Volume One: The Millennium Stream Chapter 22: The Abode of Peace

That night, Jiang Yujin enjoyed a hearty meal in her room. Sun Zikai was not inside; the two had moved into separate quarters, with Jiang Yujin in the main room and Sun Zikai in the western room, which stood right against the iron fencing.

Since the first night, no beastly roars had emanated from the Xian Garden. Every night, in the dead of the night, Sun Zikai would leap into the garden alone to wound the beasts and draw their blood. He took only a small amount from each, ensuring he could return to them another time. His formidable physique and strength left the beasts unable to distinguish whether he or they were the true monsters. Consequently, the beasts in the middle section of the garden treated Sun Zikai like the Lord of the Underworld. The large-headed beast that had been the first to charge the iron fence on the first night had now become his "guard dog," preventing other beasts from making noise and disturbing the rest of the humans in the house.

Deep in the Black Forest, Sun Zikai sat atop a massive black lion. The beast looked like a fierce deity, its forearms as thick as stone pillars, its fur as hard as spikes, and its three tails, shaped like those of a cat, lying soft and limp on the ground. Compared to the rabbits at the edge of the Black Forest, this lion was of a much higher rank, yet it was remarkably docile at this moment.

Sun Zikai murmured to himself, "If only I could understand your language. You’re always just mumbling; how am I supposed to know what you’re saying?"

The black lion tilted its head and let out a soft grumble. The night before, its roar had been as loud as a temple bell, but after being bled, it had become as timid as a bird.

"Are there really beasts more powerful than wolves? Are you a tiger? Or a lion?" The most formidable beast Sun Zikai had ever encountered before was a wolf. The many bizarre creatures in this Black Forest had broadened his horizons and sparked a deep interest in the unknown realms of this world. He wondered, why is it that only humans can speak? Could it be that in another place, humans are the ones kept in captivity, while beasts live in houses like people? And if one were to imagine even further, beyond beasts and humans, could there be other races entirely?

Bathed in the moonlight, Sun Zikai stretched his body and said, "It's getting late, time to head back." He patted the black lion's belly and stood up.

The lion dared not rise, watching him while prone. Sun Zikai said, "Thanks for the blood tonight. Bring that yellow-furred one tomorrow; it’s its turn."

The black lion nodded. Sun Zikai chuckled, "You can actually understand human speech? How interesting. Beasts can understand humans, yet humans cannot understand beasts. Ah, well, off I go." He leaped away, and the black lion finally let out a sigh of relief.

The next morning, Sun Zikai found a wooden board, carved the three characters for "Ansheng Residence" into it with his knife, and hung it on the wall to the left of the main gate to name the courtyard. He set fire to all the grass within a hundred paces. The fire burned for ten breaths before an elder rushed over, shouting at Sun Zikai, who stood amidst the flames, "You brat! What are you doing setting fires!"

Sun Zikai spread his hands. "Elder, look at this area. The land is barren, so I thought I’d plant something."

"You!" The elder was furious but dared not speak his mind; the heads of the outer sect had already warned everyone that these two individuals had a special status and should not be provoked. "What if you burn down the sect's buildings!"

Sun Zikai gestured around. The fire had stopped exactly at the hundred-pace mark. "I’ve calculated it; it won't spread," he said. True to his word, the flames died out after a few dozen breaths, leaving the land for a hundred paces to the north, south, and east completely barren. Sun Zikai gestured as he spoke, "Elder, I plan to plant trees to the north, dig a pond for fish to the south, and grow some vegetables to the east. That’s fine, right?"

The elder’s teeth were chattering with suppressed rage as he forced out, "You still have to pay the rent every month, kid."

"Of course, of course. Everything will be done by the rules."

The elder left, disgruntled, muttering to himself, "It’s strange. Why have the beasts in the Xian Garden stopped roaring at night?"

The same question was reported to Wu Lanmu, the master of the Beast Sect. Wu Lanmu had even sent people to inspect the middle section of the garden. They discovered that the beasts there had become exceptionally docile; their beastly nature had greatly diminished, and they even displayed a sense of subservience, their eyes no longer as savage and arrogant as before.

