Su Su saw his displeased expression and quickly explained, “I really did enter the pill-refining furnace, but then, I was worried you might’ve forgotten about me and didn’t dare to disturb you, so I came out early.”
Due to her fire attribute spiritual root, she’d only felt a slight warmth in the furnace, which posed no harm to her.
The young girl’s expression was sincere as she knelt beside him on the couch where he cultivated.
“Get off,” Cang Jiumin coldly said.
Su Su obediently complied and appeared a few feet away from him in an instant.
She looked at him with pleading eyes, “As the eldest disciple of Penglai, you’re magnanimous1大人不计小人过 (dàrén bùjì xiǎo rénguò) – A greater man does not make note of a lesser man’s faults; It is best to forgive and forget. and forgiving. Please forgive me.”
Cang Jiumin coldly smiled, then several thunderbolts struck before her and chased her out of the door.
The door of the immortal hall shut with a “bang” before her eyes.
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Fw Fw qlzv y ckv ekpblyavldle. Gv qkapv pbl vakle vs srld vbl essa ytykd, cwv yp pssd yp pbl vswnble vbl bydezl, y pbyar rykd pbsv vbaswtb bla byde, yde pbl oyp kdpvydvzu qsanle vs zlv ts.&dcpr;
Mbl essa qzknjlale okvb qkdl byka-zkjl vbalyep sq zktbvdkdt.
G nsze hsknl nyxl qasx kdpkel, “Fnayx qwavbla yoyu.”
Fw Fw jknjle vbl essa yde iwknjzu zlqv sd bla posae clqsal Uydt Kkwxkd nswze tlv ydtau.
Tlyakdt vbl zswe “cydt” qasx kdpkel, Uydt Kkwxkd’p lulp dyaasole, yde y zktbvdkdt cszv pvawnj swv qasx bkp ryzx, cwv dyvwayzzu xkpple kvp vyatlv. Mbl uswdt tkaz, nwddkdt zkjl y zkvvzl qsm, bye yzalyeu qzle kdvs vbl ekpvydnl.
Uydt Kkwxkd eked’v lmrlnv vs pll Fw Fw qsa y obkzl yqvla vbyv, cwv vbl hlau dlmv eyu, obld bl srldle vbl essa, bl oyp tallvle cu y pbsola sq yraknsv czsppsxp obknb qlzz zkjl aykd, vbld tyvblale yaswde bkx okvbswv okde, qsaxkdt y qlo osaep kd vbl yka— Fldksa Jasvbla Kkwxkd kp casye-xkdele, yde vbl xspv bydepsxl kd vbl Fkm Slyzxp.
Fllkdt vbl osaep “casye-xkdele”, bl yzxspv vbswtbv bl oyp clkdt xsnjle. Jwv obld bl pyo “vbl xspv bydepsxl kd vbl Fkm Slyzxp”, bl oyp pvwddle qsa y xsxldv, vbld oyhle bkp byde, nywpkdt vbl yraknsv czsppsxp vs pnyvvla vs vbl taswde.
“Wyodkdt2溜须拍马 (zkūmū-rākxǎ) – vs pxssvb obkpjlap yde ryv y bsapl’p csvvsx (keksx); vs wpl qzyvvla vs tlv obyv sdl oydvp; zknj psxlcseu’p cssvp; vsyeu vs; qyod sd yde qzyvvlau3谄媚 (nbǎdxèk) – qyod sd; vsyeu vs; nwaau qyhsa okvb;; 奉承 (qèdtnbldt) – qzyvvlau,” Uydt Kkwxkd nszezu alxyajle.
Li Su Su must’ve known about his cold temper and didn’t dare to provoke him directly. She could only seek his forgiveness through such a method.
Cang Jiumin intended to ignore her. After all, it would be at most half a year until Master finished refining his artifact. What kind of trouble could Li Su Su, an immortal from Hengyang who’d just come of age, stir up in Penglai? The decision to let her stay or leave would be made once Master returned.
He focused on his cultivation.
Penglai had always been peaceful, and disputes were rare. Only in matters of importance would someone come to seek his advice.
However, as soon as he returned to the hall, someone rushed in.
“Martial Uncle Jiumin, something terrible has happened. Immortal Li and Junior Sister Cai4采 (cǎi) – collect; gather; pick; pluck Shuang5双 (shuāng) – two; double; pair; both; even (number) fell into the Tranquil Frost Pool together.”
“What?” He furrowed his brows.
