"Though it has been twenty years since we last met, Senior's presence remains as commanding and vibrant as ever."
Upon seeing Su Min appear so suddenly before them, the two men, the current Prince Yong, Cao Yuanming, and his elder brother, Cao Yuanmu, immediately rose from their seats. They bowed with deep, unhesitating reverence. Their heavy silk robes, embroidered with intricate patterns of silver and blue, rustled loudly in the otherwise silent hall. Every movement they made was practiced and profoundly respectful. Their postures showed the ingrained habit of deference to a superior power, a presence that could snuff out their lives with a mere thought.
"I fear I have aged a bit in your eyes," Su Min replied. She offered a casual smile, acknowledging the passage of time with a slight, graceful tilt of her head. "Cao Yuanming, Cao Yuanmu."
As she looked at the two men standing before her, there was a lightness in her tone. Their own expressions grew subtly awkward at the informal address, their gazes shifting for a brief second before settling back on her. Even though Cao Yuanmu was now well into middle age, his appearance had not deteriorated much. The benefits of Qi Refining cultivation had preserved his physical vitality, keeping his skin relatively clear and his frame sturdy.
Still, the years had left their mark. His face was more lined, particularly around the corners of his eyes, which held a sharper and more weary depth. His bearing was weighted with responsibility. Outward age often mirrored a person's inner state, and he carried the heavy burden of rule, the weight of a domain pressing down on his shoulders.
Cao Yuanming was easier to read. Though he was in the early stages of Body Refining, which had staved off the worst of physical decline, age had clearly caught up with him. His hair was thinning and grey at the temples, reflecting the candlelight in the dim room. His skin had lost its youthful elasticity, showing the fine creases of a man who spent his nights over scrolls and ledgers. Body Refining could strengthen the muscles and prevent common illness, but it could not truly halt the aging process for those without deeper, spiritual cultivation.
It was Cao Yuanmu's progress that truly surprised Su Min; he was now at the peak of the Qi Refining stage. It was a significant achievement that spoke of real, painstaking dedication to the path she had once set him upon. She could feel the steady, rhythmic pulse of his Qi, a testament to years of quiet meditation.
"Well then, I will take my leave. It seems the three of you have much to discuss."
Hui Ming who had been standing quietly to the side like a shadow against the dark wood paneling, offered a respectful bow. He moved with a fluid, silent grace as he excused himself from the room. Su Min felt the faint pulse of his spiritual presence vanish from the compound a moment later. He had not just left the room; he had departed Prince Yong's manor altogether, granting them complete privacy in a space that smelled of aged sandalwood and the metallic tang of fresh ink.
"You are quite guarded around them," Su Min observed, her smile widening slightly. An amused glint sparkled in her eye as she turned her attention back to the two brothers. "Rightfully so. The Buddhist sect isn't exactly known for its universal purity."
She did not even need to mention the infamous Blood Monks, Ghost Monks, and other such corrupted offshoots that plagued the sect in its later years. Even that seemingly upright Hui Ming and his revered master, the central temple's mainstay, undoubtedly had their own skeletons hidden away. At least with the outright blood sects, a person knew they were being farmed for offerings. But with these so-called righteous ones? They were masters at twisting benevolence into spiritual coercion, making you thank them for your own subjugation as they took your freedom.
Take the 'forced salvation' many of their lower-level monks practiced. A simple, 'Benefactor, I see great karmic affinity with the Buddha in you,' could easily lead to a person being snatched off the street and dragged into the temple for so-called enlightenment. In truth, it was little more than forced indoctrination and free labor. It was a loss of personal freedom disguised as a spiritual opportunity.
Now, Su Min trusted Hui Ming and his master as individuals. Their personal character, from what she had seen, she could vouch for. But religious institutions were another matter entirely. Once any sect or system grew large enough, bureaucratic rot and corruption were inevitable. Righteousness was a matter of personal virtue; once it became institutional policy, hypocrisy and corruption weren't far behind.
It was a lesson history had taught time and again.
She had even written a chapter in her own personal records, Chapter Two, in fact, detailing the various forms of hidden rot within large Buddhist sects. And that wasn't even the worst of the cultivation world's problems. Right now, her primary headache was the Demon Queen. The Buddhists were a secondary concern, a manageable nuisance.
"I still trust those two masters as individuals," Cao Yuanming said carefully. He chose his words with deliberate caution, his eyes focused. "But their disciples and the organization they represent, not so much. Just a few years ago, their overzealous followers convinced an entire village to donate all their winter grain and savings to build a giant Buddha statue. It nearly left the whole village starving before spring. Since then, I have placed tighter restrictions on their public movements and fundraising."
He then looked at Su Min, a trace of concern in his voice. "But Senior, are you associated with them now?"
His voice held a genuine note of worry. After all, they all knew Su Min had gone into deep seclusion and had been gone for a full twenty years. Her sudden return, linked to the temple, was cause for caution. It was a potential shift in the delicate balance of power.
"It's just a temporary partnership of convenience," Su Min said. She gave a dismissive wave of her hand, brushing aside his concern as if it were a stray moth. "Their incense offerings are useful to me, though not essential. If you want to keep a proper eye on them, your best bet is still to grow stronger yourself."
