Chapter 63- Celestial Dan Master

Translated by Snowfall77

Xia Ge immediately opened the lid on the offered gourd and took a long drink, trying wash down the bite choking her.  In her blurred pain, she imagined the gates of the underworld opening up for her.  While the young man who’d offered the gourd was advising her: “Drink slowly, drink slowly……”

“Thank……thank you.”  Still gasping a little, Xia Ge returned the gourd to its owner.  Chuckling, the young man’s attitude was complacent: “Little brother, were you frightened by what I just said?  But I guess the heavens must have looked the other way.  The perpetrator hasn’t received divine retribution, don’t you know?”

Xia ‘Perpetrator’ Ge felt the pangs of a guilty conscience: “Ha, haha……things will be as they should be.”

She’d only stomped a couple of tiles.  But now news had spread from mouth to mouth, and the heavens and karma were involved?

Although, to be honest, the roof had looked rather bald by the time Chu Yao had seized her.

Still, Chu Yao had let her off……so who knew how Jianfeng was handling the incident.

Xia Ge was lost in thought until she heard the young man snort heavily: “Jianfeng deserved it!  Let every one of them look up the skies in vain!  They take advantage of their position to ruthlessly bully people everywhere, they’re shameless!”

The gourd-holding young man was dressed in hemp clothes and his expression turned melancholy: “Ai……if Danfeng could only refine dan above Diji-level, Danfeng wouldn’t always be humiliated this way……”

“Huh?”  Xia Ge asked, “Diji-level dan?”

When Xia Ge had read The Boundless Beauty of the Wind and the Moon, the story had been told mostly from the male protagonist’s viewpoint. In the book, Danfeng’s only purpose was to springboard the protagonist into Jianfeng, where he would train with the sword, all of which was delineated in great detail .  While liandan was regarded as less than and Danfeng was hardly described at all.

And perhaps because of Xia Ge’s ‘eat, drink, and be merry’ outer disciple lifestyle, the only time she really learned anything was when she was sent to Siguo Pavilion to copy texts.  Even then it was mostly rudimentary stuff, like ‘avoid Jianfeng disciples,’ or ‘refine the Bigu dan to pass through the inner gate of Danfeng.’  More thorough details, like why Danfeng had such low status, Xia Ge didn’t know.

“Right……”  The young man with the gourd sighed regretfully, “My father told me that in the past, Danfeng used to be very powerful.  They had more Diji-level dan masters than they knew what to do with.  Danfeng was highly respected everywhere, just like Jianfeng, and only nobles would come to learn liandan.  Completely different from how things are now……”

Another person next to the young man echoed his words in agreement.

“Who knows what exactly happened later……”  The young man was clutching at his gourd, “There were records of liandan that could miraculously cultivate the body, but there was a fire in Danfeng’s library and the records of Danfeng’s techniques and methods above Diji-level were burned clean away.  No one had been allowed to copy them, it was only for high-level inner disciples to read, so that fire really……”

Xia Ge mentally completed the young man’s sentence——

That fire really destroyed Danfeng’s future.

The young man said nothing further, his expression regretful.

“Since then, Danfeng hasn’t had a dan master above Diji-level,” Someone else added, “And afterwards, Danfeng also had to repeatedly lower their standards for inner disciples, and now it’s in this state……all you have to do is refine a Bigu dan to get in.  Come on……what kinda rule is that?  Oh well, it’s not all bad.”

“Even if Xuan-level is out of reach and people might not be able to learn great liandan in Danfeng, at least they get a bowl of rice for their meals.”

It was hard to tell from the speaker’s tone whether he was feeling sorry for Danfeng or glad for himself.

Yet another person sighed: “It’s no wonder people everywhere look down on Danfeng.”

“Haha, don’t even talk about Xuan-level dan, you wouldn’t be able to refine it anyways.”

“Pei!  You talk too much.”

