Chapter 101: The Lady in Red No Longer Wants to Tend the Fire
Within the vast, empty hall, the echoes of the red-robed Taoist boy’s voice resonated. Facing the slightly eerie corpse of the red-robed boy before him, Cheng Guang was momentarily stunned, his entire body tingling with shock, unsure of what to say.
Beside him, even the experienced Cheng Shiyuan showed the same reaction. The red-robed boy, receiving no response from Cheng Guang, sobbed louder and sharper, the piercing cries stabbing at Cheng Guang’s eardrums, causing them to throb painfully.
Cheng Guang furrowed his brow, a bad feeling gnawing at his heart. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed the red-robed boy’s shoulders trembling, his sobs lowering to a whisper.
“Forget it, brother, even if you don’t say it, I know Master probably won’t return,” the boy murmured. “Though abandoned, even the red robe cannot leave this Daoist palace, nor disobey Master’s orders.” He sobbed softly again. “I don’t know what to do, brother.”
Gradually, his weeping quieted, and his hollow eyes fixed on Cheng Guang. “Brother… are you here to burn with me?”
Cheng Guang’s lips moved faintly, a dryness in his throat causing an awkward laugh. “There’s no firewood left; how could we burn anything?”
The boy’s sorrow softened, a faint smile flickering on his pale face. “There will be a way. The furnace fire cannot be extinguished, and if there’s no wood, useless things can be thrown in as fuel.”
“Useless things?” Cheng Guang’s gaze shifted to the blazing flames beneath the furnace.
The towering furnace burned with intense heat; even from a distance and with the furnace as a barrier, Cheng Guang could sense the fiery inferno’s searing temperature. Despite his cultivation reaching the fourth level in both spiritual and martial paths, if thrown into the furnace, he would be instantly reduced to ashes.
Within the undulating orange flames, vague humanoid shapes flickered—twisted, gaunt, and grotesque figures more distorted than normal men.
At first, Cheng Guang glanced away without much thought, but the red-robed boy’s words stirred a chilling realization: these “useless things” used as fuel were likely living people inadvertently trapped in this secret realm.
His scalp tingled as the pieces fell into place: why the palace was so silent, why no danger was obvious, and why in the system’s mission prompt, Qin Yanqiu had died here. It was all the doing of this eerie red-robed boy, who captured these people and cast them into the furnace as firewood.
Cheng Guang and Cheng Shiyuan exchanged wary looks, the older man’s face tightening with suspicion. His aura began to ripple, ready to whisk Cheng Guang out of the secret realm at the first sign of danger or hostility from the boy.
Cheng Guang felt every hair on his body stand on end. For years, the red-robed boy had been stoking this fire, burning countless unwitting souls who had fallen into this place—some perhaps powerful cultivators, even those at the Celestial Realm—yet nothing stirred here.
The red-robed boy was terrifyingly strong, possibly beyond Cheng Shiyuan’s ability to contend with.
Cheng Guang’s thoughts turned to Qin Yanqiu. If she had been captured and thrown into the furnace, survival was impossible under such blistering heat.
He asked cautiously, “Where do these ‘useless things’ you speak of come from? Have they all been thrown into the furnace?”
The boy tilted his head in thought, then shook it. “Most are ordinary mortals who stumbled into the palace. I don’t know where they come from; mortals shouldn’t be able to enter Master’s palace.” He added, “But I don’t throw them all in at once. Most are imprisoned and burned a little each day. Master is not here, and no pills are being refined, so the fire just needs to keep burning.”
“You’ve grown dull, brother,” he teased, pointing at Cheng Guang with a childish grin.
Cheng Guang realized the mortals mentioned were likely Qin Yanqiu and her companions, whose cultivation levels weren’t high but certainly not low. It surprised him that the red-robed boy still regarded them as mere mortals.
His curiosity about the boy’s power deepened.
Taking a deep breath, Cheng Guang asked, “Where exactly do you keep these mortals?”
The boy, surprisingly straightforward despite his fearsome power, tugged on Cheng Guang’s robe with a childlike pride and led him toward an inner chamber. “Brother, follow me. They’re all here.”
At that moment, Cheng Shiyuan’s scalp tingled, and he instinctively tried to pull Cheng Guang back. Seeing Cheng Guang calm and composed, he relaxed slightly.
Cheng Shiyuan suspected that the strange clothes Cheng Guang wore—given to him earlier—were why the red-robed boy showed no hostility. Otherwise, Cheng Guang might have perished long ago. Yet why the boy called Cheng Guang “brother” and ignored Cheng Shiyuan, a far stronger cultivator, was baffling.
