Morning the next day.

Su Yi moved the lotus-root-white arm wrapped around his neck, pressed both hands against the bed, and got up. He let out a long breath of turbid air.

It seemed he had a bit too much to drink last night, and he had a hard time keeping himself in check. As a result, their dual cultivation intensity almost got out of hand on numerous occasions.

Cha Jin was still fast asleep, her dark hair in disarray and her smooth shoulders half-bared. There was still a hint of a blush on her transcendently beautiful face.

When he thought back to their night of passionate entanglements, he couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

It was like a poem:

A pink butterfly seeks out a fragrant flower’s trembling calyx,

A dragonfly revels on the water’s surface.

Powerful sentiment and joy, the excitement lingers,

A precious memory neither will forget.

However, thinking back on it now, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel rueful.

This was what they meant when they said “A young woman’s embrace may be soft, but her beauty is like a sword waiting to catch a foolish man off guard. Although no heads fall to the floor, she leaves his marrow depleted and dry, and his strength rapidly wanes.”

Fortunately, he was proficient at the miraculous art of dual cultivation, and he had a solid cultivation base. He was different than in the past. If not, he feared he couldn’t have endured a night of tossing and turning.

He leisurely got out of bed and washed up, then left Burbling Spring Pavilion. The peak was shrouded in mist and covered in pine trees. Gazing into the distance, he saw the light of dawn shining through the sea of clouds, scattering flecks of golden light. It was a rousing sight, and it boosted his spirits. 

“Fellow Daoist Ning, did you sleep poorly last night?” Su Yi saw Ning Sihua seated before a pine tree, yawning. She looked exhausted.

When she heard this, Ning Sihua’s youthful face flushed red. “Fellow Daoist, I think that going forward, you ought to erect a sound-proofing formation around Burbling Spring Pavilion at night. Fortunately, I’m the only one living nearby, so no one else heard….” 

After a brief, stunned pause, Su Yi realized what she was getting at. He couldn’t help but nod seriously. “I was negligent. Next time, I’ll be more careful.”

There was no trace of awkwardness or embarrassment in his expression. Just seeing how open he was left Ning Sihua stunned despite herself.

Then, she shook her head. She dared not continue discussing something so ambiguous, so she hurriedly changed the subject. “Fellow Daoist, the pill furnace you requested has already been prepared.”

During the banquet last night, Su Yi mentioned that he wanted to refine a batch of pills, and Ning Sihua immediately fetched a precious medicinal cauldron she’d kept in storage for years.

“Good.” Su Yi nodded.

Starting that morning, Su Yi began a life of quiet cultivation at Heaven’s Origin Academy. He paid no attention to news from the outside world whatsoever.

During his leisure time, he instructed Wen Lingxue, Cha Jin, and the others’ cultivation, but he spent most of his time refining medicine and talismans, placing formations, and carrying out other such tasks…

Three days later.

Su Yi lit his furnace and started refining medicine in front of Burbling Spring Pavilion.

He had forty-nine types of tier-five spiritual medicine as his primary materials, and seventy-two types of tier-four medicine as supplementary materials. Su Yi used his Dao Light of the Five Elements to activate the pill furnace and the Pill Clear Sect’s “Nine Step Thousand Currents Pill Incantation” to guide the origin energy of heaven and earth to stoke its flames.

In the end, after a full six hours of refining, he successfully produces a batch of Yin-Yang Nine Purities Pills.

When the pills were complete, nine-colored misty light soared into the firmament, the medicinal fragrance manifesting a hundred-foot fragrant cloud that permeated the air. The nearby trees and grasses all grew in a mad frenzy, significantly bigger than before. 

Such strange phenomena made Ning Sihua, Cha Jin, and the others gasp; it was as if they’d just witnessed a miracle.

When Su Yi opened the furnace, he found thirty-three Yin-Yang Nine Purities Pills. Each was the size of a pigeon egg, half pure, half turbid. They shone with nine-colored misty light, and their medicinal fragrance was as crisp and cold as ice.

Su Yi kept fifteen pills for himself and distributed the others to Ning Sihua and the others.

At his current cultivation, taking a pill a day meant that he’d reach the peak of the Xiantian Martial Ancestor Realm within fifteen days. 

……

Seven days later.

Deep within a stretch of mountains about ninety miles away from Mount Autumnleaf.

The peaks were like halberds rising into the sky. One was particularly picturesque, grand, and magnificent. It was called Jade Barrier Mountain. It was ten thousand feet tall, with numerous cliffside springs and waterfalls. It was covered in pine forests and bamboo graves, lending it a serene tranquility.

