Stealing Immortal
Chapter 25 - 24: Maidservant

Chapter 25: Chapter 24: Maidservant

The charcoal fire had gone out, leaving only a hint of warmth in the room.

Wisps of wind coiled in through the cracks in the window, bringing a chill with them.

Although it hadn’t snowed, the temperature had plummeted the day before.

It had been several days since Chen Qingyang broke through to the Third Realm of Qi Refining. His Dantian True Essence had gradually stabilized, and his body’s meridians were nourished. He no longer feared the cold as much, and the old cotton clothes he wore had become more of a habit than a necessity.

Another change was also taking place within him—his mindset.

When he first arrived, he had to digest a hundred years of memories. Constrained by his body, he truly had the air of a centenarian, but now, he was gradually returning to his youth.

He pushed the window open a bit, and cold air poured in. The sun was already rising in the east. In the courtyard, Xu You stood with a burning gaze fixed in his direction.

"Senior Brother Chen, you’re up early!"

Chen Qingyang gave a slight nod.

"I noticed you were meditating all night."

Only those who had truly entered the gate of Qi Refining could replenish their Essence Qi through meditation. Furthermore, their aura would change as they breathed. With someone like that around, Chen Qingyang knew he couldn’t hide it.

Unless...

...the person disappeared.

"Heh heh!"

He’d put on some weight recently, the added flesh filling out his wrinkles. When he smiled, he actually looked somewhat benevolent.

"The charcoal fire went out during the night. I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I could only meditate. You must find it amusing, Junior Brother Xu. The older I get, the less sleep I seem to need."

Whether he believed him or not, Xu You just smiled and said, "I see."

Propping the window open, Chen Qingyang ignored him and went about his business, stoking the charcoal fire. After the water boiled, he began to wash his face with a hot towel, preparing to go out.

Xu You, apparently finding it dull, saw that Xu Yong was also awake, and the two of them left together.

After observing for a while and seeing no further activity, Lü Yunshen also walked over to Chen Qingyang.

"Senior Brother Chen!"

"Come right in."

Lü Yunshen entered, bowed first, and then said, "That boy Xu Yong, I don’t know where he learned to be so mercenary. Ever since Senior Brother Xu arrived, he’s been clinging to him, thinking it’ll help him reach Qi Refining. He’s so young, he doesn’t realize that without a solid foundation, there’s no path forward in the Immortal Dao."

The implication, of course, was that his own foundation was very solid.

Chen Qingyang tossed him a Qi Gathering Pill.

Thanks to his deal with Liu Tao, he wasn’t short on these. However, he only had eleven of the Poison Pills left by Xu Baoling, and each one used was one less he had.

"Thank you for your immense kindness, Senior Brother Chen..." As he spoke, he was about to sit down and begin its refinement on the spot.

But Chen Qingyang said, "Hold on. I have a question for you first. How did you and Xu You meet at the Profound Light Association?"

Lü Yunshen shook his head. "You’re mistaken, Senior Brother Chen. We didn’t meet at the Profound Light Association. He told us about it himself after he came here. We’d never seen him at the Association before."

This surprised Chen Qingyang. "Oh? Then how did you confirm he was from the Profound Light Association?"

Lü Yunshen added, "Senior Brother Chen, I don’t think it needed confirming. The day he arrived, he told us so much about the Profound Light Association that we knew it couldn’t be fake."

Chen Qingyang pondered for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "I see. Go ahead and refine the Elixir here."

With that said, he paid no more mind to Lü Yunshen behind him, leaving the room and heading toward Hu Kai’s place.

The sun climbed higher, bringing a measure of warmth to the world. In the distance, a golden light fell upon the snow-covered ground.

Standing outside the small courtyard, he knocked three times, just as Hu Kai had that night. After a short wait, the door opened, and it was indeed him.

"Senior Brother Chen, please come in!"

Hu Kai didn’t seem very surprised. In the same West Wing as last time, tea was already boiling. Chen Qingyang sat down across from him.

"Senior Brother Chen, you must be here to ask about Xu You. Although he and I both serve the Profound Light Association, we don’t know each other personally. His decision to go to your place was his own. I was completely unaware of it. If he has offended you in any way, Senior Brother Chen, it has nothing to do with me!"

Hu Kai had spoken up before Chen Qingyang could even open his mouth.

From this statement, Chen Qingyang deduced two things.

The Profound Light Association was a considerable force; they even had members who were both in the Qi Refining Realm but didn’t know each other.

Second, Hu Kai did not approve of Xu You’s actions.

"Then why did you people take an interest in me?"

Hu Kai shook his head. "Not ’us.’ It was *I* who took an interest in you, Senior Brother Chen. I hoped that after you used our strength to break through, you would remember our kindness in the future."

"I’m asking why you targeted me specifically."

Hu Kai shook his head with a small smile. "When you get down to it, Senior Brother Chen, you’re not exactly an outsider anymore. There’s no harm in telling you. Over the years, we’ve had many Outer Disciples, but we’ve never been able to get close to the Inner Sect. Recently, you’ve been seen frequently around the Golden Summit. Everyone knows your old connections are coming into play. So..."

He didn’t hide anything, laying out everything that needed to be said.

"What do you think of Xu You?" Chen Qingyang asked again.