Cheng Guang, too, felt the boy seemed to mistake him for someone else—not just because of the robe, but something more. The boy saw both him and Cheng Shiyuan, so why focus only on him?
Suddenly, a rare treasure flashed in Cheng Guang’s mind: the Concealing Pearl, which masks one’s aura and hides one’s destiny. That must be why the boy’s perception was clouded, mistaking him for a certain “brother” from his memories.
Who was this brother?
Cheng Guang’s thoughts churned, but he couldn’t piece it together. In any case, being mistaken for a “brother” was not unwelcome. Ordinary mortals would have been imprisoned and burned long ago. Being treated like a guest was almost a dream.
The boy stopped before a side room near the furnace and opened the door.
Inside, numerous figures hung upside down from the carved jade pillars, resembling inverted gourds. They were bound tightly, pale and weak but alive.
When the door opened and the boy stepped in, the captives trembled in terror, as if faced with a monstrous terror. Their eyes widened, and their suppressed sobs filled the room. They all knew that whenever the red-robed boy came, someone was taken to the furnace.
Though they had never seen it, they heard the harrowing screams echoing through thick walls and heavy doors.
Fear crawled over their hearts like spider webs as they prepared for their fate.
Yet the boy suddenly beckoned outside, proudly striking a pose as if boasting to an elder, “Brother, come see.”
The voice startled many captives who had never heard the boy speak before. How could such a terrifying presence have such intelligence?
The sobbing ceased abruptly, and silence fell.
Cheng Guang surveyed the room: a modest space once used for storage, now cleared. Hundreds of captives—humans, demons, and strange creatures—fixed him with desperate, complex gazes.
Among them, a pair of star-bright yet cold eyes studied him closely. When she saw him, her eyes flickered in shock. She found his face oddly familiar but quickly dismissed the thought.
The noble son she knew, the heir to the Duke of the Nation, was unlikely to be trapped here, let alone called “brother” by this red-robed boy.
It must be only a resemblance.
As she wrestled with her thoughts, an elderly figure stepped out behind Cheng Guang, his stern gaze sweeping over her.
Qin Yanqiu froze. It was the Duke of the Nation himself—Cheng Shiyuan.
She had expected rescue but not from the Duke in person. His arrival suggested that the “brother” the boy addressed was indeed the Duke’s son.
Confused and overwhelmed, Qin Yanqiu struggled to comprehend the situation.
Cheng Shiyuan scanned her carefully and sighed with relief at her safe condition. Losing such a brilliant future granddaughter-in-law here would have burdened him eternally.
Cheng Guang, amused by her disheveled state, turned his gaze back to the red-robed boy.
The boy’s stiff smile twitched. “Brother, there are so many, we can burn for a long time. No need to worry about the fire going out.”
Cheng Guang nodded, already sensing the boy’s obsession with maintaining the furnace fire.
He cautiously asked, “Can I take a few of them with me?”
The boy was surprised, hesitating before nodding slightly. “Brother can take a few mortals, but they’re only good as fuel. What do you want them for?”
Cheng Guang smiled faintly, unsure how to explain.
The boy seemed to realize and whispered, “You want to refine human pills? Better not. Refining pills with demons is acceptable, as it brings merit to offset sins. But with mortals, if Master finds out, you’ll be punished…”
He sighed. “But Master is gone, hasn’t returned. Now, Brother and I are alone. Do whatever you want.”
With a wave of his hand, an eerie, decaying aura rippled from him, causing the ropes binding the captives to quiver.
“Brother, which mortal do you want to use?”
The boy’s ghostly eyes flickered toward Cheng Guang, who, unnerved, pointed at Qin Yanqiu. “Her.”
Saving Qin Yanqiu was the priority; the others’ fates could wait.
Although the boy permitted a few to leave, he still valued the captives as future fuel and wouldn’t allow unlimited departures.
The boy nodded and with a gesture, the ropes on Qin Yanqiu loosened like living serpents.
She collapsed weakly before Cheng Guang, pale and frightened, gasping for breath.
She looked up at him with a hint of gratitude in her clear, cold eyes.
Cheng Guang gave a brief glance and withdrew his gaze.
The boy asked, “Brother, anyone else?”
Many captives became agitated, their gazes pleading.
Though troubled by the mention of refining human pills, Qin Yanqiu’s expression suggested she knew Cheng Guang and wasn’t like the boy.
Cheng Guang ignored their looks and glanced at Cheng Shiyuan, silently asking if any northern expedition soldiers remained.
