Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Mountain Fairy, Fifth Wife's Hairpin (2)
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Yuyeon wanted to press the entity nestled within her parasol further, but she headed back to the village first.
There was good news to share, and she wanted to let everyone know so they wouldn't wander about needlessly. Fortunately, the battle had ended before noon, allowing her to arrive without crossing paths with the villagers.
However, there was a problem: Yuyeon couldn't conceal herself with the Concealing Form Formation right now. The reason was the Seven Yin White Parasol—shortened to just the Chil Parasol—and the souls it held.
Yuyeon had gathered the souls and placed them within the parasol's yin space. While inside, they were safe from the underworld's enforcers and unaffected by yang energy, preserving their existence.
She had collected quite a few, but that very abundance made it impossible to hide them all with the Concealing Form Formation. Moreover, the Chil Parasol's presence was too strong; concealing it solely with her formation was difficult while it was deployed.
Previously, Yuyeon had been able to hide herself by manifesting the formation within her body. But now, with an external object involved, she needed to treat it like a proper formation array, anchoring it to a physical item to achieve concealment.
To resolve this, cultivators commonly used "formation discs"—pre-engraved tools that allowed formations to be deployed easily. Of course, Yuyeon had no such thing, leaving her in a bind.
"Teacher, what should we do? At this rate, I'll have no choice but to show myself in the village."
Seeking advice from the self-proclaimed teacher, it replied:
"What nonsense is that? Concealing Form Formation...? Forming it from your spiritual veins? A mere Entrance Stage child folding, unfolding, and kneading her spiritual veins at will like... that."
The teacher's worldview shattered.
Spiritual veins were originally the foundation for nascent cultivators to grasp and maintain spiritual energy within their bodies. Thus, an Entrance Stage's veins were meant to be the most stable form, with minimal changes.
Did they become more varied as one's realm advanced? No, there was no advantage to complicating them. Their sole function was to contain and circulate spiritual energy within the body—do that well, and nothing more was needed. There was no reason to risk scattering one's energy by tampering with the entire network.
Even generously assuming an Entrance Stage cultivator could alter their veins, engraving a first-rank formation inside one's own body was absurd. First-rank formations existed precisely because they could be deployed by Qi Refining cultivators.
But the teacher had already witnessed Yuyeon's peculiarities beyond common sense, so it decided to let this slide with a resigned "Of course." After all, she was demonstrably doing it.
"Then why bother hiding at all? From what I see, your appearance isn't problematic, nor is there anything to conceal. Showing yourself would make them rejoice that a sage... er, an immortal has come."
The teacher's mind was in such turmoil that it nearly said "fairy" before hastily correcting to "immortal."
But that was another slip: "immortal" (仙子, xianzi) was a term in cultivation circles synonymous with "beauty," typically reserved for women. While it could apply to men, cultivators usually called male practitioners "Daoist" or "young master" instead.
Calling a male cultivator "immortal" casually could even be an insult, implying "Are you a woman? Why are you dressed up like that?"—a highly effective taunt.
Yuyeon, ignorant of such cultivation jargon, took "immortal" (仙子) literally as just another word for "cultivator" (修仙者).
While the teacher sweated over its gaffes from non-existent glands, Yuyeon couldn't bring herself to confess her fake deity antics to a real spirit. She just mumbled vaguely.
"Well... that's just my way."
Perceptive as ever, the teacher didn't press when Yuyeon glossed over it—especially since it had erred too. It offered different advice. After all, Yuyeon held the upper hand now.
"If you don't want them knowing you're the one who helped, approach from another angle. You've never shown yourself before, so they won't recognize you."
Yuyeon didn't think that was a good plan. Sure, as a runaway girl, she had the excuse of not wanting her face spread around. But the real issue was Shrine Maiden Jang Jina.
What Yuyeon feared most was Jina discovering her true identity. She'd been mooching meals from her, sending playful letters via proxies for fun. If Jina learned she wasn't a spirit but just a little girl...
