Chapter 7: Contradiction

Zhao Chun stayed in her room for six or seven days straight before she fully grasped the entire set of mental cultivation techniques.

After memorizing and reciting them until they were ingrained in her mind, she couldn't wait to sit in meditation. As she silently recited the incantations, a strange, profound sensation first arose within her. Then, she felt her five senses sharpen, and a faint warmth began to spread from the soles of her feet, through her palms, lower abdomen, chest, and into her brain.

She did not know how much time had passed when Zhao Chun opened her eyes. She found herself drenched in sweat, her clothes soaked through at the back and abdomen. Although she felt exhausted, she also felt incredibly refreshed, much like those early days when she first began practicing martial arts; her body felt as though it had finally stretched out.

Having tasted the benefits, she spent the next ten-plus days devoted to this practice. Aside from eating, sleeping, and washing, she poured all her time into diligent cultivation.

For the first two days, Zhou Pianran often came to talk to her, but seeing how hard she was working, she felt embarrassed to disturb her and eventually stopped coming.

Two days before their departure for the Hengyun World, Zhou Pianran and Wang Chuyan arrived at her door together, panicking, "Something happened! Something happened!"

"What's wrong?" Zhao Chun rolled out of bed, poured each of them a cup of water, and said, "Don't rush, tell me slowly."

The two had run all the way there, and they sat down panting heavily.

Zhou Pianran gripped her cup and said, "Just now, A-Yan and I were chatting in the courtyard when we heard a commotion next door. We walked over and found Zhang Mingzhan and Baoguang fighting.

"Baoguang is no match for him; his face was covered in blood. We didn't dare to step in to break it up, so we came to find you first."

Zhao Chun was momentarily speechless, thinking to herself that she was even younger than the two of them—what use was there in finding her?

"The most urgent thing is to pull them apart first, then go find Deacon Cao."

Wang Chuyan understood and stood up, saying, "I know people in the Daoist temple; I'll go call for help." With that, she lifted her skirt and ran out.

Zhao Chun turned back to Zhou Pianran and said, "Let's go find Deacon Cao."

"He's not here. Deacon Cao went out three days ago and hasn't returned yet."

"What about Senior Brother Wang? Is he here?"

Zhou Pianran nodded, "He is. I saw him just yesterday."

"Good, let's go find him."

As the two walked quickly along the path, Zhao Chun asked her what had been happening lately.

"You haven't been going out much, so you don't know, but there has been bad blood between them for a long time." Zhou Pianran didn't hold back and spilled everything.

It turned out that Liu, Peng, and Zhang, all being from commoner backgrounds, had naturally formed a small clique and isolated Xie Baoguang. Xie Baoguang hadn't thought much of those three to begin with, so he often ran over to where Zhou Pianran and the others were, eventually becoming close with Zhou and Wang.

"Baoguang's temper is a bit abrasive, but he's not a bad person. That Zhang Mingzhan is the truly despicable one. Whether it's intentionally making noise at night to disturb people or putting little bugs in their food, he has many disgusting tricks, but none of them are enough to report to the Deacon."

Zhao Chun had seen them when she went out during those first few days. Peng and Zhang were the same age as her, and there was a subtle sense that Liu Ziyi was their leader. That man was deeply calculating, not like a child at all. Children from poor families grew up early; he had wanted to form factions from the very beginning. Zhao Chun didn't believe Zhang Mingzhan's tactics were carried out without his hand in them.

"After this matter is settled, let's stay away from those three."

Zhou Pianran agreed deeply and nodded repeatedly.

When the two arrived at the courtyard where Wang Fang lived, he was sitting in meditation. After hearing what had happened, he quickly stood up and had them lead him over. His usually gentle face had turned cold, and he scolded, "What time is it, and you're still causing trouble?"

By the time they arrived, Zhang Mingzhan and Xie Baoguang had already been pulled apart.

Liu and Peng had clearly taken sides; Zhang Mingzhan only had his collar ruffled, while Xie Baoguang was sitting on the ground. His face had been wiped, but there was still blood under his nose, both eyes were swollen, and his right cheek was bruised and purple—he was almost unrecognizable.