Cheng Shiyuan shook his head faintly.
So Qin Yanqiu was alone, or her soldiers had perished.
Cheng Guang decided, “No, just her is enough.”
The boy nodded, and they left the side room, closing the door behind them.
Silence returned to the hall.
The boy chatted idly as they walked, like a chatterbox.
“Brother, these mortals are weak compared to us, but stronger than past mortals. Using them as fuel keeps the furnace burning a long time. Refining human pills with them might work well.”
“But Brother, if you refine pills, you can’t use the furnace I burn. That’s Master’s furnace. Did you bring your own?”
Cheng Guang thought a moment and replied, “Not yet, I’ll go fetch it soon.”
The boy sighed, “I can’t leave here, or I’d follow you.”
“Where did Brother and Master go all these years? Leaving me alone is so lonely.”
“Don’t take too long fetching that furnace, Brother. I’ll keep the fire burning for you.”
Cheng Guang fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, Cheng Shiyuan checked Qin Yanqiu’s condition, relieved to find no injuries, only exhaustion of vital energy.
He was ready to leave with Cheng Guang and Qin Yanqiu.
Without prompting, Cheng Guang also prepared to depart.
But before leaving, Cheng Guang’s eyes lingered on the gourds hanging from the jade pillars—inside lay the Ninefold Golden Pills.
The system had said this secret realm would only appear once in a while, with no telling when next.
Since the boy didn’t perceive him as a threat, Cheng Guang decided to take a chance.
Approaching the gourd, he smelled a faint fragrance and saw golden light shimmering through the jade surface.
“Are these pills still usable?” he asked.
The boy paused, then smiled. “Brother, you must be away long. These aren’t pills but Master’s pill-refining supplements.”
“Oh, right.” The boy plucked a gourd and handed it to Cheng Guang. “If you refine pills, you’ll need these. Use sparingly—if Master returns and finds you used too many, I’ll be in trouble.”
Cheng Guang took the gourd, the fragrance filling his senses, and felt his cultivation rise slightly.
Inside were about ten golden pills, each glowing with nine intricate layers.
He popped one into his mouth. It melted quickly, warmth flooding his abdomen.
The world’s vital energy seemed to respond, pouring into him like an endless torrent.
He didn’t need to exert any cultivation technique; the energy surged into him effortlessly.
Suddenly, new knowledge flooded his mind.
His martial cultivation soared past the Divine Realm.
His divine marks grew rapidly, perfecting themselves.
His spiritual path advanced swiftly.
His soul condensed, pure and flawless, adorned with mysterious divine marks.
In moments, his soul fused more harmoniously with the cosmos.
Spirit path rank five—the Destiny Realm!
A stir from deep within his bloodline roused him.
“This is… bloodline divine power,” he realized, eyes shining with joy.
So that’s why my bloodline power hadn’t awakened—it was waiting for this moment.
---
The red-robed boy’s smile faded, his expression turning deathly still.
His once lively, ghostly eyes dimmed as he sat silently by the furnace, watching the orange flames dance.
“Master, you liar,” he murmured. “You said after a hundred years of burning, I’d become like my brother…”
“But I’ve been burning for so many years, and you’re still not back.”
“I don’t want to burn anymore… I don’t…”
---
Cheng Shiyuan appeared above the abyssal rift, accompanied by Cheng Guang and Qin Yanqiu.
Northern troops guarding the area immediately spotted them.
“The Duke is out!”
“Miss Qin is safe!”
“Thank goodness. This realm is so dangerous, who knows what could have happened? Luckily, the Duke came himself. If it were us, we might never have rescued her.”
Amid whispered talk, Qin Beifeng sensed Cheng Shiyuan’s presence and rushed over.
Seeing Qin Yanqiu unharmed, he sighed in relief.
Noticing the strange robes on Cheng Shiyuan and Cheng Guang, he paused but offered a respectful salute.
“Thank you, Duke. Without you, who knows what would have happened to the lady.”
Cheng Shiyuan blushed, waving it off.
“It was mostly thanks to my grandson.”
His words puzzled Qin Beifeng, who couldn’t understand Cheng Guang’s role.
He assumed Cheng Guang was just tagging along, unable to help much.
Nonetheless, he saluted Cheng Guang as well.
“Thanks, Young Master.”
Cheng Guang nodded slightly.
Qin Beifeng pulled Qin Yanqiu aside, eyeing her pale face. He wanted to admonish her but found no words.
“Yanqiu, rest well in the city. No more battlefield trips. You’re about to marry the Young Master; focus on that.”
