Offering Salted Fish to Master - C11
1- Where Am I?
2- An Excess of Beauties
3- The One Hundred
4- Clueless
5- Meeting The Ancestor
6- Sleep Schedule and Relax
7- Stairs, stairs and more Stairs
8- The red Lotus Fire
9- New Moon
10- Slim Waist
11- Cramped Hammock
12- Gengchen Immortal Mansion
13- The Youduan flowers of the Sun and Moon
14- Two Lumps of Flesh
15- White Deer Cliff
Chapter 11
Cramped Hammock
On the Three Sacred Mountains, spiritual power could not be accumulated. For cultivators, staying here for a long time was an overwhelmingly oppressive and painful experience, like trapping a large fish in a shallow, transparent puddle. Sima Jiao had spent five hundred years in this place, and now, he had finally broken free from this confinement.
As the iron chains broke and the jade tablets inscribed with the word “seal” shattered, a powerful surge of spiritual energy burst forth from the ruins below. This dense spiritual force spread across the Three Sacred Mountains like a mist, quickly transforming into a vast sea of clouds. The richness of this spiritual energy was so intense that even a novice like Liao Tingyan, with no prior cultivation experience, instinctively began to absorb it, feeling even better than before.
The surviving dignitaries present were struck by this influx of spiritual energy, which was expressed in a wide range of colourful ways—a truly spectacular sight. The Three Sacred Mountains had originally been spiritual peaks, home to the most concentrated and pure spiritual energy. When Sima Jiao was initially imprisoned, some individuals had gone to great lengths to create a formation that isolated the local spiritual veins. This energy had been redirected through underground channels to other locations within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion. It was obvious who had benefited from these changes. Now, with Sima Jiao's actions, countless interests within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion were about to be compromised.
However, the most urgent issue was not just the disruption of interests, but that Sima Jiao had completely broken free. As he had previously stated, he would not let them go unpunished. Ironically, many had assumed that after spending five hundred years in this place, appearing so deranged, he would be extremely weak when he emerged. At that time, they believed they could work together to subdue him without fear.
Half a month ago, the sect leader tried to soothe him temporarily by sending various individuals with different agendas to gauge his intentions. Many dismissed this matter as insignificant, believing it was no longer an issue. But now, it was clear that it was not just an issue—it was a major disaster.
“Lord Cizang, given the destruction of the Three Sacred Mountains, why don’t you consider temporarily relocating to White Deer Cliff? Once the Three Sacred Mountains are repaired, we will invite you back,” suggested a young-looking man, speaking as if nothing was wrong.
The others silently cursed him for his audacity. This individual was from the sect leader’s lineage and promoted appeasing and befriending Sima Jiao. He stepped forward to voice his stance, trying to distance himself from the others to avoid displeasing the ancestor before them, who might retaliate by taking lives. After all, Sima Jiao was fully capable of such actions.
The choice to kill or spare was crucial, but Sima Jiao ignored their words, staring blankly at Liao Tingyan in his arms.
Earlier, they had noticed the woman in the ancestral master’s arms, but with life-and-death matters at hand, they hadn’t paid much attention to her. With such low cultivation, she was regarded as insignificant, almost like an ant. It would be strange for the ancestor to attract attention while holding someone so inconsequential.
However, because Sima Jiao remained unusually silent, the others unconsciously turned their eyes towards her. It appeared she was one of the hundred female disciples sent earlier. Who was she? These hundred individuals were supposedly chosen from all branches, but in truth, the quotas had long been decided by various palaces. To gain entry, she must have had the backing of a powerful figure from one of those palaces, suggesting she had something special about her. Yet, none of those present knew which faction had sent her, and she had somehow managed to survive until now.
They glanced at the ruins below. Of the hundred people sent in, it was probably only this one who survived. What abilities did she have to have been protected by that cruel, bloodthirsty ancestor tyrant? Could it be that the ancestor had taken an interest in this female disciple? That seemed impossible. They dismissed this thought, recalling what had happened in the past.
If Sima Jiao were ever to take a liking to a woman, it would be as unlikely as the sun rising in the West. An alliance between the cultivation world and the demon realm through marriage was inconceivable.
Liao Tingyan felt several intense gazes upon her but pretended not to notice, rigidly holding the ancestor’s waist, frozen as if time had paused.
“My waist… is slim?” After a long moment, Sima Jiao repeated this, sounding puzzled.
It was a question, and since Liao Tingyan was pretending to be unresponsive, she had no choice but to answer. “Yes, I think maybe it’s because you’ve been imprisoned for so long and starved to this state.”