Su Yi stood at the very pinnacle of Barrier Jade Mountain, then soared into the air like a cyclone and stood in the sky.

“Rise!” He waved his sleeve, and dazzling arcs of light soared from seventy-two distinct regions of the mountain’s base, sides, and peak, illuminating the world.

Boom!

The seventy-two divine arcs crisscrossed, reflecting a waterfall-like talisman array. Flecks of light fell like rain, enveloping all of Barrier Jade Mountain. 

“Suppress!” Su Yi’s hands formed seals, and the power of the grand formation filling the skies disappeared, vanishing into every inch of the mountain.

“This is the Five Elements Profound Amplification Formation. It circulates the power of the five elements, with a talisman array at its base. It can guide the natural force of the mountain, and amplify the power of its surroundings.”

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, a hint of self-satisfaction on his face. “Circulated at full power, it can easily exterminate an Origin Dao cultivator. Even Spirit Dao cultivators can forget about breaking this formation without first paying a painful price.”

Ning Sihua stood off to the side, feeling dazed and shaken.

Although she didn’t know it, Su Yi had spent the past few days refining practically every divine material he had on him, all for the sake of placing this formation. Furthermore, he put an enormous amount of effort into each of the formation flags; the refining process required twelve different methods, each a peak-level secret technique of the Dao of Talismans.

If he didn’t have divine sense, and if he hadn’t researched numerous secret canons of the Dao of Talismans in his past life, he couldn’t possibly have refined such an incomparably profound, extraordinarily powerful grand formation. 

“Let’s go. We’re still missing the final step.” As he spoke, Su Yi drifted down to the base of the mountain and entered its depths through a tunnel he’d prepared for this express purpose.

Ning Sihua hurried after him.

Before long, they arrived at a massive cave in the heart of the mountain.

There was a hundred-foot formation diagram at its center, covered in intricate cloud markings. It was miraculous and inscrutable. 

“This is the Big Dipper Spirit-Gathering Formation. It reflects the seven stars of the Big Dipper, and it connects with the force of the underground water veins flowing beneath the mountain range.” As Su Yi spoke, he walked up to the center of the diagram, then waved his hand. 

Bzz!

A stone stele appeared. This was the very same stele carved of Worldspirit Star Soulstone that Ge Changling had given him, the one with the prophecy engraved on its surface.

With this stele, he could contain the power of the landscape and gather ambient spiritual energy. Over time, it would transform the mountain into a blessed land for cultivation.

Boom!

Su Yi inserted the stele into the groove at the center of the formation. Instantly, the hundred-foot diagram lit up. Countless intricate cloud markings seemed to come to life, flashing in and out of existence. 

A miraculous and inscrutable constellation diagram appeared in the sky, representing the Big Dipper.

From that moment forth, the natural force of the landscape underwent a stark transformation, starting with the center of Jade Barrier Mountain. Surging spiritual energy gathered from all directions, building up around the mountain. With the Five Elements Profound Amplification Formation as a guide, it surged into the Big Dipper Spirit-Gathering Formation.

Whoosh!

Spiritual mists churned, gathering without end and surging like a wave.

Just watching this series of miraculous changes left Ning Sihua rooted to the spot. Only now did she realize that Su Yi’s attainments in the Dao of Talismans and Formations had already reached such unbelievable heights!

“Using the Big Dipper Spirit-Gathering Formation and the stone stele will guide the ambient spiritual energy here. It can both support the Five Elements Profound Amplification Formation’s operations and repeatedly nourish every tree and blade of grass on Jade Barrier Mountain. Within a year, this place will give rise to a spirit vein, making Jade Barrier Mountain into a blessed land for cultivation.”

Su Yi walked out of the Big Dipper Spirit-Gathering Formation and said, “Of course, if you cultivate here now, you could still absorb spiritual energy. It’s just a bit mottled and impure, so you’d need to repeatedly refine it to make its power your own.”

Ning Sihua stared at Su Yi in a daze for a moment, then sighed, “Fellow Daoist, you’re miraculous indeed.”

Both his methods and this sheer level of expenditure were astonishing. How many people beneath the heavens could match this feat?

However, Su Yi shook his head. “These methods aren’t much at all.”

In his past life, he could have transformed heaven and earth with a snap of his fingers, transforming this ordinary landscape into a top-notch cultivation holy ground.

