Offering Salted Fish to Master - C9
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 9
New moon
The big fucking black snake wasn’t particularly intelligent. It had led Liao Tingyan to the boss’s office, accidentally witnessing the boss bathing, which nearly caused a disaster. This incident led Liao Tingyan to suspect that her new black snake colleague might be trying to use someone else to undermine her.
However, after several days of observation, she concluded that this creature’s intellect was roughly the same as her former roommate's dog, Big Baby. Given its limited intelligence, it would be difficult for it to carry out any workplace sabotage, so she unilaterally forgave its strange actions and even shared some bamboo juice when it came begging for food.
Everyone knows that when snacking at work, you have to share with colleagues. Right?
In just three short days, Liao Tingyan had familiarized herself with her new job. Her colleagues were easy to get along with, the boss rarely appeared, and while the work could be challenging, it was manageable. Overall, she had no complaints, except for the tough journey to work—those twenty-plus flights of stairs were exhausting.
After three days, Liao Tingyan could no longer bear the climb up the stairs, so she decided to find a solution. She rolled up her bedding and moved to the twenty-second floor, establishing her living space in the central tower. This change meant she no longer had to climb up and down every day.
Although she felt some fear of the Ancestral Master, she knew that fear was an emotion that could be overcome with time. Exhaustion, however, was a different matter—it couldn't be ignored.
On her first day in the area, she worried that the Ancestral Master might become angry and turn her into a mural on the wall, but he didn’t seem to pay her any attention at all.
However, after several days of observation, she concluded that this creature’s intellect was roughly the same as her former roommate's dog, Big Baby. Given its limited intelligence, it would be difficult for it to carry out any workplace sabotage, so she unilaterally forgave its strange actions and even shared some bamboo juice when it came begging for food.
Everyone knows that when snacking at work, you have to share with colleagues. Right?
In just three short days, Liao Tingyan had familiarized herself with her new job. Her colleagues were easy to get along with, the boss rarely appeared, and while the work could be challenging, it was manageable. Overall, she had no complaints, except for the tough journey to work—those twenty-plus flights of stairs were exhausting.
After three days, Liao Tingyan could no longer bear the climb up the stairs, so she decided to find a solution. She rolled up her bedding and moved to the twenty-second floor, establishing her living space in the central tower. This change meant she no longer had to climb up and down every day.
Although she felt some fear of the Ancestral Master, she knew that fear was an emotion that could be overcome with time. Exhaustion, however, was a different matter—it couldn't be ignored.
On her first day in the area, she worried that the Ancestral Master might become angry and turn her into a mural on the wall, but he didn’t seem to pay her any attention at all.
๑‿︵‿୨🌸୧‿︵‿๑
That night was a new moon. Liao Tingyan lay on her bed, gazing at the thin crescent in the sky, which was almost completely hidden and appeared hazy and ambiguous among the clouds.
She had arranged her living space in a corner of the room with good lighting, ventilation, and a nice view. From feeling tense when she arrived to now being able to relax like this, she had become indifferent to the giant chains outside and could even enjoy the moon before falling asleep. Truly, human potential is endless, and adaptability is extraordinary.
There was no wind that evening. Even with the window open, she could feel the heat rushing in from outside, and Liao Tingyan felt inexplicably restless. Even past her usual bedtime, she lay there in a daze.
“Today is a new moon,” the flame suddenly exclaimed from nearby, its voice filled with excitement. “The first new moon that the Three Sacred Mountains have experienced in five hundred years.”
Since early that morning, the flame had gone from its usual foul-mouthed threats to being quiet. When Liao Tingyan watered it, she noticed it looked smaller than usual; now, her attention drawn to it, she found it even tinier. If its size indicated its state, then it was certainly in poor condition. Yet it showed no fear; rather, its voice was tinged with anticipation.
"What is it anticipating?" Liao Tingyan suddenly felt a chill, a cold aura surging in from the doorway, followed by a pitch-black figure appearing at the entrance. As he moved, the air that had warmed her moments before instantly turned cold. "Why is Ancestral Master come here at this time?"
Liao Tingyan went from a relaxed sprawl to a tense position, even unconsciously holding her breath. Sima Jiao, who walked in, wore a gloomy and severe expression, yet his crimson lips were curled upward.
