Chapter Nine: The Sect Is Deep as the Sea

Hearing about the bath, Feng Liqian was overjoyed.

Ever since she arrived here, she hadn’t bathed. It seemed that Feng Queyi and the others had no intention of bathing either.

Unable to bear it, Feng Liqian hinted at it twice.

Yet, they completely ignored her.

What else could she do? As a guest, she had to follow the host’s customs. As the saying goes, three days without a bath is like eating a stick of ginseng—ugh!

Fortunately, the climate behind the mountain was pleasant, and she remained under Feng Queyi’s strict supervision. Other than the thatched hut and the medicine cottage, she couldn’t go anywhere. From dawn to dusk, her greatest exertion was accompanying Feng Queyi to tend the spirit herbs—catching insects, watering plants, easy tasks. Three days passed, and she hadn’t sweated at all.

Bathing was a solemn affair. Feng Queyi, with a grave expression, led Feng Liqian into a thatched hut beside the medicine cottage.

Feng Liqian nearly cried out in surprise: Heavens, there was a steaming hot spring within the hut.

The pool wasn’t large, about two meters square, nearly a perfect square. Its edges were clearly constructed by hand, retaining the natural shape while achieving maximum smoothness. The spring water was crystal clear. At the center was the spring’s source, bubbling up with strings of water droplets, sparkling like pearls.

A young figure knelt at the pool’s edge, scattering fresh petals into the water. Upon hearing footsteps, the child immediately put down his bamboo basket, turned around, and silently prostrated himself, awaiting respectfully.

He was that Bodhi Seed! Feng Liqian was startled, pointing and stammering, “Queyi, why is Bodhi Seed here?” Though the misunderstanding had been resolved, and the High Priest would never allow a boy to crawl into her bed, why bring a boy here when she, a woman, was about to bathe? Had all the women here died out? Besides, coming from a humble background, she was used to managing herself, never accustomed to the luxury of servants—especially when bathing!

Feng Queyi waved her hand, signaling Bodhi Seed to withdraw, then explained to Feng Liqian, “Bodhi Seed is the chief’s most cherished grandson. Among the grandchildren, he’s my favorite too. He’s clever, obedient, and capable. If you don’t mind, please take him with you to the Azure Cloud Sect. As our tribe’s Saint Maiden, having a companion isn’t unusual. I believe neither the Azure Cloud Sect nor the High Priest would refuse your request.”

A classic case of connections. Feng Liqian understood and lowered her voice, asking, “How many spiritual roots does he have?”

“I don’t know. Immortal maidens aren’t family; how could they condescend to examine a boy’s spiritual roots?” Feng Queyi laughed. “Don’t misunderstand, neither the chief nor I have other motives. We just hope Bodhi Seed can broaden his horizons at Azure Cloud Sect. If he catches the eye of some immortal or elder and secures a good marriage, perhaps even leaving behind descendants with spiritual roots, that would be his great fortune. Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes.” The words were so direct; if she didn’t understand, she’d be no better than a pig: Bodhi Seed was simply using her name to get into the Azure Cloud Sect. He was there to breed, aiming high, seeking excellent lineage, and had no interest in her, the useless one. After entering the sect, he’d have nothing to do with her.

Seeing Feng Queyi’s intense gaze, Feng Liqian patted her chest loudly, grandly declaring, “Sister, don’t worry. Your grandson is my grandson—I’ll take good care of him. If I have a bite to eat, our grandson will have a bite to eat.” Ahem, that was awkward!

Feng Queyi chuckled, covering her mouth, “What are you saying? Bodhi Seed is your aunt’s son. You’re actually his closest sister. With you caring for him, how could the chief and I not be at ease?”

So that was it. Feng Liqian untangled the relationships: Feng Queyi and the chief were sisters; Bodhi Seed was the chief’s grandson; Feng Ke’er was Bodhi Seed’s cousin. The High Priest was an outsider, always separated from them. Thus, they preferred to involve her, the impostor.

Mama mia, this is exhausting. All this fuss—why couldn’t they just say it outright? Why make things so complicated?

“Sorry, I didn’t know.” Queyi... As much as she knew Queyi was old in spirit and young in appearance, her scalp still tingled.

Even women in primitive societies liked being addressed as younger. Feng Queyi seemed uncomfortable, clenched her fist, and cleared her throat, “Those are merely worldly titles. In cultivation, we disregard such conventions. No need to bother. The immortal will arrive at noon; please bathe and change early.” As she spoke, a coarse blue robe, matching belt, and woven straw sandals appeared in her hands. “These are new clothes and shoes prepared personally by the High Priest. From now on, you are the registered disciple of Master Huilan of Azure Cloud Sect, no longer a worldly person, and must not wear rough clothes or go barefoot.”

Feng Liqian took them with both hands, thanked her, and looked at Feng Queyi’s white silk robe, asking, “Queyi, are there rules about attire in the cultivation world?”

Feng Queyi exclaimed, “Ah, I overlooked it and didn’t explain clearly. Fortunately, you’re perceptive and saw the meaning. Yes, Azure Cloud Sect is strict in hierarchy, and everything follows rules.

