Chapter 2: A Celestial Sister Falls From the Sky
Mingyan awoke as dusk approached.
He sat up, dusting himself off and looking around.
Not far from him was a large crater that hadn’t been there before. Hesitantly, Mingyan approached the edge and peered in. He saw a splash of red lying at the bottom. Could this be the person he saw flying towards him before he lost consciousness? He was lucky it hadn’t landed on him.
Looking closer, he realized it was a woman dressed in red. She had a beautiful face, but a faint streak of blood stained her pale lips. She appeared to be seriously injured.
If Mingyan guessed correctly, she must have been swept here by the dragon’s tail. Could she be dead?
Hesitantly, Mingyan jumped into the crater and checked the woman’s breathing.
She was alive! Mingyan was astonished. He thought the dragon’s tail swipe could have leveled Rain Terrace Mountain. How could she have survived? Who was this celestial being?
He hesitated. Should he help her or not?
Helping seemed unnecessary. She was alive and didn’t appear to need rescuing.
But leaving her injured and bleeding in the crater felt wrong.
Besides, would helping her bring trouble upon himself?
Mingyan pondered for a moment, recalling a past event… Hadn’t he been rescued by someone a year ago? She hadn’t known him, yet she chose to save him… If he wanted to follow in her footsteps, he couldn’t leave this woman to die. Even if he could do little, he couldn’t just abandon her.
With this thought, his resolve solidified. He lifted the unconscious woman onto his back, climbed out of the crater, and placed her gently under a tree.
The sky was darkening. A cool evening breeze blew in the late summer, early autumn air. He should take her back to the sect. Leaving her outside was too dangerous.
Since the woman remained unconscious, Mingyan couldn’t ask for her opinion. He made the decision himself, hoisted her onto his back, and headed towards the sect.
Rain Terrace Blessed Land was bustling with activity. They had witnessed the strange events above Dragon Ridge. The sect leader had summoned most of the elders to the meeting hall to discuss the matter. The other disciples were buzzing with speculation. Only Elder Li and Mingyan’s master, Liu Yunfeng, wore worried expressions, as Mingyan hadn’t returned.
At the Hall of Affairs down the mountain, Elder Li frowned with concern. Mingyan had been gone too long. He should have stayed on the outskirts of Dragon Ridge. Seeing such a shocking phenomenon, he should have returned immediately. Yet, several hours had passed, and dusk was approaching, but he was still missing…
The elders were well aware of Mingyan’s talent. Despite his late start in cultivation, his future potential was immeasurable. He was a highly valued disciple by the sect leader. They couldn’t afford to lose him. Elder Li hesitated for a moment, then decided to search for Mingyan himself. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Mingyan appear at the sect’s entrance.
“Mingyan.” Elder Li sighed in relief. Then he noticed the woman on Mingyan’s back. A flicker of confusion crossed his face, followed by a subtle change in expression.
“Elder Li, I’m back,” Mingyan greeted, approaching with the woman in red on his back. “I found this woman outside. She’s injured and unconscious. I couldn’t leave her to die, so I brought her back.”
“Do you know her cultivation level?” Elder Li’s face turned serious. “Her aura is so young. She’s likely not much older than you, yet her cultivation has already reached the early Qi Sea Realm. A genius like this must have an extraordinary background. Bringing her back could be either a blessing or a curse…”
“Qi Sea Realm?” Mingyan was stunned. He had assumed she possessed high cultivation to have survived the dragon’s tail swipe, but to reach the Qi Sea Realm at such a young age?
Based on the cultivation system Mingyan knew, there were two major realms, each divided into four minor realms.
The first major realm was “Spring Opening,” signifying the connection between the body and nature, drawing in natural spiritual energy for one’s own use. Its four minor realms were Spring Gushing, Gathering Stream, Great Brook, and Illuminating Sea. The second major realm was “Transcendence,” meaning surpassing the mortal realm. It consisted of Yin Tomb, Yang Tomb, Qi Sea, and Divine Gate, each with early and peak stages.
Mingyan’s master, Liu Yunfeng, was at the peak of the Qi Sea Realm. This meant the young woman on his back was only one minor stage below his master?
“She must be an important figure from a prominent family or a sacred cultivation ground… Where did you find her?” Elder Li’s expression remained grave.
