Chapter Forty-Six: Passing Down the Five Harmonies Heart Sutra

After lunch, Xiao Cheng began to heal his wounds. He declined Zhuo Qinglian’s offer to extract the bullet for him, instead using his own internal energy to slowly force it out. The bullet had penetrated deeply; if Xiao Cheng hadn’t already reached the sixth stage of foundation building and completed the refinement of his meridians, it might have pierced straight through him.

Zhuo Qinglian watched the entire process with amazement, marveling at the unexpected benefits of cultivation—how expelling a bullet this way was far more convenient than surgery.

All afternoon, Zhuo Qinglian wandered about in front of Xiao Cheng wearing an apron, and he was nearly at his limit. If he were his former self, he would have found a way to take Zhuo Qinglian right then and there.

But now, he could no longer bring himself to act so rudely, especially since Zhuo Qinglian’s refusal was, in a way, for his own good.

Zhuo Qinglian sensed the growing desire burning in Xiao Cheng’s eyes, so that evening she changed her usual style, wrapping herself up tightly. She was genuinely worried that Xiao Cheng might suddenly act like a beast and ravage her. While she herself wouldn’t lose anything—in fact, she would gain benefits—Xiao Cheng would suffer, which was not what she hoped for.

As dusk approached, the bloody sun sank in the west.

After a period of cultivation, Xiao Cheng’s dantian was once again filled with energy, and the wound on his back had scabbed over, no longer hurting except for occasional twinges when he moved too much.

An inner inspection revealed that the wound was already beginning to heal, even better than he’d expected. Xiao Cheng knew it was all thanks to the Immortal Sutra, whose healing capabilities were the strongest of any scripture he had practiced.

His deadly duel with Xiao Guowei that morning had made his internal energy even more refined, and he could already sense the faint signs of breaking through to the seventh stage—which was entirely within his expectations. However, he wouldn’t be able to go out and “harm the flowers and grass” for a few days, so his advancement would have to wait.

Ever since he began cultivating the Nine Mysteries Immortal Sutra, he found that each breakthrough required a vast amount of spiritual energy—several times more than before.

He opened his eyes to find Zhuo Qinglian sitting opposite him, chin resting on her hand, gazing at him thoughtfully.

“Is cultivation really so simple? You just sit there without moving?” Zhuo Qinglian asked curiously.

Xiao Cheng smiled. Cultivation did seem easier than training internal or external martial arts, but it was also far more dangerous.

Cultivation was about refining the true self, filled with countless hurdles; one misstep could mean death. The lightning tribulation was especially perilous, with only about a ten percent chance of success—meaning, out of ten peak innate experts, nearly only one could survive and become a Golden Core master.

“Heh, it’s not as easy as it looks. But if you want to learn, I can teach you the method. Who knows, maybe you’re exceptionally gifted?” Xiao Cheng said with a smile.

He’d thought about this ever since the race at She Mountain, but hadn’t had a chance to act on it until now.

Moreover, he now possessed three scriptures. Zhuo Qinglian couldn’t learn the Songyang Sutra—it was a technique for virgins, impossible for a woman to cultivate. Nor could he teach her the Nine Mysteries Immortal Sutra, as its powers might bring disaster. So, if he were to pass on a scripture, it could only be the Five Harmonies Sutra.

The Five Harmonies Sutra was handed down to him by his master, the Daoist of Five Harmonies, though at this point in time he hadn’t yet become his disciple—the Daoist might still be off somewhere disturbing ancestral graves or peeping at nuns bathing.

“Bah, your virgin technique doesn’t interest me,” Zhuo Qinglian replied. Though she was eager to learn cultivation, the idea of practicing a virgin technique made her uncomfortable just thinking about it.

“I’ve told you many times, I don’t practice that rubbish anymore, so I won’t teach it to you. I have another scripture, suitable for both men and women.”

Zhuo Qinglian shot Xiao Cheng a suspicious look—he’d said this several times, but she’d always thought he was just making excuses. Now, hearing him call his family’s treasured technique “rubbish,” she started to feel a hint of anticipation.

Who wouldn’t want greater power? Especially a woman like Zhuo Qinglian, who always lacked a sense of security. She longed for strength.

Her abilities were decent, but when facing true cultivators she was outmatched. Just a year ago, she’d only caught a distant glimpse of Xiao Fusheng and already felt worlds apart—her strength wasn’t even in the same league, which left her uneasy.

She believed it was simply because she’d never had the chance to learn advanced techniques. If given the opportunity, she wouldn’t be inferior to anyone. But obtaining a cultivation method was nearly impossible; every cultivator she’d met, except Xiao Cheng, treated their scriptures as more valuable than life itself.

Seeing the doubt on Zhuo Qinglian’s face, Xiao Cheng could guess her thoughts and didn’t bother explaining further. He simply grabbed pen and paper from a nearby cabinet and, with swift strokes, wrote out the first layer’s incantation of the Five Harmonies Sutra in under two minutes.

He slid the paper over to Zhuo Qinglian. “This is the first part of the scripture. Memorize it, then burn the paper.”

Zhuo Qinglian took the sheet and was immediately captivated by the exquisite phrasing. Her eyes sparkled, sometimes frowning, sometimes exclaiming in awe. After a few minutes, she looked up at Xiao Cheng, stunned.

At that moment, she believed him—this was definitely a cultivation scripture, and Xiao Cheng truly wasn’t trying to fool her with the virgin technique.

What Xiao Cheng had given her was not merely a scripture, but a gateway to another world, one filled with wonders. Just from the scripture, she learned much about the body—its mysteries far exceeded her previous understanding.

Those unfamiliar with cultivation could never grasp the importance of a scripture. For any organization, the scripture was the foundation of their existence. Yet Xiao Cheng had casually and unceremoniously written it down and handed it to her.

After reading the contents, she realized that perhaps she would never be able to leave Xiao Cheng. What he had given her was not only the scripture but also affection, trust, and so much more. Since her father’s death, no one had treated her so sincerely, without any motive, purely from the heart.

And Xiao Cheng had done just that. What did he want from her in exchange for the scripture? Her body? That was impossible.

Although their relationship was somewhat more complex than siblings, she often treated Xiao Cheng as a younger brother, always feeling he was someone she should care for. But now, that feeling had changed—suddenly Xiao Cheng seemed much taller, as if he’d become her shelter from the storm.

It was a mysterious sensation, hard to understand, but it was how she felt now.

She had never been sentimental, yet at this moment her nose tingled with emotion. Perhaps happiness had arrived too suddenly for her to be prepared.

“Thank you,” Zhuo Qinglian said solemnly, looking at Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng was puzzled by her gratitude, wondering when this self-styled “Bodhisattva descended to earth” and formidable street boss had ever learned to say thanks—surely this was a first since the dawn of time.

Zhuo Qinglian realized she’d lost composure and, seeing Xiao Cheng’s intense gaze, spat lightly, “What? Is it so strange for me to say thank you? And what stage are you at now?”

“Sixth stage,” Xiao Cheng replied, finding it hard to keep up with her leaps in logic, but he saw no reason to hide it from her.

“Then hurry up and cultivate—refine your core as soon as possible, or else I might just find a man and make you wear a green hat.”

Xiao Cheng was dumbfounded by her words, and couldn’t help but repeat, “I don’t practice that rubbish!”

“I don’t care—just hurry up!”

Xiao Cheng thought to himself that this enchantress’s way of thinking was truly beyond ordinary understanding.

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