Volume One: A Thousand Years of the Stream Chapter 46: Secrets Within the Courtyard

Jiang Yujin slipped quietly out of the Qi Sect and headed towards Ansheng Residence. The beasts in the Former Garden were still as obedient at night, with many large creatures gathered by the iron fence, ensuring no sound would disturb the residents of Ansheng Residence.

She pushed open the door and stepped inside, quietly closing it behind her. Sun Zikai knelt in the courtyard, without any cushion beneath his knees. He was bent over a table, copying something diligently.

Jiang Yujin walked over and glanced at what he was writing, then burst out laughing. "You've finally woken up? Copying the Classic of Virtue? How can your heart of freedom be trapped in something like this?"

Sun Zikai replied irritably, "Not only do I have to copy this a hundred times, but I also have to write out Yan Mingzong's Three Principles and Five Constants a hundred times each. For a whole month, I’m not allowed to step outside the Former Garden even once. Alas, my master is furious. That damned Feng Yueyi has truly sold me out."

"Of course," Jiang Yujin chuckled. "I was gone for less than half an hour, and even my master and senior brother know what you did. My master actually smiled, saying that Fu Zhe originally held deep affection for Miss Mou of the Motion Dust Sect, and that his sincere heart deserves praise."

"My master just can’t bring himself to kill me; otherwise, I would have been done for by now. I don’t understand why he’s so impatient. I was merely forced into it."

"Now that you say that, how is your master supposed to face Lord Wu?"

"Lord Wu doesn’t like my master anyway."

"Who says that? She likes him very much. It’s your master who doesn't want a conclusion."

"Ah?" Sun Zikai perked up. "Lord Wu has always been cold and hot toward my master. How did it become that my master doesn’t want it?"

Jiang Yujin lowered her voice. "I heard they were once deeply in love, even discussing marriage. Unfortunately, the Ma family intervened with underhanded tactics, forcing them into a low-grade foundation refinement. Your master lost heart, feeling he no longer had the confidence to marry Lord Wu, so he refused the marriage and vowed to cultivate immortality first before entertaining romantic affairs."

"Is that so? Who told you this?"

"Feng Yueyi."

"Oh—" Sun Zikai pondered deeply, then sighed, "To be troubled by love is truly unwise. Letting emotions decide matters is foolish."

Jiang Yujin frowned, annoyed. "You know nothing about this and can only spout nonsense. Living in this world means cultivating not just the body but also the heart. As beings of flesh and blood, how can one disdain emotions?"

"I don’t disdain emotions, but I think there’s no need to let emotions affect the bigger picture. Look at Miss Mou of the Motion Dust Sect—she’s foolishly waited ten years. Why? She should have settled down with someone else long ago."

"You’re a blockhead. Is the freedom you long for freedom without any emotions at all?"

Sun Zikai was stunned. After a long pause, he answered, "No, it’s freedom with emotions." Suddenly, he recalled six years ago when the gatekeepers asked him what kind of being he wanted to create. He said one with infinite vitality, endless strength, an indestructible body, and a unique mind—and finally, immeasurable emotions. In his planning, he had perfected the first three, but aside from family affection and brief friendships, he hadn’t experienced other emotions. He still had a long road ahead, uncertain of how emotions might change him in the future.

Sun Zikai handed Jiang Yujin a pen and a notebook.

"What for?"

"What do you mean? To help me copy."

"Why? It’s your punishment!"

"If you don’t help me finish copying, how will I take you to see that treasure?"

"You!" Jiang Yujin sulked, grabbed the pen, and wrote over twenty pages before tossing it aside. "I’m not copying anymore!"

"Help me, or I won’t show you."

"Dream on. I already paid. You’re my purchase, all yours!"

"Alright, alright."

Late at night, Jiang Yujin leaned on Sun Zikai’s shoulder and fell asleep. Sun Zikai wrote swiftly; fortunately, his wrist had been tempered, so he didn’t tire. His hand moved faster and faster, leaving afterimages. Still, it took him three hours.

