◎ An Eye for an Eye—See You Tonight, Senior Brother ◎
Clearwater Sect, Inner Sect canteen.
Situated near Cave Residences #1500–#2500, it was a popular spot for low to mid-level disciples.
At that moment, the director-slash-makeup-artist-slash-playwright-slash-background-actor Lin Shuang, along with co-writer and male lead Huangfu Yuan, descended on swords at the canteen entrance.
The moment Huangfu Yuan appeared, all eyes on the first floor turned to him.
And no wonder—his gold chain was enormous, blinding, and long enough to drag down the dignity of the fox-fur collar he wore.
It dangled heavily from his neck, glittering beneath the snowy-red fur, nearly blinding onlookers.
Combined with his pale, coughing face and unstable core, it was like the words “Come rob me now—act fast!” were written across his face.
Lin Shuang was beyond satisfied.
Behind her were the second male lead Bai Yu, and supporting actor Meng Zi.
Bai Yu had a third-rank treasured blade at his waist, its heavy golden chain clinking as he walked, announcing his presence with arrogant flair.
Pair that with his wobbly steps and exhausted dark circles—he practically screamed “If you don’t rob me, you’re not human.”
Lin Shuang beamed.
As the drama’s chief director, she felt the mission progress bar jump by a large chunk.
Inspired by yesterday’s villainous dog from the Li family village in Zhenchuan, today’s script was a classic scumbag tale: “I extort one last gift from the stand-in rich guy, then abandon him after meeting my true love.”
“Senior Brother Huangfu, you have to treat us today! If there’s no 500-spirit-stone purple goldfish, I won’t let it go!”
Scumbag Meng Zi burst into the canteen, laughing heartily as he extorted the rich stand-in, Huangfu Yuan.
His delivery was flawless.
His greedy gaze clung longingly to that glittering chain on Huangfu Yuan’s chest.
“Senior Brother Huangfu, you came with me to Zhenchuan, broke through to Foundation Establishment, reached the two-thousandth level, obtained a third-rank treasure cauldron, and even found a fragment of an ancient formation manual!”
Director Lin Shuang nodded along from the side.
Breakthrough, treasure, cultivation manual—three high-frequency theft triggers, boom-boom-boom!
Lin Shuang feigned curiosity as she scanned the canteen.
Her spiritual sense activated, recording the appearance of every disciple and servant boy who glanced their way.
As someone unfamiliar with the Inner Sect, her gawking was perfectly in character.
The canteen was a two-story wooden structure in a wild-goose layout.
The first floor had four sets of double doors, wide open.
Each dining table was fitted with a square spirit-measuring stone—spirit meals were billed by their spiritual energy content.
Spirit fish, spirit chicken, spiritual vegetarian dishes… after eating, disciples could check if their spiritual power had increased.
It was Clearwater Sect’s way of warning against gluttony.
Today, there weren’t many diners—most were recovering from injuries sustained in Zhenchuan.
“Four orders for Zhenchuan! Hurry! The stewed spirit pigeon better have wings!”
“Three spirit-egg fried rice! Quick, quick! Zhenchuan disciples are rushing me!”
“My delivery window’s closing! Can I cut in line to get my dishes first?”
Several servant boys waited in line—some anxious, some unhurried.
They all wore muted robes with yellow waistbands (the canteen’s mark), carrying multi-tiered food baskets in both hands.
Clearly, many disciples had ordered delivery from Zhenchuan.
Few disciples in the hall, yet the servant boys were still busy.
One boy in dark robes and a green belt approached once Lin Shuang settled in.
He politely handed them the day’s menu.
“Honored Senior Brothers and Sister, what spirit meals would you like? Today’s spirit fish and fried rice are discounted—special for Zhenchuan returnees.”
The boy wore twin buns on his head, looking no older than fourteen or fifteen. His pale face and dimples made him adorably sweet.
Meng Zi’s eyes lit up. He began pointing eagerly at the menu.
Lin Shuang twitched and kicked him under the table.
Startled, he remembered—damn, the discount had made him forget his lines!
And the servant boy—he was here!
“Ahem.”
Meng Zi slapped the menu. “We’ll take them all! Anyway, Senior Brother Huangfu is treating us.”
Huangfu Yuan, a.k.a. Mr. Golden Chain: “……”
Lin Shuang: “……”
That wasn’t even in the script.
Now he’s improvising.
Still, with such tycoon-level lines, Huangfu Yuan was leaking fat like a lamb on a spit.
