Chapter 18: Trapped in the Cage for Too Long |
Zhenwu Mountain lay at the border between Qingzhou and Yunzhou, piercing straight into the clouds like a sharp sword.
Back when Daoist Longshan chose this place to rebuild the Zhenwu Sect, he had thoroughly cleared the mountain. Though some wild beasts still lingered, none posed any serious threat—they could even serve as training for the sect disciples.
But today, Ning Qi was heading to the outer ranges of Zhenwu Mountain, which were considerably more dangerous.
In this world, there existed powerful beasts called exotic beasts. The stronger ones could rival Heaven-Man Realm experts, capable of moving mountains and summoning rain—they were known as Beast Kings.
Although it wasn't that extreme outside Zhenwu Mountain, it was still safer to have a skilled companion along.
The two of them leaped through the forest.
A curious look flashed in Ye Qinghe’s eyes.
She felt that her Little Junior Brother’s movements were swift and graceful—he could actually keep up with her pace without losing composure. Though part of it was because she wasn’t using her full strength, it was still impressive.
“Little Nine, Master gave you extra training again, didn’t he?” Ye Qinghe pouted.
“I created it myself. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Ye Qinghe chuckled and assumed Ning Qi was just joking.
The two stopped at the edge of a cliff.
The cliff was so high you couldn’t see the bottom. Mist swirled around them, with sunlight streaming through, casting rainbow hues.
Ning Qi’s eyes lit up. Under Ye Qinghe’s puzzled gaze, he slowly sat down cross-legged and gazed at the drifting clouds, lost in thought.
“Clouds have no shape, no form. They gather with the wind, and scatter with it…”
Ye Qinghe watched from the side, puzzled. She mimicked Ning Qi, trying to focus on the clouds, but no matter how she looked at them, they just seemed like ordinary clouds. Beautiful, yes, but that was it.
She wanted to ask but didn’t want to interrupt Ning Qi.
A while passed.
Ning Qi suddenly trembled slightly, then slowly stood up. His eyes seemed to flash with spiritual light.
Ye Qinghe quickly asked:
“Little Nine, what were you doing just now?”
“Watching the clouds.”
“The clouds by Zhenwu Mountain’s cliffs look way better than these. Why come here to look?”
“They’re similar, but also different.”
“They look the same to me. What’s so different about them?”
“Your comprehension isn’t high enough.”
Ye Qinghe was instantly fuming.
Sometimes Little Junior Brother’s words were just infuriating—and there was no way to argue back.
Watching Ning Qi walk off, she hurried after him.
But almost immediately, she saw Ning Qi sitting in front of another oddly shaped stone.
The rock stood several people high and vaguely resembled a human figure.
“What is it now?” she muttered with a wry smile.
A moment later, Ning Qi stood again, the spiritual light in his mind even stronger.
This time, Ye Qinghe didn’t ask. Little Junior Brother had always been eccentric.
She just chatted with Ning Qi about other things.
Then,
Ning Qi would stop from time to time to observe something.
Whether it was clouds between cliffs, oddly shaped stones, exposed roots, mountain breezes, even a single leaf or a lump of mud…
All things that seemed ordinary to Ye Qinghe would make Ning Qi pause, sometimes even sit cross-legged and fall into deep focus.
All she could do was hold her forehead and smile bitterly.
She didn’t get it. The world of geniuses was just incomprehensible.
But she knew—Ning Qi definitely wasn’t wasting time.
And Ning Qi truly gained a lot.
Trapped in the cage for too long, he had finally returned to nature.
The things here weren’t all that different from those atop Zhenwu Mountain, but the change in environment gave Ning Qi a new mindset and fresh feelings.
He felt this trip was the right call.
That supreme stance technique was nearly fully formed in his mind.
“Little Nine, how about we go see something a little more fun?”
As Ning Qi came back to himself, Ye Qinghe whispered.
Though she had a feeling he was comprehending something, she couldn’t help worrying that Little Junior Brother had spent too long on his own and might be going a bit loopy.
Ning Qi snapped out of it and looked at Ye Qinghe, who looked bored to death, and smiled:
“Sure!”
A moment later.
They parted the leaves, and two sneaky pairs of eyes peered ahead—only to see two black snakes wildly tangled together. They weren’t fighting. It was… more intense.
Ye Qinghe’s face went completely blank.
“Little Nine, you think this is fun?”
“Of course. Life begins with this.”
Ning Qi said seriously, staring without blinking, lost in thought again.
Ye Qinghe was speechless.
Still, it was more interesting than rocks or whatever, so she muttered now and then, like she was controlling the two snakes from afar.
A while later, Ning Qi looked very satisfied. The two of them quietly slipped away.
Then—
It was like Ning Qi had developed a grudge against beasts.
Ye Qinghe took him deep into the mountains and forests.
They observed all kinds of wild and exotic beasts up close.
A tiger’s roar shook the forest.
An eagle dived for a rabbit.
Ants relocated their nest.
Wolves hunted in packs.
…
All of this fascinated Ning Qi.
Of course, watching from so close occasionally backfired.
For instance, they once encountered a Bloodhorn Wolf, an exotic beast with the power to fight a Qi Origin Realm martial artist. If Ning Qi had been alone, he’d have had to retreat.
They also ran into several slightly weaker exotic beasts.
Thankfully, Ye Qinghe was there.
She subdued them with ease.
Ye Qinghe was exhausted, but when she saw the big grin on Ning Qi’s little face, she couldn’t complain. She just gave his cheeks a rough squeeze—almost kissed him, too. Actually, she used to kiss him when he was a baby, but after he could move on his own, he’d firmly refused.
That made Ye Qinghe sentimental.
Little Junior Brother sure grew up fast.
Before they knew it—
The sun was slanting in the sky.
Ning Qi looked up, glowing with spirit.
Ye Qinghe, on the other hand, looked utterly drained.
It was just too boring!
If not for a sip of wine keeping her going, she’d probably have collapsed.
Ning Qi said with a smile:
“Senior Sister, let’s head back.”
Today’s goal was achieved, and the gains were immense.
He was confident that within three days, this supreme stance technique would be complete.
He just needed to go home and refine it a bit.
“Seems like I should travel more in the future—see the world, see the mortal realm.”
Ye Qinghe’s eyes lit up. She flipped up and pulled Ning Qi along.
Ning Qi shook his head and chuckled, casually tossing her a promise.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister. When your Junior Brother becomes invincible, I’ll get you the finest wine in the world!”
Ye Qinghe laughed heartily:
“Senior Sister’s gonna hold you to that!”
Then—
She blinked, her lips curving into a smile, her eyes sparkling.
“Forget the world’s best wine for now. How about you start with a pot of Monkey Wine?”
Ning Qi also sensed movement up ahead.
That distinctive howl left no doubt—it was a long-armed ape.
Long-armed apes were nimble and known for brewing Monkey Wine with a unique flavor. Just thinking about it made Ye Qinghe’s mouth water.
The two stopped walking.
They were both stunned.
The thick leaves parted. But instead of a long-armed ape, a pure white ape appeared.
It was just a head taller than Ning Qi, with long arms. Upon seeing them, panic—almost humanlike—flashed in its eyes.
Ning Qi looked amazed.
Then—
A few long-armed apes covered in black fur burst from the woods. Their eyes were fierce, baring their teeth at the white ape. When they saw Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe, they didn’t back down either—teeth bared, aggression written all over them.
Ye Qinghe crossed her arms, glanced at the white ape, then lazily looked at Ning Qi:
“Little Nine, Senior Sister’s tired. Why don’t you go teach these little monkeys some manners?”