Chapter Three: Is it because of you that I can draw energy into my body?

When Su Yunqing first approached Xiao Jinghuai, a flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

He looked at the girl before him with utter contempt. If it weren’t for her having a talisman master as a mother, this engagement would never have existed, and he wouldn’t have become the laughingstock of the entire city.

Naturally, she saw that expression. Now, she was no longer saddened; instead, she felt pity for her former self.

She had come to see through everything, understanding that he agreed to marry her only because her mother was a talisman master. After all, talisman masters were exceedingly rare in the Moonlight Kingdom, and everyone sought to curry favor with them, especially since her mother was a sixth-rank talisman master.

Talisman master ranks: Beginner (first to second rank), Intermediate (third to fourth rank), Advanced (fifth to sixth rank), Master (seventh to eighth rank), Saint (ninth to tenth rank), and beyond tenth rank lay the legendary Divine level.

A sixth-rank talisman master was a prominent figure even across the entire Linjiang Continent, where advanced talisman masters were few and far between.

From birth, she had been under many watchful eyes, everyone eager to secure this marriage alliance. At the time, Xiao Jinghuai’s mother, Consort Jing, was favored by the emperor, and the royal family was keen on maintaining good relations with talisman masters, so the match was naturally granted.

However, by the time Su Yunqing was ten, she had yet to draw qi into her body. Her parents, in search of a solution, sought out an alchemist but subsequently disappeared without a trace. The head of the Su family blamed her for this and began to treat her with contempt. Her status in the Su family plummeted, and the engagement to Xiao Jinghuai brought her nothing but shame.

Reflecting on this, she found it deeply ironic: everything she had once possessed was tied to vested interests. Her grandfather, the family head, had doted on her because of her parents’ excellence, but once they vanished, he turned his disdain toward her, abandoning her completely.

Her fiancé had once sweet-talked her when she was useful, but now that she was worthless to him, he wished only to cast her aside. Even the hypocritical sisters who pretended to care were nothing but repulsive creatures. Hmph. Those who had wronged her would one day taste the torment she had endured!

“Your Highness, shall we go for a stroll by Yixin Lake after this? Just the two of us?” She masked her hatred with feigned shyness, though she did not miss the murderous intent flashing in Xiao Jinghuai’s eyes.

If she guessed correctly, he would not go himself but would instead send assassins after her. Well, that suited her just fine.

Xiao Jinghuai looked at the gaunt girl before him, her features gaunt from years of malnutrition. Aside from her lovely apricot-shaped eyes, her face could hardly be called beautiful.

This involuntarily reminded him of Su Yunqi’s ethereal beauty, making him despise the girl even more.

She suppressed the urge to stab him, then lifted her chin and smiled faintly. “Very well, I shall await Your Highness’s arrival.”

Turning away, the adoration in her eyes instantly transformed into ruthlessness. She chose not to linger but left directly.

Since she had made her intentions clear, he naturally would not risk exposing himself by acting hastily. She still had time to return to the Su residence. As long as she did not leave for the next three days, she would at least not have to fear Xiao Jinghuai’s hand.

Just as she expected, no sooner had she left than a guard appeared before Xiao Jinghuai. “Your Highness, shall we act?”

“No need. Since she has chosen her own place, I shall indulge her,” he said, feeling an indescribable relief at the thought of finally being rid of this shameful woman.

Su Yunqing did not return directly but went to a shop to buy some herbs and a book on cultivation, using the money Zhu Shishi had given her.

Only upon returning to her shabby little courtyard did she finally exhale deeply and roll up her sleeves to begin brewing the herbal concoction.

The dilapidated courtyard had long been neglected, so no one knew what she was doing.

Following the sequence from memory, she added each herb into her small iron pot to brew. Once ready, she poured it into the bathtub in her room.

The bath was a medicinal recipe to help the body more quickly sense the surrounding spiritual energy. Her mother had made it for her before; she remembered some of it vaguely, though she wasn’t sure if the proportions were correct. She had to try.

She was not ready to give up on drawing qi into her body; her desire to cultivate was stronger than ever before. Previously, it was to prove her worth and silence critics; now, it was to survive. She had to cultivate.

After settling her little white cat and black crow on the bed, she closed the door, removed her outer clothes, and slipped into the bath, sitting cross-legged in meditation, attempting to sense the surrounding spiritual energy.

With eyes tightly shut, she concentrated, sensing more spiritual energy than before—perhaps due to the medicinal bath. She tried to guide it into her body, but whenever it neared, the energy dissipated.

Undeterred, she tried again, sweat forming on her brow without her noticing, fully immersed in guiding the spiritual energy.

At that moment, the black crow that had been quietly watching her from the bed suddenly flapped its wings. Though its feathers were sparse and flight unsteady, it managed to land on her shoulder.

Su Yunqing did not notice at first, but suddenly she felt a warm droplet fall on her forehead, only for the sensation to vanish the next moment.

Immediately, she sensed the spiritual energy, which had previously resisted her, now eagerly rushing toward her. Delighted, she hastened to guide it into her body.

The moment the spiritual energy entered, it charged wildly like a runaway horse, as though something within was drawing it in.

Enduring the pain, she slowly guided the energy, allowing it to circulate a full cycle before settling in her dantian.

Having once facilitated a similar process, she now had experience, and her progress quickened significantly.

Unbeknownst to her, the once dull spiritual root in her body now gleamed with a faint red hue.

She cultivated deep into the night, reluctantly stopping only when the medicinal potency in the bath was fully absorbed and the water had cooled. She did not wish to catch a cold, so she reluctantly rose.

Now that she had drawn qi into her body, with further absorption of spiritual energy, she should soon reach the threshold of the Qi Refining stage.

The stages of cultivation were: Drawing Qi into the Body, Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Dividing Spirit, Spirit Transformation, Fusion, Great Success, Tribulation Crossing, and Ascension.

Each stage was subdivided into early, middle, late, peak, minor completion, and great completion phases (except for Drawing Qi into the Body).

Stepping out of the bath, she noticed the little crow still resting on her shoulder, now softly lying there. Seeing her rise, it opened its tired eyes to look at her.

She recalled the strange occurrence she had forgotten earlier out of joy and looked at the crow. “Was I able to draw qi into my body because of you?”

The little crow proudly lifted its head, then flopped back down lazily.

She smiled gently. “Thank you. Though I don’t know what you did, seeing how exhausted you look, you must have sacrificed a lot. When I am stronger, I will surely bring you many precious remedies to nourish your body.”