Yuyeon would die of embarrassment—enough to unconsciously unleash an Entrance Stage cultivator's mind-reading technique.
"Sigh... Can't I just post a notice via proxy to let them know?"
"That would spare them needless trips, but it doesn't solve the root problem."
Straight talk from the teacher. Yuyeon mumbled again, reluctant to spin another lame excuse, and fell silent.
In the end, with no mind-reading spell available, no quick fix for the formation, and no other options, Yuyeon resolved to go through with it. Duty called.
Still, if Jina seemed suspicious, she'd fabricate an excuse and beat around the bush until death.
Actually, heading to the village wasn't just to report victory. More importantly, it was to console the deceased souls and guide them to ascension.
"What if I gather more merit power and perform the ascension?"
"Fine if you can ascend this many at once. But your merit won't overflow like that. And even if it did, didn't anyone teach you not to squander it recklessly?"
Exactly. That was why one girl and one parasol spirit were pooling their heads.
Originally, Yuyeon figured she'd smash the evil, gather souls, pray once for ascension, and call it done. She hadn't anticipated so many souls, nor was she confident a single ritual could handle them all.
She could experiment since she didn't know, but with these souls' fates at stake, Yuyeon didn't want to judge rashly or waste merit carelessly. She'd promised a grieving ghost to care for her son's soul, so she aimed to do her best.
Thus, the teacher's advice: enlist Shrine Maiden Jang Jina and the villagers for a consolation rite. But this time, mere spectatorship and rice cakes wouldn't suffice.
Yuyeon needed to act more directly. Yes, it was time for her—not the shrine maiden—to dance.
She'd received their respect: meals prepared in her honor, dances and bows offered. Respect demanded reciprocation. Now, Yuyeon would respond with the consolation rite.
As Yuyeon entered the village, eyes turned her way. Gathered under the sacred tree, adults twisted cords, dried vegetables, or whittled decent-grained wood from gathered logs as idle tasks, while children played in the dirt.
"Who might you be, little one?"
A villager asked warily yet curiously. A lone girl entering in these dire times seemed out of place. Yet her aura wasn't ghostly or eerie, and her youth softened their guards.
With everyone under the parasols for shade, all attention focused on her.
"I'm here to see Shrine Maiden Jang Jina—no need to worry."
Her mentioning the shrine maiden's name stunned them. It wasn't a sacred name, but how would an outsider—a girl even younger than the newly appointed maiden—know of her?
No need for lengthy explanations; Jina soon pushed through the crowd. Spotting Yuyeon, she bowed politely, and the two headed silently to the shrine maiden's home.
Using a parasol indoors was improper, but seeing the souls milling at her feet, Yuyeon sighed and entered with it anyway, sitting down.
"The evil has been purged, so the village is safe now. No need to evacuate, but please tell everyone not to venture into the mountains alone for a while—especially the children."
Yuyeon seized the initiative, spilling her message rapidly.
"And tonight, we need a consolation rite. Many grudge souls met unjust ends; I want to send them off peacefully. The villagers likely need closure too."
Jina nodded, sitting quietly, awaiting the rest without questions.
"Also... I'll perform the dance this time. Please assist as attendant."
Again, no reply—just a bow of assent. Yuyeon swallowed a grunt of discomfort. Moments later, Jina lifted her head.
"Then, what would you like for lunch today?"
Something snapped inside Yuyeon.
With the village safe thanks to Yuyeon's efforts, the people dispersed. Some tended long-neglected fields; others resumed chores, returning to daily life.
Yuyeon went about her tasks too—not lunch first, but practicing the rite's dance.
Ah, lunch. Finally facing the shrine maiden directly, Yuyeon ate together at one table instead of separately. Spotting porridge again, curiosity prompted a question.
"Shrine Maiden Jang, do you like porridge? Not that I dislike it—I'm just wondering since it appears every meal."
"Oh, that's... because I can't gauge the water when cooking rice. All my shortcomings."
