Wang Jianchong quivered from head to toe, then struggled his way out of the cliffside. He took a deep breath and was just about to say something when—

Ning Sihua’s brow furrowed slightly. “Do you have something else to say?”

Her pleasant voice carried a hint of a chill. Wang Jianchong’s heart sank. He clasped his fist and lowered his head. “I’ll carry out your orders, Palace Master.”

With that, he turned and limped off, his heart filled with sourness and bewilderment. I’m still a vice palace master here, aren’t I? Why would the palace master attack me? I just don’t get it.

Li Fengxing watched him disappear. Waves coursed through his heart too, and he couldn’t calm down. He realized that something strange was happening, and he fell increasingly silent.

As for Wen Lingzhao, she was equally quiet. She was trying her best to stay calm, but her heart surged with emotions she couldn’t quite tame, to the point that her bewilderment showed on her face. She stood there, dazed and distracted.

Then, out of nowhere, Su Yi said, “That’s two people whose lives you’ve saved from right under my nose.”

This declaration seemed a bit random.

But Ning Sihua instantly understood. “Fellow Daoist, you were right: when you dwell within the mundane world, it's hard to avoid its fetters. I am the palace master of Heaven’s Origin Academy. If I want to immerse myself in my cultivation, I need people to assist me with various trifles.”

“And how do you intend to resolve today’s incident?” Su Yi asked with great interest.

Ning Sihua thought for a moment. “How about you treat me to a drink?”

“A drink to dissolve our enmity?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up.

A hint of a smile rose on Ning Sihua’s immature features. She said, her tone rife with implied meaning, “Has there ever been any enmity between us?”

“Today won’t work.” Su Yi shook his head, then raised his brush and dipped it in the welled ink. 

“But,” he said offhandedly, “If I get the chance some other time, there’s no reason we can’t drink until we’re both dead drunk.”

There was no way he’d fail to realize Ning Sihua’s intentions. She wanted to use “sharing a drink” as an excuse to have an in-depth discussion with him.

There was no doubt about it: this mysterious woman capable of youthful rejuvenation had sensed something in him.

In her eyes, what happened here today wasn’t even worth mentioning. 

Of course, Su Yi felt the same way. In that sense, the two of them really did have reason to call each other “Fellow Daoist.” Both of them disdained the petty squabbles of the mundane world; there was no way they’d concern themselves with what happened earlier.

Ning Sihua was momentarily stunned, but after a brief silence, she said, “That works too.”

She then stood off to the side and said no more. As for Su Yi, he held his breath and focused, sinking into silence and staring at the white paper spread across the boulder.

As if sensing what was about to happen, a pair of jade-like fists clenched. Wen Lingzhao’s heart filled with an unprecedented sense of humiliation, and she could no longer remain silent. “Su Yi, I already said that I’d rather die than sign your contract!”

The young woman paused for emphasis between each syllable, practically spitting her words through her tightly clenched teeth. Her peerlessly beautiful yet icy cold face brimmed with determination and hatred.

Ning Sihua looked at her but said nothing.

The light of the sun was gentle and warm. A breeze blew through the mountains, rustling the pines.

The young woman’s furious, determined words seemed sudden and out of place against the tranquil scenery; they were even a bit jarring.

Su Yi remained silent, his expression calm. Only his eyes flashed with a sharp light, like the edge of a sword. 

Then, he picked up his brush and swept it across the page.

Eight characters appeared on the white paper, written with such force that they bled through the page, completed in a single breath. They were free, forceful, and unrestrained.

The paper was white as snow, the ink as dark as night.

“Hah~!” Su Yi let out a long breath of turbid air, then casually flung his brush aside. He pointed to the paper resting on the boulder, then glanced at the nearby Wen Lingzhao. “This isn’t a letter of repudiation, nor is it a contract. I disdain using such methods to humiliate you; we were strangers to begin with, and our arranged marriage made us spouses in name only. From now on, there is nothing between us at all.”

With that, he put his hands behind his back, turned, and walked away. He couldn’t even be bothered to wait and see her reaction. After today, what would it matter if she got together with Xiang Ming? He wouldn’t care in the least. 