Listening to the conversation around her, Xia Ge let no emotion cross her face as she finished off the last of her sesame cakes.  She was still thirsty and she hadn’t brought any water of her own.  And while her skin might be thick, it wasn’t thick enough for her to beg water off others again.  Crumpling the cakes’ wax paper into a ball, Xia Ge decided to go find some water first, in hopes that the crowds would have lessened by the time she’d done so.

System: [Host, I Have Decided To Inform You Of A Happy Event.]

Her mind on drinking water, Xia Ge grunted in response.

System: [You Began ‘Liandan Master,’ Right?]

Alright, the system apparently thought this was a joyous thing, though Xia Ge couldn’t help feeling that the system was trying to build suspense.

“Yes.”

There’d been too many other things going on, and Xia Ge wasn’t particularly interested in liandan in the first place.  So she hadn’t paid any attention to her new Liandan Master settings.

[Therefore, You Now Have The Default Setting ‘Danmai!’  Currently Your Danmai Is At Huang-Level.  If You Make The Necessary Amount Of Huang-Level Dan, You Can Upgrade Thanks To Your Proficiency Increase.  So Long As You Use This Method, There Will Be No Diji-Level Bottleneck!]

Still thirsty, still need water.

The system really felt that Xia Ge should be more thrilled: [Aren’t You Excited?  Or Pleased?]

……fine.  Despite not having any passion for liandan, Xia Ge might as well glance over her new settings.  Maybe it would actually be useful.

Xia Ge quietly opened the panel.

[Liandan Master

Level (Danmai): Huang

Proficiency: 1/10

Recognized Danfang: {Bigu Dan}

Danfang Store: Not Yet Opened

Dan Furnace: None

Dan Skill: Julingjue (Shanggu-Simple)]

Slightly more interested after reading the panel, Xia Ge was also puzzled: “I know there’s different levels of dan. Huang-level is not bad, and after becoming an inner disciple, Xuan-level is possible.  But what about Diji-level?  How am I supposed to reach Diji-level, when there are no records left?”

Talking was easy, but Xia Ge needed to eat.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was eating that well right now.

The system was teasing Xia Ge with images of big, flat pancakes to feast on, but it was nothing more than empty words.

System: [Simple!  See The Danfang Store?  When You Reach Xuan-Level, The Danfang Store Will Open.  And If You Complete The Side Quests In The Danfang Store, You Will Get Instructions For Liandan Above Xuan-Level!]

Xia Ge: “What?”

System: [What I Am Telling You Is That You Could Be The Only One In Danfang Capable Of Becoming A Celestial Dan Master!]

——Oh, that’s very awesome.  Too bad I’m still incredibly thirsty.

The system, sensing Xia Ge’s distinct lack of interest, racked its brains and finally came up with a devastatingly motivational sentence——

[If You Become A Celestial Dan Master, You Will Be The Most, Most, Most—Wealthy Person In The World!!!]

[Everyone Will Seek You Out, Begging You For Medicine, And They’ll All Be On Their Knees Calling You ‘Daddy!’  When That Time Comes, Each Of Your Dan Will Worth A Thousand Pieces Of Gold!  Doesn’t That Thought Thrill You?  Make You Super Excited?!

Xia Ge: “……”

The system sounded like it was advertising some trash game, like the kind that had a million gold coins bursting in the sky when you accidently clicked on it.

Although……Celestial Dan Master did have a certain ring to it.  If she really could reach that level, who’d be able to look down on her?  Fair enough, that thought was rather pleasant.

“Hey——Xia Wuyin?”

About to leave, Xia Ge heard the clear voice of a girl calling her name and asking: “You’re here to check the results too?”

The voice was a little too piercing, cause the split second ‘Xia Wuyin’ was uttered, there was an unnatural moment of silence.  The young man with the water gourd shot a disbelieving look at Xia Ge, like he was suddenly being confronted with an odd species.

Squeezing the wax paper in her hand, Xi Ge, who aimed for a low-profile yet honest life, once again found herself the focus of the crowds on Danfeng’s field.