Jina said, uncharacteristically bashful.
"No, it's that shrine spirit's fault. I ordered rice a few times before, but it kept making porridge, so I got mad and stopped asking."
With Jina beside her, Yuyeon said nothing to the teacher, just ate appreciatively.
Afterward, disliking an audience for practice and with much to discuss with the teacher, she climbed the mountain to a clearing.
"Now that we have time, tell me your true identity properly."
"Mm..."
Yuyeon waited calmly for the teacher's response.
"First, I must explain this: Sorry, Yuyeon. I entered your body thinking you were a senile old ghost who'd possessed via primordial soul shedding."
"What?!"
A rude tone slipped out unwittingly; Yuyeon belatedly covered her mouth in shock.
Always showered with "cute," "pretty as a flower," and quietly basking in it, she'd never imagined "old hag" applied to her.
The real shocker was primordial soul shedding, but lacking cultivation knowledge, Yuyeon missed it. The perceptive teacher noted as much.
"You don't even know what primordial soul shedding is, do you? Let me explain that first."
Simply put: Primordial soul was a cultivator's soul elevated in quality—understand it as such for now.
"Shedding the body" (脫屍) literally meant removing shoes, figuratively discarding something lightly. In cultivation, it meant abandoning one's flesh—often seizing another's due to some reason.
Unlike mere possession, this was outright usurpation, heavily restricted and rarely succeeding against heavenly ascension laws. Success, however, freed one from underworld rules and allowed continued practice.
"So I thought you were a Ghost Dao cultivator who'd scattered your cultivation to evade ascension detection, mimicking Entrance Stage while residual prowess enabled feats."
"......"
Yuyeon had no retort. She was living a second life, so not quite shedding but reincarnation fit. Her talents justified the misunderstanding somewhat.
"So you did enter my body with ill intent."
"Yes, sorry. I figured retaking the body would avenge its original owner, and for the world, I'd be better than some deranged old corpse-possessor."
Yuyeon feigned mild anger but sighed it off. An apology for the misunderstanding—what gain in pressing further?
"Then how did you realize otherwise? And you still haven't revealed your identity."
"Finishing that thought: I was shocked upon entering you. Cultivators cleanse with spiritual energy, keeping meridians pure—but purity and untainted are different."
The day Yuyeon awakened her spiritual root, she gained Pure White Body. Even before, pure yin filled her, warding off defilement. No sins or grudges tainted her essence.
Pure White Body required unblemished essence to awaken and maintain.
"Thus, I knew you hadn't shed into this body. Even with permission, it's grave karma—Pure White Body should dissipate."
"You realized upon entering, so why tease me midway? Do you know how startled I was when you lunged into my head?"
"Not teasing. Pure White Body means flawless essence. But reaching your central dantian, I noticed your closed eyes. I meant to inspect further by ascending... when the Chil Parasol grabbed me."
"Caught and dragged by the Chil Parasol, then."
Yuyeon now understood everything, her mind clearing. But this un-spirit-like spirit's identity remained; she stared silently, prodding.
"Sigh... Yuyeon, before my true identity, one promise."
Acknowledging Yuyeon as superior, confirming her pure innocence, the teacher disliked deception for gain. It wanted candor but feared she'd balk at binding oaths post-reveal, so it broached first.
"Not a promise—a deal."
"My answer depends on the terms. Speak."
"Allow me to stay in this parasol until I find another body. In exchange, I'll examine your eyes. Plus, you seem ignorant of cultivation—I'll share useful knowledge."
Yuyeon rarely showed emotion, but this teacher brought shocks aplenty; she startled again.
Her eyes had been thus since birth, likely from reincarnation. She'd assumed incurable blindness.
Yet the teacher's words suggested not mere fate, but a fixable issue. Unwilling to hope rashly, hope stirred anyway.
"...Fine. But promise no secrets from me, no unannounced mischief."
"Promised. Now, the time has come to reveal myself. Not even past shrine maidens knew: My true identity is a corpse."