Take clothing, for example. New disciples all start as outer sect members, wearing blue cloth short robes and straw sandals.

Once they reach the Qi Refining stage, the straw sandals are replaced by blue cloth shoes. Every three years, the sect holds competitions to select inner sect disciples. The top ten, or those who catch an elder’s eye, become elite inner disciples; the eleventh to hundredth become ordinary inner disciples. The rest remain in the outer sect as service disciples.

There’s a vast difference in their treatment. For clothing: elite inner disciples at Qi Refining wear long white silk robes; ordinary inner disciples also wear white silk robes, but the robe may not extend past the knees. Outer sect service disciples wear white cloth robes, also no longer than the knees, edged with a one-inch wide blue border.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, blue cloth shoes are replaced by blue silk shoes. Inner disciples’ clothing style and material remain, but the color changes to yellow. Outer sect service disciples may wear yellow silk robes, but they still don’t extend past the knees, and the edge stays blue.

Only upon reaching the Core Formation stage do outer disciples automatically become inner disciples. They, like ordinary inner disciples, wear green silk robes, knee-length. Elite inner disciples wear long green silk robes. At this point, the sect no longer regulates footwear.

At the Nascent Soul stage, one becomes an elder, may establish a cave and take disciples, and the distinction between elite and ordinary disappears—only gender matters. Female cultivators wear long red robes, male cultivators wear brown.

At the Void Transformation stage, True Masters wear long blue silk robes.

At the Ascension stage, True Sovereigns wear purple robes.

Above the Tribulation stage, cultivators are no longer of the lower realm, and the sect dares not impose.

My current identity is the tribe’s priest, so I needn’t follow the sect’s rules. The High Priest is the same.”

“Thank you for the explanation, Queyi.” Feng Liqian was amazed. Entering a sect is like plunging into the depths of the sea. The rules are extraordinary.

“We’re sisters; no need for thanks.” Feng Queyi smiled. “Please take your time. I’ll wait outside.” Since Feng Liqian agreed to bring Bodhi Seed to Azure Cloud Sect, Queyi’s attitude finally warmed.

Placing the clothes on a large flat stone by the pool, Feng Ke’er tried the water with her right foot—neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

“Hot spring, here I come!” Her hometown had no hot springs; the nearest was hundreds of kilometers away. So, after all these years, it was her first soak.

She took off her clothes, carefully holding the edge of the stone, and slowly entered the pool.

She seemed overly cautious—the pool wasn’t deep, the deepest part barely reaching her chest. The shallow edge was only half a person’s height.

The spring water was unlike ordinary water, somewhat slippery. Soaking in it felt like lying amid silk. In short, the sensation was exquisite.

The Phoenix Jade pendant remained unchanged, as inert as a rock. No golden characters flashed in her mind.

Feng Liqian, now calm, went about her business. Using petals as soap, she scrubbed herself thoroughly. If Queyi weren’t waiting outside, she’d have lingered longer.

After bathing, she put on her new clothes and... straw shoes, feeling incredibly refreshed—here, dressing meant wearing only a single layer. It seemed people here had no concept of underwear. The blue robe was several inches shorter than her previous rough robe, not even covering her knees. Wearing it outside would be revealing! She couldn’t ignore it.

Thinking it over, Feng Liqian wrapped her old rough robe around herself as a mid-length skirt, then layered the blue short robe on top, tying it all with the blue belt. That way, the inner skirt reached mid-calf.

She took a few long strides and was satisfied.

Though the material was coarse, after three days she was used to it. It would do for now—protection was key. Once at Azure Cloud Sect, she’d figure out how to get undergarments.

After tidying up, she walked out feeling refreshed.

Feng Queyi was clearly astonished at her appearance. “What kind of outfit is that?”

Could she still be exposed? Feng Liqian blushed, hugging her chest and checking herself, embarrassed.

Feng Queyi understood and laughed, “No need for that. Sorry, I meant no offense—I just find your outfit peculiar. It’s summer; aren’t you hot wearing two robes?”

Feng Liqian was mortified, awkwardly chuckling, “Well, I didn’t want to waste anything.” Ugh, fine, she wasn’t pure enough. Here, everyone dressed breezily, seemingly unaware of “exposure.”

“You’re quite a character,” Queyi laughed, clapping her hands. “The immortal has arrived. We mustn’t keep her waiting. Let’s hurry to pay our respects.”

To pay respects meant truly “paying” respects. Upon entering the council hall, Feng Liqian hadn’t even seen who was seated above; she only heard Queyi whisper, “Kneel on both knees, prostrate yourself, don’t look up.”

Queyi then stepped aside and bowed deeply, “Queyi greets the immortal.”

Feng Liqian quickly knelt, head bowed to the ground, inwardly shedding tears—she’d only knelt to heaven, earth, her parents; not even to the old director who raised her. This was her first time kneeling so humbly before others, as insignificant as the dirt at their feet.

Even so, the intangible pressure nearly suffocated her.

A puzzled “Hmm?” sounded above, followed by a distant, ethereal female voice murmuring, “How could this be?”

Tongtian Compendium, Chapter Nine: The Sect Is Deep as the Sea—end of update!