Chapter Sixty-Three: Floating Jade Lake

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The day was drawing to a close, myriad rays of sunset stretching endlessly across the sky. Crimson light swirled and lingered, shifting in shimmering patterns—so richly beautiful it seemed like an exquisite silk brocade, dazzling enough to make one reluctant to look away.
Not far away, the person seated on the mat was as graceful as the clouds at dusk.
Hearing Wei Lingjiang’s voice, Chen Heng turned to glance at her, his expression as calm and unchanging as ever.
“You—”
“Don’t even think about me giving up the Daoist arts, Senior Sister,” he replied in an utterly even tone, as placid as a dried-up well, incapable of even the slightest ripple.
Wei Lingjiang fell silent, unable to resist giving Chen Heng another glare. Beneath her sleeves, her slender fingers unconsciously curled into fists, blood surging with indignation.
From a young age, she had been brought back to Chiming Sect’s gate by the Daoist Recluse Zhuojing, and had cultivated in seclusion ever since, rarely descending the mountain even during festivals.
Thus, apart from her fellow disciples, the only people she usually encountered were various attendants, Daoist soldiers, and spirit beasts.
All of them treated her with utmost courtesy and respect. Even the elders of her sect, out of regard for her lineage and talent, were invariably kind to her.
When had she ever met anyone like Chen Heng?
He was the very embodiment of obstinacy, caring for nothing but his own gain, lacking any manner or grace—utterly infuriating and detestable!
“I’m not here to discuss the Daoist arts with you!”
Wei Lingjiang’s face was expressionless as she sent a message with her mind: “Don’t you find it odd? Why did that horde of sky demons just now focus so relentlessly on us? They’re like locusts, drawn to spiritual energy, yet the Southern Domain is vast—why us?”
“What do you mean, Senior Sister?”
“I only find it suspicious. Let alone that ancient great formation, even the barrier of astral force alone should be enough to stop a Demon Lord or Demon God. How did those lower sky demons enter the Southern Domain?”
Wei Lingjiang frowned. “You’re from the Southern Domain as well—have you ever seen signs of sky demons these past years?”
“Never. Today was the first time I witnessed them with my own eyes.”
Chen Heng stood up with a solemn air, earnestly asking, “But, Senior Sister, what exactly is this ‘astral force barrier’? And what kind of sky demons are Demon Lords and Demon Gods? Are their cultivation levels comparable to Golden Core or Nascent Soul Realms?”
“……”
Wei Lingjiang was a little helpless, realizing she might as well be asking the blind for directions.
She wanted to end the topic, but when she saw the deep, dark eyes fixed on her, she turned away, refusing to meet his gaze, and nonetheless answered all his questions from beginning to end.
When she finished, Chen Heng had already sat back down, hands folded, eyebrows lightly furrowed in contemplation.
“Why are you so arrogant at first and then so respectful afterward?”
Just then—
The green-robed child, who had been sprawled out on a mat napping, suddenly perked up, as if sharply sensing something exciting was about to happen. She sprang to her feet.
She glanced at Wei Lingjiang, then at Chen Heng, her eyes rolling mischievously. Placing hands on her hips, she shouted,
“You’re always so distant with my lady, except when you want answers—then you act a little warmer. So cold and indifferent! In storybooks, people like you are called, um… what were they called?”
She scratched her chubby cheek, looking to Wei Lingjiang for help, but got no response.
She turned to Chen Heng and scratched her head in distress.
“A gentleman of virtue and learning, upright and unshakeable—is that what you mean?” Chen Heng said offhandedly.
“To be honest, you really are shameless… You can say that with a straight face and no hint of embarrassment!”
The green-robed child gave him an admiring thumbs-up. “I don’t know about virtue and learning, but as for being upright and unshakeable, that’s another story. That depends on whether my lady actually sits in your—”
Before she could finish,
Her forehead was soundly rapped, bringing tears to her eyes.
The child squatted down, hugging her head in grievance. When she looked up, she saw that Wei Lingjiang had just withdrawn her hand with a calm air.
“A spirit body is so inconvenient! If my real body were here, no matter how hard my lady hit me like usual, it wouldn’t hurt at all! Not one bit!”
She wailed inwardly.
At that moment—
Through her tear-filled eyes, she caught a glimpse of the delicate white skin behind Wei Lingjiang’s ear, which, almost imperceptibly, had taken on a blush like a peach blossom.
