Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 60: Who dares offend my Accountant?
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Dones of rare spirit herbs floated in the air. Translucent Yin Qi wrapped around them and began to shine with white sparks. Slowly, the herbs began to dissolve into powders. If flams could be used to purify and refine, then so could ice. This was a law of Yin and Yang. Slowly, the powders swirled and seemed to melt into pure, milky water. Moments later, a flawless white pill that resembled a pearl appeared.
This was the Frozen Meridian Restoration Pill, used to restore meridians damaged by using the Frozen Meridian Eruption. In front of Bing Meilu kneeled Zhang.
It had been many, many months since the trip through the Flesh Mountains where the man had been crippled using the forbidden technique she had taught him.
At first, Bing Meilu had planned to retrieve the rare ingredients of the pill in Moon Crying Prefecture, but her trip to the Ashen Mountains had been unexpectedly profitable. She had just purchased the ingredients from the Redscale clan, who due to their yang cultivation, had many yin herbs in their storage.
"With this pill, you can restore your cultivation. The debt between us is settled."
The pill floated to the shaking hands of Zhang. His pupils dilated with excitement. Without hesitation, he swallowed a pill. A subtle glow shed from his body as the pill worked its magic.
"if you wish, you can give me your Essence Blood and join my Inner circle as a retainer. Otherwise, you may leave my employ."
With the Karma between them settled, if he chose to leave, she would have to kill him to ensure silence. Zhang had seen far too many shocking things in his time shadowing Bing Meilu. Being at the Peak of Core Formation with a lowly cultivation method and weak foundation, she was not worried about him defeating her.
A massive vortex opened up around Zhang as Qi surged to fill the vacuum of his meridians. He gasped slightly, golden light glowing in his eyes.
"I-I'm back..." he sighed, voice as gravelly as two rocks scraping against each other.
Bing Meilu silently waited for his answer.
"I'll join..."
Bing Meilu nodded. Going through the process, Zhang's Essence Blood was added to the contract chalice, making him the tenth member of her inner Circle, alongside Ji Hui, Li Ji, Jiang Hu, Xi Fu and the Elemental Five. he wasn't as talented as any of them, but Bing Meilu did not care much.
"I've inscribed the Golden Qilin River Gate on these ice tablets. Do your best to switch to this cultivation method in the next few months or years."
Zhang nodded, taking the tablets, and vanishing to a room to enter seclusion. Cultivation times rose exponentially with level. Shen Xinyue had taken only a few weeks to alter her cultivation method. It would be fast if Zhang could do it in half a year.
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It had all started a few months ago. The Sect's Ranking Office had reported an anomy. A Qi Condensation disciple had defeated someone in Foundation Establishment. Either a new genius head appeared, or there was cheating at play.
That was where Investigator like Hou Ming came in. A Foundation Establishment skilled in stealth, it was his task to find out what was going on. He had just finished preparing to investigate this 'Bing Meilu' when she left the sect entirely on a self-appointed training mission.
Months later, she returned... Except, she and the entire faction had gone through astonishing growth. Two members had become Captains, multiple lieutenants had appeared and even the privates were all at the peak of the first realm.
There were only twenty or so captains in the whole of Seventieth port snake. Around eight were neutral, the rest were evenly divided between the four main factions. The addition of two new ones was a huge deal.
Formally the Crimson Dragon Faction, they seemed to now call themselves the 'Bing Meilu's Faithful Slaves Faction'. Such a title for a group that had birthed two Captains... It was utterly insane.
At this point, he was content to hand the investigation off to anyone else. He was smart enough to know not to get involved with insane situations.
But it was too late for that. After all, Hou Ming was the only person in Seventieth Port Snake to have done an investigation on Bing Meilu, someone who every power in the sect now wanted to know about.
"She appeared in Bluewing Prefecture and claimed to have been a secret disciple of the Moon Crying Swan Palace's Prime Grand Elder Hai Yu. She was brought to this port by Strike Force Commander Yu Changsheng, alongside a handmaiden named Xia Xuefeng and a crippled retainer.
Soon after, she challenged the head of a small faction called the Crimson Dragon Faction to a duel and won, taking over his faction. She was only in Qi Condensation at the time, but eyewitnesses say she won with ease. After that, her faction left on a training trip to the Ashen Mountains. I don't know what happened while she was there, but now that they're returned... Everyone in her faction has undergone explosive growth."
"Is that everything you know?" Commodore Rampage Sword asked, eyes narrowed.
Hou Ming gulped nervously, nodding his head.
"Very well, you may leave then," he waved his hand.
The investigator left the office. The Nascent Soul smiled as he looked over a report brought to him by another spy.
'How interesting...'