The Tranquil Frost Pool was the coldest place in Penglai, and was used to punish disciples who made mistakes. Falling in could lead to a loss of cultivation at best, and, at worst, threaten their lives.
In an instant, Cang Jiumin’s figure was like the wind, and he rushed towards the Tranquil Frost Pool.
*****
Su Su hadn’t expected things to happen so suddenly.
She just wanted to show her sincerity when apologizing, so she asked the Penglai disciples where she could apologize properly6负荆请罪 (fùjīng-qǐngzuì) – lit. to bring a bramble and ask for punishment (idiom); fig. to offer a humble apology.
A disciple had blushed and pointed towards the direction of the Tranquil Frost Pool.
Su Su squatted down, looked at the water, and instantly abandoned the idea.
The three tricks of asking for forgiveness— flattery, clinginess, and acting pitiful— were only meant to soften Cang Jiumin’s heart so she could smoothly learn the Qing Hong Sword Technique. It wasn’t worth putting herself in real danger, which would only cause trouble for others.
But just as Su Su was about to leave, a woman suddenly jumped into the Tranquil Frost Pool.
Caught off guard, Su Su was dragged into the icy water by the woman. A cold, gloomy Qi spread from her feet throughout her body, and she couldn’t move for a moment.
The cold Qi in the pool was like an astral wind7罡风 (gāngfēng) – in Daoism, astral wind on which immortals may ride; winds in the empyrean (Taoism); strong wind, tearing through her body. Su Su came to her senses and quickly swam towards the shore. In order to prevent the disciples who’d made mistakes from escaping, every step in the water required an extraordinary amount of effort. She felt like she had fallen into a vortex and was very uncomfortable.
The pale-faced woman had initially been determined to die. However, after jumping into the Tranquil Frost Pool and touching the horrifying pool water, she suddenly felt afraid. There was nothing around her to grab onto, so she clung tightly to Su Su with every limb.
As if to say, if Su Su didn’t save her, both of them would die together.
Su Su was furious.
It was bad enough that this misfortune had befallen her8飞来横祸 (fēilái-hènghuò) – a sudden and unexpected disaster (idiom), but now this woman, who had initially wanted to die, suddenly changed her mind and was trying to harm others.
Wickedness grew within her9Author’s version: Evil grew from the gallbladder (lit.);
Original: 怒从心头起，恶向胆边生 (nù cóng xīn tóu qǐ，è xiàng dǎn biān shēng) – Anger comes from the heart. Evil goes to the gut.. She patted the woman’s arm and transmitted a message telepathically, “Let go. I’ll find a way to get you to shore.”
The woman’s expression was filled with fear. She hesitated for a while, but afraid of dying in the pool, she finally let Su Su go.
Su Su gritted her teeth and brought her to shore.
Her body was filled with fire spiritual energy, like a warm little sun, which temporarily held back the icy-cold pool water.
Outside, someone shouted with panic— “Something terrible has happened! Immortal Li and Little Junior Sister Cai Shuang have fallen into the Tranquil Frost Pool!”
As Su Su struggled to swim forward, she thought to herself, this woman’s name is Cai Shuang? Great!
With great effort, Su Su’s hand finally touched the shore, and she climbed out of the water.
Cai Shuang was also happy and excited. “Help……” she shouted, but before she could finish her sentence—
Su Su lifted her foot and kicked her shoulder, sending her back into the pool.
“Off you go!”
This was the scene that Cang Jiumin saw when he arrived— Cai Shuang being kicked into the icy pool by the young girl’s white boots.
“……”
The disciples behind him were stunned speechless for a long while before one finally managed to say, “Y-you…… actually harmed Little Junior Sister Cai Shuang……”
The immortal in pink was still all wet and disheveled. She clapped her hands, and the red spiritual fire energy twirled around her, instantly drying her clothes.
Su Su turned around and saw Cang Jiumin’s expression, which was slightly dark. He looked at her ambiguously, while the disciple behind him looked horrified.
The cold Qi of the Tranquil Frost Pool was incompatible with Su Su’s cultivation technique, so she now felt uncomfortable all over.
Before she could say anything, Cang Jiumin flew to the pool, parted the water, and carried Cai Shuang out in his arms.
As he went ashore, the turbulent pool water calmed down.
Cang Jiumin placed Cai Shuang on the ground. She had already lost consciousness and was completely unresponsive.
