Chapter Forty-One: The Mysterious Voice

Mist—mist as thick as milk, so dense you couldn't see your fingers before your face. She realized with a start that she no longer had a physical body; she now resembled a wandering soul. After the initial shock, Feng Ke’er quickly composed herself, scratching her head as she surveyed her surroundings: Huh, where am I? Did I transmigrate again?

She remembered it vividly. Just a second ago, a man in the courtyard had struck her with his voice so hard that she coughed up blood!

It wasn’t that she was frail and delicate like some tragic heroine—no, it was just that her opponent was terrifyingly powerful.

Recalling this, Feng Ke’er clutched at her chest, searching for her Phoenix Jade Amulet. Without its protective shield, how was she supposed to survive from now on?

In any case, this place felt violent and dangerous—not at all suitable for someone like her. If she really had transmigrated again, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise.

Just then, a man’s ethereal voice drifted through the thick mist: “You’ve arrived.”

The voice was beyond eerie—though it was singular, it seemed to echo from all directions at once.

“Ah! Oh my god!” She felt a cold chill run down her back, and her arms instinctively wrapped tightly around her chest as she spun in circles, searching for the source.

Come on, this is too much! Switching genres on me without warning—no more cultivation, now it’s a supernatural story? Heaven help her, this really wasn’t her cup of tea…

In the end, unable to discern where the voice came from, she had to stop, glaring into the white expanse, forcing herself to ask, “Wh-who’s there?”

Her voice shook so badly it sounded like a sieve rattling.

Don’t laugh at me! I’m trying to stay calm here, but I just can’t…

“Heh, who I am doesn’t matter,” the voice replied, a light, mysterious laugh in its tone. “What matters is that I can help you.”

“You can help me?” The words were like a magical sedative—Feng Ke’er blinked, and her wildly beating heart inexplicably quieted.

A single sentence was worth ten others—her breath evened out, her knees stopped trembling, and she felt as if she could run up five flights of stairs in one go… Well, getting back to the point.

“Yes, I can help you.” The voice, still elusive, was now firm and undeniable. “Only I can help you fulfill your wish and return to where you came from.”

“Then, who are you? Can you tell me your name?” Clutching her pounding heart, Feng Ke’er tried to sound calm. But inside, a voice screamed at her: Trust him, trust him!

So noisy! She’d never felt this way before, and couldn’t help but frown, pressing a hand to her chest as she finished her question: “Also, where is this? Can I see you?”

Honestly, if he wouldn’t even reveal his name, and wouldn’t show his face, how was she supposed to trust him?

“This is a place where I am temporarily residing,” the voice said, as if reading her mind, with another amused chuckle. “Little girl, it’s not that I won’t meet you—rather, the time isn’t right. You’re not ready to see me yet.”

Not even a shred of sincerity! Feng Ke’er frowned and doggedly pressed, “Then when will the time be right?”

“When you are strong enough to face me directly,” the voice replied, impossibly cool.

So this thick mist was meant for protection. It seemed she’d encountered a true powerhouse. Feng Ke’er felt a surge of respect.

But there’s no such thing as a free lunch. After a moment’s thought, she decided to lay her cards on the table: “May I ask, do you have any conditions for helping me? I must state upfront—I won’t sell my soul. And I won’t do anything evil or immoral, either.” She’d read too many stories—ancient and modern, from all over the world—and mysterious figures like this always wanted one of two things: souls or slaves.

She didn’t know what a soul was, exactly, but she detested both options.

The voice laughed again, sounding approving, perhaps even promising: “Good, good. Rest assured, I do have a few tasks for you, but I swear, nothing I ask will be evil or immoral.”

Just as she expected! Feng Ke’er asked, “How many tasks exactly?” If it was a lifetime commitment with no end, she’d rather not accept his help!

“Three! Just three!” the voice laughed. “Little girl, you don’t have a formal master, and you’ve been cultivating by fumbling along on your own, right? If you agree to work with me, I won’t make you my disciple, but I can give you some guidance. Before each task, I’ll teach you a few cultivation formulas. Complete the task, and you’ll get an additional reward. So, little girl, heaven rewards diligence, and sometimes a loss is a blessing. Heh.”

She deeply suspected this guy was the Laughing Buddha himself, always grinning from ear to ear. Feng Ke’er turned his words over in her mind several times—it seemed like she’d gotten herself a master for free.

Yes, that was a deal she could accept.

She nodded. “Alright, three tasks it is. If I fail to complete them, will there be any punishment?”

“You’re so young, why be so shrewd?” the voice replied. “Nothing in the world is truly difficult if you are determined. As long as you give it your best, no task is impossible.”

Yeah, right! You’re the shrewd one! Feng Ke’er rolled her eyes, arms crossed, and huffed, “Tell me what the three tasks are first.” She needed to weigh them herself.

“It’s been so long since I’ve spoken at length, it’s rather tiring,” the voice said with a yawn, words slurring. “You are too distracted; I’ll teach you a calming incantation first. Practice well. When you’re ready, I’ll come to find you again.”

