Chapter 99: Planting a Spiritual Meridian

To investigate the Gu Master incident thoroughly, the Tianshi Hall coordinated with every major sect for a detailed inquiry. And just as Yun Jiao had guessed, that wasn’t an isolated case — in recent days, several similar disturbances had occurred. Strange incidents kept cropping up all across the land, each somehow tied to the shadow of the demonic or heretical path.

While none were as atrocious as the Gu Master using children’s innate spiritual energy to breed his poisonous insects, some methods were equally disturbing — unheard of, even.

The more the Hall dug, the worse it looked. There had always been the occasional rogue cultivator who strayed down evil paths, but lately, the number had spiked unnaturally. These people seemed unconnected on the surface, yet their actions hinted at a shared purpose — as if collecting something. And afterward, they either vanished without a trace or turned up dead under bizarre circumstances. No pattern, no survivors, no leads.

The only clue left was that sinister artifact — the Underworld item they’d destroyed.

Yun Jiao glanced toward the man calmly sipping soup beside her and hesitated before asking, “Grandmaster… have you ever seen an artifact from the Underworld before?”

Night Abyss’s hand paused midair. Slowly, he set down the bowl with an elegance completely at odds with the fact that he’d just emptied half a pot of soup. His brow furrowed slightly.

“This matter,” he said evenly, “is not something you need to interfere with.”

“Eh?” Yun Jiao blinked. It was the first time her ancestor had ever refused her request for something other than food. “Why not?”

“It’s nothing but the same tedious game — bored fools fighting for power.” His frown deepened, a trace of annoyance flickering across his handsome face. “They make a mess of things every few thousand years. It’ll burn itself out soon enough.”

“Fighting for power…?” Yun Jiao’s eyes widened. “You mean—the Underworld?”

He gave a slight nod, ladled himself another full bowl, and said in a low voice, “The Underworld is in turmoil again.”

“Again?”

Yun Jiao stared at him, speechless. So this wasn’t even the first time? She wanted to ask more — what exactly was happening in the Underworld — but he wasn’t wrong. Even if she knew, what could she possibly do? Mortal cultivators couldn’t meddle in matters beyond their plane.

Still, the helplessness gnawed at her.

She thought of that day when the Gu Master’s poisonous miasma filled the air — she had possessed the knowledge, the theory, the skill… yet without spiritual energy, she’d been completely useless.

“Grandmaster…” She drew a deep breath, then looked up at him seriously. “Do you remember what you said before? That even though I don’t have a spiritual meridian, you could plant one for me?”

Night Abyss froze, then turned to her with mild surprise. “You want to cultivate?”

Yun Jiao nodded firmly. “Yes. I want to learn.”

Being powerless was not a pleasant feeling.

Night Abyss elegantly downed the rest of his soup in a single gulp, then replied solemnly, “Spiritual meridians are normally innate, but… there is a way to plant one anew.”

Her eyes lit up immediately. She pushed a handkerchief toward him eagerly. “Can you tell me how, Master?”

He accepted it, wiped his mouth lazily, and said, “A spiritual meridian allows the circulation of spiritual energy. But you have none. Even if you knew the method, you couldn’t perform it yourself.”

Yun Jiao’s heart sank. Her shoulders drooped as if all the air had gone out of her. For the first time, someone had told her flat-out that something was impossible.

Perhaps because it was the first time his little disciple had ever looked truly disheartened, Night Abyss felt a strange tightness in his chest — as though her head drooping had pulled his heart down with it. His usual post-meal serenity evaporated.

He reached out, gently patted her head, and quickly added, “No need to be upset. I said you can’t do it yourself — not that it can’t be done. I gave my word that I’d plant one for you. I don’t break promises.”

“Eh?” Yun Jiao blinked.

He continued, “You were focused on healing before, so I didn’t bring it up again.”

(Definitely not because I was distracted by food.)

“Now that you’ve decided, I’ll plant one for you.”

“R–really?” she gasped. “How?”

He nodded gravely, cycling through countless techniques in his mind until settling on the fastest, simplest option. Then he instructed, “Don’t worry yourself. Stay here in the temple for a few days. I’ll go find one for you.”

“Find… one?” Yun Jiao blinked. Wait.

Wasn’t he supposed to plant it?

Before she could ask, Night Abyss had already stood up. With a flicker of motion, he vanished from sight — taking the entire table of dishes and pastries with him.

Yun Jiao: “……”

Wait. Did he just say “find”?

Not “create”?

Why did that sound… ominous?

(⊙_⊙)

A very bad feeling crept over her.

---

Just then—

“Girl! I finished reading The Five Elements: Detailed Analysis of Brahma-Heaven Techniques! Hahaha—” The old man burst in, full of glee. “Finally! Time for lunch! Quick, quick, I’m starv—”

He froze mid-sentence. His smile stiffened as his gaze fell upon the dozens of empty bowls on the table. Silence.

A wave of pure sorrow swept over him.

“Girl,” he croaked, voice trembling, “what happened to respecting the elderly? Where’s the food?!”

Not even a single leaf of cabbage left!

Yun Jiao gave him a solemn look and pointed toward the courtyard. “Mm. The elder (Grandmaster) just took it all with him.”

“……”

MMP!

Forget cultivation. I quit!

“…I still have three buns left,” Yun Jiao offered kindly, holding out her bowl.

Bai Yu stared, torn between dignity and despair. They feasted on delicacies, and all I get are buns?

But his stomach growled before his pride could protest.

“Gimme.”

“……”

---

For the next three days, Grandmaster didn’t return.

Without him showing up at every meal demanding food, Bai Yu discovered… life was actually wonderful!

╮(╯▽╰)╭

No more scrambling to guard his plate, no more losing dishes to divine-level chopstick speed. The world was peaceful again. He even felt his elderly heart regaining vitality — this was what retirement should feel like!

Until Yun Jiao appeared, dropping a thick stack of textbooks in front of him.

His brief joy instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

“Huh?” Bai Yu blinked, thinking his ears had betrayed him.

“Starting tomorrow at the hour of Chen,” Yun Jiao said briskly, “I’ve already informed the Tianshi Hall. Since you have the message charm, there’s no need to draw another.”

“Wait—” he grabbed her sleeve, panicking. “Girl, you mean… I’m supposed to teach those disciples?!”

“Of course.” Yun Jiao nodded matter-of-factly. “You’ve learned Heart of the Dao, Heaven’s Descent Art, Five-Element Mind Refinement, and Cycle of Yin and Yang, haven’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Any section you don’t understand?”

“…No.”

“Any verse you haven’t grasped?”

“Not really…”

“Any incantations you haven’t memorized?”

“…All memorized.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“……”

She made… disturbingly solid arguments.

He had absolutely nothing to say.

(End of Chapter)