Inner sect disciples and elders entered the middle section many times but could find no cause. Of course, they lacked the courage to go in at night. In the end, Wu Lanmu concluded that one of the beasts in the garden must be on the verge of developing "kingly nature," causing the others to behave. But the theory of "kingly nature" was merely a fantasy of the Beast Sect with no basis in fact. Distracted by the rabbit incident, Wu Lanmu had no heart to dwell on it and dismissed the matter.

The disciple from the Administrative Office who had given the courtyard to Sun Zikai and Jiang Yujin became the greatest beneficiary. He had even made arrangements with Sun Zikai to pay his rent for the next month, and in return, he had practically secured the opportunity to exchange for two cultivation manuals at the Manqian Tower. Upon hearing that Sun Zikai intended to plant trees and vegetables, he had even thoughtfully provided the saplings and seeds.

Jiang Yujin was practicing her blade work in the courtyard while Sun Zikai sat sorting seeds. "I haven't touched the ten taels of silver we earned last time. I wanted to let you know, I plan to give three taels to the gatekeeper, one to You Shi, and keep one to repair the roof and buy some furniture."

"Use it however you like, it's only a bit of money," Jiang Yujin said, drenched in sweat. "Let's go to Manqian Tower and ask for a cultivation manual. Our levels are too low; if we learn some techniques, we might progress faster."

"Alright." Sun Zikai put down the seeds, clapped his hands, and sighed. "That guy has been peeking at us for a long time, but he won't come up to ask anything. Hmph..."

"Who?" Jiang Yujin stopped and looked around, seeing only the walls. "Is someone there?"

"Yes, a master. Their energy level is quite high; they should be capable of flight."

"Ah?" Jiang Yujin whispered, "A Golden Core expert is watching us? When? Where? Why?"

"Perhaps our performance in completing the mission was too outrageous, or..." Sun Zikai hesitated, "what I’ve been doing in the Xian Garden has been discovered. But I never leave traces behind. Maybe it's because the beasts stopped roaring."

Half an hour later, the two walked out the door. Jiang Yujin looked at the patch of saplings on the northern slope and the vegetable garden to the east, shocked. "When did you finish all this? Didn't he just send the seeds this morning? It's only just past noon!"

"I didn't have anything else to do..."

The two headed toward the main path of the sect, crossing a bridge dozens of feet high over the upper section of the Xian Garden, and arrived in the western part of the sect. This was the only chance for outer sect disciples to enter the inner sect grounds, and Manqian Tower was located in the heart of the inner sect’s Medicine Sect.

Inner sect disciples wore uniform robes and were mostly in a constant hurry, with no time to pay attention to small fry from the outer sect.

Manqian Tower was easy to find, being the tallest tower in the sect. Before long, they reached the front of the tower, where nearly a hundred people were entering and exiting, mostly inner sect disciples.

Just then, Jiang Yujin shouted, "You Shi! We're here!"

Sun Zikai had spotted Yang Youshi long ago but hadn't spoken. Being a princess by birth, Jiang Yujin did not understand the shackles that status and background placed upon people.

Yang Youshi, who had just stepped out of the tower, finally saw Sun Zikai after a year. She ran over excitedly, crying, "Brother, are you okay!"

"Not as well as you," Sun Zikai smiled faintly. "Look how chubby you've gotten."

"I am chubby, a lot! There's so much food I've never seen before; I eat five meals a day now! But I've grown taller too, and I soak in medicinal baths every day. It feels so good."

Jiang Yujin asked, "You Shi, why haven't you come to find us? We can't go up, but surely you can come down?"

Yang Youshi looked distressed. "I've tried to sneak out many times, but Master always catches me and takes me back. Master is very strict; I have to practice for at least seven hours a day. He said I'm not allowed to leave the inner sect until I reach the fifth stage of Qi Refining, not even to write a letter. Sigh..."

A boy around the same age as Yang Youshi walked over. It was Ma Kaiyu, who looked kind and asked, "Are these your friends?"

Yang Youshi nodded and replied, "My brother and sister."

Ma Kaiyu nodded at the two and reminded her, "We should go back. Grandfather is waiting for us."

"But I..." Yang Youshi negotiated, "Brother Kaiyu, could you..."

Ma Kaiyu said, "You know Grandfather's temper. Let's go."

Sun Zikai said, "Go on. We'll see each other again."

