Chapter 25: Senior Brother in Critical Condition

As Ning Sujin’s frail voice drifted out, Li Ji’an, who had only been aware of the soft, warm touch upon his lips, now sensed a trace of cool, heated moisture and a slippery sensation.

“Sister Jin, I…” He tried to explain, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the sensation only intensified.

Ning Sujin’s eyes widened in an instant; her face, which had just regained a hint of color, flushed crimson as blood rushed to her cheeks. Realizing their predicament, neither of them spoke further, merely waiting in silence for the effects of the medicine to subside.

…

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that their faces finally parted. Ning Sujin, mustering all her strength, turned her head to one side. Li Ji’an could at last move his neck a little.

“Before the Immortal Master arrived, I tried to sense it myself—the omen was still dire. I wonder if anything changed after the Immortal Master descended to the mortal realm.” Seeking to ease the awkwardness, Ning Sujin brought up the matter Li Ji’an most cared about.

Li Ji’an nodded slowly. Ning Sujin’s abilities only worked at close range, so it was understandable that she could sense nothing now. Yet, since the so-called Immortal Master was merely a cultivator, and even required a flying vessel to travel between the mortal and cultivation worlds, he likely had no power to alter a person’s fate. The dire omen surrounding Ning Yutan had probably not changed.

Thus, it seemed that following the Immortal Master to the cultivation world was the very root of this ominous fate.

“Is it a crisis of the cultivation world, or one brought by the Immortal Master himself?” Li Ji’an could not tell. A sense of dread toward the path of cultivation took root in his heart.

“Sister Jin, could you foresee your own fate if you became a candidate for immortality?”

Ning Sujin shook her head. “Only matters that are certain can be foreseen, and the span of time varies from case to case.”

“After all that has happened, I fear the Emperor will raise his standards for the next Immortal Selection. At the very least, we’ll have to achieve mastery in refining the organs to have a hope. Whether we can become candidates in this lifetime is uncertain.”

Noticing Ning Sujin’s changed attitude toward the Emperor, Li Ji’an smiled knowingly. Having seen her before the Immortal Master, the lofty dignity and image of the Emperor had naturally collapsed in her eyes. Especially since the message the royal family had always conveyed to the world was that the Immortal Master protected the Zhao clan, that the Emperor was appointed by the Immortal Master, and defying the royal house was defiance of a higher immortal.

“Man proposes, Heaven disposes!” Li Ji’an’s heart was not set on whether he could become a candidate for immortality in this life, so he offered a casual, optimistic remark.

“What are your thoughts on the Immortal Master?” Buoyed by Li Ji’an’s encouragement, Ning Sujin no longer fretted over the selection a decade hence, and instead could not help but ask about the Immortal Master he had seen.

Li Ji’an pondered a moment, then offered, “Perhaps not unlike a grandmaster of the martial arts.”

“You think so as well?” Ning Sujin’s beautiful eyes narrowed, surprise flashing across her face as though she had found a kindred spirit.

“How did you come to that view?” Li Ji’an was curious, since she, unlike himself, had not experienced the modern world or read countless tales of cultivators.

“A hundred years ago, when the Immortal Master descended, the natural disasters continued as before, the wicked did as they pleased, the suffering continued to suffer—never did the Immortal Master strike down evil with divine lightning or mete out justice… Aside from their unknown origins, ability to fly and control treasures, how are they different from the mortal world?” Ning Sujin said bluntly.

Li Ji’an looked at her with growing admiration.

“So this was why you taught Yutan martial arts of your own accord? You believe that mundane martial arts might be able to resist the Immortal Master, might offer a chance of survival?”

Ning Sujin nodded slowly.

A clever woman!

The next morning, the effects of the medicine had almost completely worn off for both of them. Ning Sujin forced herself to sit up, finally moving away from Li Ji’an’s chest. But as she tried to rise, something hard blocked her path, causing her unsteady lower body to sink back down again.

“Hiss—” Li Ji’an felt as though his bones might snap, and could not help but gasp. He instinctively sat up.