Liao Tingyan had previously encountered this ancestor at night, when a large black snake awakened her to drink bamboo juice. When she looked outside, she saw Sima Jiao twice. Each time, he was dressed entirely in black and walked alone, resembling a wandering spirit on the white jade expanse. He would head toward the base of the Three Sacred Mountains, stop a certain distance away, and gaze into the distance. As he descended, the chains restraining the central tower clattered. After a moment, he would turn around and walk back, his robes billowing around him like a black cloud.
Sima Jiao exuded that same oppressive feeling now. He walked directly to the flame, reached out, and plucked it.
The scarlet flame silently spread throughout his entire body, then quickly merged with him.
Liao Tingyan watched this unusual scene, slowly retrieving the blanket she had kicked aside earlier and covering herself. The cold air had become quite chilling.
Perhaps due to her movement, Sima Jiao suddenly looked at her.
Liao Tingyan thought, “Let’s lie on my back and pretend to be dead!”
A red flame mark appeared on Sima Jiao’s forehead. After absorbing the flame, he still bore a gloomy demeanor, resembling a demon lord who might kill someone with a mere wave of his hand. Liao Tingyan revealed just her eyes to him, watching without daring to move.
Sima Jiao raised his hand and plucked the lonely flower still in the water pool.
Liao Tingyan thought, “That irritable fire flower would usually cry. Wait, was that jade-green pool filled with the tears of Brother Fire Flower?”
Sima Jiao took the red lotus petals and walked toward Liao Tingyan, ultimately sitting down on her bed.
Liao Tingyan felt the red lotus brush against her face, a faint, clear fragrance wafting into her nostrils, instantly refreshing her and making her feel as though she had consumed three Red Bull cans [1].
“Do you know what this is?” Sima Jiao asked, swaying the beautiful red lotus as he sat on her bed.
Liao Tingyan found herself once again affected by his truth aura, and she involuntarily replied, “A red lotus.”
Sima Jiao corrected her, “Wrong, this is the Fengshan Blood Condensed Flower.”
He asked again, “Do you know what this is used for?”
Liao Tingyan continued to respond to every question: “I know, one petal equals a thousand years of cultivation.”
Sima Jiao casually played with the flower in his hand. “Correct, one petal equals a thousand years of cultivation. However, if it’s not consumed with my blood, even eating just a tiny bit would cause you to explode into a spray of blood.”
Cold sweat ran down Liao Tingyan’s back. Thanks to her slacker nature, she hadn’t dared to use this thing, even though she had it. If she had tried to use it, she would have turned into a bloody mist long ago.
Sima Jiao looked at her, confusion flickering in his eyes, and asked, “Do you want to kill me?”
"You have asked this question before. Do I really look that much like a killer?" Liao Tingyan sprawled there, letting out a quieter sound, “No.”
Sima Jiao suddenly laughed and tossed the large red lotus to her: “It’s yours.”
Although it’s a treasure, I can’t possibly use it! Liao Tingyan clutched the flower, inwardly wringing her hands. This stupid boss gave her a box but no key—wasn’t he just toying with her?
Sima Jiao rested his chin on one hand and suddenly asked, “Are you cursing me in your mind?”
Liao Tingyan replied, “Yes.”
A ya [2] the truth-buff is killing me!
Sima Jiao didn’t raise a hand to strike her; something seemed off about him as he sat beside her and burst into laughter.
Tonight’s boss was excessively amiable. Liao Tingyan, feeling uneasy, shrank under the blanket and secretly observed him, trembling as she asked, “What… what’s going on with you?”
Sima Jiao replied, “Do you think I’m being very agreeable today? Can you guess why I’m so agreeable?”
Liao Tingyan noticed that the truth-buff had disappeared. Carefully considering her answer, she tentatively asked, “Because I’m about to die?” Beyond that, she didn’t want to imagine.
Sima Jiao smiled eerily, “You guessed right, how clever.”
Liao Tingyan tucked herself under the blanket and whispered, “A ya.”
Sima Jiao suddenly raised a hand and waved it toward the air. Amid the whooshing sound, muffled groans echoed from the void—not just from one person, but several.
Liao Tingyan saw several elegant figures suddenly appear on the other side of the hall. Their faces looked familiar, probably part of the hundred-woman team. These sisters were extremely daring—while she was still trembling in the shadow of her ancestors, they had already begun to move.