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Xi Fu sat alone in a small cave. Hundreds of Spirit Stones sat around him in a formation. Rivers of Spiritual Qi hushed into him. Compared to Foundation Establishment, it took far more spiritual energy to make any progress in Core Formation. He'd only progressed two stages in the last week and a half.
'Dammit- Go faster!' Xi Fu grit his teeth.
Pain wracked his body as more and more spiritual energy drained into him. He could feel his vast potential, barely filled even slightly. His comprehension was already at the level of a Nascent Soul, only spiritual energy held him back.
'If only there was a way to dramatically increase how much Qi I can refine at once...'
Xi Fu blinked...
He stood up from his cave and left, flying back to the main faction hall in the blink of an eye. He went inside, to where Bing Meilu's throneroom was.
A dense freezing aura hit him and he involuntarily shivered. The whole throneroom was filled with a hair-raising yin aura that made him feel like he had entered into a haunted building. Bing Meilu sat atop Jiang Hu's old throne, eyes closed as she cultivated.
"Master, I came to ask if there was a way to dramatically increase my spiritual energy absorption..."
"...I told you to spend time mastering various kinds of Spear Qi." Bing Meilu's voice rang out.
"I-Well, I thought increasing my cultivation base would be more important than my combat power at the moment..." Xi Fu replied.
"Hmph. So young and already thinks he knows better than this senior. If you had instead focused on mastering what I had told you, you could use the Myriad Spear Refining Scripture and absorb the various impure energies of heaven and earth as if they were pure spiritual energy."
Xi Fu bowed deeply, an ashamed look on his face.
"And one more thing," Bing Meilu sighed, as if hesitant to speak. "Every Immortal has a different... lifestyle. It isn't following your Dao if you scamper about in fear about how I will react. So long as your cultivation continues to advance, I don't care how you spend your leisure time."
Xi Fu's eyes widened. Ever since he had returned to the Sect, he had spent every moment bitterly cultivating, afraid of angering Bing Meilu if she caught word of him lazing around with girls.
But... wasn't that stifling his own Dao heart? No wonder he had been unable to smoothly cultivate. Someone who followed the path of defying heaven but was terrified to do what he wanted- Wasn't that just a contradiction?
"Your wisdom has enlightened this junior, I'll take my leave!"
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Captain Jin Lao strode toward the Crimson Dragon Hall, flanked by ten Lieutenants. As the official head of the Rampage Faction, he had come to try and make an alliance with the new power that had suddenly appeared in Seventieth Port Snake.
A man leapt out from the building. Unexpectedly, it was Xi Fu, the talk of the town.
Jin Lao waved at him, pulling out a large wrapped gift box.
"So it's you, Brother Xi Fu! I've come bear-"
"Not now!" Xi Fu ran right past Jin Lao. "I'm going to have sex!"
The delegation looked in confusion as the spearman ran away, completely snubbing them.
Jin Lao's eyes narrowed. He was an eight-stage Core Formation cultivator and the head of one of the port's largest factions. Even if Xi Fu was in the middle of having sex, he should stop and greet his superior. This was completely disrespectful.
"We're leaving!" He growled. "Clearly Bing Meilu doesn't put our Rampage Faction in her eyes!"
"Sir, Boss said we were to try and attain an alliance whatever the cost..." one of his lieutenant attendants stammered.
Jin Lao reared around, slapping the man in the face with a meaty crunch.
"Fine, let's go!" he spat.
The delegation made their way to the entrance of the Crimson Dragon Hall.
"Greetings! Jin Lao of the Rampage Faction has come to visit!" he called out.
No one answered. The man's eyebrow twitched angrily. He slammed open the door and pushed inside. He pressed forward, opening a door to where a scholarly Litenenant in a jade green robe sat, nursing over a stack of papers.
"You! Is this not Bing Meilu's faction hall?" Jin Lao demanded.
The lieutenant turned to him with bloodshot eyes and a furious scowl.
"Can't you see I'm fucking busy? Do you know how many tax sheets I have to go through before the end of the month? Do you!?" Li Ji screamed. "Don't interrupt me again or there will be an unquenchable blood debt between our factions, I can guarantee that!"
Jin Luo could only stand still in shock. It was one thing for a fellow Captian to be dismissive... but this was just a lieutenant? Who gave him the balls to speak so disrespectfully to a Core Formation expert.
"Brat, do you know who I am?" a sharp aura poured from Jin Luo.
The jade-robed man gave him one inspecting gaze, before shaking his head and turning back to his stack of papers. Muttering under his breath, he popped a stimulant pill and got back to work, ignoring the delegation completely.
"Carry the one, apply local taxes, the Dragon Inspecting guild fee to guarantee purity... Divide by current liabilities..."