"I’ve met him a few times, but I don’t know him well. He seems to be aggressive and have a high opinion of himself. Have his recent actions caused you some trouble, Senior Brother Chen?"

Chen Qingyang didn’t answer the question. He only said, "It seems things within your Profound Light Association are quite complicated. No one can control anyone else."

"That’s true enough."

’The situation is clear now,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’Hu Kai believes in something that Xu You is skeptical of, which is why he’s been secretly observing me.’

Chen Qingyang slowly rose to his feet. "I’ll be taking my leave."

At that moment, Hu Kai pressed him. "Actually, in my opinion, your foundation is already sufficient, Senior Brother Chen. As long as you follow our method, breaking through shouldn’t be a problem."

Chen Qingyang shook his head. "I appreciate the kind offer."

"Very well. If I can wait half a month for you, Senior Brother Chen, I can wait half a year!"

...

Afterward, he didn’t go to the Hongling Token spot again. Instead, he went directly to the mountainside, where he refined a Tier Two Qi-Introducing Pill and made his trade with Liu Tao.

He settled down under a pine tree until nearly nightfall. Just before dawn, he returned to his small courtyard and then went to the Hongling Token spot.

This continued for three consecutive days.

Xu You inevitably kept disturbing Chen Qingyang, who had already secretly decided how to deal with him.

The vast sky was a deep blue, and the stars shone brightly.

It was tranquil, and the world felt immense.

A glint of Essence Qi flashed in Chen Qingyang’s eyes, and his back straightened in an instant. As he drew his hand from his sleeve, the Warm Jade Scroll was already in his grasp.

Today was the fourth day. During this time, he had continuously poured True Essence into it. Even if Xu Baoling’s Divine Soul was indestructible, she had still endured an unforgettable torment.

With a thought, the ethereal figure of a woman materialized above the Warm Jade Scroll.

She still looked the same, but her Divine Soul swayed precariously as a breeze blew past, a sign that she had been weakened to her absolute limit.

When Xu Baoling saw Chen Qingyang again, her dazed expression was clearly tinged with terror. Her hands were pressed against her once-plump belly, and her legs were held tightly together in a very reserved posture.

The arrogance and flirtatious charm were gone. It was as if she had become a different person.

"You should know that if I burn you in the Warm Jade Scroll for two more days, your soul will be utterly obliterated. Your two hundred-plus years of hard cultivation, your two hundred-plus years of life, will all vanish overnight. The person known as Xu Baoling will cease to exist in this world!"

Death meant being plunged into absolute darkness.

Suddenly, Xu Baoling’s form began to tremble, and the sound of sobbing trickled out.

This time, Chen Qingyang was finally certain: she was afraid.

"However, you’re still of some use to me. I’ll give you one last chance. You know what you need to do, don’t you?"

"What... to... do..." Xu Baoling mumbled, as if digesting his words. Then, as if her mind suddenly caught up, her body language screamed with the desire to live. Her form went limp, and she slid to her knees before him.

"Junior Brother, my good Junior Brother, please spare me this one time. From now on, whatever you say goes..." Her voice trembled, and she shook her head desperately. "No, I can’t call you Junior Brother. I’ll call you Master... Master, please spare this servant just this once..."

’Master?’

Recalling his few clashes with Xu Baoling, Chen Qingyang found he quite liked that title.

"’Servant,’ is it? Fine. I’ll make an exception and accept you as my servant. And you can rest assured, you’ve seen my capabilities. I won’t be stuck with Miscellaneous Tasks or in the Outer Sect forever. When that day comes, I’ll set you free. Of course, you should understand what you need to do in the meantime."

Xu Baoling nodded her head frantically, like someone pounding garlic. "Yes, Senior Brother Chen... No, I mean, Master."

If he hadn’t given her any hope of survival, she might have accepted death. But now that he had, she would surely cast everything aside just for the slimmest chance to live.

She was a Cultivator. In her two hundred years of life, she had never experienced the sickness, aging, and death that mortals did. She even possessed a sense of superiority, of being above the common masses. She had far too many reasons to keep on living.

"Regarding the One-Element Sword Technique, can you still recall it?"

’The nice words are over,’ he thought. ’Now it’s time to see some concrete action.’

’It’s just a single set of Sword Formulas. Xu Baoling should be able to remember it without a single mistake. Therefore, if there’s any problem, there will be no reason to keep her around. It would be better to just take her Immortal Seedling.’

This time, she acted with extreme caution, pondering for a long moment before she began to recite...

Chen Qingyang only needed to hear it once to memorize it word for word. When he checked his panel now, the One-Origin Sword had indeed appeared. For now, at least, Xu Baoling was completely subdued.

"Not bad. This time it was correct, and without a single mistake!"

Hearing him say that, Xu Baoling couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt. "Mas...ter, may I ask how you can tell? Don’t tell me you learned it just by hearing it once?"

’Although that word still sounded a bit awkward on her tongue, it didn’t matter. With time, it would become more and more natural.’

"I just run it through my head once, and I know it. Do you believe me?"

Although she had her doubts, Xu Baoling still said aloud, "I believe you. This servant believes everything Master does."

"Heh heh." Chen Qingyang chuckled softly.