"But..." Yang Youshi was reluctant to leave. Sun Zikai patted her head, took Jiang Yujin's hand, and walked toward Manqian Tower without looking back.

***

Jiang Yujin was very puzzled. "What are you doing? We haven't seen her for so long, why that attitude!"

"She is doing very well. Our status is vastly different from hers now; staying together won't do anyone any good." Even as he said this, he stopped and turned around.

Yang Youshi was wiping away tears, feeling wronged. Sun Zikai asked, "Is someone bullying you?"

Yang Youshi hesitated for a moment, looking even more wronged, and nodded. "It's nothing, Brother. Don't worry about me."

"Who is bullying you?"

Yang Youshi's eyes darted forward. Sun Zikai followed her gaze and saw two girls: one was Ru Nan, and the other was a nine-year-old girl named Feng Yueyi.

At this moment, fifteen-year-old Ma Yuhong walked out of the tower, followed by Qu Yuezhi, who was two years his senior and looked like a lackey. Ma Yuhong had no room for outsiders in his eyes; he walked straight past without stopping, but said coldly, "Why are you still standing there!"

That one sentence frightened Ma Kaiyu and Yang Youshi into moving timidly. Yang Youshi gave Sun Zikai a look before trotting after Ma Yuhong with Ma Kaiyu.

Jiang Yujin said, "That person is so fierce. You Shi must have been scolded many times."

"Being fierce isn't necessarily bad; at least it's not hypocritical. Those who are always smiling often hide malicious intent." Sun Zikai looked down and saw a hand touching his sword hilt, though it hadn't been drawn.

It was Feng Yueyi. "What a beautiful blade. Why does it look like this? Did you forge it yourself? Are you from the Tool Sect?"

Ru Nan followed behind and said, "How could there be a Tool Sect in the outer sect?" She then looked at Sun Zikai. "You're from the Administrative Office. What's your relationship with Yang Youshi?"

"Friends."

"Oh," Ru Nan said flatly. "Where is your home?"

"Ansheng Pass."

"Ansheng Pass? Where is that?"

Sun Zikai was very surprised. "It's Ansheng Pass behind the ridge."

"Oh, you're from behind the mountain. You're here at Manqian Tower too? Are you... very rich?" Ru Nan asked bluntly.

Sun Zikai understood what she meant. Manqian Tower was not easy for outer sect disciples to enter. With his current stage of first-stage Qi Condensation, he didn't look like someone who had earned the right through missions.

Sun Zikai said, "Yes, I've saved up quite a bit of money." He assumed she wouldn't ask further, and indeed, Ru Nan didn't care, pulling Feng Yueyi away.

Feng Yueyi was still looking at the blade with affection. Sun Zikai hesitated for a moment and asked, "Do you have any... misunderstandings with Yang Youshi?"

Feng Yueyi didn't look back, and Ru Nan only glanced at him indifferently before they both left.

Sun Zikai shrugged and walked into the tower with Jiang Yujin.

"Such a low level? Do you two brats know what place this is?" The gatekeeper elder hadn't even finished speaking when he took the wooden chips they handed him. "Tsk, strange. There are only two spots each year, and those old fogies in the outer sect actually gave them to you two. Go in. You can go up to the third floor, one book per person."

The two stepped inside. The first floor was about three stories high, but the space felt cramped. Bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, pressed tightly against each other with no gaps, making it difficult even for light to penetrate. About four hundred disciples stood inside; although it was noisy outside the building, it was as silent as night within.

Sun Zikai wondered, "He told us to choose, but what if I want to read all of them?"

As soon as he spoke, a voice behind him snapped, "Shut up." An inner sect disciple scolded him in a low voice, "You must maintain absolute silence here!"

"My apologies, I understand." Sun Zikai immediately apologized. But he still had the question: what was the point of letting disciples choose only one book? Since anyone who got in could flip through them anyway.

Jiang Yujin opened a book, flipped through several pages, and said, "I can't understand it at all."

"Shut up!" someone else scolded from nearby.

Jiang Yujin put the book down and leaned close to Sun Zikai's ear, whispering, "I can't understand it at all. We don't have a master to teach us, and the inner sect disciples aren't afraid of looking; we're at a huge disadvantage."