She offered a piece of practical advice, her gaze sweeping over the opulent room. "Besides, true, high-level Buddhist cultivation is extremely strict and ascetic. Most people won't even be able to practice it properly. There's no need to fear them amassing too much worldly power from common followers. And when the great Awakening happens fully, the Daoist and other secular sects will return in force. At that point, it will be up to you to balance the scales between them."
She did not want to get dragged into the muddy politics of sectarian conflict, but she gave them a gentle reminder of the larger picture nonetheless. The Buddhist sect was still a formidable force, even if their local reputation had taken a beating. No wonder Hui Ming had said he wasn't actively spreading the teachings for now. Clearly, they had made quite a mess and didn't want to draw further attention to it.
Even though Hui Ming was at the Foundation Establishment level, Prince Yong wasn't entirely powerless before him, especially with other Qi Refining cultivators and an entire army at his disposal.
And Su Min had a strong hunch that this village incident wasn't an isolated case. It was clear that those 'bald donkeys' had made quite a name for themselves, an infamous one, throughout all eight provinces of the Yong Domain.
Someone had clearly pulled strings behind the scenes to curb their influence. If the Buddhist sect wanted to regain their footing and trust here, they would probably have to play nice and contribute positively to the region for decades before even thinking of regaining their former standing.
As for why Cao Yuanming trusted Su Min so implicitly, it ultimately came down to her clear and limited desires. She didn't crave political power or a ruling position. All she wanted was material wealth, though not in the form of coin or land. Her currency was exclusively rare herbs, spiritual ores, and precious crafting materials.
The previous Prince Yong had established a clean, straightforward deal with her. It was a purely transactional relationship with no political strings attached. To any ruler, partners like that, immensely powerful yet without territorial ambition, were a godsend.
"Judging by your cultivation, you have taken the pill I left for you?" Su Min asked, shifting the conversation to a more productive topic. "You are at the late stage of Qi Refining, but you are still a long way from Foundation Establishment."
"Even with the pill's help, that final leap is no easy feat. It's a chasm many can't cross."
She turned her gaze to Cao Yuanmu. He was already over forty now. His entire temperament had changed greatly over the years. The carefree, somewhat flippant youth she had once beaten up in the training grounds was long gone. What remained was a calm, steady, and authoritative man. His cultivation had reached the late Qi Refining stage as well, sitting close to the great threshold of Foundation Establishment. It was a testament to his efforts.
"All thanks to your guidance and the pill you gifted, Senior," Cao Yuanmu said. His voice was steady and filled with deep respect. "And now that you have returned, we have prepared a stockpile of high-grade medicinal herbs gathered over the past two decades. They are stored in our deepest vaults. If Senior is willing to grace us with your craft once more."
He trailed off, bowing deeply once again. His royal status meant little in front of Su Min. The memory of his youth, when she had beaten him and his friends so soundly that it nearly left a permanent psychological scar, was still vivid. Now, meeting her again, he instinctively reverted to that same cautious, deeply respectful demeanor.
"I don't mind refining a batch for you," Su Min said with a faint, knowing smile, seeing the opportunity clearly.
An alchemist without herbs was like a master swordsman without a blade. Unfortunately, her personal stores were completely empty after her long seclusion. Refining a few pills for them was no great trouble, and it was a transaction that benefited her greatly, as she could openly keep the most valuable surplus herbs for her own future breakthroughs and experiments.
But what she truly wanted from them wasn't the pills or even the common materials. It was information.
She was searching for Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands.
In the game, these places were like randomly spawned dungeons. They were rich with superior herbs and rare treasures, having been sealed away by the Heavens long ago. In truth, they were pockets of pristine nature, isolated pockets of extreme spiritual density that had been hidden since the Great Sealing of the previous era. In the game, they would appear directly on the player's map. But here, in this reality, no such divine convenience existed. Once these places emerged, they would be fought over mercilessly by every faction, and bloodshed was all but guaranteed.
Luckily, the region containing the Great Wei Kingdom was considered relatively remote and spiritually barren. The lack of a deep foundation meant less fierce competition from ancient, hidden powers. Other, richer provinces in the central lands were far worse off. Though they had more resources and hidden realms, they also had vastly more cultivators and established sects. They had ancient families with deep roots.
If the Great Wei area had one hidden realm and a hundred people fought for it, those wealthy central provinces would see three such realms and three thousand ruthless competitors. Just thinking about the coming chaos was enough to give one chills, a premonition of the blood-soaked battles to come.
"Please, speak freely, Senior," Cao Yuanming replied. He straightened up attentively, his expression turning serious.
"Help me investigate," Su Min said. Her tone turned serious and business-like. "Use your networks. Check if any Hidden Realms or Cave Heavens have surfaced recently in this region or the surrounding territories. By now, given the spiritual recovery, the first of them should be beginning to appear."
She shook her head slightly, a wry thought crossing her mind. "And to think some people had the nerve to accuse me of being a Buddhist sympathizer. My needs are far more pragmatic than that."