Pushing open the wooden gate, Green Bamboo peeked curiously into the little courtyard, then frowned. “How can it be this run-down? Is this even livable?”
Liu Xiaolou explained, “It’s been almost a year since I came back. No one’s been taking care of it, so of course it looks like this. A bit of cleaning will do.”
Green Bamboo said, “At Siming Mountain they use a Clear-Light warding formation. It sweeps the dust and cleans the place every day. Why don’t you buy one? My Bamboo Grove Garden is much bigger than this, and it only costs less than a single spirit stone a month.”
Liu Xiaolou glanced at her, unwilling to argue, but couldn’t hold back. “Shenwu Mountain has them too, but only for Gualu Hall. One formation costs fifty spirit stones, not counting the yearly upkeep. Even the SunRain Hibiscus Garden doesn’t have one. You think everyone throws money around the way you do?”
Green Bamboo pouted and refused to step inside. “Then how am I supposed to stay here? I’m not going in!”
With a wave of his hand Liu Xiaolou called out, “Big White!”
The big white goose slipped out of its harness, flapped its wings, and happily charged into the yard to pull up weeds. Little Black darted onto the fence wall, tail curled as it watched the goose working, until it got a sharp “honk!” for its trouble. Reluctantly, it clambered up to the rafters of the thatched hut and began sweeping out cobwebs and dead leaves, its two paws whirling so fast they looked like spinning wheels.
Liu Xiaolou rolled up his sleeves, went into the bamboo grove, cut a bundle of fresh stalks, and climbed onto the roof to patch the damaged spots.
After more than two hours of work, Big White brought over a few buckets of fresh water. Liu Xiaolou set to cleaning the house, the tables and chairs, and the terrace until everything was spotless. The little courtyard looked completely renewed.
Qingzhu lingered outside the gate, watching with interest as they finished up. She waited until the water had dried in the sun before finally stepping inside. Spreading a felt rug on the terrace, she stretched out comfortably and glanced around. “Not bad. The view here is even better than mine.”
Liu Xiaolou boiled water, brewed tea, and carried it out to the rug. “Wild tea from Wulong Mountain. Have a taste.”
Green Bamboo sipped. “Nothing special… Do you actually know how to make tea?”
Liu Xiaolou shook his head. “No. Never had the time to learn. They sell it down in Wuchao Town. I just bought some.”
Green Bamboo stood, circling the courtyard again. “Do all of you on Wulong Mountain stake out your own peaks? What’s yours called?”
Liu Xiaolou pointed at the nearby bamboo grove. “Ganzhu (Dry Bamboo) Ridge.”
Qingzhu clapped her hands. “Ha! As I thought, we’re destined to be connected!”
After a few cups of wild tea, Liu Xiaolou gathered offerings and went into the bamboo grove to pay respects to his teacher. Green Bamboo followed quietly beside him, bowed before the grave marker, and poured out half a bowl of wine.
Back in the courtyard, she wandered into the two remaining thatched huts, curious about everything inside, asking questions one after another about the furnishings and tools.
“You actually used to sleep here? Half the wooden boards are missing. How could you sleep like this?”
“This old kite still flies? Did your teacher make it for you?”
“Ha, what a cute wooden sword. How long did you use it?”
“So you switched to this iron sword after you turned twelve? Oh… and this bronze one…”
“Hahaha, you even kept your split-bottom pants? Didn’t you start training at eight? You were still wearing those at eight? Oh… your teacher really was lazy…”
“This wind chime is quite nice though…”
After walking around with her for a while, Liu Xiaolou couldn’t hold back anymore. “Why do you have to make note of everything? Do you actually find this amusing?”
She replied, “Tracing your growth is important. This is the root of how you craft illusion formations.”
Liu Xiaolou had no desire to argue. “Look around on your own. I need to cultivate and regulate my breathing.”
She tossed him a Heart-Nourishing Pill. “Keep taking these. Today should about do it, right?”
Liu Xiaolou didn’t stand on ceremony, took it, and swallowed it. After two spirit pills and three days of careful conditioning, the damaged Kidney Meridian had recovered more than halfway.
By evening, he ended his cultivation and turned to Green Bamboo. “Alright, I can demonstrate now.”
Green Bamboo, who had been carefully reviewing all the notes she’d taken these past few days, brightened at his words. She nodded. “I’m ready!”
Liu Xiaolou took out the formation disk and activated the Abyssal Blackstone Formation. In an instant, Green Bamboo found herself inside it.
She was a formation master, well-versed in such arts. With just a glance around, she couldn’t help but smile. As expected, thoughts give rise to form. “Xiaolou, Xiaolou (Little Tower), the name fits perfectly.” She immediately headed straight for the small tower across the pond.
She slid open the carved lattice door and stepped into the hall. A few embroidered stools were arranged on the floor. Turning her gaze deeper inside, she didn’t see the legendary grand bed. There was indeed a curtain, thin and gauzy, but behind it stood only a reclining chair, with a steaming pool beside it.