“Him……is that……Xia Wuyin?”

“He refined the Sanshangjin dan, that boy is truly talented!”

“……”

“Xia Wuyin, over here!  I’m here!”

Xia Ge searched the sea of people with a blank face and finally recognized the person calling to her.  Making her way through the throng was Mao Qing and when she finally got to Xia Ge’s side with much huffing and puffing, she asked again: “You’re here to see your results?”

“Um……yes.”  Xia Ge hid her hand with the crumpled wax paper under a sleeve.

“Well, don’t bother trying to get a look,” Mao Qing wiped off her sweaty forehead, hurriedly saying: “I already checked for you!  Your name isn’t there.”

An astonished Xia Ge: “……what?!”

“I’m not lying to you, truly I’m not,” Mao Qing said, “I thought for sure you’d get first place……but I was wrong.  First place went to Huo Bai.  He refined the Chixue Bigu dan.”

“Though I do think it’s strange.”  Mao Qing wrinkled her nose in confusion, “Even if your Sanshangjin dan wasn’t first, it should still be at least in the top 3, but I read the whole list and your name wasn’t on there……”

Before Xia Ge could answer, someone else gave Mao Qing an apathetic explanation: “I checked the rules.  It’s because he blew up his furnace, that’s why he didn’t place.”

Turning her head, Xia Ge spotted Huo Bai.

He was wearing white clothes this time, but with wide, blue-green sleeves, and coordinating black boots. Hair tied back with a blue-green ribbon, a piece of white jade patterned with runes hung from his matching blue-green belt, his whole appearance now giving a more solemn and honorable impression than before.

“That’s why……but they’re just going to let him fall through the cracks?  He refined the Sanshangjin dan.”  Mao Qing stared incredulously at Xia Ge, while Xia Ge scratched her head, her mood indefinable.

Frustrated?  Dismayed?  Not really.  Eventually all Xia Ge could do was laugh and change the topic of conversation: “Huo Bai, your clothes look pretty good.”

Given her temperamental personality, Mao Qing’s attention was  successfully diverted to Huo Bai’s outfit: “Oh, Huo Bai, you do look nice.  Did you already know you’d placed first?”

His face sinking, Huo Bai was evidently not happy: “I wear what I want to wear.  I’m not some loose-tongued woman.”

“Who are you calling a loose-tongued woman?!”  Mao Qing, quickly angered, rolled up her sleeves and scolded: “I may be a loose-tongued woman, yet at least it’s better than being someone who likes candy but refuses to admit it!”

Huo Bai’s complexion paled and his expression was furious.  Realizing that the two were about to tear into each other, all because of insignificant topic of clothes, Xia Ge hastily tugged on both their sleeves, playing peacemaker: “Ai, ai, let’s talk like friends.  Noisy quarrels are boring.  Remember that harmony attracts wealth, harmony attracts wealth……”

“Humph.”  Mao Qing puffed out her cheeks, “So what if he placed first?  What’s so great about that?”

Huo Bai jeered: “Easy to say first place is nothing great……even though some stupid people could never get it, not even if they studied for a lifetime.”

Mao Qing glared with eyes open wide: “Who are you calling stupid?!”

Xia Ge really wanted to hit them both, but before she could intervene, a brightly loud voice rang out from the field’s northernmost platform——

“Silence!”

tn-at the end of an earlier chapter I said Xuan-level liandan was the highest.  Obviously, I was wrong, and I will repentantly stew in my wrongness.

Did Huo Bai dress up for Mao Qing?

呸 pēi    pah! / bah! / pooh! / to spit (in contempt)

脉mài    arteries and veins / vein (on a leaf, insect wing etc)

Or

脉[mài]名   arteries and veins; pulse; vein

脉[mò]副   affectionately; amorously; lovingly

丹方dānfāng       folk remedy     home remedy

和气生财[hé qi shēng cái]

Friendliness is conducive to business success; Amiability attracts riches; An even temper brings wealth; Good-naturedness is a source of wealth