great power like the Five Lights Sect or Flower Goddess Mansion, even if he wished to borrow, the Eight Sects, Six Clans, and Twelve Noble Houses would only laugh.

Superior “True Methods of Opening the Mansion” were utterly out of reach; inferior ones were too crude and simplistic—if he used such a method, he might fail to open the Purple Mansion entirely, suffer primordial spirit damage, and see his cultivation plummet—truly a loss far exceeding any gain.

Over the years, Luo Zhang had painstakingly hoarded talisman coins, leveraging his status as a disciple of Master Huaiwu to engage heavily in commerce, even delaying his own cultivation.

All to accumulate enough wealth to purchase a middle-grade “True Method of Opening the Mansion.”

Master Huaiwu, as a high-level Dongxuan Third Layer cultivator, naturally possessed many true methods—not just inferior ones, but likely many middle-grade ones as well.

But Luo Zhang was merely one of his countless ordinary disciples, never personally taught, rarely even seeing his Master.

Only at the beginning of each month, during the Dharma Altar lectures, could Luo Zhang Youxing catch a glimpse of his Master.

But these monthly lectures lasted at most half an hour; even if he had questions after, the altar was crowded with hundreds of fellow disciples—how could he possibly get a chance to speak?

Moreover, Luo Zhang himself was no cultivation seed, and never caught Master Huaiwu’s eye.

Take the Ninth Senior Sister behind him—she was exceptionally gifted, taken as a direct disciple by Master Huaiwu, and her cultivation had soared like a rocket.

Yet Luo Zhang had a faint, uneasy feeling.

It seemed as if

after being taken as a direct disciple… her personality had changed somewhat?

But he had never been close to her; even if he sensed something odd, he was too lazy to investigate further.

He assumed it was merely that position altered one’s aura, nourishment altered one’s body—she was now a lofty direct disciple, naturally separated from ordinary disciples like him by a thick wall, no longer comparable.

……

Amid these swirling thoughts,

Luo Zhang led the plump Daoist nun up the long staircase to the fifth floor of the Immortal Guesthouse.

This floor consisted entirely of quiet, elegant rooms; though not spacious compared to the fourth floor, it held only two connected chambers, with pines, cypresses, and rockeries placed in the center, exuding a tranquil, refined charm.

“Ninth Senior Sister, here we are—the two Daoists who received the pills are lodged here.”

Luo Zhang chuckled, pointing.

Over the years, he had come to understand:

He could never save enough talisman coins—he had already delayed his cultivation for the sake of abacus calculations; even if he saved for another thirty or fifty years, he could never afford a middle-grade “True Method of Opening the Mansion.”

And his talent was nowhere near as good as Ninth Senior Sister’s—he could never be taken as a direct disciple and shine as she did.

Thus, in this case.

If he still wishes to obtain a mid-level “True Law of Opening the Mansion” as soon as possible,

he has no choice but to follow Huaiwu Cave Lord’s inclinations, sense his thoughts, flatter him, fawn, and grovel.

After all, his own master is famously generous and openhanded in the Southern Region; after all, he is his disciple, and given this relationship, perhaps the old man, deeply pleased, might bestow the “True Law of Opening the Mansion” upon him?

Carrying such thoughts, Luo Zhang was overjoyed, and led the stout Daoist nun toward the entrance, his steps light and brisk.

“Wait.”

The stout Daoist nun suddenly flicked her fly-whisk, frowning:

“Why choose the fifth floor of Xianke Lodge? This place has only two adjacent rooms, connected by a single hidden door.”

Didn’t couples or family members usually pick this spot? Could it be that the two disciples who received the elixir from our master are…?”

“This is merely my little private scheme,” Luo Zhang laughed. “I noticed those two disciples seemed deeply affectionate, even bringing along a child. But the male disciple seemed rather cold-faced—perhaps they’re having a quarrel.”

Luo Zhang chuckled, then quickly added:

“Ninth Sister, rest assured—the hidden door, if sealed by one side, cannot be opened by the other. It’s merely a decorative sham. Don’t worry—I won’t play matchmaker.”

