Chapter 136
Library Pavilion Top Floor — The Ruffian Style of Feng

“He’s not dead yet?”

“You’ll know when you go.” Yi Zifei stood up and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold to quietly gaze at the sea of blooming flowers outside.

“Fragrance-Attracting Peak’s current splendor is entirely his work. Though he’s my master, and I am the new peak lord he personally appointed, I’ve never agreed with what he did,” he said. “Lian Mu, you’re still young—you don’t understand how dangerous the method of re-forging one’s spiritual root is. I thought that after Feng Tianche’s precedent, no one would dare attempt this path again. Who would’ve thought, by sheer coincidence…”

“But if Master Feng hadn’t taken that path, he wouldn’t have become your master.” Lian Mu said.

Yi Zifei chuckled. “True. He’s my benefactor. I didn’t want him to die so soon from damage to his dantian, but if he hadn’t re-forged his root, he wouldn’t have joined the Returning Immortal Sect, and wouldn’t have become my master.”

“All these years, I haven’t dared to see him… If you meet him, pay my respects on my behalf.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure at the door dissolved into drifting petals, scattering with the wind.

“Master!” Ji Mingyue called out, but Yi Zifei was already gone.

Lian Mu looked at the token in her hand. It was far more exquisite than the one she had borrowed back then—a registration token reserved for disciples with a Heavenly Spiritual Root. The white plum engraved on it was a bit blurred now, showing its age.

Who would’ve thought that the Heavenly Spiritual Root token she had once run herself ragged to borrow would come into her hands so easily today?

She didn’t care about the so-called suppression by the Heavenly Dao that the peak lord spoke of. She had come this far—since she’d chosen this road, she’d grit her teeth and keep walking it.

But she was curious: why was Feng Tianche on the top floor of the Library Pavilion? People said he was dead—was she just going to pay respects to a memorial tablet?

“Your master seems troubled,” Lian Mu said.

Ji Mingyue sighed. “Master Feng’s death has always weighed on my master’s heart. Back then, Master Feng took in many disciples. My master was the most outstanding and received the most care. Of course, he couldn’t bear to lose him.”

Lian Mu thought about it—Sect Master Shen had been the same. She said, “Go check on your master. I’ll head to the Library Pavilion.”

“Wait.” Ji Mingyue grabbed her arm and whispered, “If you see Master Feng, tell me what he looks like when you get back. I’ve never seen him myself.”

“…Alright. But he might just be a wooden tablet, you know.”

The two agreed. Ji Mingyue set off to find Yi Zifei, while Lian Mu pulled out her broom and flew toward the Library Pavilion.

The Library Pavilion sat between Thousand Spirit Peak and Fragrance-Attracting Peak. From where she was, she could see it clearly and flew there directly.

Passing through the boundary of Fragrance-Attracting Peak, she was unsurprised to find herself wrapped in snow midair. The snowfall was heavy today—by the time she landed, half of her green sect robe had turned white.

The senior brother guarding the pavilion jumped when he saw her, then exclaimed, “You again? Weren’t you off competing in the Immortal Sect Grand Competition?”

“Senior brother, your information is outdated.” Lian Mu brushed the snow from her shoulders. “Now I’m a sword cultivator specially favored by the sect. I can go wherever I like.”

He looked at her, speechless. “Oh, please. Trying to talk your way in again? Not this time. No registration token, no entry.”

She immediately pulled out the token she’d just received. “Senior brother, I’m going in.”

He leaned closer, eyes widening. “Look at you. Where’d you pick this up?”

“Given to me personally by the peak lord,” she said with a grin. “By the way, why are you the only one here? Shouldn’t you be resting? I heard there’s been a demon race incursion—disciples aren’t allowed to wander off.”

“There was an incursion a while back—rumor is that it happened when Senior Brother Guan returned. Some demon remnants slipped into Thousand Spirit Peak but were killed on the spot.” He lowered his voice. “Just between us—don’t spread it around.”

“So you’re here for spirit stones, huh? The brat who was supposed to guard the Library Pavilion today saw everyone else resting and ran off too, didn’t he? Paid you to cover for him?”

“…I can’t believe even you think I have a big mouth. Tch—should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“Demon race showing up and they didn’t interrogate them properly? Just killed them outright?”

“It was Senior Brother Ye and Senior Brother Xiao who ran into them, not any elders. They’d just returned from Shifang Nether Soil—saw something fishy and killed first, asked questions later. Who has time to think?” He waved her off impatiently. “Why do you care so much? Go in or get lost.”

“Fine, fine. I swear I won’t say you told me.”

“…Junior sister, I beg you. Just go.”

She put away the token and sauntered inside.

The first floor looked different from before—someone had clearly reorganized the books; several were no longer where she remembered.

She headed straight for where she’d found Feng’s Secret Method before—sure enough, it was gone, leaving only an empty slot and a single pink petal.

…So the peak lord had moved faster than her and taken it already.

But it didn’t matter. She still had the complete copy Ying You had helped her borrow.

