Chapter 146: Ximen Qing

A woman elegantly dressed in silk climbed the mountain path of Wu Gorge.

Her attire wasn't quite suitable for the season.

High-quality winter clothing, made from types of silk called dan or ju, would typically be woven to hold plenty of padding without bunching or distorting.

However, the finest silk, known as geum, was thin, ethereal, and soft. Even a small amount of bunched padding would make it puff up awkwardly and create flat wrinkles, making it, at best, suitable for spring or autumn wear.

The woman was dressed precisely in this geum silk.

Furthermore, she had spared no effort on her appearance. Her hair was elaborately styled and adorned with gold ornaments. Fine powder whitened her skin, her eyes were accentuated with light violet pigment, and her lips were painted a striking red with cinnabar.

Unfortunately, the woman possessed an inherently bewitching appearance, and the added embellishments only amplified her alluring, almost dangerous aura.

Thus, when she appeared before the plaque of the Divine Maiden Sect, the second-generation disciples standing guard at the main gate swallowed hard.

It was obvious her attire wasn't meant for visiting a Daoist sect.

Moreover, arriving precisely at lunchtime was impolite, yet she showed no sign of apology or urgency.

The two disciples exchanged glances.

Senior Sister, a world-class seductress has appeared. What should we do?

How should I know? You go find out.

And so, the junior sister went to inquire.

Such was the hierarchy within the sect.

“Halt. From here on is the sacred ground of the Divine Maiden Sect. Are you here to visit?”

“Aha. I came to the right place then. Yes. That’s right.”

Suddenly, the Divine Maiden Sect disciples’ wariness dissipated.

Living constantly among women, they could discern the nature hidden within that single phrase.

Despite the extravagant effort put into her appearance, her voice and manner of speaking radiated an air of cluelessness.

Just a seductive face, but probably quite naive underneath, they thought.

The Divine Maiden Sect was sacred ground, forbidden to men.

Conversely, its gates were wide open to women.

They occasionally accepted female pilgrims, even if not disciples, generating some side income.

“Welcome. Are you here to offer prayers? Or perhaps to stay briefly at the sect? Or maybe... you wish to register as a disciple?”

“No, that’s not it. My honorary sister is supposed to be here…”

“Ah. You came to see your younger sister.”

The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, so her 'younger sister' must surely be a third-generation disciple.

This was because the second-generation disciples generally knew each other’s family situations, and none had mentioned taking an honorary sister.

The Divine Maiden Sect disciple’s demeanor relaxed further.

“What is your sister’s name?”

“Ximen Qing…”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“Huh. Is this not the place? They said the Divine Maiden Sect. She’s this tall, and her chest is this big.”

The woman made a large circular gesture in front of her chest.

The Divine Maiden Sect disciples immediately understood.

Ah. Then it must be the Grand Martial Junior.

When Qing ate lunch, she acted as if lunch itself was her parents’ mortal enemy.

Meaning, she couldn’t bear to share the same sky with it, was restless until she could eliminate it, and chewed and swallowed it with ferocious determination.

For the record, breakfast and dinner received the same treatment.

It was while Qing was thus inhaling the boiled and fried foodstuffs known to the world as ‘lunch’ that she heard it.

“Honorary Sister-ie.”

“Oing?”

Qing’s eyes widened at the familiar voice.

“Honorary Sister, you shouldn’t dress so thinly. You’ll catch a cold. The weather’s already chilly, you need to be careful.”

“Ah. It really is you.”

Qing, who had been uncertain, finally recognized the honorary sister claimant.

Who else would see her unconventional attire and immediately fret about her catching a cold, rather than anything else?

Did she get prettier? Is it because she went all out with the makeup?

Of course, it was thanks to the makeup.

Sure, she’d consumed the elixir provided by the Demonic Cult and her skills had improved considerably, but wasn’t makeup fundamentally a woman’s greatest weapon?

“Have you eaten?”

“No. I got a little lost on the way up. Mm. I’m hungry. Hehe.”

“Then you should eat. Our food is delicious.”

“Okay!”

And with that, she cheerfully went off to get her food.

“Who?”