Mingyan recounted the events in detail.
“…This is a serious matter. I must inform the sect leader. Stay here. Don’t move.” Elder Li pondered for a moment, then turned and vanished with a light tap of his foot…
Qi Sea Realm… Barely older than himself… He was a late bloomer in cultivation. He wondered if he had started cultivating from a young age, could he have reached the same level at her age?
Mingyan shook his head. Such hypotheticals were meaningless.
He waited at the entrance. Elder Li returned quickly. “Mingyan, take her to your residence to recover. This is healing medicine from the sect leader. Remember, don’t let too many people know she’s there.”
Mingyan frowned slightly. “If this will cause trouble for the sect, perhaps I shouldn’t have interfered…?”
“The sect leader is also unsure of her identity, but offering a helping hand shouldn’t cause major problems. This has the sect leader’s approval, so don’t worry.” Elder Li shook his head, handing over the medicine. “Something complicated happened at Dragon Ridge. Avoid going out for a while.”
“Understood.” Mingyan nodded, carried the woman in red back to his residence via a secluded path.
The woman remained unconscious. Mingyan laid her on his bed and wiped the blood from her lips with a towel…
Now he had a chance to observe her properly.
Her clothes were spotless and undamaged. Considering her cultivation level… this red dress was likely a treasure.
Her skin was snow-white, contrasting sharply with the vibrant red gauze dress. Her delicate eyebrows resembled distant mountains, and three diamond-shaped marks on her forehead formed a bright red flower.
He could only marvel at her beauty. She looked like she had stepped out of a painting, almost as beautiful as her…
No, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Mingyan shook his head, focusing. He took out the healing medicine Elder Li had given him, gently pinched the woman’s chin, and tried to open her mouth to administer the liquid.
But the moment his hand touched her delicate cheek and he poured in some medicine, the woman’s eyes suddenly opened, locking onto Mingyan.
Her gaze was initially confused, then she seemed to grasp the situation. She quickly swatted his hand away, sat up, spat out the medicine, and glared at him angrily. “What are you doing?!”
“You’re awake? Celestial one, please forgive my offense. That was healing medicine. There’s no need to spit it out. What a waste…” Mingyan looked regretfully at the spilled liquid.
The woman in red stared at him, scanning him from head to toe, then looked around, her eyes narrowing. “Where am I?”
“Celestial one, this is my residence. I understand you might be confused. Here’s what happened…” Mingyan didn’t waste time. She was a Qi Sea Realm cultivator. Even injured, she could probably crush him like an ant. It was best to explain quickly.
“Rain Terrace Blessed Land?” The woman’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly. She stared at Mingyan hesitantly for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed, looking somewhat dizzy…
“Celestial one, are you alright?” Mingyan asked tentatively. “This is our Rain Terrace Blessed Land’s healing medicine, made from Dragon’s Blood Flowers from Dragon Ridge. It’s very effective for recovery…”
“Dragon’s Blood Flowers?” The woman looked at the half-full bottle of medicine in Mingyan’s hand. After a moment’s hesitation, she beckoned him. “Let me see it.”
Mingyan handed her the bottle. She brought it to her nose and sniffed. Her pained expression eased slightly. She remained silent for a moment, then drank the remaining liquid and set the bottle aside.
“Celestial one, do you need anything else?” Mingyan asked.
The woman shook her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on Mingyan. “What’s your name?”
“Celestial one, my name is Mingyan,” he replied. “Please rest and recover here. I won’t disturb you any further.”
“Wait,” the woman stopped him as he turned to leave. “Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I didn’t know your cultivation level at first. I thought leaving you alone out there would be dangerous. Now it seems I’ve meddled…” Mingyan said sheepishly.
The woman looked at him with a curious expression. “Do you know this could bring trouble to you and your sect?”
“I do. Our sect leader also knows. He instructed me to bring you here to recover. Please rest assured, no one else saw me bring you back. You can recover here in peace.”
“…You are truly kind…” The woman was silent for a moment. “Thank you. My name is Huang Feiyan. Feiyan as in ‘flying smoke.’ I wish to meet your sect leader. Can you arrange it?”
“Understood, Celestial one. Please rest. I’ll go find the sect leader.” Mingyan nodded and left the room.
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