Qin Yanqiu frowned, wanting to argue, but under Cheng Shiyuan and Cheng Guang’s gaze, she said nothing.
Her embarrassing first meeting with her future husband weighed heavily on her pride, wishing she could hide away.
Cheng Shiyuan glanced at the fading temporal rift below with lingering unease.
“This realm was no ordinary trial. Grandson, if not for you, I might have brought you back but failed to save Yanqiu.”
“Let’s return. I must research this mystery.”
With that, Cheng Shiyuan led Cheng Guang toward the capital city, disappearing swiftly.
Qin Beifeng, left behind, heard Cheng Shiyuan’s parting words and narrowed his eyes.
Could this realm truly be tied to the Young Master? Did he play a significant role?
He looked at his daughter, voicing his doubts.
Qin Yanqiu, too, felt the strangeness—a red-robed boy who respected Cheng Guang but dismissed Cheng Shiyuan.
She guessed their peaceful exit owed much to Cheng Guang.
“Father, it truly was the Young Master’s help,” she said softly.
Qin Beifeng finally accepted this and listened as she recounted the ordeal.
The mention of the red-robed boy made his eyes narrow in fear.
Without the Young Master’s timely arrival, even the Duke might not have saved her.
“I must thank the Duke and Young Master properly,” he vowed.
Looking at Qin Yanqiu’s silver moon battle armor, he frowned.
“Yanqiu, when you return, change out of that armor. Wear something more fitting for a lady.”
“The Young Master looked at you like you were a piece of meat. If he’s not pleased, you won’t be favored at the Duke’s mansion. You’ll suffer.”
Qin Yanqiu’s expression remained indifferent. “Father, I don’t care. Even if we marry, I won’t be a noble lady at the Duke’s.”
Qin Beifeng frowned, lips moving but saying nothing. He knew she was destined to take his place in the Northern Army and couldn’t leave.
He sighed heavily.
His daughter’s attitude would hardly win the Young Master’s heart. If he took more concubines, her position would be uncertain.
With a heavy heart, Qin Beifeng returned to the capital with Qin Yanqiu and the troops.
Along the way, he glanced at her, wanting to speak but always swallowing his words—a father’s sorrow.
---
Cheng Guang was brought by Cheng Shiyuan to the Duke’s mansion in the city center.
Compared to the capital’s Duke mansion, it was simpler, lacking ornamental gardens and streams, furnished only with essentials.
Though he had rarely been here, a room had long been prepared for him.
Perhaps because his marriage to Qin Yanqiu was imminent, decorations of joy and red lanterns adorned the mansion.
“Grandson, rest well. I’ll handle the wedding preparations. When it’s time, I’ll call you. Don’t worry about anything else,” Cheng Shiyuan said, leaving to attend to pressing matters.
Besides arranging the wedding, he needed to investigate the red-robed boy and why the strange clothes Cheng Guang wore prevented hostility.
If asking Cheng Guang directly was easier, he would have done so, but his dignity as an elder restrained him.
He planned to inquire only if his research proved fruitless.
After Cheng Shiyuan left, Qing Luan quietly entered, having tidied Cheng Guang’s bedding.
“Qing Luan, I’m going to cultivate. Don’t let anyone disturb me,” Cheng Guang instructed.
She nodded and left, closing the door gently.
Eager, Cheng Guang took out the jade gourd from his storage ring—the greatest spoils from this journey besides rescuing Qin Yanqiu.
Cheng Shiyuan likely sensed its value but didn’t ask. After all, it was his grandson’s gain, and he would be happy, not envious.
The room filled with a delicate herbal fragrance as Cheng Guang opened the gourd.
Golden lights shimmered within.
Inside lay about ten pills, full and glowing gold, their surfaces etched with nine intricate patterns.
Cheng Guang took one, placing it in his mouth. It melted swiftly, warmth spreading to his abdomen.
The surrounding vital energy seemed to respond, flooding him like an unending stream.
He didn’t need to perform any cultivation method; the energy surged in of its own accord.
Simultaneously, new knowledge flooded his mind.
His martial realm, recently reaching the Divine Path, soared upward.
Divine marks grew rapidly, perfecting themselves.
His spiritual cultivation advanced swiftly.
His soul condensed, pure and flawless, adorned with mysterious divine patterns.
In moments, his soul harmonized more deeply with the cosmos.
Spirit path rank five—the Destiny Realm!
A stir from deep in his bloodline awakened.
“This is… bloodline divine power,” he realized, eyes bright.
So that’s why my bloodline power hadn’t awakened—it was waiting for this moment.
---
(End of chapter)