Although they now seemed defeated, Sima Jiao hadn’t moved from Liao Tingyan’s cushioned bed. He simply waved his hand, and those people retreated in chaos, their eyes wide with shock and fear.
“How is this possible? Wasn’t he supposed to be at his weakest at this time?” a young girl exclaimed.
“Don’t retreat, attack!” commanded the lead girl, charging forward with a determination to fight to the death. The three companions exchanged glances, and with looks of resolve, they drew their spirit swords.
To Liao Tingyan, the scene felt anything but tense. The ancestor sitting beside her seemed somewhat distracted, looking bored as he pinched her blanket between his fingers. Liao Tingyan barely blinked before the fierce-looking girls collided with a nearby pillar, spilling several pools of blood.
Covering her eyes with the red lotus in her hand, Liao Tingyan listened as Sima Jiao said, “I’ve been trapped here for five hundred years, my cultivation suppressed, suffering torment daily. Now, on this first new moon night, I am at my weakest. If you don’t act now, after tonight, there won’t be another chance.”
It was the first time Liao Tingyan saw someone openly expose their weakness and invite death. She thought the ancestor must either genuinely have mental issues or be so arrogant that he deserved to be killed. As she silently pondered this, she suddenly felt a strong killing intent pressing down on her, making it difficult to breathe.
“Uncle Master, forgive my offence.” A woman in white emerged from the void, bowing respectfully to Sima Jiao.
Liao Tingyan recognized this woman as someone she had seen before, seemingly part of the hundred-woman team. She recalled that this woman had appeared rather unremarkable, entering with a modest status. However, upon hearing her refer to the Ancestral Master as “Uncle Master,” Liao Tingyan understood that the white-robed sister’s actual high status was likely on par with the sect leader. Someone of the same generation as the sect leader would possess cultivation at least at the Fusion stage. It was surprising for such a powerful individual to hide her identity and infiltrate as a minor disciple.
And now, to apparently attempt to kill Ancestral Master Sima Jiao—this group’s situation was indeed complex.
“Although Uncle Master is the lifeblood of Gengchen Immortal Mansion, Uncle Master killed my master. I cannot ignore this grudge. After killing Uncle Master, I will seek punishment from the sect leader.” The woman spoke while simultaneously launching a deadly attack.
"Wasn't everyone supposed to be unable to use their spiritual power here? Yet you're fighting so wastefully!" Liao Tingyan, caught too close to Sima Jiao, felt the pressure and was reluctantly dragged into the battlefield, feeling extremely distraught.
Sima Jiao waved his sleeve, and an invisible wind suddenly rose from the ground, swirling upward. It shattered the countless sharp swords coming toward him and sent the fragments flying in all directions.
The woman, after failing in her attack, sparkled with a light in her eyes and exclaimed, “Indeed, your cultivation has greatly diminished!” Her attacks grew more intense, but Sima Jiao simply sat there, countering each strike one by one, maintaining a barely-smiling expression that seemed somewhat gloomy and world-weary. Liao Tingyan remained silent, hardly daring to cheer.
“Puff—” The white-robed woman was sent flying, clearly badly hurt and unable to get up again. At their level of cultivation, they could control wind and rain, move mountains, and fill seas. But in this special place, her powers were heavily limited. Sima Jiao was also restricted, yet she couldn't even get near him. Lying on the ground, coughing up blood, the woman wore a sorrowful and resentful expression, full of reluctance.
“You didn’t experience a significant energy loss, nor were you affected by the new moon. You intentionally lured us into attacking,” the white-robed woman said hoarsely. “I thought you hadn’t noticed us, but now I realize you were aware all along. You did it on purpose. Poor me, I ended up being the vanguard.”
“You’re mistaken. I am indeed badly injured. Today is my weakest day. Wanting to kill me is truly a rare chance. But…” Sima Jiao smiled. “Even in my weakened state, you are still too weak for me.”
Liao Tingyan thought, “Ancestor, boss, your mouth is bleeding while you’re spouting these cool lines.”
[1] "Red Bull" is the English name for the original Thai energy drink Krating Daeng, meaning "red gaur". The name was chosen to represent the strength and energy symbolized by the two charging bulls in the logo, which are derived from the traditional meaning of the animal in Thai culture
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