“Is that so? Then that’s good.”

The stout Daoist nun’s expression remained calm, but inwardly she exhaled in relief.

“A couple? I’ve never heard of any major sect having Qi Condensation cultivators as partners… This actually makes it easier for Mother to unleash her Demon Art and transform them into demonic followers.”

As she pondered,

Luo Zhang stepped forward and knocked loudly on the door, calling out for a long time—but no one answered.

“Strange? Are the two disciples out strolling together? Why isn’t anyone answering? Not even the chubby child?”

Luo Zhang frowned and shook his head.

At that moment, the stout Daoist nun suddenly smiled.

“Perhaps we’ve interrupted the two disciples’ private moment—inside, they’re probably entwined in passion, lost in the clouds and rain of love. No matter, no matter—I’ve been there myself!”

She gently released a thread of true qi through the door crack, then called out loudly:

“Two disciples, don’t be shy—our master has urgent matters to entrust! Please come out and meet us!”

Beside her,

Luo Zhang’s face turned pale—this was a grave breach of etiquette.

But he was too late to stop her; the stout Daoist nun’s true qi had already entered the room.

“Trouble!”

Before Wei Lingjiang could react, Chen Hang seized her shoulders and pulled her hard against his side.

The instant his long arms encircled her, a crisp, cold, pure aura enveloped her instantly, wrapping her completely, brushing her cheeks, making her entire face burn inexplicably.

Only after a moment of daze did Wei Lingjiang realize—she glared at Chen Hang, furious and ashamed.

When she lifted her head, she met only a pair of deep, dark, indifferent eyes.

Beneath his thick, beautiful eyelashes lay only a still, unchanging shadow—no joy, no fiery passion.

He merely held her coldly, as if performing a routine duty—his arms encircling not a living person, but a jade statue or stone idol.

“My Dispersing Shadow, Concealing Form technique is not yet perfected. Don’t move too far.”

From his silent lips, Wei Lingjiang faintly deciphered these words.

The stout Daoist nun’s true qi still drifted through the room, but Chen Hang’s Dispersing Shadow, Concealing Form technique masked their qi signatures—so even as the true qi passed over them, it detected not the slightest anomaly.

Time stretched, thread by thread.

Into unbearable length…

During this time, Wei Lingjiang nearly gasped for breath—but Chen Hang pulled her impatiently tighter, drawing her even closer.

“...”

Wei Lingjiang pressed her lips together.

She simply closed her eyes, motionless, like a doll, letting him arrange her as he wished.

Though naturally slender and tall, beside Chen Hang she still stood a head shorter; when she lowered her head slightly, she seemed nestled right against his chest, utterly delicate and dependent.

Meanwhile, the true qi had circled the room five or six times, finding nothing. The stout Daoist nun sighed, then turned to leave.

“Ninth Sister! Ninth Sister! What’s the emergency?”

Luo Zhang hurried forward to stop her: “What’s so urgent?”

“Our master intends to reopen Huaiwu Cave on the day of the observation ceremony. He specifically sent me to give these two some guidance.”

The stout Daoist nun sighed: “Since they’re not here, you must inform them—be sure they take the Crane Embryo Pill. Only then can they achieve a high ranking within Huaiwu Cave. This is our master’s way of showing his appreciation for talent!”

With that, the stout Daoist nun bowed and took her leave.

Only Luo Zhang remained, his expression shifting constantly.

“Huaiwu Cave is reopening? Hahaha!”

After a long while, he burst into loud laughter, gazing at the two room doors, overjoyed:

“It’s done! It’s done! I’ve backed the right horse! I’ve backed the right horse!”

…

…

Inside the room,

Wei Lingjiang, still dazed, suddenly felt the pressure on her shoulders lift. She opened her eyes in confusion—Chen Hang had stepped back four or five paces. Seeing her look, he bowed apologetically.

“Circumstances demanded it. I apologize for the intrusion.”

He lowered his gaze and said.