The servant boy blinked. “Right away, Senior Brother.”
After taking the order, he turned to leave.
Meng Zi’s eyelid twitched. He quickly shouted, “Xiaobai! You came out of Zhenchuan too? Made quite the haul, didn’t you? At Foundation Stage Five and hitting level 4500—must’ve been exhausting!”
Exhaustion after missions, Foundation Stage Five, significant gains—all crawler-sensitive keywords.
The servant boy, mid-step, clearly paused and glanced back in interest.
Lin Shuang was inwardly pleased. She looked toward Fat Lamb #2—Bai Yu.
“Um…” Bai Yu’s fair cheeks turned pink. Her gaze made him flustered. “Yesterday, I obtained a third-rank Melting Heaven Sword, but I was drained… I had to rest today.”
“A third-rank Melting Heaven Sword!”
Meng Zi gasped, eyes glowing. “That’s worth at least 120,000 spirit stones!”
His shout echoed across the entire canteen.
In a flash, every dining disciple, every delivery boy, everyone turned their eyes to Bai Yu’s clinking, gleaming waist.
Envy, jealousy, awe.
Bai Yu blushed even harder, lashes trembling. When he raised his gaze, he found Director Lin Shuang looking at him expectantly.
His cue.
Panicking, he looked away toward Huangfu Yuan. “Compared to Senior Brother Huangfu, I’m nothing! Despite his frailty, he reached level two thousand just upon entering Foundation Stage!”
His voice rose with conviction. Initially nervous, he turned confident when he saw Huangfu Yuan’s serene, elegant expression—the perfect embodiment of frail but rich and mighty.
“Decent,” Huangfu Yuan said with a soft smile, setting down his teacup. His striking face gleamed like his chain. “The spirit tea in this canteen… is trash.”
Then he coughed again, and a faint trace of blood appeared at his lips.
Lin Shuang was stunned.
Talk about natural acting.
“Nothing much,” she added as the background actress. “We also just got an ancient formation manual. If not for Senior Brothers Huangfu and Meng guiding me, I wouldn’t have made it. Let me toast you!”
She stood up. “May you reach greater heights in Zhenchuan and find more treasures. Take me with you next time!”
Meng Zi twitched. Bai Yu blushed. Huangfu Yuan’s expression grew complicated.
“Oh, right—Senior Brother, when are you selling the ancient formation?” Lin Shuang winked.
“Tomorrow,” Huangfu Yuan replied. “Relax. Once it’s sold, two-thirds of the profit is yours.”
Lin Shuang nodded.
The theft’s time was set—tonight.
If the thief didn’t show, the treasure would be gone tomorrow.
Let’s see if they’d take the bait.
They couldn’t wait forever.
There were other teams investigating the thefts in the Inner Sect.
The longer it dragged on, the more alert the thief would become.
To complete the trial and catch the culprit, time was short.
“Thank you for the meal, Senior Brother. I’ve got internal injuries—heading back to my cave to rest.”
After dinner, Bai Yu stood up and staggered dramatically.
Meng Zi leapt up—just as the script required—and helped him.
“I’ll escort him. Senior Brother Huangfu, I won’t return to Cave 1700 tonight. I’m going with Xiaobai to Cave 730 to reminisce—it’s his last year there.”
“Don’t forget! Don’t wait for me. I’m not returning to 1700 tonight.”
Both cave locations—clearly given.
Two weak, exhausted lambs. One at each cave. Let’s see if the thief could resist.
This was Lin Shuang’s specialty: double bait.
She smiled. “Got it, Senior Brother. I’ll be returning to the Outer Sect too.”
“You’re off to 730? What a pity. That leaves Senior Brother Huangfu alone at 1700. You won’t get lonely, will you?”
“…Junior Sister worries too much.”
Huangfu Yuan’s eye twitched.
Enough. Mentioning the cave locations this many times—it was getting suspicious.
Lin Shuang agreed. Time to wrap.
She waved down the earlier server boy.
“These two are badly injured and need rest. Could you pack the leftovers and deliver them?”
“To 1700 and 730. In case they get hungry later.”
Huangfu Yuan: “……”
Meng Zi: “……”
Bai Yu’s lashes fluttered.
Lesson repeated three times. Even the dumbest thief knew the caves by now.
Classic Lin Shuang.
“Of course, Senior Sister!”
The rosy-cheeked server boy nodded.
