Breaking the Precept

For the countless time, when being forced to establish her Foundation, Jian Xiaolou maintained a somber expression and said, "Senior, I had my soul extracted and forged into a sword just three months ago. I need to nourish my soul and stabilize my spirit. I can't go into seclusion for Foundation Establishment."

Chu Fengchen cradled his sword and replied, "Your soul is intact, and your dantian is brimming with spiritual energy. You can establish your Foundation."

Jian Xiaolou pointed to herself. "I've just ascended three levels in a row; I need to stabilize my realm."

Chu Fengchen, still holding his sword, said, "I once directly established my Foundation after ascending from the fifth layer of Qi Refinement in a single night."

Jian Xiaolou surrendered, "Senior, you're a prodigy. How could a mere triple-spiritual-root cultivator like me compare to you?"

Chu Fengchen adjusted his grip on his sword. "My junior apprentice brother, Yi Yang, has a body with four spiritual roots. At the age of twelve, he already established his Foundation. As the saying goes, Heaven rewards diligence. Stop complaining and start cultivating!"

"Foundation this, Foundation that! Is there anything else in your head besides swords and Foundation Establishment?" Jian Xiaolou snapped, tossing the crafting materials she had been working on to the ground. "Crazy sword fanatic! Do you think establishing a Foundation is as simple as relieving yourself? Do you even care about the prerequisites?"

Chu Fengchen frowned slightly. "Such a pretty young lady, yet why are your words so coarse?"

"If you can't stand my coarseness, leave!" Jian Xiaolou was on the brink of a meltdown, her temper flaring as she abandoned all pretense. "I've had enough of you! Do you even realize how annoying and insufferable you are? If I'd known, I'd rather you stabbed me to death with your sword than endure this torment!"

Chu Fengchen looked aggrieved. "Am I really that annoying?"

"You're insufferably annoying!" Jian Xiaolou nodded emphatically. "Everyone in the Eastern Immortal Three Provinces knows this, except you. Otherwise, why would people jump out of windows the moment they heard you were selling yourself at the Affinity Pavilion?"

Chu Fengchen lowered his gaze slightly, appearing deeply wounded.

Having vented her anger, Jian Xiaolou suddenly realized she had just scolded a Golden Core cultivator like he was a child.

However, Chu Fengchen abruptly raised his head with a solemn expression. "If you find me annoying, go into seclusion and establish your Foundation. You won't see me, and I won't bother you anymore."

Oh no!

He was impossible!

Jian Xiaolou gave up trying to reason with this lunatic, feeling as if she was being driven mad herself.

She slumped down, picking up the beast horn she had thrown to the ground, and sat in the courtyard like a soulless ghost, grinding away at her materials.

She had already mastered dual-star array diagrams, reaching the level of a two-star artifact refiner. Now, she was focusing on three-star smelting techniques.

"Do you need help?"

"No!"

"I've sworn to serve you for ten years. This is my duty; you don't need to be polite."

"No!"

Chu Fengchen squatted at her feet like a dog, hugging his sword as he muttered incessantly, "Go establish your Foundation, establish your Foundation, establish your Foundation..."

Initially, there were other guest cultivators staying at the manor. Upon seeing a mere Qi Refinement cultivator like Jian Xiaolou enjoying the same status as them, they were irked and frequently sought to provoke her.

But Chu Fengchen, seemingly impervious to their antics, had scared them all away within two months. According to Yuanwei, every last one of them had fled, taking on the family's most grueling tasks to avoid returning.

This left Jian Xiaolou as the sole occupant of the guest quarters, even her pet black cat hiding indoors, refusing to bask in the sun.

"Go establish your Foundation, establish your Foundation..."

After muttering it over 30,000 times under the setting sun, Chu Fengchen suddenly sensed a powerful Golden Core aura targeting him.

His demeanor shifted instantly, as sharp as an unsheathed sword. He chased after the intruder with a flash of cold light.

