Chapter Five: Killing the Master to Save My Life

The incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window was truly irksome.

With a muffled groan, Su Fan collapsed onto the bed. His pale face was streaked with crimson blood trickling from the corner of his lips. The room was thick with a potent fragrance, somewhat reminiscent of fine wine; any cultivator would recognize it as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Su Fan gazed down at the blood on the floor and whispered, “This is the fifth time in ten days. Is it truly impossible for me to cultivate immortality? Every time spiritual energy enters my body, it meets a barrier, as if blocked by a door.”

At some unnoticed moment, the door had already opened. In the slanting sunlight stood Xiao Lin, his handsome features tinged with guilt. He bowed his head and walked towards Su Fan, saying softly, “I'm sorry. You cannot cultivate. For my own sake, I pushed you to cultivate, which has only harmed you.”

Su Fan slowly lifted his head, a faint smile appearing at his bloodless lips. His hoarse voice was low and deep: “It’s alright. Everyone says I cannot cultivate, but I will become an immortal nonetheless.”

Xiao Lin looked again at this ordinary youth, one no older than himself, whose wan face revealed an indomitable spirit.

Words of comfort rose to his lips but were quelled by Su Fan’s gaze. Xiao Lin managed a small smile, patted Su Fan’s shoulder, and said, “Alright. The master is attending an elder's birthday celebration and won’t return for about a month. For this month, we are safe.”

Su Fan did not reply, for he had bowed his head once more, staring at the neatly arranged cultivation manuals on the bed. Only the soft footsteps and the closing door broke the silence.

Now, with doors and windows tightly shut, the wind’s howling could still be heard. Su Fan formed hand seals; these techniques were long committed to memory. He guided the spiritual energy around him with his fingers, letting it flow into his meridians.

Gradually, the wind outside quieted. A mist appeared at Su Fan’s fingertips, and as his fingers moved, strands of white vapor slowly flowed into his hand.

Suddenly, Su Fan groaned again, spewing another mouthful of blood. Yet this time, he did not stop; his fingers continued their ceaseless motion. His face grew even paler, and his sharp teeth bit through his lips until blood dripped afresh.

He ignored all of this, allowing the spiritual energy to run wild within. Every meridian in his body felt on the verge of bursting.

If anyone saw Su Fan now, they would be shocked. Beads of blood rolled down his flushed face, soaking his white robe and staining it red.

His mind was blank, yet within he repeated, “Today, I will become an immortal.” His stubborn gaze, lonely silhouette, and the rampant power within him seemed to know his resolve and calmed ever so slightly.

Outside, Xiao Lin sat at Su Fan’s door, fists clenched tight, tears streaming down his face. He could not say why he wept for this unrelated youth; he only recalled that ever since escaping from the landlord’s house in the village, he had never shed a tear.

As the moon climbed high, Su Fan’s complexion gradually grew rosy, and even the traces of blood vanished completely. He closed his eyes, the pain replaced by joy.

The door burst open. Xiao Lin’s reddened eyes shone with excitement as he exclaimed, “First stage of Qi Refining—you've finally succeeded!”

Su Fan slowly opened his eyes, smiled faintly, and said nothing, but his expression made it clear he had indeed succeeded, though the process had been arduous in the extreme.

Xiao Lin’s expression shifted as he wondered, “Why is the spiritual energy in your room so dense?” Su Fan subconsciously touched the jade pendant at his waist. The movement was slight, and Xiao Lin did not notice.

Su Fan stammered, “Perhaps I failed too many times and drew in more spiritual energy.”

Xiao Lin nodded. “Yes, let's use this time while the master is away to train harder. With our cultivation at the first stage of Qi Refining, we are no match for him.”

Su Fan nodded slightly, watching Xiao Lin leave, his thoughts lingering on the moment between life and death.

Just now, when Su Fan felt unable to withstand the assault of spiritual energy any longer, a warm current suddenly flowed into his body. As it moved, the unruly spiritual energy became docile, entering each meridian in an orderly fashion.

The barrier was shattered by that warm current, and the spiritual energy poured in. The warm flow acted as a king among the energy, commanding the rest to circulate obediently and swiftly throughout Su Fan’s body.

With the influx of energy, the initial pain vanished, replaced by a sense of clarity. Su Fan searched within himself and discovered that the warm current originated from the jade pendant.

He realized that the pendant’s power must have healed his injuries before, though he had not sensed it then.