Sun Zikai leaned in too, whispering, "I'll pick, don't worry. You smell so good."

He stood still, took a deep breath, and hundreds of air currents that only he could see appeared. He closed his eyes, sensing the waves of air generated by different human emotions—who was overjoyed, who was frustrated, who was harboring sinister intentions. A moment later, he knew everything. He led Jiang Yujin to the second floor, arriving just in time to see an inner sect disciple returning a cultivation manual to the shelf.

As soon as she left, they hurried over and took out the thick manual titled—*Object Realm Divination*.

Their eyes lit up. Jiang Yujin used her mouth to express how thick it was. An inner sect disciple passing by caught sight of this and kindly reminded them, "You won't be able to learn that one, choose another."

Sun Zikai immediately turned and made a "shhh" gesture, whispering, "Talking is not allowed here."

The person paused, suddenly smiled, nodded, and left.

Sun Zikai closed his eyes again, sensing the air currents in the room. Jiang Yujin noticed that the second floor looked much like the first, but the number of people was reduced by four-fifths, and many books on the shelves were covered in dust, likely untouched for a long time.

Sun Zikai opened his eyes and led Jiang Yujin back to the first floor. After circling several times, they found their target, but just as someone was taking that manual out, Sun Zikai had sensed his emotions and come over.

Unexpectedly, this person was not a disciple, but a powerhouse—a Golden Core cultivator, none other than Hu Xincheng, the master of the Tool Sect.

It was rare for a sect master to visit Manqian Tower, but Hu Xincheng was an exception; he was a cultivation fanatic, dedicated solely to his practice.

Inadvertently, Hu Xincheng caught sight of that slender blade. He didn't care about their status as outer sect disciples; seeing a tool always made him contemplate. He murmured to himself, "It can only win through speed, it cannot clash with other tools. The ceiling is too low, the floor is bottomless, not a good weapon. Change it."

He didn't wait for Sun Zikai’s response and walked toward the entrance with the manual.

Sun Zikai had to sense the air currents again and led Jiang Yujin to the third floor. There were six long corridors of bookshelves on the third floor, each guarded by an elder. On this floor, they were the only two outer sect disciples, and there were only a few dozen inner sect disciples present.

They walked quietly to the middle of a corridor, moved a ladder over, and climbed up. Sun Zikai was about to reach out when he stopped. His mouth twitched slightly; through the gap in the books, he saw a black shadow.

***

Sensing no one else around, Sun Zikai whispered, "Want to see which book I choose?"

The shadow behind the bookshelf remained silent, as if it weren't a living thing, just a patch of darkness. Jiang Yujin, below the ladder, thought he was speaking to her and whispered, "What did you say? I can't hear you."

Sun Zikai whispered again, "You've been hiding in the dark, watching me for many days. Is there something you want?"

The shadow finally trembled. After a long time, a voice came through, "How did you know?"

"I know more than that. I know you just called over an inner sect disciple at the door and gave them some instructions. That disciple has been waiting outside ever since; I assume they're following your orders to find trouble with me and test me."

"How do you know that, too?"

Sun Zikai observed his surroundings and whispered, "You're here because of the Xian Garden, aren't you?"

The person’s tone changed, confirming Sun Zikai's guess. "So, the Xian Garden incident was indeed your doing."

"It was me, but I didn't hurt those beasts. Uh... I didn't kill them."

"Didn't you roast and eat them?"

"Ah? No, I didn't." Sun Zikai carefully recalled the events and then said firmly, "Impossible. I won't admit to things I didn't do. I only drew some blood; I didn't take their lives."

Sun Zikai had misunderstood; the person was talking about the rabbits, while he was talking about beating the beasts and drawing blood at night.

The person remained silent for a while before saying, "You still haven't told me how you knew what I was doing."

Sun Zikai couldn't answer that question rashly. He thought for a moment and replied, "You should look into my background. Having walked the edge of life and death countless times, I have a special sensitivity to danger around me."

"Oh? You're not from the Miscellaneous Office?"

"Heh, well, you’d better keep my secret."

The two stood in a silent standoff for a long time. The shadow moved, but before leaving, it said, "The test outside the door still stands. Also, that book is not suitable for you."

"Then you should recommend one!"