“What’s with her? Seriously, who comes to eat wearing makeup like that?”

Jin Jangmyeong to her right and Tang Nanah to her left asked simultaneously.

“Uh… basically, something like an honorary sister?”

What did ‘something like’ an honorary sister mean? An honorary sister was an honorary sister.

The two shared identical expressions of confusion.

Truthfully, Qing didn’t know the details herself, so she didn’t elaborate.

Just then, the voracious honorary sister claimant returned with a tray piled high like a mountain.

“Ah. Right. I decided to go by Gyeon Pohee again?”

“Huh? Why?”

“They said it’s weird for honorary sisters to have the same surname. Especially a rare surname like Hee, people would find it even stranger. And they said even if my parents didn’t do anything for me, I shouldn’t discard my name so carelessly.”

“Did Seol Ganom tell you that?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it must be right, I guess.”

If Seol Ganom, the greatest intellectual in the neighborhood, said so, then it must naturally be true.

Among all the connections Qing had made in the Central Plains, he was the most trustworthy person besides her Master.

Come to think of it, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei all had different surnames; they didn’t unify them as Liu Bei, Liu Yu, and Liu Bei. Besides, that would mean two Liu Beis.

“Ah. How is it? Aren’t I pretty?”

“Did you do your makeup yourself?”

“Yeah. I learned how. Should I do yours later, Honorary Sister? No, how about right now?”

“No thanks. It’s annoying to wash off.”

“Right. That’s true.”

“But why the makeup?”

“Seol Un, no, Mister Seol told me to. He said it’s never good to look like a pushover wherever you go.”

“Ah. You call Seol Ganom ‘Mister’?”

“Yeah. But it feels a bit weird. I feel like I should call him ‘Sister Seol.’ Sometimes it just slips out.”

“What, did Seol Ganom get even prettier over there?”

“It’s no joke. Something about him… he really gives off big sister vibes, you know?”

“What the heck are ‘big sister vibes’? Now I’m really curious…”

Jin Jangmyeong and Tang Nanah, flanking Qing, thought simultaneously.

What is this? Shouldn’t she normally ask for introductions by now? Is her field of vision so narrow she can’t see the people next to her?

“Ah. This tastes like something you like, Honorary Sister. Want more? Should I get you some?”

“Nah. I ate a lot.”

“Sister, who is this?”

Listening any longer felt like they’d be listening forever, so Jin Jangmyeong interjected.

“This is Gyeon Pohee, and, hmm, let’s be generous. She’s something like an honorary sister. She used to attend to my needs back in the martial arts world.”

“Mm. Mm.”

Gyeon Pohee nodded proudly.

“This tiny one here is a total newbie of our sect, Jin Jangmyeong, and this is Tang Nanah. My friend. Apparently one of the Five Great Beauties of the Central Plains.”

“Yeah. But coming here, I really felt like I’d been completely fooled. That… um, Mister Seol told me not to talk about it, so I can’t say more.”

“I get what you mean, so that’s enough. I asked Seol Ganom to teach you some common sense, and it looks like he taught you well.”

“Ugh. But he’s so naggy.”

“You should think of it as all being for your own good. Do you think finding a teacher like Seol Ganom is easy?”

“Yeah…”

To Qing’s left and right, the women’s eyes narrowed.

What? Isn’t this usually the part where she introduces herself? Is she just going to end it with ‘Yeah’ and nothing else?

As if thinking as one:

This wench… she’s not to be underestimated.

If Qing had known, she would have scoffed.

Calling the easiest person in the world ‘not to be underestimated.’

Gyeon Pohee’s entry into the Divine Maiden Sect did not come to pass.

This was due to her origins, and more importantly, the fact that the martial arts she had learned were Dual Cultivation arts, utilizing both Collect Yang and Collect Yin.

“What would such a child do upon entering the Divine Maiden Sect? It’s not like she’d disperse all her internal energy and start learning from scratch. If she wished, I could write her a letter of recommendation to the Heavenly Flower Hall, but she doesn’t seem to want that.”

Besides, Gyeon Pohee herself had no strong desire to join.