He reached out with his slender fingers and transferred over his spiritual Qi. Cai Shuang opened her eyes, and the moment she saw Cang Jiumin, she burst into tears and reached out to grab his sleeve.
“Jiumin gege10哥哥 (gēge) – elder brother, Cai Shuang almost couldn’t see you anymore.”
Hearing this address, Su Su realized who Cai Shuang was— the pitiful mortal woman who had been robbed of her chastity, the East Wing Master’s adopted daughter.
Only she could call Cang Jiumin “elder brother”.
Seeing Cai Shuang crying so pitifully, Su Su furrowed her brows, feeling more and more displeased. The way she cried made it seem like Su Su had harmed her first.
Sure enough, one of the Penglai disciples beside them indignantly said, “Martial Uncle Jiumin, we can’t just let this go.”
Su Su immediately retorted, “Why don’t you ask her who caused me to fall into the icy pool and then wanted me to die with her?”
Cai Shuang’s eyes flickered, and her pale face timidly hid behind Cang Jiumin, as if Su Su was extremely terrifying.
Her appearance, along with Cang Jiumin’s silence, made Su Su furious, “Since you say I’ve harmed you, I might as well go along with the accusation.”
She suddenly smiled, pushed away Cang Jiumin and grabbed Cai Shuang, dragging her towards the Tranquil Frost Pool.
“Once I’m proven guilty, I will apologize.” But before that, you should first go and experience death.
Seeing that Su Su was actually serious, and she herself was about to roll into the Tranquil Frost Pool again, she screamed, “Ahh! Save me……”
A hand stopped Su Su and pulled Cai Shuang back.
Su Su turned around and heard a cold voice say, “You came to Penglai to learn. This isn’t a place for you to be unruly. Starting tomorrow, Li Su Su will be punished to polish a thousand spirit swords in the Sword Cleansing Pool.”
“Cang Jiumin, you’re blind! Wash them yourself if you like them so much! Who cares about your Qinghong Sword Technique? I don’t want to learn it anymore! I’m leaving!”
Su Su sent a ball of fire towards Cang Jiumin, but the flames dissipated as soon as they approached him. Cang Jiumin expressionlessly raised his hand and a dark thunderbolt appeared, which turned into a thick chain and bound Su Su.
“You don’t have a choice!”
The Penglai disciples helped the still-shaken Cai Shuang up. Cai Shuang was sobbing uncontrollably and trembling in fear.
Cang Jiumin retracted his hand and took Su Su to the Sword Cleansing Pool.
*****
Along the way, in her heart, Su Su cursed the unreasonable and blind Penglai disciples in every way possible.
She had already dismantled Cang Jiumin in her imagination.
Upon reaching the Sword Cleansing Pool, Su Su was greeted by a scorching heat, quite unlike the Tranquil Frost Pool. She looked up and saw various spirit swords haphazardly11横七竖八 (héngqī-shùbā) – at sixes and sevens (idiom) stuck within a sea of fire.
Some swords were already rusty, while others shone brightly and softly hummed with the sound of spirit swords.
Cang Jiumin sealed the Sword Cleansing Pool, released her, and then sat cross-legged beside her.
His voice was icy, “Polish the swords with magma and wipe off the turbid Qi on them. Once you’ve polished a thousand swords, you’ll be released from the Sword Cleansing Pool.”
Cang Jiumin walked to the edge of the pool and picked out a spirit sword. His slender fingers guided the magma as if it were water and he repeatedly and meticulously wiped down the sword.
As the turbid Qi dissipated, the sword regained its luster. With a wave of his hand, he returned the spirit sword to the Sword Cleansing Pool.
Earlier, Su Su still had some respect for him, and she had intended to make amends with him. However, at this moment, all of that had evaporated.
Su Su’s clear and distinct eyes stared at him for a long time. Seeing that he was unmoved, she suddenly blinked her eyes and obediently said, “Alright, I’ll polish them, and I’ll do it now.”
Cang Jiumin’s dark eyes glanced at her and he remained silent.
Su Su squatted by the pool, and her lips curved into a smile. With a raise of her hand, dozens of spirit swords floated up into the air, carrying scorching hot magma. The girl formed a hand seal, and all of the spirit swords lunged12张牙舞爪 (zhāngyá-wǔzhǎo) – to bare fangs and brandish claws (idiom); to make threatening gestures towards Cang Jiumin.
Su Su turned back with a smile, “Senior Brother, be careful. I suddenly can’t control them properly……”
Cang Jiumin’s face darkened as he dodged the spirit swords and instantly appeared behind Su Su.
