Chapter 16: I Am Immortal

"Um..." Never in her life had Wen Jinge felt such humiliation. Was there nothing Qiao Yu wouldn’t say out loud? Couldn’t he tell what should be kept to himself and what was best left unsaid?

"Are you unable to walk?" Qiao Yu's voice was gentle, as if she were some fragile thing. "It's all right! I'll carry you. Senior brother told me that once you enter this place, everyone needs to help each other. We’re all the weak ones, so unity is even more important."

Wen Jinge was speechless.

"My name is Qiao Yu, my master is the head of Wanzhang Peak." Remembering how all their fellow disciples liked to add 'Immortal Lord' as a suffix to the heads of the peaks, he added, "Immortal Lord Wen."

"Mm." Wen Jinge nodded, indicating she understood. She only wished Qiao Yu would quickly skip over this topic; no one liked to be introduced while being carried.

"But I don’t think my master likes me much. Maybe it’s because I’m a useless disciple!" He said this while running, still carrying Wen Jinge.

Wen Jinge felt utterly exhausted—she really was here to improve her cultivation, not to have a chance encounter with Qiao Yu! And certainly not to hear him talk about her!

"You must find it strange!"

Not at all, not at all! Please, I beg you, stop talking about me—I’m going to burst out laughing!

Wen Jinge screamed inwardly.

"I never intended to become a sword cultivator, but that day when my master dueled with Elder Shan from the mountain, in that moment, I truly fell in love with the path of the sword."

Wen Jinge: ...

"In that moment, for the first time, I felt my master cared about me."

Wen Jinge: No, no, I must be blind and oblivious! I don’t see you at all!

"My master has taught me so much!"

Wen Jinge: That's not true! I didn't! Don't spout nonsense!

"My master said, only by enduring hardship can you improve, and I think that’s true."

Wen Jinge: Enough! Enough! If you say one more word, I might die!

"Do you want to know why?"

Wen Jinge: I don’t! If I’m guilty, please strike me down with lightning! Don’t send this fool to torment me!

"Every time I returned from the brink of death growing up, I always found myself stronger than before."

Wen Jinge: Whew! At last, he’s not talking about me.

"I used to think it was Heaven’s mercy, not wishing to watch me die."

Wen Jinge: Of course! You're the main character—protagonists always have great luck!

"When I encountered the man in black robes, I was badly injured, but it led to a reshaping of my muscles and bones. Later, my master had me spar with Elder Shan while he was venting his strength. At the time, I thought my master wanted me dead. I was indeed badly hurt, but after a few days, I found I could finally wield my sword."

Wen Jinge: ...

Wen Jinge took a deep breath and tried to steady her breathing, but she was too obvious, and Qiao Yu noticed.

"Senior brother! Hang in there! You’re the first weakling I’ve ever met who needs taking care of!"

Wen Jinge: Who are you calling a weakling!

"Senior brother, are you hurt? Where? I’ve got pills from senior brother with me, let me find them..."

Rolling her eyes, Wen Jinge pressed down on Qiao Yu's shoulder and leapt off him, snapping off a branch as she strode ahead.

"Senior brother!" It was far too dark—Qiao Yu could barely make out the vague silhouette walking ahead, but he followed behind, delighted. "Wonderful, senior brother, I’m so glad you’re all right."

Wen Jinge drew a deep breath, her anger mounting: What do you do with an unbearably chatty disciple?

[No idea.]

"Why did you come out here if you don’t know?"

[To watch the show.]

"…"

[It’s rare to see you angry.]

"…"

[Now that I’ve seen it, I’ll be on my way.]

"…"

[Oh, by the way, you won’t be able to escape. The creature here is called the Radiant Ruin Python, it’s already at the fourth tier.]

"Characteristics, abilities, how to counter it."

[Its ability is what you see now—darkness, high intelligence, prefers to shirk responsibility. Honestly, you’d be better off not running at all.]

"…Explain clearly."

[Don’t you need some practice? Just stand here—soon enough, other monsters will come right to your door.]

"So it’s a support type?"

[Support… maybe!] "Nonexistent" didn’t quite understand. [Rather than hunting, the Radiant Ruin Python prefers to sleep. Other monsters borrow its power and, in return, bring the best food to its lair, hoping for future cooperation. It practically has no natural enemies.]

"That’s not right."

[Hmm…]

"Someone’s angered it, so it’s come out, looking for the one who did it. Tell me, will other monsters join in? No—the Illusory Realm only opens every fifty years. In the past, it only devoured monsters, but this time it’s after cultivators, and the results are different. They’ll come too, which is why… in the original storyline, Qiao Yu was so badly injured."

[...]

"Nonexistent" was stunned; it couldn’t help but admire Wen Jinge’s intuition.

Qiao Yu, intent on keeping up, hadn’t noticed Wen Jinge had suddenly stopped and walked straight into her back. "Ah! Senior brother, why did you stop?"

Wen Jinge smacked him on the head, then grabbed his hand. "See that tree?"

"Ah! Senior brother! So you do speak!" Qiao Yu grinned foolishly, earning himself another knock on the head.

"Senior brother, you—"

"Shut up! Stop smiling!"

"Oh." Qiao Yu pursed his lips, puzzled—how had senior brother known he was smiling? He couldn’t see a thing.

"Go to that tree."

"Senior brother…"

"Go!"

"I need to protect you." Qiao Yu stood his ground stubbornly by Wen Jinge’s side. "If there’s danger, at least we’ll both have a better chance of escaping."

"Go when I tell you!" Wen Jinge disliked his fussing. With a kick, she sent Qiao Yu flying toward the tree—but she knew she hadn’t used much force. "Radiant… Ruin… Python? Is that you?"

The shadow of the tree swayed, and though Qiao Yu had run toward it, he suddenly appeared behind Wen Jinge. "Senior brother! Move, move out of the way!"

Wen Jinge seized him and pressed him down, staring at the pitch-black silhouette of the tree ahead. "Care to talk?"

The disciples weren’t highly cultivated; once darkness fell, they lost their sight. But Wen Jinge was different. She was at least someone who could reach the second tier. Her cultivation might be gone for the moment, but some abilities remained.

To the disciples, the world was night—pitch black. But to Wen Jinge, all was rendered in black, white, and gray, like a frozen frame from an old photograph.

Yet curiously, though the sky was black, the ground was white. Even the tree stood upside down.

With things as they were, if a disciple truly fell into danger, the only ones in Xuanyun Sect who could be sent to rescue them would be the few elders currently in seclusion.

If black and white were not inverted here, it might simply be the Radiant Ruin Python on the move. But with the world overturned, they were already inside an independent barrier—likely the work of several great monsters collaborating.

When it came to setting up arrays, even Song Huan, for all his skill, couldn’t match her, a self-taught hand. Only the secluded elders had the knowledge for something so intricate.

"Senior brother, you—"

Wen Jinge clapped a hand over Qiao Yu’s mouth. "If you want to challenge me, get in line."

"Mm-mm, mmm!" Qiao Yu nodded fervently. He really had come to be beaten up.

"Are you afraid of dying?"

"Not at all." He was still cheerful. "Master always said, I can’t die."

Wen Jinge staggered, nearly collapsing before him in defeat.