She walked left and found a dusty old book in the bottom corner, pulling it out.

She hadn’t told Yi Zifei that besides Feng’s Secret Method, she’d also read a book called Feng’s Secret Supplement, which recorded a demonic beast core pill-refining technique that had supported her up to now.

Otherwise, with her meager funds, she could never have afforded high-grade spiritual herbs—and low-grade spirit replenishing pills were barely useful.

If Feng Tianche’s memorial tablet was on the top floor, there must be more secrets up there. Yi Zifei wouldn’t have sent her just to look at a tablet.

She tucked Feng’s Secret Supplement into her robe and climbed the stairs.

The Library Pavilion had twelve floors. The lower six were unrestricted; the upper six were divided equally between alchemy and artifact refining texts.

She passed the three artifact refining levels—she only had the alchemist’s token, so she couldn’t enter, just peeked through the barrier from the stairs.

Through the ephemeral flower patterns on the barrier, she could faintly see swords suspended inside.

The last time she’d been up here was when Xu Xianxing had taken them to view the renowned sword records.

After so long, the sword shadows still hung there. Her own sword was much stronger now, but her body carried far more hidden ailments too.

She only spared it a glance, turned away, and continued upward.

Eleven floors climbed, and she finally reached the top.

She pressed her token to the wall—runes lit up in the barrier. Remembering Xu Xianxing’s method, she knew she had to draw something too.

She copied the plum blossom from the token into the rune circle. The barrier turned red.

Wrong pattern.

?…

She tried a few more times, drawing it exactly the same, but it still wouldn’t open.

After a moment’s thought, she raised her finger and tentatively drew a turtle.

The rune circle lit up, then vanished. Success.

…

So the doodled turtle on Feng’s Secret Method really was drawn by Feng Tianche himself!

She stepped inside. It wasn’t a library like the other floors, but more like a study, clearly built for one person alone.

The four walls were lined with books. By the window stood a desk with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone; a vase held a freshly cut white plum blossom; famous paintings adorned the walls; a subtle fragrance lingered in the air.

It was clean and orderly, as if someone had been living here all along.

This was not what Lian Mu had imagined.

The world said Feng Tianche was originally of humble birth, unruly and wild; some even claimed that though he was the greatest alchemy cultivator under heaven, he was vulgar and unrefined, a rascal to the bone.

Who would have thought his study would be so… proper?

Lian Mu looked around and saw only a single bracelet on the desk, resting on a handkerchief embroidered at the corner with a white plum.

There was no one here, and no memorial tablet either.

Puzzled, Lian Mu walked over to the alchemy furnace by another window. Through it, she could see far-off Fragrance-Attracting Peak, and beneath a white plum tree sat two people—Yi Zifei and Ji Mingyue.

Lian Mu: “…”

So they told her to come here, but didn’t say where Feng Tianche actually was?

She was just considering whether to contact Ji Mingyue and have her ask when, unnoticed, Green Bean in her sleeve suddenly opened its eyes and crawled out.

Green Bean dropped to the ground, flipped over, and turned into a wisp of black mist drifting toward the desk.

Lian Mu paused, felt around in her spatial pouch, and remembered that she’d left the Fish-and-Goose Stone outside—no communication artifacts were allowed in the upper levels of the library pavilion.

She looked up and saw the two under the white plum tree gazing back at her. Across the distance, Yi Zifei was watching her.

She was about to call out—thick-skinned as she was, she didn’t mind; there was no one else in the library pavilion anyway—

“Hey, is this your spirit pet?”

A finger tapped her back. Lian Mu spun around. The window slammed shut though there was no wind.

She instinctively reached for her sword but someone pressed her hand down.

“Little girl, what are you brandishing a sword for?”

Before her stood a man in white robes, smiling lazily, dangling a black scorpion from his hand.

“When you come into the library pavilion, don’t bring a greedy spirit pet. It’d be bad if it chewed up my stuff.” He put the black scorpion back on Lian Mu’s shoulder and stepped back.

Only then did Lian Mu realize—his body was insubstantial. He wasn’t really there.

“You’re… Feng Tianche?”

Feng Tianche lifted a hand, cracked his joints, and spoke in a deep, languid voice: “Ah, little girl, you recognize me? Did my legendary name lure you here?”

Lian Mu reached out to test it—her hand passed straight through his body.

“Tsk.” Feng Tianche caught her wrist. “Meeting for the first time and you’re already in a rush? Don’t go groping the dead. Bad luck rubs off.”

He could touch her, but she couldn’t touch him.

Lian Mu withdrew her hand and said seriously, “Master Feng, a senior sent me to find you.”

Feng Tianche returned to the desk, kicked over the vase of plum blossoms, propped his legs up, looking carefree and at ease. “All these years and they still dump useless junk in my room—what do they think I run, a scrap yard?”

Lian Mu: “…”

She glanced around, wondering where he’d come from, until she saw him pick up the bracelet on the desk and began to guess.

Feng Tianche slipped the bracelet on, raised his eyes to her, and asked offhandedly, “Who sent you?”