The Three Sacred Mountains had no food at all, so he was undoubtedly starving. In her free time, she would imagine the ancestor being imprisoned without anyone bringing food, enduring hunger, and gradually becoming twisted. Although she had these thoughts, she knew she couldn’t say such things aloud, as it would mean death. Despite this knowledge, she found herself unable to hold back her words. The ancestor’s truth buff could activate at any moment, making normal communication impossible. The work relationship she wanted to establish shifted into something completely different.
“You’re right,” Sima Jiao finally said. “The suffering I’ve endured should be repaid one by one.”
Liao Tingyan thought to herself, “Uh? Wait, when did I say such a thing?”
Sima Jiao then looked towards the few survivors present. These individuals were no ordinary people. Noticing his expression, they instinctively tried to escape, but the spiritual energy had returned to the heavens, and Sima Jiao was now even more violent. Moments later, of those alive on the scene, only Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan remained.
Regardless of their affiliations or whether they harboured ill intentions towards Sima Jiao, it made no difference to him. If he wanted to kill, he would kill. In this world, no one had truly good intentions towards him, especially those from Gengchen Immortal Mansion, who knew all his secrets and past.
Liao Tingyan trembled and instinctively buried her face in Sima Jiao’s chest, witnessing this. After doing so, she realized the person causing her fear was the one she was now holding. Honestly, if they weren’t still in mid-air, she would have let go immediately.
Instead, Sima Jiao lifted her higher into his arms. His other hand slowly stroked up from her back to the nape of her neck. Liao Tingyan didn’t understand what he was doing, but she felt a sense of danger. She could have sworn that this ancestor was considering breaking her neck. If she had fur, it would surely have stood on end from that stroke.
Sima Jiao gazed down at Liao Tingyan, seemingly lost in thought, his hand unconsciously stroking her back once again. His light, slow, yet ominous movements made Liao Tingyan’s heart race. She felt tense with every stroke. In Sima Jiao's eyes, each touch made her hold her breath, and when he withdrew his hand, she would exhale.
After experiencing this back-and-forth five times, Liao Tingyan stopped responding.
"Damn it, just kill me if that's what you intend. This back-and-forth is exhausting."
But Sima Jiao didn’t kill her. Instead, he carried her back to the central tower, which had partially collapsed. Once on solid ground, Liao Tingyan felt her legs turn soft and wobbly, her entire body weak. She quickly took a chair from her pouch and sat down.
Sima Jiao walked past her, step by step, toward the jade pond where the red lotus grew. Wading into the water, he tore open his wrist, allowing strands of red blood to seep into the pond, strangely gathering at the centre instead of dispersing.
Liao Tingyan watched for a long time as the sky brightened, but Sima Jiao still showed no reaction. In the dawn light, she saw a large black snake peeking around. With only the three of them remaining, Liao Tingyan waved at the snake, but it shyly retreated, not daring to come closer.
"Fine then." Liao Tingyan, having not slept all night and feeling extremely tired, discovered that her bed had been destroyed, leaving her with nowhere to rest. After some thought, she took out cloth and rope, made a quick adjustment, and fashioned a hammock, hanging it between two pillars before lying down.
As she was about to fall asleep, Liao Tingyan glanced at the jade pond and saw that Sima Jiao’s blood had transformed into a red lotus blooming in the water, with faint flames flickering above it. "So that’s how that precious lotus flower grows," she thought. "Isn’t this ancestor the greatest treasure? Others need rare materials to level up, but he is a rare material. No wonder he’s so impressive."
Liao Tingyan soon fell deeply asleep. Shortly after, the sun rose completely, and the red lotus and flames in the jade pond returned to their usual appearance. Sima Jiao emerged from the jade pond, dripping wet. With each step, the water evaporated from his body, leaving only a slight dampness by the time he reached Liao Tingyan’s side.
Sima Jiao’s lips appeared much paler, lacking his usual fierce aura. His appearance was now dominated by shades of black and white, making him seem even more ominous. He leaned down, drew closer to Liao Tingyan, and lay beside her.
When Liao Tingyan woke up from her nap, something felt wrong. Although her hammock was spacious, it now seemed cramped. The deadly Ancestral master lay beside her, seemingly asleep. His head rested in the crook of her neck, his gentle breathing brushing against her skin and collarbone. The cover she had pulled over herself while sleeping turned out to be Sima Jiao’s robe and sleeve. Because the hammock gathered them inward, she found herself fully in Sima Jiao’s embrace, with several strands of his long black hair draped across her chest.
Liao Tingyan thought, "This won’t do; I’m going to suffocate. What’s happening? I just took a nap, and now I’m here with him."
Her eyes glanced outward, and she saw the large black snake coiled beneath the hammock, curled into a tight roll, also asleep.