After a moment’s thought, she understood why. She herself had never truly experienced anything involving bedchambers, so her sense of them was vague. What she did enjoy was lazing on reclining chairs and soaking in warm pools, spinning idle fantasies. So naturally, the scene here was shaped that way.
Perhaps when I finally understand such things, a real bed will appear behind that curtain.
Just as she was drifting in that thought, two figures suddenly emerged from behind the curtain. A man and a woman. They were undressing as they stepped into the pool, and her breath caught. Looking closer, her heart gave a sudden jolt: the woman looked strikingly like Fifth Lady.
And the man.... why did he look so much like Liu Xiaolou?
The more she looked, the more handsome he seemed. Her blood surged hot, pounding in her temples. Her lips went dry. Jealousy tangled with curiosity. She reached out, pulled one of the embroidered stools closer, and slowly sat down.
“Fifth Lady” and “Liu Xiaolou” stepped into the pool, and instantly mist and spray churned up, blocking Green Bamboo’s view. She leaned forward, eager to see more, but all she could hear was the sound of splashing water; nothing became clear.
Frustrated, she got up to pull back the curtain. But in a flash, everything vanished. She was back on the terrace in front of the thatched hut.
Disappointed and a little upset, she muttered, “Why did it stop? It hasn’t even started!”
Liu Xiaolou panted heavily, sweat beading his forehead. Shaking his head, he said, “I… I can’t… my true qi isn’t enough.”
Green Bamboo paused, then understood. For one, Liu Xiaolou’s cultivation was too low? Trapping someone like her, who had reached the peak of Qi refinement and was ready to break through to Foundation Establishment, was never going to be easy. For another, his injuries hadn’t fully healed; the fact that he’d lasted this long was impressive enough.
She sighed, a mix of regret and admiration. “Let’s wait a few more days.”
After dinner, the two sat side by side on the terrace, gazing at the star-filled sky. Green Bamboo suddenly asked, “Brother-in-law, do you know what I saw inside your Abyssal Blackstone Formation?”
Liu Xiaolou smiled wryly. “Illusions come from the mind. Everyone sees something different. But in my formation, it’s just… that, right?”
Green Bamboo tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips. “I saw you.”
Liu Xiaolou froze. “You… you saw me too?”
Green Bamboo spoke, half teasing, half serious. “I saw you and Fifth Sister… you two were having a lot of fun. Brother-in-law, be honest. Have you ever… you know… actually been together as husband and wife?”
Liu Xiaolou shook his head with a wry smile.
“Really never?”
“Never.”
Green Bamboo’s breath hitched slightly, and her gaze roamed freely over him. “Want me to try again?”
Two full days had passed, and Liu Xiaolou was tempted to verify things again, but he was still shaken by the events from two days ago. Feeling a bit unsure, he decided to start with some yin-yang techniques first.
His true qi had recovered considerably. There was no way he couldn’t manage this.
He took a deep breath to steel himself, eyes firm once more. “Alright, let’s go!”
Green Bamboo, imagining what she had seen in the formation, looped her hands around Liu Xiaolou’s neck and pinned him down. “Don’t be nervous…”
Liu Xiaolou shouted, “Wait!”
Green Bamboo laughed. “What’s the matter? No confidence?”
“No, it’s not that. We need some preparation. Let’s follow the cultivation method step by step.”
“Cultivation method? You’re not… talking about dual cultivation, are you?”
“Do you know what it means to share the Wine of Immortality?”
....
T/N:
Here’s what I’m translating right now:
The Forbidden Path To Immortality: the godfather of dark xianxia. If you’re not well-read, it can be tough to get through. If you’re only in it for quick wins, you’ll struggle too. This one’s really meant for people around 40. Readers in their twenties might find it way too heavy 💀
Life as A Rogue Cultivator: This one's a slow burn. You’ll love it if you’re tired of heaven-defying protagonists with some specific goal in mind, or if you’re sick of golden fingers, complex plots.... The MC here is just a simple bandit whose only concern is figuring out how to earn some spirit stones to cultivate. It might sound boring when I put it like that, but it’s actually really good.
Seeking Immortality Across a Hundred Lifetimes: This is a longevity novel, and don't get the wrong idea. It isn't a simulation or reincarnation story. The MC’s golden finger is that whenever he dies of old age, he rejuvenates and becomes a nine-year-old again while keeping his cultivation. He has a total of 100 lifetimes. Naturally, the length of each life increases as his cultivation improves. For example, his first life lasts 62 years, his second lasts 93, and so on. But there’s one huge condition: the rejuvenation only works if he dies of old age. If he’s killed, that’s the end for him. This forces him to be extremely cautious and evasive. He’d rather go into seclusion and wait for his enemies to grow old and die than risk a direct confrontation.