Jian Xiaolou leaped to her feet in shock. The Bai Li family estate was heavily warded—who could possibly break in?

Before she could react, an invisible force locked onto her shoulder blades. The intruder's cultivation far surpassed hers, at least at the late Golden Core stage, rendering her protective spiritual energy useless.

Just as she was about to cry out, a voice whispered in her ear, "Someone from the Zhan family, sent by the second young master."

Jian Xiaolou froze momentarily. Few people knew of Zhan Tianxiang, but it seemed genuine. She allowed the person to take her out of the Bai Li estate.

A gust of wind roared past, the scenery changing like a fast-forwarding reel. With a crash, she was thrown into a room. If not for Zhan Tianxiang catching her, she would have hit the ground unconscious.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." Reassured, Jian Xiaolou was delighted to see Zhan Tianxiang again. Smiling, she said, "Thanks for hiding my body. Otherwise, if I'd crawled out of the ground, I might've been crawling with bugs."

Zhan Tianxiang scowled. "Do you know how frantic I was trying to find you? You couldn't even send word to the Zhan family? The Bai Li estate is just a street away!"

"You make it sound easy. If I'd gone to your house, would your family have even cared about me?" Jian Xiaolou spread her hands. "Besides, your identity isn't exactly public knowledge."

"So you did think about informing me?"

"Of course! My body disappeared for no reason; you'd obviously be worried."

Hearing this, Zhan Tianxiang's tense expression softened, his eyes holding a hint of warmth. "I see."

Jian Xiaolou asked, "Did you find out I was at the Bai Li estate because of that lunatic Chu?"

Zhan Tianxiang shook his head. "After your body disappeared, I was helpless and feared Song Qingman and her group might target your parents. So I took Old Whitehead to Baiyun City. The Bai Li family's influence became apparent later, and that's how I found out."

Jian Xiaolou paused, taken aback.

Zhan Tianxiang added, "Also, the old injury your father sustained from the Liang family patriarch can actually be healed. Old Whitehead is working on it. And if you want revenge..."

"You're really something." Jian Xiaolou felt a surge of gratitude, playfully punching his chest. "Although the Fire Refining Sect was a nightmare, meeting a friend like you must mean my ancestors are smiling down on me. But no need—one day, I'll settle this myself..."

To her shock, Zhan Tianxiang suddenly grabbed her fist, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Just a friend?"

"Huh?" Jian Xiaolou froze, her heart skipping a beat.

Was this... a confession? Did Zhan Tianxiang like her?

Caught off guard, Jian Xiaolou realized she'd never considered this possibility. She had always seen him as her most trusted friend. As for liking him... she wasn't sure if she felt that way.

But if he really confessed, she wondered whether she should give him a chance.

Zhan Tianxiang's palm grew clammy with sweat.

Had he been possessed by his Earth Soul? Why was he losing control?

Hurriedly, he released her hand and laughed awkwardly. "You've gotten so full of yourself."

The metaphorical bucket of cold water doused her thoughts. Jian Xiaolou felt inexplicably deflated.

She had never been confessed to—wasn't that a heavy blow to a woman's ego?

And so her thoughts spiraled.

She suddenly remembered her soul seal's precepts included one for "lust." The knowledgeable monk Chan Lingzi had once warned her that the punishments for breaking the "lust" and "killing" precepts were the harshest.

But what would happen if she broke the "lust" precept?

Would just falling in love trigger punishment?

Would physical intimacy with a man count?

What kind of bizarre punishment awaited her if she did?

And if a man bore the soul seal, would it make him impotent?

As a woman, would she bleed out during intimacy?

Jian Xiaolou startled herself with her wild speculation.

Chan Lingzi had avoided discussing the "lust" precept in detail. Now, the more she thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. Would she have to remain celibate forever?

Although she wasn't too concerned about love and romance, the idea of being forced into it was a different matter altogether.

No! She had to test it somehow...