He was only at Qi Condensation Stage Five, with the worst kind of mixed spiritual roots.
Trained in the Sect’s youth academy, he’d never progress past this stage.
So he remained respectful—even toward Lin Shuang.
“I’ll deliver in about one incense stick’s time. Is that okay?”
Lin Shuang checked the sky.
In an incense stick’s time, it would be fully dark.
She nodded. “Perfect. Thank you.”
Scumbag Meng Zi and White Moonlight Bai Yu left together, abandoning stand-in Huangfu Yuan and Lin Shuang.
On one side: a Foundation Stage Four and a Stage Five.
On the other: a weak Qi Condensation and a sickly new Foundation Stage One.
Would the thief take the bait? And which lamb would they choose?
Lin Shuang glanced at Huangfu Yuan’s pale lips and veiny hands.
Her odds looked pretty good.
“Shall I escort you, Senior Brother Huangfu? I can push you if you sit.”
“…That won’t be necessary.”
—
Halfway through their flight over the Inner Sect—
Their old shabby cave residence came into view.
Suddenly, Meng Zi froze in midair.
He held his head, face twisted.
“Crap.”
Xiaobai turned alert. “We’re being followed?”
“No, I messed up.”
“…?”
“I instinctively followed the fattest lamb.”
Xiaobai: “???”
“Your ten-thousand-spirit-stone blade… it pulled me in. I couldn’t resist and just… came with you.”
Only now did Meng Zi realize—
Between him and Xiaobai: Foundation Stage Four and Five.
Between Lin Shuang and Huangfu Yuan: Qi Condensation and early Foundation.
He should’ve gone with Huangfu Yuan. Lin Shuang should’ve followed Xiaobai.
That would’ve balanced combat power—just in case the thief was stronger.
Xiaobai’s face turned complicated.
Combat power…
Meng Zi, now regretful, looked over. “Xiaobai, you’re usually sharp. You read the script and said nothing. You should’ve noticed this imbalance.”
Noticed what? That his master could annihilate them with one hand?
“Xiaobai… are you still afraid of Lin Shuang?”
Xiaobai’s white hair trembled.
“You’ve been uneasy all day. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Meng Zi shook his head.
“Even though I was blinded by the glow of your treasure blade… I remember now. Xiaobai, Lin Shuang already told me everything—”
“What?”
Xiaobai panicked.
“She told you… that I ran away because her thirteen dantian cultivations scared me?”
Meng Zi’s eyes lit with wisdom—then went blank.
“W–what?!”
How many dantians?
Thirteen?
Wait, wait!
His spiritual footing vanished, and he almost plummeted from the sky.
“Xiaobai… say that again—how many dantians?!”
Xiaobai’s face changed. “Senior Brother Meng, are you tricking me?”
Lin Shuang never told him.
But Meng Zi’s gaze turned distant.
“You’ve been in the Inner Sect nine years…”
Thirteen dantians… since nine years ago…
And still stuck at Qi Condensation Stage Three?
Meng Zi slowly turned his head and reached out to grasp the treasured sword at Xiaobai’s waist. His lips moved soundlessly.
The words that had left him fuming the entire previous night suddenly echoed in his ears…
“Senior Brother, just treat me as ninety-seven triplet sisters at Qi Condensation Stage Three—living symbiotically…”
Meng Zi looked down and covered his face with both hands, the calluses on his fingers scraping hard against his brow.
It was true.
She hadn’t been joking.
She really meant it!
“Holy sh—!”
“Xiaobai! You kept this from me for nine whole years!!”
Bai Yu flinched.
After a moment, he lowered his head, looking despondent.
“…Senior Brother, I did it for your own good.”
“???”
“The Bai Yu who once shared a room with Lin Shuang in the Outer Sect is dead. I am now Bai Yu…”1
He turned away, cheeks flushed red.
Yu—as in, the “feather” that flies early, leaving behind the slow flock.
Meng Zi: “…”
‘The Early Bird Cultivation Chronicles’!
—Junior Sister, have you learned it?
Meng Zi inhaled deeply. He understood now. He understood everything.
That’s how Xiaobai had been scared off.
Day after day, failing to progress. Day after day, watching her operate thirteen dantians in sync…
The despair must have been unbearable.
“Senior Brother Meng, I ask only one thing. Please don’t tell Lin Shuang that I’m the same person who used to live with her—and ran away.”
“??”
Bai Yu bowed his head. A flicker of pain flashed in his eyes.