“……”

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The green-robed child was stunned, only snapping out of it when Wei Lingjiang shot her a warning glare.
“Hahaha! My lady is shy! How amusing! This is just too much fun!”
She didn’t even bother wiping away her tears or pretending to be pitiful anymore. Laughing, she skipped over to Chen Heng.
“What do you think of my lady?”
She patted him affectionately on the shoulder, her tone kindly. “Young people should be bold! If you never speak your mind, how will others know what you feel? And—”
She spoke so quickly, she was like a fat sparrow chirping incessantly in his ear, thoroughly distracting.
Chen Heng released the talisman coin he’d been clutching beneath his sleeve and shook his head, pausing his absorption of spiritual energy.
He did feel like chasing the child away, lest she disturb his cultivation.
But her words did ring true—he had gained such a divine ability and received much guidance for no reason at all; to act otherwise would be cold and ungrateful.
“Senior Sister has answered my questions and passed on her knowledge. I hold nothing but respect and admiration for her, never daring any irreverence.”
Chen Heng spoke calmly, “If you keep talking, I fear once we leave this Golden Mist Flying Boat, Senior Sister will surely punish you.”
“Admiration, love, love—you love my lady… Hahaha!”
The green-robed child squinted with laughter, rolling around on the floor like a gourd, entirely ignoring Chen Heng’s warning.
“Senior Sister is truly tolerant,” Chen Heng said with a faint smile, his voice steady.
“She was born a fool and has stayed that way. Are you the same?”
Wei Lingjiang glanced at Chen Heng with no emotion, “Anyone who chats with a fool is a fool themselves. Since you get along so well with her, I’ll have to be more tolerant of you from now on—treat you just the same.”
“Thank you, but Senior Sister is already tolerant enough with me.”
Chen Heng quietly lifted his gaze, a hint of a smile at his lips.
Bathed in the deepening crimson light of dusk, the young man—jet-haired, jade-featured, ethereal as an immortal—looked over at her, sitting upright and tall, his white robes pure as snow, like a solitary mountain of jade.
There was always a chill of detachment in his features, as if he carried the heavy dew of early spring—difficult to approach by expression alone.
Yet now, with that rare smile, he was like the snows melting on a mountain in spring, radiating a silent warmth that could gently intoxicate.
Wei Lingjiang met his eyes for a moment, then coolly scoffed inwardly, unmoved:
“No matter how nicely you put it, you still owe me a favor—don’t think you can just gloss over it!”
“I would never dare forget, Senior Sister,” Chen Heng replied, bowing with cupped hands.
By now, the green-robed child was laughing so loudly the whole cabin shook, muttering words like “eloping,” “live-in son-in-law,” which made Wei Lingjiang’s temper flare.
Even the Daoist from Floating Jade Moor, piloting the Golden Mist Flying Boat, couldn’t help glancing over, nearly turning to watch the spectacle several times, only restraining himself for decorum’s sake, though a smile crept onto his face.
Wei Lingjiang pressed her lips together and flicked her slender fingers.
The next instant, the child’s laughter turned to yelps and cries for mercy. By the time she lay sulking on her mat, the boat was finally quiet again.
Chen Heng smiled at this and said no more.
Closing his eyes, he once again grasped the talisman coin beneath his sleeve, drawing out what remained of its spiritual energy, refining it into his own primordial breath.
Even though the “Primordial True Source” required vast quantities of this breath,
Each stage of the Breath Refinement realm demanded an enormous increase.
But after these days of cultivation, even though most of the spiritual energy had been used on his Jade Body, he was only a step away from breaking through to the fourth tier.
As soon as the energy from the talisman coin entered his body, a gentle warmth spread through Chen Heng’s limbs, revitalizing him and washing away all fatigue.
Yet if this energy wasn’t quickly refined through Breath training and converted into one’s own primordial breath, it would simply flow out of the body, returning to the world and merging with the myriad spiritual currents, lost forever.
That’s why Breath Refinement required utmost concentration—
Many beginners, unable to tame their wandering minds, not only exhausted themselves gathering energy, but also lost much of it during refinement if their focus wavered for an instant, wasting all their effort.
Thus, although Breath Refinement was the simplest realm in the immortal path—requiring only enough primordial breath to progress—
Those who could master it with ease were few and far between.