The way he saw it, the eight characters written on the page were like a sword, severing all of his restraints.

They weren’t particularly dynamic, much less profoundly affecting. Nevertheless, that light, ethereal line of eight characters contained everything Su Yi wanted to express.

This was a decent way to end it.

“Fellow Daoist….” said Ning Sihua softly.

Su Yi just stood there without so much as turning his head to look at her. “Do you have business?”

“Since we were destined to meet, how about we spar?” said Ning Sihua.

This time, Su Yi turned and stared at the nearby, youthful-looking Ning Sihua. “One attack to determine victory and defeat?”

Ning Sihua smiled. “Both of us live within the mundane world. We needn’t rush to determine a victor. All I ask is that you help open my eyes.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. “Come on then.”

Ning Sihua stretched out her hand. Her long, slender fingers spread out like lotus petals, then clenched into a fist.

Then, she lightly knocked the air.

Instantly, a wisp of clear, melodious birdsong reverberated throughout the mountains, shaking the pines and scattering the clouds.

Li Fengxing watched from afar as a transparent, crystalline lotus hand seal appeared in Ning Sihua’s palm and swept forth.

In an instant, it was like a dazzlingly radiant lotus blooming between heaven and earth. It released vast swathes of light, like a divine technique, mysterious and inscrutable.

How could anyone call this a “mundane martial art”? This was like the magic spoken of in legends!

“What level of power is this?” Wen Lingzhao was shaken, and she watched in a daze.

She’d long since heard who-knows-how-many rumors about their mysterious palace master’s power, but she would never have thought that when Ning Sihua really took action, it would be so unbelievable. 

Then, she watched as Su Yi’s eyebrows shifted upward. With a sudden shake of his sleeves, his hands pulled the air. Abundant, flourishing power surged from his palms, gradually gathering above them.

It was as if his hands held the sun and moon aloft.

One was yang; those who obey me live.

The other was yin; those who go against me die.

One yin, one yang, life and death. Both hands moved closer together and—

Boom!

The lotus hand seal flew through the air and descended, but when it clashed with Su Yi’s joined hands, the result was a low, muffled boom.

Immediately afterward, the birdsong increased in pitch, and an unbelievable scene unfolded—

The blocked hand seal bloomed, splitting into layer after layer after layer and materializing into a vibrant, lifelike, fiery-red vermillion bird.

The bird bathed in flame as it spread its wings, and a flood of terrifying destructive power spread out around it.

“Immortal magic!?” Li Fengxing gasped, and his heart shook.

As for Wen Lingzhao, she was already rooted to the spot, her mind blank.

Su Yi’s dark eyes subtly lit up, and a hint of a playful grin tugged at the corners of his lips.

Using martial arts to control the spiritual and force to manifest technique?

To him, that wasn’t even worth mentioning!

His hands suddenly intercrossed, like a pair of millstones, drawing on the starkly different powers of firmness and softness. They suddenly converged.

It was like an intersection of yin and yang or the cycle of life and death.

Boom!

The fiery vermillion bird had only just spread its wings as if to take flight when the two “millstones” suppressed it. They crushed it, inch by inch, like they were grinding grain. Sparks scattered in all directions, and as these two powers clashed, the sound of rumbling rang out.

And when Su Yi’s hands fully overlapped, the vermillion bird born of a hand seal was frittered away to nothingness. It dispersed, leaving nothing behind.

Everyone fell silent.

Li Fengxing quivered from head to toe. Witnessing this duel had shaken him, mind and soul. He felt as if he’d witnessed immortals practicing their magics; he found it hard to stay in control.

Only now did he realize that had he really fought Su Yi just now, if the grand elder hadn’t yelled for him to stop or if he didn’t pull back just in time, he would already be dead!

Only now did he understand what Su Yi meant when he said Ning Sihua had saved two lives.

The palace master’s arrival really had saved two people: Li Fengxing and Wang Jianchong!

As soon as this thought occurred to him, Li Fengxing couldn’t help but break out in cold sweats. He realized that he’d just had a brush with death. The most ridiculous part was that he was only just now realizing it...