The shadow froze. After three breaths, it pointed casually, and a book fell from the air, landing in Jiang Yujin's hand. The manual was named—*Earth Binding*.

Sun Zikai jumped down and saw from afar the elder guarding the corridor bowing respectfully to that figure.

He had wanted to stay in Manqian Tower for a long time, but he was wary of his actions in the Xian Garden being discovered. If he brought punishment upon himself, it wouldn't matter, but if it implicated Ansheng Pass and You Shi...

He grabbed Jiang Yujin and hurried down the stairs toward the door. Jiang Yujin whispered urgently, "Aren't we going to read more? We're leaving just like this?"

At the door, the elder didn't care what book he had taken and let them leave.

They walked quickly out of the building. Jiang Yujin could barely keep up. It wasn't until they were away from the crowds and reached a quiet spot that the inner sect disciple who had been waiting for so long finally appeared.

Sun Zikai let go of Jiang Yujin's hand and strode toward the man. The inner sect disciple shouted, "Kid, I..."

Before he could finish, Sun Zikai suddenly flashed in front of him and pushed with his palm, striking the man's chin. The man flew a foot and a half into the air, lost consciousness before he even landed, and then crashed to the ground.

Sun Zikai drew his blade. A cold light flashed, and the tip of the blade stopped at the man's throat.

Jiang Yujin pressed down hard on Sun Zikai's hand, sweat beading on her forehead. She gasped, "What are you doing?"

Sun Zikai paused, withdrew his hand, and the blade drew an arc at his side before sheathing itself. He looked up, his expression cold, and then led the shaken Jiang Yujin across the high bridge to the eastern side.

Fu Zhe stood not far away, having seen everything that just happened. At first, he was only curious, then suspicious. As he observed the daily life of these two brats, he became more and more deeply intrigued. This kid was becoming increasingly strange. How did he obtain the special spot to enter Manqian Tower that only opened for the outer sect once a year? And this morning, he had specifically gone to the Administrative Office to investigate, only for it to turn into a blunder. The elders there had completely confirmed the "special status" of Sun Zikai and Jiang Yujin, and Fu Zhe, seeing the elders' enthusiastic, fake hospitality, felt even more certain that the kid was extraordinary.

He had originally intended to observe in secret what cultivation manual the kid would choose, but he never expected his every move to be perceived. And just now, the inner sect disciple he had specifically chosen, a second-stage Qi Refiner, had been... resolved... by the kid with a single palm.

When Sun Zikai and Jiang Yujin returned to Ansheng Residence, Sun Zikai told Jiang Yujin to stay in her room. He spread a straw mat in the courtyard, set up a table, sat cross-legged beside it with his long blade laid across the tabletop, and began to wait.

But he had guessed the man's intentions wrong. Fu Zhe did not come to find him, nor did he appear in the shadows nearby.

When night fell, he stopped waiting. He called out to Jiang Yujin in her room and flew into the Xian Garden. Since he had already been discovered, he might as well continue.

After walking alone in the darkness for a long time, he reached his usual spot, where a yellow-furred beast was already lying on the ground waiting.

Seeing Sun Zikai arrive, it shuddered and tremblingly lifted its front legs. Sun Zikai didn't strike; he squatted down in front of the beast's face, looking at it indifferently, and said coldly, "Did a beast snitch? How was what I did discovered? Did you tell someone?"

His tone carried killing intent, and the beast, which stood as tall as a tree, let out a fearful grumble.

Sun Zikai stood up and reached out his hand. The beast thought its time had come. Seeing the hand drawing closer, it nervously closed its eyes, its yellow fur bristling.

However, Sun Zikai only gently stroked the beast's head and said, "I'm kidding. You can't speak human language, how could you betray me? Ah, it's me who's taking your blood; even if you told someone, it wouldn't count as betraying me. Hiss... It seems I need to speed up the body tempering process, lest I run out of supplies later. Tonight, how about... I draw a bit more?"

The beast dared not move. Just then, a pleasant voice rang out from the side, "Eh? It's you. What are you doing here? How did you tame it?"

Sun Zikai was startled. He had clearly only sensed a small beast approaching him; how could it be a person?

As the moonlight fell, the girl turned out to be Feng Yueyi, whom he had met earlier that day.