Outside, the sun shone brightly. The dark clouds that had hovered above the central tower appeared to drift away with the broken seals. Warm sunlight illuminated the ruins, blending with the misty spiritual energy that softly floated in the air. She turned to look at the jade pond nearby, where a beautiful red lotus quietly bloomed, and the foul-mouthed flame was as silent as a stone.
It was extremely quiet. Liao Tingyan dared not move, lying there for a while until she unknowingly fell asleep again.
Everything is possible. If something feels impossible, just take a nap.
As the iron chains broke and the jade tablets inscribed with the word “seal” shattered, a powerful surge of spiritual energy burst forth from the ruins below. This dense spiritual force spread across the Three Sacred Mountains like a mist, quickly transforming into a vast sea of clouds. The richness of this spiritual energy was so intense that even a novice like Liao Tingyan, with no prior cultivation experience, instinctively began to absorb it, feeling even better than before.
The surviving dignitaries present were struck by this influx of spiritual energy, which was expressed in a wide range of colourful ways—a truly spectacular sight. The Three Sacred Mountains had originally been spiritual peaks, home to the most concentrated and pure spiritual energy. When Sima Jiao was initially imprisoned, some individuals had gone to great lengths to create a formation that isolated the local spiritual veins. This energy had been redirected through underground channels to other locations within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion. It was obvious who had benefited from these changes. Now, with Sima Jiao's actions, countless interests within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion were about to be compromised.
However, the most urgent issue was not just the disruption of interests, but that Sima Jiao had completely broken free. As he had previously stated, he would not let them go unpunished. Ironically, many had assumed that after spending five hundred years in this place, appearing so deranged, he would be extremely weak when he emerged. At that time, they believed they could work together to subdue him without fear.
Half a month ago, the sect leader tried to soothe him temporarily by sending various individuals with different agendas to gauge his intentions. Many dismissed this matter as insignificant, believing it was no longer an issue. But now, it was clear that it was not just an issue—it was a major disaster.
“Lord Cizang, given the destruction of the Three Sacred Mountains, why don’t you consider temporarily relocating to White Deer Cliff? Once the Three Sacred Mountains are repaired, we will invite you back,” suggested a young-looking man, speaking as if nothing was wrong.
The others silently cursed him for his audacity. This individual was from the sect leader’s lineage and promoted appeasing and befriending Sima Jiao. He stepped forward to voice his stance, trying to distance himself from the others to avoid displeasing the ancestor before them, who might retaliate by taking lives. After all, Sima Jiao was fully capable of such actions.
The choice to kill or spare was crucial, but Sima Jiao ignored their words, staring blankly at Liao Tingyan in his arms.
Earlier, they had noticed the woman in the ancestral master’s arms, but with life-and-death matters at hand, they hadn’t paid much attention to her. With such low cultivation, she was regarded as insignificant, almost like an ant. It would be strange for the ancestor to attract attention while holding someone so inconsequential.
However, because Sima Jiao remained unusually silent, the others unconsciously turned their eyes towards her. It appeared she was one of the hundred female disciples sent earlier. Who was she? These hundred individuals were supposedly chosen from all branches, but in truth, the quotas had long been decided by various palaces. To gain entry, she must have had the backing of a powerful figure from one of those palaces, suggesting she had something special about her. Yet, none of those present knew which faction had sent her, and she had somehow managed to survive until now.
They glanced at the ruins below. Of the hundred people sent in, it was probably only this one who survived. What abilities did she have to have been protected by that cruel, bloodthirsty ancestor tyrant? Could it be that the ancestor had taken an interest in this female disciple? That seemed impossible. They dismissed this thought, recalling what had happened in the past.
If Sima Jiao were ever to take a liking to a woman, it would be as unlikely as the sun rising in the West. An alliance between the cultivation world and the demon realm through marriage was inconceivable.
Liao Tingyan felt several intense gazes upon her but pretended not to notice, rigidly holding the ancestor’s waist, frozen as if time had paused.
“My waist… is slim?” After a long moment, Sima Jiao repeated this, sounding puzzled.
It was a question, and since Liao Tingyan was pretending to be unresponsive, she had no choice but to answer. “Yes, I think maybe it’s because you’ve been imprisoned for so long and starved to this state.”
The Three Sacred Mountains had no food at all, so he was undoubtedly starving. In her free time, she would imagine the ancestor being imprisoned without anyone bringing food, enduring hunger, and gradually becoming twisted. Although she had these thoughts, she knew she couldn’t say such things aloud, as it would mean death. Despite this knowledge, she found herself unable to hold back her words. The ancestor’s truth buff could activate at any moment, making normal communication impossible. The work relationship she wanted to establish shifted into something completely different.
“You’re right,” Sima Jiao finally said. “The suffering I’ve endured should be repaid one by one.”