In other words, she wasn’t strong enough to be useful yet.

“I’m afraid you’ve noticed—I have no spiritual root, I’m just a waste. So, sorry, you’d better find someone more qualified.” Feng Ke’er’s fragile heart shattered—she’d only been cultivating a few days, but she was already at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation! Maybe not a genius, but certainly exceptional! If he looked down on her, he could go find one of those big shots instead. Besides, with tasks of unknown content, difficulty, and danger, she wasn’t eager to accept if he didn’t believe in her.

The voice laughed again, “What a temper. No spiritual root? So what. Cultivation doesn’t strictly require a spiritual root.”

What! No spiritual root, yet she could still cultivate? Where did that theory come from? So avant-garde. Feng Ke’er scratched her ear in disbelief: “But, but everyone says spiritual root is the foundation of cultivation…”

The voice snorted with disdain: “They’re just parroting each other. What do they know? Say, do you know Pangu? As far as I know, he didn’t have a spiritual root.”

Pangu, the great god who split heaven and earth! This man’s tone—he spoke of Pangu as if he were the neighbor’s child. Feng Ke’er smiled awkwardly, “He was a great god, though. How could I compare to him?”

The voice scoffed, “Heaven rewards diligence. In theory, anyone who works hard enough may become a god.”

Feng Ke’er understood: talent wasn’t everything in cultivation—diligence and persistent effort were the real path.

That had always been the teaching. But her goal in cultivation was never to become a god! She only wanted to protect her own life until she found a way back to the modern world.

So she asked, a bit uneasy, “Can you really help me return?”

The voice answered directly, “Complete all the tasks I give you, and I will send you back.”

Mama mia, what luck! She’d searched high and low for a way home, and here it was, dropping into her lap. Finally, after so much hardship, she’d met someone capable.

Three tasks—so be it! If it meant returning home, she’d walk through fire and water without hesitation! She was so tired of drifting alone in this bewildering world.

Overjoyed, Feng Ke’er extended her right hand. “Alright, deal. I’ll do three tasks for you, and you’ll send me home. Let’s seal the pact with a handshake!” Heh, she’d read that in ancient times, handshakes were serious oaths. Three claps, and heaven and earth bore witness—the agreement was even more binding than modern contracts.

“So vulgar. For someone so young, you sure are verbose,” the voice grumbled. “No one’s ever dared to cheat me.”

Actually, she was worried he’d be the one to renege! Feng Ke’er stubbornly refused to lower her hand.

“What are you dawdling for? There are people plotting against you right now—if you don’t return soon, you’ll lose your life!” The voice was irritated. “Put aside your distractions and receive the inner formula!”

Feng Ke’er suddenly remembered that business with Old Master Chen. She’d apparently stumbled onto some secret. Could that man who attacked her with his voice be in league with Chen? Were they planning to silence her?

A chill ran through her.

But even with her toes, she could guess: the man behind the mist hadn’t achieved his purpose yet—he wouldn’t let her just die.

A formal handshake, laying out the terms of their cooperation, was the real priority! Especially since this man’s evasive answers made him anything but trustworthy…

Feng Ke’er flashed a bright smile, refusing to give in. Suddenly, golden, dazzling symbols appeared before her eyes.

Focusing her spiritual sense, she saw lines of four ancient characters each, all in seal script. They looked familiar, as if she’d seen them somewhere before, but she couldn’t remember where. She tapped her head in frustration. Where on earth had she seen them?

It was enough to drive her mad!

“Concentrate!” the voice snapped. “Do you want to end up possessed?”

At his command, Feng Ke’er dared not hesitate. She pushed aside her stray thoughts and focused on the golden text. They were incantations—over twenty lines, each with four characters—a real test of memory.

Luckily, she carried her super recording device everywhere. Feng Ke’er didn’t want to waste her limited energy rote memorizing; she tried to copy all the characters into the interleaved pages of her treasured book.

Unfortunately, she failed three times.

The voice snorted, “No slacking! The formulas I teach you cannot be copied. And remember: every formula I teach you must not be passed to anyone else without my permission.”

Read-only, huh? So even here, they had copyright awareness. Feng Ke’er pursed her lips and focused on memorizing.

Without her backup, she found her memory surprisingly sharp. She only had to read the incantations twice to remember them all—a miracle! In the past, not even a knife at her throat could have forced her to memorize so quickly.

“Still not good enough! Remember, girl—recite the Calming Incantation three times a day, morning, noon, and night. Now, off with you!” the voice grumbled.

Then a mighty wind rose. Feng Ke’er felt as if someone had shoved her hard in the chest, and she plunged into a black, bottomless pit…

“Ahhhh—oh my god!”

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A friendly reminder from Mount Feng: This chapter features a super heavyweight character. By the way, this gentleman isn’t very trustworthy—he’s got a history of deception. Everyone, take a guess who he is… Guess correctly and win points or diamonds (Note: diamonds issued by Qidian)… Mount Feng has a stash of Qidian diamonds. Heh.

Tongtian Codex Chapter 41: The Mysterious Voice—update complete!