Chapter 96: Speak the Harshest Words, Do the Harshest Deeds, Utter the Dirtiest Swears!
Li Xingtian's tightly shut eyes snapped open.
A strong ripple of spiritual power surged from his body. He drew a deep breath; everything proceeded smoothly with no strange anomalies.
The Golden Core had successfully formed. Li Xingtian inwardly examined the core within his body and then let out a heavy sigh.
This was not because the Golden Core was of poor quality—in fact, this life's Golden Core surpassed that of his previous life by far. The only oddity was that the core was dark red rather than golden, giving off a faint… unsettling aura.
"Master, am I really cultivating something evil?" he thought, then decided to trust his master one more time; once the Nascent Soul stage came, everything should be fine.
Li Xingtian rose to stretch his limbs. He had not suppressed his spiritual fluctuations during his breakthrough, so his master ought to have noticed—why had he not come to check? Pushing open the door, Li Xingtian stepped outside.
He soon found Li Yingling sitting alone on a stone bench by the water. The usual lively senior sister was now utterly listless, her infectious smile replaced by a melancholy expression.
Scanning with his divine sense, Li Xingtian found neither master nor junior sister—was something wrong? Why was only his senior sister left looking so sorrowful? He hurried forward and asked, "Senior sister, what happened?"
"Ah…" Li Yingling glanced sideways at Li Xingtian and forced a somewhat strained smile. "Nothing much—Junior Brother, did you form your Golden Core?"
"Mm." Li Xingtian answered and sat opposite her. Seeing her drooping look, he pressed the issue: "Your expression doesn't look like nothing's wrong."
"Senior sister just didn't sleep well." Li Yingling replied.
Li Xingtian fell silent. His own breakthrough hadn't taken long, and with his senior sister's cultivation level, she shouldn't be in this state even if she hadn't slept. Her excuse didn't hold up. Since she wouldn't speak, he decided to ask Master instead.
"Then where did Master and Junior Sister go?" he asked, changing tack.
"They went out to buy things. They should be back soon…" Li Yingling turned her gaze to the rippling pond and spoke calmly, "Junior Brother, could you give Senior Sister some quiet time?"
Hearing that, Li Xingtian fell mute and could only rise and leave reluctantly.
He did not wait long. Chu Xingchen returned to the sect with Chen Baiqing. Standing before the stone pillars at the mountain gate, Li Xingtian hurried forward.
Before he could speak, Chu Xingchen tossed him a long blade and said, "You woke at the right time!" Receiving it, Li Xingtian felt at once that it was an excellent saber—far superior to the rusty broken sword his senior sister had previously given him.
It might not be a treasure, but within this sect it was a rare item. Was this Master's gift for his Golden Core? Though not expensive, it was the thought that mattered. Li Xingtian was just about to look up in gratitude when he noticed the grave expressions on Master and Junior Sister's faces and sensed something amiss.
"Master, did something happen?!" he asked.
"Yes. Prepare to depart—we're going to avenge your senior sister!" Chu Xingchen replied.
Avenge Senior Sister? Li Xingtian froze, then looked at the senior sister seated on the stone bench.
Chu Xingchen patted his second disciple's shoulder lightly and said, "It's your senior sister's original home."
Li Xingtian's face lit with understanding. "Senior sister's home was attacked by thieves…?"
"No. This time, we're going to be the thieves."
"Ah?!"
Chu Xingchen lightly patted Chen Baiqing's small head, signaling her to explain things to her senior brother. Then, he turned and walked toward Li Yingling, who was still sitting silently on the stone bench.
He placed the finest longsword on the stone table and spoke softly. "This sword is one I chose for you. It's the best one I have."
Li Yingling lifted her gaze briefly, then lowered her head again. "Master… I haven't decided yet."
Her feelings toward her old home were deeply conflicted.
All her attachment to that place was tied to her mother, who was still alive back then. Her mother had been a lowly maidservant in the Li household, the product of a drunken mistake made by the Li family patriarch.
At least, that was how her mother described it. The patriarch, however, called it an ill omen.
Though it had happened only once, that one mistake gave birth to Li Yingling. Yet without the patriarch's acknowledgment, no one dared to treat it as truth.
Her mother's hopes of rising to fortune through her child never came true. Her lowly status as a servant remained unchanged—only that no one ordered her around anymore.
From birth to adulthood, no one in the Li residence ever recognized Li Yingling's identity. Even her name was given by her mother.
"Respond to the spirits above, and move Heaven with sincerity."
It was a phrase often recited by the Li family's great-grandmother when offering incense. Li Yingling's mother, being her servant at the time, had often heard it.
Her mother was uneducated, but she wanted to give her child the best she could. The great-grandmother was the highest-status person her mother had ever served, and that phrase was the one she remembered with the deepest reverence.
Thus, the name Yingling was born.
Her mother told her this near the end of her life. Li Yingling understood—her mother likely believed that if her daughter bore a name inspired by the great-grandmother's prayer, perhaps the Li family might one day acknowledge her.
For her illiterate mother, that would have been the best ending imaginable.
Li Yingling's memories of the Li residence were of high walls and her mother's humble, submissive figure.
Her mother had loved her deeply. Truly deeply.
While her mother lived, those were her happiest days—sneaking books for her, hiding candies as little surprises.
The Li residence was a cruel place, but within it had once been a kind, gentle mother.
Some memories are like this: when you ignore them, they are nothing; when you recall them, they cut you apart like a ruthless blade.
Especially when you've grown strong enough to face them head-on.
Li Yingling lowered her head slightly. Her cheeks felt damp.
Chu Xingchen looked at his eldest disciple. Even though he had said they wouldn't go to the capital, she had been shrouded in melancholy every day since.
This was a knot buried deep in her heart. And as her master, once he had the ability, he was duty-bound to help her untie it.
His voice softened. "Don't cry. Master will stand up for you. Just take this as visiting your mother one more time."
Li Yingling grasped the sword on the table, her voice thick with emotion. "Alright…"
She wanted to give her mother an answer.
Even without the Li family's recognition, she could live well.
She had met a master who treated her with the same warmth her mother once did.
Perhaps this too was fate—just like how she had met her master in her darkest hour.
——————
"Master, are we almost there?"
Chen Baiqing poked her head out from the luxurious beast-drawn carriage her master had rented specifically to make an impression, gazing at the towering city walls ahead. It was a sight she had never seen before.
Chu Xingchen glanced toward Li Xingtian, who sat beside him with closed eyes, conserving his energy.
"Damn it, Xingtian—you know what to do, right?"
Spirit stones had been spent like flowing water; the results had better match the cost.
Li Xingtian opened his eyes and gave a calm nod. "Say the harshest words, do the harshest deeds, and curse the foulest curses!"
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