Ning Sujin, too, was painfully pressed, as if she might split apart, and she suddenly pitched forward, once more landing in Li Ji’an’s arms.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before Ning Sujin recovered her wits.

“Beast!” she spat, her face burning red as she gave him a fierce shove and stumbled out of the partition.

Li Ji’an could only smile wryly. This wasn’t his fault; it was a purely physiological reaction. Though he was mature in mind, his body was in its prime.

-------------

Having now met an “immortal” and with Ning Sujin’s power to seek fortune and avoid disaster by his side, Li Ji’an’s heart was at ease. He devoted himself to cultivation as usual.

Thanks to the Immortal Master’s dissatisfaction with the current candidates, the Celestial Palace increased its investment in promising disciples like him. No matter how much the outside world was exploited, Li Ji’an never lacked resources within the Celestial Palace.

Two years later, Li Ji’an completed his blood refinement.

“I’ve mastered the essence of the Blood Refinement stage. In my next life, even if my innate talent doesn’t improve, I could shorten the time by thirty percent.” Savoring the feeling, Li Ji’an’s face lit with joy.

Just as he finished, he heard familiar footsteps outside.

“Brother Li, a letter for you.” Zhao Yunsheng, who had been found to have little martial talent, remained under house arrest in the Celestial Palace and often sought out Li Ji’an for company.

“The mechanical lock is finished too. Here, take it.” Li Ji’an took the letter and handed over the wooden puzzle lock Zhao Yunsheng had begged for days.

Yunsheng had no gift for martial arts, nor any heart for it. He only liked woodworking, and as Li Ji’an was now training to control his vital energy in his spare time, he made it for him.

“This is the mechanical marvel you spoke of? Thank you, Brother Li!” Zhao Yunsheng was overjoyed.

Watching Yunsheng skip away, Li Ji’an opened the letter.

“Hm? Not from my senior? This is bad…” Seeing the handwriting of that fellow Qingyun, Li Ji’an had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the letter bore ill news: Senior Brother Liu Deshan was ill.

Too ill to even hold a pen, he had to have Qingyun write for him.

“Senior is… not yet sixty, and already at death’s door?” Though he had lived three lives and knew he should be resigned to the impermanence of friends, the impending loss of the second closest person from his previous life left Li Ji’an feeling desolate.

Most of the letter was Liu Deshan reminiscing about their former days, recalling their joys and hardships together. Every detail was vivid in Li Ji’an’s memory.

At the end, he wrote of his regret at not seeing “Li Jichang” one last time, and how he hoped to see Li Ji’an before he passed. Yet his thoughtful nature added, if it were a critical moment or if it would affect Li Ji’an’s cultivation, then he shouldn’t come.

With a heavy heart, Li Ji’an folded the letter and paced to the bookshelf. He was about to put it away, but after a moment’s thought, he took it back to his desk and gently smoothed it out…

The next morning, Li Ji’an came to the women’s dormitory area and waited quietly.

“The princess’s consort has come to see Princess Wenjin again?”

“Careful, your highness—the princess has been in a foul mood all day. Watch out for the family rules!”

“Is it true that Princess Wenjin set rules for her consort, that he must pay his respects every day?”

…

As the female students began to emerge, the teasing voices rang out as always.

A year ago, the Prince of Yun, under the pretext of suppressing a rebellion in the northwest, had resisted the imperial summons to the capital, and again refused to relinquish command of the northwest army, causing his relationship with the Emperor to hit rock bottom.

Three months later, following the ambush at the Immortal Selection, Duke Dingguo was ordered to investigate the Prince of Yun. His tough stance, and his defeat of the palace’s double-dealers, made him a key player in the secret power struggle between Emperor and Prince, and he was much favored.

Ning Sujin, a prospective candidate for immortality, and Ning Yutan, who had ascended to the celestial realm, were both granted the title of princess by the Emperor.

Because Ning Sujin was always seen in Li Ji’an’s company, and Li Ji’an regularly sought her advice on matters of fortune, rumors between the two naturally took root.