Gathering energy, refining breath…

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These two were the main hurdles of this realm.
Chen Heng’s “Primordial True Source” spared him the trouble of gathering energy: all 129,600 kinds of spiritual energy could be used by him, truly “the clarity of dragon and heaven, the source of all truth”…
But as for the refining itself, he had spent a long time in the domain of true law before finally subduing his restless mind and learning to control his thoughts with ease, his actions natural and unforced.
Now, even when distracted, he would never make mistakes in his breath refinement, much less allow spiritual energy to escape his body.
Watching the faint aura circulating across Chen Heng’s features, flowing endlessly and following some subtle rhythm,
Wei Lingjiang knew he was cultivating and did not disturb him, instead closing her bright eyes and entering meditation as well.
Meanwhile, on the mat,
The sulking child suddenly lifted her head, secretly glancing at the meditating pair, a grin spreading across her face.
Just as she was about to laugh, Wei Lingjiang’s telepathic message struck her like a bolt of lightning.
“Qingzhi, if you keep misbehaving, you won’t eat another bite! And forget about your true body in the cave for at least fifty years!”
“……”
Qingzhi, the green-robed child, stared in disbelief, ran to Wei Lingjiang’s side, waited several breaths, and seeing her mistress ignore her, sighed deeply with disappointment.
“No one appreciates my good intentions! I was just trying to matchmake a fine couple, and she gets angry? She was much cuter when she was a silly little girl—growing up ruined all the fun!”
She muttered,
“Isn’t a bluebird supposed to be a matchmaker? With my lady’s temperament, she’ll never have a partner, and all my skills will go to waste—what a pity!”
Wei Lingjiang’s sleeve fluttered slightly.
Startled, Qingzhi clutched her forehead and squatted down again.
After a long time, seeing she hadn’t been hit, she boredly hopped back onto her mat and lay down to sleep.
An hour passed.
The Golden Mist Flying Boat gave a sudden shudder in midair, then slowly descended through the clouds.
The tremor brought both Chen Heng and Wei Lingjiang out of meditation; they stood from their mats.
The Daoist from Floating Jade Moor entered the cabin at that moment, his dark face breaking into a cheerful smile as he bowed solemnly to them.
“Fellow Daoists, thank you for waiting. Please look below—Floating Jade Moor is before us!”
“This… is Floating Jade Moor?”
Chen Heng returned the salute and looked below, his gaze sharpening.
What met his eyes was a vast expanse of blue—a mighty lake stretching between sky and earth, its far shore invisible. The water sparkled brilliantly, and on either side, green hills and small mountains rose gently, lush and inviting.
To call it a lake hardly did it justice; it was more like a sea, grand and boundless!
Within the lake were hundreds of islets, scattered like stars.
Looking closer, he saw that the islets were already crowded with pavilions and towers of all shapes and sizes, banners flying, each clearly a marketplace or merchant’s stall.
Though the “Golden Valley Market” had not yet officially opened, these islets were already swarming with people, streets packed to overflowing.
Flying boats and floating towers frequently passed overhead, their lights flickering, laughter and chatter filling the air—a scene of true bustle and excitement.
“The Golden Valley Market will be rebuilt here in half a month. Of the hundreds of islets below, most already host shops and stalls—whatever you need, you can likely find it here!”
The Daoist from Floating Jade Moor was clearly proud.
“Don’t forget the ceremony in half a month! I hear many great sects will send people—Xuan Zhen Sect, Smelting Rock Mountain, White Crane Grotto… I’ve never seen so many cultivators gathered in one place! It’ll be lively indeed!”
“If I recall, Floating Jade Moor was never so vast before,”
Chen Heng said with a smile. “Today’s view is truly an eye-opener.”
“Floating Jade Moor was large, but not so expansive. My master and mistress moved many mountains and lands here to create this spectacle.”
At that moment, the Daoist suddenly slapped his forehead, as if remembering something.
“Oh! I nearly forgot my master’s instructions!”
He took out two small wooden boxes from his storage pouch and held them out.
Chen Heng and Wei Lingjiang exchanged a glance, silent for a few breaths, but did not accept them.
“We have done nothing to deserve this,”
Chen Heng replied with a bow. “Your master and you are far too generous. We are unworthy.”