Chapter Eighteen: The Company of Little Goldthread

Watching Wen Yue enjoy her meal, the little Golden Thread Vine felt a bit tempted. "Master, is that steamed bun delicious?"

Seeing that no one was around, Wen Yue broke off half of the bun and placed it on a stone. "Try it for yourself."

"Really?" The voice was filled with excitement.

"Go ahead! See if you can eat it."

The little Golden Thread Vine did not reply, but instead flew from Wen Yue’s sleeve onto the bun. Visible to the naked eye, a root sprouted and plunged directly into the dough.

The previously plump, moist bun shriveled rapidly, while the stems of the Golden Thread Vine seemed to become more hydrated. When Wen Yue pinched the bun, it crumbled into powder. She was shocked by this method of feeding.

With nothing else to do, Wen Yue took the Golden Thread Vine to its former habitat.

By nightfall, no one from the Sky Demon Sect had arrived. Wen Yue said to the vine, "It seems the Sky Demon Sect doesn't know that Granny Corpse has disappeared. This means the people here don't have communication talismans, and we will have to stay here for a few more days."

"Can't we just leave on our own?" The Golden Thread Vine disliked the Sky Demon Sect and wanted to avoid it if possible.

"I estimate they will come within the next two days. If no one shows up in ten days or half a month, we can leave."

Wen Yue had considered leaving alone. It was feasible; there were many rogue cultivators here because of the Xuantian Tower, and she could easily travel with them, though it carried risks. If no one came looking after a couple of weeks, it would be plausible to assume she had left.

Indeed, the people of the Sky Demon Sect were growing suspicious. She should have returned long ago! Even if she were delayed, she should have notified the sect.

"Hong Yi, contact Hall Master Corpse. Why hasn't she returned yet? Is something wrong?" Zong Zhengze asked Hong Yi.

"Understood!" Hong Yi attempted to contact her twice, but there was no response.

"I can't reach her. There’s absolutely no signal."

The dwarf, Hall Master Soul, chimed in: "Look at old hag Corpse, how cunning. She’s kept all those 'fat sheep' for herself. It’s a pity I didn't go with her, or I would have gotten a share."

"Indeed, why didn't I think of going along?" Hall Master Poison expressed regret as well.

"Enough, all of you. Hall Master Corpse was likely just delayed by something." Zong Zhengze believed that Granny Corpse still coveted the Sky Demon True Scripture he possessed and wouldn't dare offend him at such a time.

***

By the next day, Wen Yue was disappointed to see the high-level members of the Sky Demon Sect arriving, mostly those at the Golden Core stage.

"Little Golden Thread, look. Can we still leave now? If we had tried yesterday, I suspect we would have been caught before we even made it a hundred miles away," Wen Yue communicated via thought.

"Master, you are so smart," the vine flattered her immediately.

Zong Zhengze gathered everyone and asked, "Does anyone know where Hall Master Corpse has gone?"

There was no point in hiding it, so everyone told the truth. When the sect leaders learned that she had been blasted away by the Xuantian Tower for trying to enter it a second time, they were speechless. How could Granny Corpse be so foolish as to provoke the Xuantian Tower?

"What should we do? Shall we look for her?" Hall Master Soul, who had been on good terms with her, was the only one to suggest a search.

"How? Give me a direction. The communication talisman isn't responding. Either she’s very far away, or the talisman is destroyed," Hong Yi retorted.

"Sect Master?" Hall Master Soul looked to Zong Zhengze.

"We lack the manpower to even conduct a search. This is exactly why I want to expand our sect," Zong Zhengze explained. In truth, given the selfishness of the Demon Sect, no one would bother looking for her.

The discussion ended there, and Zong Zhengze ordered a return to the sect.

On the night they returned to the Sky Demon Sect, Wen Yue advanced to the second level of Qi Refining. The half-month of suppression had not been in vain; she had reached the mid-stage of the second level immediately upon breaking through.

Through their contract, the Golden Thread Vine sensed Wen Yue’s joy. "Master, are you so happy just because you advanced?"

"It’s not just that. I’ve discovered a little secret about cultivation."

"I was ready to advance half a month ago, but I suppressed my power instead. Today, I finally felt safe enough to break through to the second level. Guess what happened?"

"Did you advance to the third level?"

"Not yet, but it’s close. Little Golden Thread, you need to cultivate hard too. You can't rely on me to carry you forever! Speaking of which, has your cultivation improved?"

Wen Yue was curious why her own progress fed back into her plant and spirit pets. She didn't understand the principle behind it.

"It increased! It increased! I’m almost at the second level too!" The little milky voice was full of excitement.

***

As they spoke, the Golden Thread Vine couldn't contain its excitement and began hopping on the ground.

It even composed a little tune: "La la la~ la la la~ la la la~"

Watching the lively vine, Wen Yue felt a warmth in her heart. She was grateful for its companionship. During the month at the Sky Demon Sect, Wen Yue had felt stifled, unable to open up to anyone, forced to act dull and indifferent.

In her past life, Wen Yue had been cheerful and lively, and she feared loneliness. When she was home alone, she would leave the lights on to avoid that crushing solitude.

"Master, what's wrong?" The vine was sensitive; it sensed her fleeting melancholy.

"I’m thinking we need to work hard. For instance, right now, I can't introduce you to anyone because I’m afraid they might covet you." This was the helplessness of her current situation.

"I don't want to be with anyone else! There isn't a single good person in the Sky Demon Sect." The vine had shrunk into her sleeve the moment it saw the sect's leaders, not daring to move an inch.

"That's why we must cultivate. Only with strength do we gain the right to say 'no.' Whether life goes your way often depends on your own power." This was Wen Yue’s driving force.

"Then I’ll go cultivate, Master! I’ll reach the second level soon." The vine still had the heart of a child, and Wen Yue was happy to indulge it.

"Little Golden Thread, why don't you try cultivating under the moonlight and see if it helps?" She had read this in cultivation novels in her past life; she wasn't sure if it was true, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"I’ll try! I see a large tree outside the courtyard. I can feel it’s a spirit plant; I want to wrap around it." The vine’s nature was to coil, but for the past month at the Xuantian Tower, there had been no spirit plants to cling to—ordinary trees would simply die.

"Go ahead, but don't wrap too tightly. Just stay near the branches. I need to focus on my cultivation. Once I reach the third level, I can accept missions. We’ll choose a planting task far away, and then you can wrap around whatever you want." Wen Yue felt bad for the vine, not even being able to satisfy its natural urge to coil.

"Really? Truly wrap around whatever I want?" The vine was overjoyed.

"Really. Why else do you think we are working so hard?"