Previously, Su Fan had not cared much for the jade pendant, thinking Xiao Lin’s warning about Master Xiao Chen coveting his treasure was mistaken. Now, it seemed absolutely true.

Su Fan kept the pendant secret from Xiao Lin, knowing some things must never be revealed. In fact, his caution was not misplaced; Xiao Chen had carefully planned everything. He left a spiritual mark on Xiao Lin, a mysterious power that arose after reaching the fifth stage of Qi Refining, allowing him to track Xiao Lin anywhere.

Thus, Xiao Chen never worried about Xiao Lin escaping and knew he would hand the cultivation manuals to Su Fan. With his own cultivation at the fifth stage, he would see that Su Fan was unable to cultivate.

A month was enough for Su Fan to divulge everything to Xiao Lin. When Xiao Chen returned, he would risk lowering his own cultivation to use the Soul Search technique and uncover all of Xiao Lin’s memories, thereby learning all of Su Fan’s secrets.

He dared not use the Soul Search on Su Fan again, fearing a backlash.

Now, Su Fan sat upright on the bed, staring at the jade pendant, which bore indistinct beast patterns on both sides. He could sense streams of spiritual energy constantly emanating from the pendant and entering his body.

This energy was far purer than that in the room—one stream was equal to a whole day’s meditation.

Ordinarily, absorbing such pure energy would be lethal, as the meridians would rupture, but Su Fan felt nothing amiss; the energy simply fused into his body.

Meanwhile, the room’s spiritual energy diminished slightly, but the reduction was barely noticeable thanks to the pendant’s replenishment. Su Fan only noticed this after careful observation.

He carefully put away the jade pendant and murmured, “It seems this pendant is some kind of artifact that transforms spiritual energy. But it must remain hidden; according to Xiao Lin, revealing it could bring deadly trouble.”

Time slipped by, and a month passed. Most leaves had fallen from the ancient trees in the academy, and even the spiritual herbs in the courtyard were withering.

A fine rain fell from the sky like broken pearls, sparse and unceasing. The sound of footsteps splashing through puddles grew clearer outside. Su Fan smiled and waved his hand, opening the door.

The visitor was momentarily stunned, then quickly replaced his expression with a playful grin. “Su Fan, not bad. In just a month, you’ve reached the third stage of Qi Refining. Most people need at least a year to get there.” His tone was teasing.

Su Fan smiled. “You’ve reached the fourth stage and still say that. But you seem so leisurely every day—have you found some special cultivation method?”

Xiao Lin blinked and waved his hand, and a graceful fairy-like girl approached. Su Fan nearly called out her name, “Lin Ling.”

Su Fan asked, “Didn’t all the academy students return home? Why are you still here?” He glanced questioningly at Xiao Lin.

Lin Ling smiled but did not answer, her gaze fixed on Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin smiled triumphantly and looked affectionately at Lin Ling. “She couldn’t bear to leave me. Do you know why my cultivation advanced so quickly?”

Su Fan’s eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Xiao Lin explained, “Lin Ling’s family has been making elixirs for generations. This past month, she’s been crafting pills for me. After taking them, my cultivation sped up.”

Lin Ling replied, “It’s not quite like that. Brother Xiao, you have excellent aptitude; these pills are nothing special. Besides, the transition from the third to the fourth stage is a bottleneck. Most people can’t break through, some never do in their lifetime.”

Xiao Lin showed no sign of joy at her words, merely smiled and turned to Su Fan. “The master will return soon. The three of us must prepare thoroughly. We must kill him to survive.”

“Kill the master?” Su Fan cried out.

A ruthless glint appeared in Xiao Lin’s eyes. “So what if we do? To stay alive, if anyone threatens me, I will kill them without hesitation.”

As he spoke, it was as if blood flashed in his gaze, recalling that snowy night—a barefoot boy, after enduring a beating, could no longer stand it. With a hatchet in hand, he struck, crimson blood splattering his face. The boy wore a bloodthirsty smile as he left the house he had suffered in for years, as if the flames behind him warmed his soul.

Lin Ling clung tightly to Xiao Lin’s hand, her beautiful eyes filled with unease.

Su Fan had never seen Xiao Lin like this; killing was an alien concept to him, yet now he was to follow this boy and commit such an act.

Su Fan smiled faintly, easing the heavy atmosphere. “If that’s so, let’s follow Xiao Lin’s plan. But I don’t know the details—how will we arrange it?” He avoided the word “kill,” for murder was a difficult thing for a youth so inexperienced in the ways of the world.