“What’re you doing? Let me go!”
Su Su struggled, but the man took her to the edge of the Sword Cleansing Pool and held her hand to pick up a sword covered with rust, then guided her to polish the sword.
Su Su couldn’t move. The scorching lava contained spiritual Qi, which tingled slightly, and made her feel uncomfortable.
As the rusty sword grew brighter and brighter, Su Su felt both angry and wronged. She threw the spirit sword into the Sword Cleansing Pool, causing magma to splash onto her face.
Without a word, Cang Jiumin used the back of his hand to block the magma.
There was a sizzle. Despite the slight pain, he didn’t allow Su Su to leave.
Seeing her aggrieved expression—
Cang Jiumin paused and frowned. He stared at the rolling magma and said a little stiffly, “When I was young, Master made me polish a thousand spirit swords. Only by connecting with the sword’s intent could I master the Qinghong Sword Technique.”
Su Su was stunned, and suddenly realized that he had been teaching her the Qinghong Sword Technique all along. She turned her head to look at him, “So what? It was Cai Shuang who harmed me first, yet Penglai is punishing me for her sake!”
“I know it wasn’t you.” Cang Jiumin said faintly.
“You…… huh? What did you say?” Su Su looked at him in surprise. Did I hear him wrong?
Cang Jiumin said, “The East Wing Master dotes on her. Even if I believe you, and the Penglai disciples believe you, the East Wing Master won’t. By punishing you today, this matter is settled. The East Wing Master won’t pursue it any further.”
When talking about his father, he used the term “East Wing Master” with a cold and icy tone.
Su Su retorted, “If my father knew I was being so spineless, he’d rather go to war with the Dongshu Immortal Realm than see me back down over something like this!”
Cang Jiumin’s expression remained cold and indifferent as he spoke in a low voice, “You’re fighting for a momentary glory, wounding a thousand enemy soldiers, while sacrificing eight hundred of your own13similar meaning as 损人不利己 (sǔnrénbùlìjǐ) – to harm others without benefiting oneself (idiom). Clearly, there are countless non-violent ways to make her suffer. Let her suffer until she cannot endure it but is unable to voice it out. Be quiet and wait to see.”
Su Su couldn’t imagine such “vicious” words coming from him, which sent a chill down her spine.
When she came to her senses, she found that Cang Jiumin’s hand was still wrapped around hers. She was unsure whether it was to stop her from running away, or to prevent her from unexpectedly sending dozens of swords his way.
His fine hand guided the fiery yang Qi from the Sword Cleansing Pool, and circulated it around her body.
“Huh?” Su Su whispered.
The Sword Cleansing Pool’s fiery yang Qi gradually dissipated the Tranquil Frost Pool’s cold Qi from her body. The previous discomfort vanished, and was replaced by a gentle feeling of weightlessness.
It turned out that the fiery yang Qi of the Sword Cleansing Pool could dispel the cold Qi from the Tranquil Frost Pool. With the Sword Cleansing Pool sealed by Cang Jiumin, wouldn’t Cai Shuang, who was outside, suffer from the cold Qi entering her body, and be tormented to the extreme?
She blinked and turned her head to look at the man beside her.
After she stared at him for a while, Cang Jiumin couldn’t stand it anymore. He turned her face away, and forbade her from looking at him again, still using that harsh tone, “What are you looking at! Polish the swords properly.”
Edited by: Gaze
It’s so funny to see TTJ being all smart AND doing something good for Susu for a moment. Although again – his attitude “I won’t explain anything unless you seething with anger” is gonna make him a loner hahaha
And Susu… she is childish and unruly as a proper spoiled wealthy missis! I think I got used to her having grown up so much as a person from the interactions with TTJ. When we have such retrospective it’s really noticeable how much the characters have grown.
Also after this chapter I think I wanna see them in a school AU 😂😂
TTJ is the only tsundere I can accept as a character now 😂😂😂 what to do, I thought I couldn’t stand this type of characters after some hand-on experience but now here we go again…
Thank you for the wonderful translation as always miss Bee! It’s really a ray of light sometimes ><
谢谢你帮我们看到这个诱人完美的翻译！
I love these dream world/other realities scenarios! TTJ is still who he is despite another identity. lol LSS is spoiled and immature. Love them both!
This is probably one of my most favorite novels of all time. Thank you, Miss Bee, for the wonderful translation once again!