He carried Jiang Yujin back inside, laid her on the bed, then sat on the floor. He took out a wooden talisman and layered energy nets around Ansheng Residence, covering them with a layer of vitality membrane to ensure no one could spy on him.

Next, he took out five spirit cultivation manuals and arranged them. The energy nets intercepted the ancient spiritual energy that burst from the manuals. Jiang Yujin was roused, sleepily opening her eyes. She got out of bed and rested her head on Sun Zikai’s shoulder. Her drowsy eyes immediately brightened when she saw the five manuals.

She picked one up and flipped through it, her expression growing more intense. "Th-this... this kind of thing... where did you snatch it from?"

Sun Zikai recounted in detail his discoveries at Yan Mingzong’s Manqian Tower, his search for the Qingyi Sect, his entrance into a century-old illusion, and the sect’s history of destruction.

Jiang Yujin could no longer contain her excitement. Any one of these manuals was more valuable than the entire Yan Mingzong Sect. Nervously, she asked, "You haven’t told anyone else about this, right?"

"How could I? That would be a death sentence. I only told you."

"You... thank... thank you..." Even though Sun Zikai treated her sincerely, she couldn’t imagine anyone willingly sharing such treasures.

Sun Zikai paused, then smiled. "You did pay, after all. Pick one. It should be worth more than that gold piece of yours, hehe."

"Yes, it is." Jiang Yujin then took another gold piece from her bracelet and stuffed it into his arms, regardless of his willingness. "Here’s another one. You’re mine now."

"Money... is really nice." Sun Zikai tucked the gold into the wooden talisman, which seemed to contain everything except gold and silver.

Jiang Yujin fondly stroked the manuals, wanting to look at each one. Sun Zikai warned, "You can only choose one. It’s not stinginess. The Qingyi Sect’s cultivation divides spiritual energy into five attributes corresponding to metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. If your attribute is fire but you choose wood, it will make cultivation difficult and even backfire."

He took out a circular plate engraved with a five-star formation. "Just place your hand on it, and it will tell you your attribute."

Jiang Yujin placed her hand on the plate. A mist rose from one star of the pentagram, gradually condensing into a droplet of water.

Sun Zikai said, "Your body’s attribute is water. You’re made of water."

"What about you?" Jiang Yujin was curious about this strange creature’s attribute.

Sun Zikai smiled mischievously, placing his hand on the plate. All five stars of the pentagram glowed with spiritual energy, transforming into the five elemental symbols of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. "My body has all attributes."

He then took out a sheet that tested five-dimensional abilities. Jiang Yujin held it, and after a moment, text appeared: "Divine perception level seven, bone structure level two, charm soul level seven, comprehension level seven, thus the fate is level five."

"Not bad," Sun Zikai sighed. "Your appearance is quite good, upper-tier." He had always been bitter about his charm soul being only level four.

Jiang Yujin opened the water attribute manual, *Qingyi’s Thirty-Six Mystic Energies*. Neither of them felt sleepy anymore. Sun Zikai patiently taught her the heart method—*Three Spring Heart Purification Technique*—and the art of breathing in and out the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—*Water Breath Inhalation Technique*. With her comprehension at level seven, Jiang Yujin quickly mastered the breathing technique and gradually adapted her body to this rhythm. This meant that even during deep sleep, she could maintain an efficient intake of spiritual energy.

Jiang Yujin marveled, "This breathing technique combined with the heart method increases my spiritual energy accumulation speed to ten times my previous best. I feel a breakthrough coming." As she spoke, a surge of power burst from her body. She immediately sat cross-legged and meditated. Within five or six breaths, she broke through her limits, reaching the third stage of Qi Refining.

At that moment, dawn arrived. Sun Zikai stored the heart method back into the wooden talisman and dissipated all spiritual energy in the room. He then erased the energy and vitality layers he had set up. Having done all this, Jiang Yujin lay down to sleep while Sun Zikai returned to the courtyard to continue copying the Classic of Virtue.