Liao Tingyan thought to herself, “Uh? Wait, when did I say such a thing?”
Sima Jiao then looked towards the few survivors present. These individuals were no ordinary people. Noticing his expression, they instinctively tried to escape, but the spiritual energy had returned to the heavens, and Sima Jiao was now even more violent. Moments later, of those alive on the scene, only Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan remained.
Regardless of their affiliations or whether they harboured ill intentions towards Sima Jiao, it made no difference to him. If he wanted to kill, he would kill. In this world, no one had truly good intentions towards him, especially those from Gengchen Immortal Mansion, who knew all his secrets and past.
Liao Tingyan trembled and instinctively buried her face in Sima Jiao’s chest, witnessing this. After doing so, she realized the person causing her fear was the one she was now holding. Honestly, if they weren’t still in mid-air, she would have let go immediately.
Instead, Sima Jiao lifted her higher into his arms. His other hand slowly stroked up from her back to the nape of her neck. Liao Tingyan didn’t understand what he was doing, but she felt a sense of danger. She could have sworn that this ancestor was considering breaking her neck. If she had fur, it would surely have stood on end from that stroke.
Sima Jiao gazed down at Liao Tingyan, seemingly lost in thought, his hand unconsciously stroking her back once again. His light, slow, yet ominous movements made Liao Tingyan’s heart race. She felt tense with every stroke. In Sima Jiao's eyes, each touch made her hold her breath, and when he withdrew his hand, she would exhale.
After experiencing this back-and-forth five times, Liao Tingyan stopped responding.
"Damn it, just kill me if that's what you intend. This back-and-forth is exhausting."
But Sima Jiao didn’t kill her. Instead, he carried her back to the central tower, which had partially collapsed. Once on solid ground, Liao Tingyan felt her legs turn soft and wobbly, her entire body weak. She quickly took a chair from her pouch and sat down.
Sima Jiao walked past her, step by step, toward the jade pond where the red lotus grew. Wading into the water, he tore open his wrist, allowing strands of red blood to seep into the pond, strangely gathering at the centre instead of dispersing.
Liao Tingyan watched for a long time as the sky brightened, but Sima Jiao still showed no reaction. In the dawn light, she saw a large black snake peeking around. With only the three of them remaining, Liao Tingyan waved at the snake, but it shyly retreated, not daring to come closer.
"Fine then." Liao Tingyan, having not slept all night and feeling extremely tired, discovered that her bed had been destroyed, leaving her with nowhere to rest. After some thought, she took out cloth and rope, made a quick adjustment, and fashioned a hammock, hanging it between two pillars before lying down.
As she was about to fall asleep, Liao Tingyan glanced at the jade pond and saw that Sima Jiao’s blood had transformed into a red lotus blooming in the water, with faint flames flickering above it. "So that’s how that precious lotus flower grows," she thought. "Isn’t this ancestor the greatest treasure? Others need rare materials to level up, but he is a rare material. No wonder he’s so impressive."
Liao Tingyan soon fell deeply asleep. Shortly after, the sun rose completely, and the red lotus and flames in the jade pond returned to their usual appearance. Sima Jiao emerged from the jade pond, dripping wet. With each step, the water evaporated from his body, leaving only a slight dampness by the time he reached Liao Tingyan’s side.
Sima Jiao’s lips appeared much paler, lacking his usual fierce aura. His appearance was now dominated by shades of black and white, making him seem even more ominous. He leaned down, drew closer to Liao Tingyan, and lay beside her.
When Liao Tingyan woke up from her nap, something felt wrong. Although her hammock was spacious, it now seemed cramped. The deadly Ancestral master lay beside her, seemingly asleep. His head rested in the crook of her neck, his gentle breathing brushing against her skin and collarbone. The cover she had pulled over herself while sleeping turned out to be Sima Jiao’s robe and sleeve. Because the hammock gathered them inward, she found herself fully in Sima Jiao’s embrace, with several strands of his long black hair draped across her chest.
Liao Tingyan thought, "This won’t do; I’m going to suffocate. What’s happening? I just took a nap, and now I’m here with him."
Her eyes glanced outward, and she saw the large black snake coiled beneath the hammock, curled into a tight roll, also asleep.
Outside, the sun shone brightly. The dark clouds that had hovered above the central tower appeared to drift away with the broken seals. Warm sunlight illuminated the ruins, blending with the misty spiritual energy that softly floated in the air. She turned to look at the jade pond nearby, where a beautiful red lotus quietly bloomed, and the foul-mouthed flame was as silent as a stone.
It was extremely quiet. Liao Tingyan dared not move, lying there for a while until she unknowingly fell asleep again.
Everything is possible. If something feels impossible, just take a nap.
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