Jin Luo stormed out of the office, only to find himself facing another man.
"If it isn't the famous Brother Jin Luo? I've long heard tales of your martial prowess. I came over as soon as I heard your call," it was a tall man with horns growing from his head, dressed in Captain's robes.
"You must be Jiang Hu, the former head of the Crimson Dragons," Jin Luo said, eyes simmering with cold anger.
"You recognize me then? Then I haven't lived in vain." Jiang Hu gave Jin Luoa a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Brother, why don't we go and sit down and have some wine? I'm sure there's much to discuss."
"Oh, there is indeed. Moments ago, in defiance of all social norms, a Lieutenant in a green robe was extremely rude, even swearing at me with obscenity. He must be punished at once, then we can begin our negotiations."
Jiang Hu's expression did a complete one-eighty. He shook his head in disagreement.
"Bing Meilu ordered Li Ji to finish his documents by the end of the month or he will be punished. He can't be delayed. He put up a sign on his door, did you not read it?"
Of course, Jin Luo had not read it. Who was he, a maid?
"Even so, as his superior, you punish him, or he'll learn that such disrespect is acceptable." Jin Luo demanded eyes narrowed. "My Rampage faction only does business with those that have well-enforced and disciplined rules. To speak to honoured guests in such a way is completely shocking."
The faction head didn't believe that anyone would choose a no-name second realm over him, the head of the Rampage Faction and one of the sect's strongest captains. He had destroyed entire factions for less.
"Don't make things hard on me," Jiang Hu scowled, crossing his arms, position clear.
Jin Luo could only stare in shock. Was he dreaming?
"So what, you think I'm just supposed to take this disrespect?"
Jiang Hu shrugged, nonchalantly, as if to say yes.
Jin Luo placed his hand on his sword hilt, eyes simmering with fury. This was completely intolerable. It seemed he would have to remind the port why he had earned the title of Bloodthirsty Sword-
"Don't think I won't slap the shit out you brat!" Jiang Hu leapt forward, palm smacking into Jin Luo's face with earth-shattering force.
A sonic boom ripped out, shattering the windows of the building and sending Jin Luo flying. The swordsman shot backwards, tearing through a wall and tumbling over the muddy training field.
"Who gave you permission to cause trouble, huh? Do you know who Li Ji is? Do you think my faction's accountant is someone you can afford to offend! That man pays my salary, you cunt! Are you trying to steal food from my family's mouth, huh?"
With each declaration, Jiang Hu slapped Jin Lu's face again and again, completely furious. What was even more shocking was the swordsman's complete inability to defend himself. He didn't even have the chance to draw his weapon.
That was because the moment, Jin Luo had placed his hand on his sword, Jiang Hu's terrifying draconic aura slammed into him, rendering the Captain completely unconscious.
Having undergone Bing Meilu's 'will-tempering' (torture) and refined his pure draconic blood and body, no ordinary Core Formation could even move when pressed by the sabre fighter's draconic aura. At this point, Jiang Hu was just beating a defenceless enemy.
"What a curious sight..." an icy voice could be heard from above. "Do you know what you did wrong, Jiang Hu?"
The man in question froze in terror, dropping Jin Luo's unconscious body to the ground. He bowed deeply, in silence. The lieutenants of the Rampage Faction sighed in relief.
It seemed at least the leader of the faction was reasonable!
"If I did not accept his greetings, then why did you even let him come inside? Next time, if I don't welcome someone to the faction hall, slap them the moment they touch the doors, don't wait for paint to dry!"
Jiang Hu nodded nervously, bowing even more deeply. A wave of icy yin Qi washed over Jin Luo, rousing him.
The swordsman blinked in confusion. His hand shot for his sword, only for ice to wrap around his body, freezing him in place.
"Hey, what the hell-" he opened his mouth to speak, only for it too to freeze over.
Sword Qi exploded outwards, trying to shred the ice to pieces, only to dully shatter upon contact.
"Do you think that I, Bing Meilu, am deaf? Do you think I failed to hear your greetings? I did not let you in because you are not qualified to speak to me. If your master wants me to become an ally, he can come to negotiate himself instead of sending his dog. Instead, you broke down my door and caused trouble in front of this lord's eyes? Is your Rampage Faction trying to provoke me?"
A lieutenant ran over, bowing deeply in apology to the flying Bing Meilu. It was the same one that Jin Luo had slapped earlier, a black handprint still swelling on his face.
"-Lord, please forgive this lowly one, Jin Luo was only acting ignorantly, our Rampage Faction has no desire for enmity with you. The Commodore only wishes for good relations with you."
Bing Meilu was silent for a long while, before she spoke again.
"Who is the strongest curse master you have as a subordinate?"