The formation he’d just set up burned through a lot of precious resources. That aside, it could at most turn Jade Barrier Mountain into a blessed land fit for Origin Dao cultivators.

As they conversed, they left the heart of the mountain and returned to the outside world.”

“You can control the Five Elements Profound Amplification Formation with this. I’ll have you hold onto it. We shall establish our sect here, on Jade Barrier Mountain.”

Su Yi took out a formation disc and passed it to Ning Sihua. “Right, I’ll have to trouble you to manage the sect’s affairs going forward.”

Ning Sihua felt an enormous amount of pressure, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel delighted. From this, she could tell that Su Yi had enormous trust in her.

She thought for a moment, then said, “Fellow Daoist, since you’ve placed a Five Elements Profound Amplification Formation on Jade Barrier Mountain, why not just call it the Profound Amplification Sect?”

Su Yi nodded. “Sure.”

“Should we have a grand opening ceremony to celebrate our sect’s founding and announce its existence to the world?” asked Ning Sihua. 

Su Yi shook his head. “Forget it. No need to rally our forces or boost our numbers. Sooner or later, the whole world will learn of our Profound Amplification Sect’s existence either way.”

Ning Sihua nodded and decided to invite Mu Xi, Pu Yi, and other members of their alliance over to discuss the sect’s affairs. Just like that, it was settled.

The two of them then began their journey back to Heaven’s Origin Academy.

Su Yi had only just returned when Wen Lingxue came looking for him, and she seemed anxious. “Big Brother Su Yi, you should hurry and visit Big Sister Cha Jin. She just got a letter from her family, and… As soon as she read it, she seemed frantic. Something must have happened.”

Su Yi was stunned. He immediately returned to Burbling Spring Pavilion and saw Cha Jin standing there with a bundle on her back. It seemed she was preparing to leave.

“What are you doing?” asked Su Yi. 

Cha Jin froze, then whispered, “Young Lord, I just received a letter from my family. It says something happened to my father, and that his life is in danger. I have to go home to see him.”

Her face was fraught with concern.

“What happened?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up.

Cha Jin’s expression darkened. “The letter just said that, for some unknown reason, he was stripped of his title as prefectural king, after which he fell gravely ill. My family is beset on all sides. The situation is dire; even my big brother has been kidnapped…”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed even deeper.

Cha Jin hailed from the Great Wei, and she was a legacy disciple of their top cultivation faction, the Wheel of the Moon Sect. She was also the daughter of Shen Zhangkong, one of the Great Wei’s eighteen prefectural kings. She was unquestionably a member of the Great Wei’s nobility, a scion of the upper class.

Yet now, her father, Prefectural King Shen Zhangkong, had been stripped of his title. It was obvious how devastating a blow this was to the entire family. 

It was no wonder Cha Jin seemed so anxious and uncertain now.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then made up his mind. “Alright. In any event, I have nothing better to do. I’ll just accompany you to the Great Wei.”

The author notes at the end of the chapter that he wrote Cha Jin’s backstory in chapter 151. And he did! Oops?

Which maybe means I should have been calling her “Chajin” all this time. Still, it’s unusual to refer to characters only by their given names even in prose, and she did come to the Great Zhou as a spy. Was Cha Jin an alias of sorts? Might change it to Chajin. I'll let you know if I do. 

____

“A pink butterfly seeks out a fragrant flower’s trembling calyx,

A dragonfly revels on the water’s surface.

Powerful sentiment and joy, the excitement lingers,

A precious memory neither will forget.”

“A young woman’s embrace may be soft, but her beauty is like a sword waiting to catch a foolish man off guard. Although no heads fall to the floor, she leaves his marrow depleted and dry, and his strength rapidly wanes.”

Both quotes are (my attempts at translating) the work of 17th century Ming Dynasty author Lanling Xiaoxiaosheng or “The Scoffing Scholar of Lanling". The name is an obvious pseudonym, but the author’s true identity is a mystery to this day.

These are from the erotic novel “The Plum in the Golden Vase”, also known as “The Golden Lotus.” More info here. It was written in vernacular Chinese, not classical, which was not typical for the era. It’s not the first novel in the world by any stretch (came out like six hundred years after the Tale of Genji), but it’s a very early and innovative example of the art form.

It’s an influential, classic text, but one that has few English translations, most of which are heavily altered. A complete, uncensored English translation has only been available since 2013. The history of the novel’s English translation is fascinating to me. An early edition translated the sex scenes into Latin to avoid censorship, for example. You can read more about it here, but be warned: although there are no images, some of the text is NSFW.