After finishing her meal and eyeing Qing’s utensils, she learned that one had to do everything for oneself in the Divine Maiden Sect. At that point, she realized there was no particular need to join.

She decided she would stay in the town below, help Seol Ganom with his work, and follow Qing when she set out into the martial arts world.

“Still, for someone from the lineage of Demonic Cult villains, her disposition is quite pure. But she’s only pure-hearted, the child is rather lacking.”

“She’s a bit dense, isn’t she?”

Tap. A light flick landed on Qing’s head.

It wasn’t meant to hurt, so it didn’t.

“Even if it’s true, one should not carelessly speak of others’ flaws.”

“Yeees.”

“It would be good to take her along when you venture into the martial arts world. Even if that old Demonic Adept cherishes his disciple, isn’t it proper for a woman’s needs to be attended to by another woman?”

“She certainly is convenient to have around.”

“Consider it raising a person. Wouldn’t such consideration accumulate as Good Karma?”

Qing tilted her head.

Isn’t this treatment of the honorary sister claimant a bit harsh? Though, admittedly, Gyeon Pohee kind of deserves it.

“It turned out well. When my disciple goes to Kaifeng next month, we couldn’t possibly send that old Demonic Adept along.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“The Murim Alliance is holding a Murim conference, apparently. More than a few people know that old man’s face. How could a great elder of a Daoist sect maintain face while escorting a Demonic Adept?”

The purpose of the Murim conference was to strengthen solidarity before the Demonic Cult’s advance into the Central Plains through other means – opening their doors.

Showing up at such a time with a major Demonic Adept in tow would be worse than clueless; it would be utterly foolish.

For reference, Ximen Surin, who called him 'that old man,' was actually older than Choi Leeong.

Though she appeared to be a beautiful woman in her forties, she was a living legend, a grand senior of the martial arts world.

“But what’s this Murim conference anyway? Is it like some kind of greatest-under-heaven martial arts tournament?”

“They’ll likely stir up various big events. This master hopes you’ll participate in the Hidden Dragon Tournament.”

“Sure, why not.”

The reply was immediate, without a hint of hesitation.

Ximen Surin beamed at that.

This disciple was impossible not to adore.

“There will likely be no one who isn’t a ten-move opponent for my disciple anyway, so just think of it as enhancing the sect’s honor. Simply be beautiful and elegant.”

A ten-move opponent meant someone defeatable within ten moves; in technical terms, also known as jojbap (fodder/pushover).

The sparring sessions with her disciple had already reached a point where they had to be measured in days rather than counts.

Although her disciple’s realm was classified as late-stage Peak Realm, in terms of actual combat, she already held the upper hand against Transcendent Realm opponents.

Moreover, she had reached a level where she perceived her sword as an extension of her body, sharing its senses. She was poised to achieve Sword Body Unification before long.

Sword Body Unification, the mastery over Sword Force that comes after freely wielding it, was an enlightenment usually attained only in the late Transcendent Realm.

So, despite the completely jumbled order, she was steadily achieving progress.

It had reached the point where one had to wonder if there wasn’t some other reason she couldn’t enter the Transcendent Realm.

It was as if something was obstructing her, blocking the way firmly.

Her internal energy was already on par with Unrestrained Realm masters, and her external skills were inhuman, yet she couldn’t overcome that thin, shallow wall of the Transcendent Realm (an opinion held by a Profound Realm master).

“So, I just need to go there and win?”

“You should also mingle with the children of the Hidden Dragon Assembly. Shouldn’t you get acquainted with the future leaders who will guide the Orthodox Murim?”

In other words, she was telling her to go socialize a bit.

Although Qing’s seniority/rank placed her at the level of a sect leader, she wouldn’t be living in the same era as the current sect leaders forever.

Besides, connections were particularly important to the people of the Central Plains.

While the Divine Maiden Sect might lack the clout compared to the Nine Great Sects, One Union or the Five Great Families, demonstrating overwhelming martial prowess at the Hidden Dragon Tournament would naturally resolve that.

“If it’s that kind of thing, then I’m the expert.”

Qing’s eyes sparkled.

Being told to go and play, how could they not shine?