Wang Fang was a sharp one; he knew at a glance who was at fault. He sneered, "You haven't even officially entered the sect yet, and you're already putting on airs."

The three of them hadn't been seen for many days, and they were far from the people Zhao Chun remembered. If Wang Chuyan had entered the temple and started learning to be humble and low-key, then these three were like fish in water, completely unrestrained.

Though Liu Ziyi and his lot hadn't gone so far as to wear silk and satin or adorn themselves with gold crowns like nobles, the trinkets hanging from their waists and necks were all rare treasures. They didn't ask for them, but they couldn't stop others from fawning over them and offering them up.

"The secret techniques were passed down early so that you would cultivate diligently. At first, you were considered hardworking, but after only a few days, you couldn't resist temptation—attending banquets, receiving gifts. And now look at you, actually fighting." Wang Fang felt a sense of disappointment, then said to an attendant, "Find a new place for Xie Baoguang to stay."

Seeing Wang Fang's anger, Zhang Mingzhan showed fear, and the three stood where they were, not daring to move.

"Everyone, from today on, you are not to step one foot out of your rooms! Reflect on yourselves!" This punishment included Zhao Chun and the others as well.

They were all fellow disciples, and they only called him "Senior Brother" because Wang Fang had entered the sect first. Wang Fang couldn't truly punish them; the only person in the temple who could discipline disciples was Cao Wenguan.

But the three didn't understand this, thinking Wang Fang was being soft-hearted and letting them off, so they timidly agreed.

Zhao Chun surveyed the scene. Zhou Pianran still looked ashamed after Wang Fang's words, and Wang Chuyan stood by her side, whispering comfort. Xie Baoguang was being helped up, his fists clenched tightly, his face still full of anger.

She didn't think this matter would end today. The internal conflict between the two sides couldn't be resolved in a short time, and Wang Fang's approach of punishing both sides equally without asking for the cause hadn't met Xie Baoguang's expectations.

If the resentment continued to build, a bigger incident would inevitably break out later.

However, her own strength was small, and she neither could nor wanted to mediate. Only when they truly understood what kind of path they were walking would they realize that this resentment born from differences in background was utterly meaningless.

As for the confinement, it was exactly what Zhao Chun wanted. She was obsessed with her breathing techniques and was more than happy that no one would come to disturb her.

After half a month of unceasing hard work, when she took the time to practice the sword techniques taught by Instructor Zheng, she found that many moves she previously couldn't execute due to a lack of strength could now be performed. Not to mention that her muscles and bones had become supple, and her movements now possessed a certain fluid, flowing quality.

On the evening before their departure, Cao Wenguan returned to the temple and summoned everyone to the hall.

He was not like Wang Fang, who had only just drawn Qi into his body; he could tell at a glance whether Zhao Chun and the others had been diligent or not.

Looking at Zhao Chun, whose complexion was rosy and whose glabella glowed with a mysterious light, Cao Wenguan knew that she must have barely rested this month, pouring her heart and soul into her cultivation.

As for the likes of Zhou Pianran, Peng Zheng, and Zhang Mingzhan, they looked no different from the day they were selected; they likely hadn't even memorized the incantations clearly.

However, Cao Wenguan was somewhat surprised by Liu Ziyi. Although he didn't have the mysterious glow on his face like Zhao Chun, his eyes were bright, and his breath was calm and long; he must have put in a great deal of hard work as well.

Inciting others to fight while squeezing out time for his own cultivation—if it weren't for the fact that there were truly steady-natured people who had spent the whole month in hard cultivation, he would have easily stood out today. Cao Wenguan chuckled; he wasn't old, but he was extremely shrewd.

"How far will this cleverness take you?" He shook his head slightly. Cultivation was a long-term accumulation. Clever people might avoid some detours, but keeping one's feet on the ground and enduring loneliness was the true path.

Thinking of this, Cao Wenguan nodded slightly and said to Zhao Chun, "You, very good."