Meanwhile, Wen Lingzhao’s mind was completely blank with bewilderment. The palace master’s attack was so high-level, yet that guy actually blocked it?

It was then that Ning Sihua exclaimed, “Fellow Daoist, if I don’t mistake my guess, you quenched all one hundred and eight spiritual apertures, then achieved ‘full spiritual awakening of the acupoints’ in one fell swoop, achieving peerless foundations?” 

Her bright eyes shone with a strange light; it seemed she found it hard to believe.

“Using martial arts to control the spiritual and force to manifest technique? Seeing this, I’d think you’d long since transcended the Four Realms of the Martial Dao, but it turns out you achieved this within the mere Inner Furnace Realm,” said Su Yi flatly.

“Using martial arts to control the spiritual and force to manifest technique” referred to controlling the force and spiritual energy of heaven and earth to derive powers reminiscent of magic.

Of course, ordinary Grandmasters had no hope of achieving this.

Only those who, in the Inner Furnace Realm, tempered “Five-Colored Spiritual Radiance” could master power of this level.

Grandmasters were those who refined their organs: the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. These major organs were like five furnaces within the body, hence the name “the Inner Furnace Realm”.

“Five-Colored Spiritual Radiance” referred to refining these five “organ furnaces” to achieve spiritual dao light, the spiritual radiance of the five elements—Wood, Metal, Fire, Water, and Earth.

Wood’s light was green, and it was nourished within the Liver Furnace.

Metal’s light was golden, and it was nourished within the Lung Furnace.

And so on and so forth.

The five major organs were like furnaces, and when they each shone with spiritual light, they created a fully perfected power. This was the highest secret of the five levels of the Grandmaster Realm. 

Refining the innards wasn’t difficult; the hard part was obtaining spiritual radiance. This was no easier than achieving “full spiritual awakening of the acupoints” in the Qi Accumulation Realm.

Even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, less than one in ten thousand could accomplish such a feat.

But Ning Sihua was one of those peerless existences.

Despite this, Su Yi, with his Qi Accumulation cultivation, could easily diffuse her profound and inscrutable attack and discern its nature.

That was precisely why Ning Sihua was so surprised.

“Fellow Daoist, you’re truly incomparable to mundane martial artists,” said Ning Sihua, her voice soft and pleasing to the ear. After this, should I get the chance, I’ll be sure to consult with you, and I hope you won’t be stingy.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “Next time we meet, so long as you can take one of my attacks, I’ll be sure to treat you with good-quality brew.”

Ning Sihua couldn’t help but smile, her eyes carrying a hint of laughter. “Fellow Daoist, you’re quite vindictive.”

“This is called ‘giving as good as one gets.’ Had I failed to take your attack just now, I’m afraid you’d have been reluctant to let me leave so easily.” Su Yi shook his head and waved. “Farewell.”

With that, he turned around and left. His blue robes willowed as he faded into the distance.

From beginning to end, he didn’t so much as glance at Wen Lingzhao.

It was only after Su Yi’s tall, aloof figure disappeared from view that Ning Sihua retracted her gaze and glanced at the boulder beside the pine tree.

The writing implements were laid out on its surface, as well as Su Yi’s newest work of calligraphy: ”Parting will be best for both of us, so let’s each seek happiness on our own.”

Each character was free and unbridled, and the ink bled through the page. At a glance, it looked like a sword severing its fetters, revealing sanguine ease, rife with meaning. 

The word I’m translating as “furnace” looks like this. It’s like a pill furnace. Of course, the furnaces in question here are, like, innards. So they don’t look anything like that. Aha

__

"Parting will be best for both of us. Let's each seek happiness on our own."

English speakers generally talk about sentences in terms of the number of words, but Chinese speakers usually talk about them in terms of characters. Many words take multiple characters to write, so it’s not the same thing. 

Chinese also tends to like groupings of four characters, so poems and couplets and idioms will often be in some multiple of four. Su Yi’s calligraphy is no exception.

The English translation is more than eight words, but it’s just eight characters in Chinese. For a less important line of text, I might just convert character count to word count (That's what I usually do in dialogue) but this is calligraphy and a literary reference, so I'm just going to leave it.