Many thoughts played in Yan Yun’s mind as she masked her Qi, stepping through the shadows. Should she really be doing this? To follow these disciples like this through side paths while she neglected her cultivation and went against her grandfather’s wishes?A part of her desired it, the taste of freedom having enchanted her, and she was loathe to let it go. For so long she’d been trapped. For so long she’d been playing the act of a talented young lady. She’d yearned to be free, yearned to go out with her friends and have fun, but her grandfather had restricted her, allowing her to only mingle with those of high standing.Yan Yun didn’t like the other female cultivators of her age. Not all of them were as burdened with the expectations of their families, their fathers usually content to let their sons bear the responsibilities of their sects and clans.It’d only made Yan Yun envious of their lives, and be in contempt of their disregard for their own fate of being married off at the ple

I stared at the group of thugs surrounding us and gulped nervously. I found a couple of them eyeing me, wary expressions on their faces when I suddenly realised.I was slightly higher in cultivation than them, wasn't I? Not that it would change anything. I couldn’t fight to save my life.“Got a friend to come around eh Su Lin? Never took you for the type to mingle with the sect disciples,” the group leader, Zou, spoke, taking out his dagger and spinning it around in his hands. His lackeys followed behind him as they drew out their own.What was up with this whole group and their hidden daggers? First Su Lin, now those guys, should I be carrying one too?“This ain’t got nothing to do with ya Zou. Piss off,” Su Lin barked, but I could feel the tension in his shoulders. There were two of us. Or one and a tagalong, and five of them, an unfair fight if it came down to it.“Should’ve thought that before ya stole those spirit stones, and cut off the supply of pills,” Zou growled back as his

Flee felt her Qi churn as her great master’s Qi meshed with her own. She felt lightning crackling through her being, as a vast calming presence reached out to her. A bond, through which she could sense her great master.His Qi was like spirit herbs, tinged in their smell. The Qi drew Flee closer, and she felt safe in its presence, a comforting warmth that she’d grown familiar with even before Flee had known who she was.Her great master had given her the life she had, he’d given her what her siblings lacked. She was great now. She was Flee. The Qi acknowledged her presence, she wasn’t the nameless rat she’d been before, she had a name and a master and a purpose to fulfil. It burned in her Qi, in her name and she could feel her Path as surely as she could feel her great Masters.And now she was finally able to talk to her Great master and express her gratitude.Flee greets her Great Master!!!Flee sent excitedly, as the Qi flowed through the bond like a smooth stream of water following

I parted ways with Su Lin halfway up the hill, the sect was on. As he handed me my new cauldron, I realised that I could’ve simply stuffed all the herbs inside it, making carrying everything far easier. Feeling a bit stupid while simultaneously amused, surprised and confused from what had happened with Yan Yun, I made my way back to my room.Flee had fallen asleep once more in my pouch, and I could sense her slowly but surely growing her cultivation base, as more and more lightning Qi began to gather in her tiny body. The art that Yan Yun had given was clearly helping.I noted the absent silver pill where she was sleeping, but I’d already expected that she’d eat it. I couldn’t sense anything harmful in it, so I let the thought go. I couldn’t survive if I lived being hyper-paranoid about everything.I walked into my room, somehow opening the doors with my feet while balancing the many items in my hand, as I jumped around, to make sure none of my porcelain petri dish substitutes fell. N

Sunlight drifted in through the windows, and I heard the birds chirping in the distance. I was grateful that I could go a week or two without sleep, as last night, that had been spent in a blur of cultivation within my newly established spirit garden, wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Paper and scattered books covered my room, lying in a mess of words and pages. I sighed, closing another book with no hints on what I’d created last night. I turned my eyes to the lush green area where my spirit herbs had been planted. Many of the less potent herbs had grown significantly, with some of the stronger herbs budding new leaves. Spirit grass covered the floor in that specific corner, and the amount of Qi in my room had increased by a significant amount. I chuckled as I saw Flee running like a cat high on catnip, she chewed through the spirit grass and grew more and more excited to be surrounded by so many spirit herbs. I looked through the books lying on the floor once more, before I