“That mountain… it was right before me.”
“But I backed away.”
Fastest learning. Never taking the long route.
He hadn’t succeeded. He’d run away.
He didn’t have the face to see her again.
Not unless he reached Spirit Refinement. Demons had a thousand-year lifespan.
He would need a long time to catch up to her…
Sigh.
Bai Yu thought of the new little Junior Sister now trailing Lin Shuang.
Round face. Weak cultivation. But in her eyes, that same determined glow.
She had stayed.
But he had run.
“…Sigh. Humans and demons walk different paths.”
“…!”
Xiaobai—was that a marriage reference?!
What?!
Meng Zi was devastated. “I never know what’s going on in your demon brain!”
Cave Residence #1700
“Cough—”
Huangfu Yuan had just entered when his throat itched, and he let out a soft cough.
Someone… cursing demons?
Who dared?
He furrowed his brow slightly, halting mid-step. Hidden within the folds of his silken robe, his right hand slowly opened, the joints cracking quietly.
A wave of hot air stirred behind him, interrupting his thoughts.
“Senior Brother Huangfu, pick a spot to play dead—”
“???”
“Mm… I mean, to enter meditation.”
“……”
Lin Shuang floated in right behind him.
Huangfu Yuan chuckled lightly. “Anything is fine. What does Junior Sister think?”
Lin Shuang glanced around, quickly settling on a spot. “Let’s use the room you stayed in last night. The window next to the bed—open it at midnight, leap down the slope, and the spiritual fluctuations will vanish into the moonlight and mist from the spring. Even high-stage cultivators won’t sense it.”
In his sleeve, Huangfu Yuan’s long fingers clenched with a snap.
“Heh… Junior Sister is observant.”
He hadn’t stepped out last night, but tonight, he had planned to visit Bai Yu’s clan.
The discoveries at Li Family Village in Zhenchuan were worth sharing. With that knowledge, all the clans would have a much better chance at clearing the upper levels of Zhenchuan.
There was a Blood-Slaughter Formation at level 1000—surely more clues awaited higher up.
“And you, Junior Sister? Didn’t you say you were returning to the Outer Sect?” His phoenix eyes glinted.
“Yes.”
Lin Shuang immediately turned to the door.
Huangfu Yuan’s face relaxed. Good. He wasn’t ready to confront her yet.
He wasn’t as foolish as Meng Zi.
Her peak cultivation was at least Foundation Stage Four.
To subdue her quickly, he’d have to release the aura of his three-tailed demon form—that would expose everything.
If she left on her own, that would be ideal.
He smiled faintly and picked up his teacup.
Not long after, Lin Shuang pulled out a small straw doll from her storage pouch—pasted with several yellow talisman papers.
Huangfu Yuan’s eyelid twitched.
In the blink of an eye, the straw doll was tossed to the floor and transformed into another “Lin Shuang,” who walked out from the room.
Talisman Beast No. 12, Xiao Ai’s spare unit, was affixed to her.
At once, the “Lin Shuang” spoke in a voice identical to the real one:
“Senior Brother, I’m heading back to the Outer Sect!”
With that, she bounced away cheerfully, hopping down the stone path that led down the mountain.
The cave residence door closed from the inside.
Huangfu Yuan slowly turned his head—only to find the real Lin Shuang now seated calmly at the tea table, smiling as she sipped her tea!
“You didn’t just steal Dao Dong’s array technique, you copied the puppet talismans from the Li Family Village too?”
Huangfu Yuan closed his eyes.
“Senior Brother, how could you call it stealing? They brought it right to my face and forced me to memorize it.”
“…”
“But the puppet technique requires both an artifact refiner and a talisman master to create. This one here? Touch water and it melts.”
“…”
Huangfu Yuan’s lips twitched uncontrollably.
From his sleeve, a golden puppet figure shot out, heading straight for her face.
Lin Shuang calmly caught it mid-sip.
“Hmm? A first-grade gold puppet?”
Huangfu Yuan rose and walked into the room. “Useless in battle.”
“But… at least it won’t… melt in the rain.”
As he spoke, the paper puppet on the floor dissolved into a soggy pulp.
Just thinking about it killed his appetite.
Human cultivators were crafty—always coming up with new ways to disgust demons.
But as he reached his bedroom door, Lin Shuang’s hand wedged into the closing gap, stopping it.
Huangfu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
“Senior Brother, what’s the market value of this first-grade puppet?”
“A mere ten thousand spirit stones. Worthless to me. No need to trouble yourself over it.” He turned, ready to shut the door.
But it didn’t budge.
Lin Shuang hadn’t let go.
She looked down, calculating, “Ten thousand spirit stones… If I work diligently, I’d earn that in at least three incense sticks’ time.”
Huangfu Yuan frowned—so?
Lin Shuang glanced seriously into his room. Though simply arranged, its decor carried understated luxury.
Her old granny dean had once said: never take another’s kindness for granted—especially when you’re barely acquaintances.
If you treat someone’s goodwill lightly, they’ll eventually treat you the same way.
“You’ve gifted me three incense sticks’ worth of time. Such a precious offering… I can only repay it with three incense sticks of my own.”
“??”
Lin Shuang’s bright eyes shimmered.
“Senior Brother, at midnight tonight, odds are the thief will target your bedside first.”
“I’ve decided to stay by your side and protect you for the full duration—three incense sticks’ worth.”
“Tonight, you’ll have ninety-seven Lin Shuang at your command.”
“…!”
Midnight.
Night deepened.
Huangfu Yuan lay in bed, his phoenix eyes wide open despite his exhaustion.
He was, after all, famously frail—like a house with drafty windows. No matter how he cultivated, it all leaked out. In and out. Useless.
So tonight, he hadn’t even bothered meditating. Just went straight to bed.
Yet here he was, lying on a silk pillow, eyes the clearest they’d ever been—staring at the beautiful woman lounging at the foot of his bed, novel in hand, reclining beneath the ink-dark canopy.
Huangfu Yuan inhaled deeply.
“Am I disturbing you, Senior Brother? Would you like me to stick a one-way mirror talisman on myself?”
Lin Shuang straightened her neck and looked at him with concern.
“That way, you wouldn’t see me. You could pretend I don’t exist.”
Huangfu Yuan closed his eyes. “Junior Sister, perhaps… you could return the first-grade puppet to me?”
“…”
Lin Shuang wasn’t the type to cling to someone else’s valuables.
But she had coveted that puppet for, oh, about ten years now.
Heaven knew how tempting puppets were to her—more so than ten years of exam exemption.
But this kind of puppet? It wasn’t something you could just buy with spirit stones.
She’d never seen one before Zhenchuan. That said enough about its rarity.
Her paper clones melted in water. She couldn’t use them for chores, assignments, or missions in the Outer Sect.
That puppet… oh, it could save her from so many tedious tasks, liberate her as a hardworking student!
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that three incense sticks weren’t enough to repay such a great debt.
“Senior Brother… is that really how you see me? As someone so unreasonable?”
“If you want it back, I wouldn’t refuse.”
She lifted her chin. The faint candlelight glowed through the gauzy curtains, casting a pearlescent hue across her snowy skin.
Huangfu Yuan opened his phoenix eyes, silent.
Lin Shuang chuckled softly. “If we miss tonight, our mission is likely to fail.”
“You’ve thought of it too, haven’t you? By tomorrow, the other investigative teams will surely alert the thief.”
“If the canteen servant boy is the problem, then what about other places? Many Inner Sect disciples employ servant boys—our information might already be compromised.”
“And if a thief does come tonight and we fail to catch him, he’ll vanish for good. We’d scare him off.”
Tonight had to succeed.
Lin Shuang sighed.
Otherwise, all her hard work today would be for nothing—and just thinking about that was enough to give her chest pains.
“Cultivators aren’t meant to be nitpicky.”
“Staying together increases our odds.”
Huangfu Yuan remained silent.
After a moment, his brow twitched, and his voice came out hoarse.
“If the thief enters and sees the two of us together, he’ll realize something’s wrong and flee.”
Lin Shuang’s breath caught.
“Senior Brother, are you saying…”
“…that I should hide under your blanket?”
Her voice was crystal clear in the quiet of night. So quiet, Huangfu Yuan could hear every faint breath.
Author’s Note:
“Zhao Sect Master’s Notes, Entry 35:”
While training… our dear Senior Sister is also solving lifelong matters of the heart.
—One hundred years later, this page will be discreetly torn out.
—Zhao Keran: ……
See you tomorrow~ mwa mwa mwa!
.
- The name “Bai Yu” used to mean “white jade” (白玉), a name connoting purity and value. Here, Bai Yu rebrands himself as “white feather” (白羽). This directly references The Early Bird Cultivation by Lin Shuang. ↩︎