Bathed in the soft elegance of the moonlight, Qin Sang found himself momentarily dazed.
How can such a woman exist in the mortal world?
Even after witnessing the shifting tides of the world, she remained detached, as if she belonged in the Moon Palace, keeping company with an ever-burning lamp, untouched by worldly affairs.
Standing before her, Qin Sang inexplicably felt a sense of shame and unworthiness.
He was, after all, a man of this turbulent world.
Having seen the Luan transform from a wooden carving to a living being and back again, Qin Sang couldn’t help but suspect. Is this woman also one of Granny Jing’s creations, carved into existence?
But after seeing her in person, he wavered.
How profound would a puppet technique have to be to create someone this real, this perfect?
"It is me," the woman said softly, nodding in acknowledgment.
Even her voice had changed. Though still carrying a hint of detachment, it was not as distant as before. It was softer, yet tinged with a faint sense of cold solitude, much like the pale moonlight spilling over the silent night.
"Is it really you?" Qin Sang asked in astonishment. "Then... was your previous appearance just a disguise? Is this your true form?"
Granny Jing did not explain. Instead, she replied indifferently, "A body is nothing more than a shell. What difference is there between who I was and who I am now?"
Alright, I am but a vulgar man.
Qin Sang let out a bitter chuckle to himself. He did not pursue the matter further. At that moment, Granny Jing stepped out from beneath the jade pillar and looked up, her gaze fixed on the towering Zhitian Peak.
"Do you want to take a look outside your grandmaster’s cave dwelling?" she asked.
Qin Sang’s heart trembled at her words. He followed her gaze upward but could only see swirling clouds.
Before he could respond, his entire body suddenly tensed. Granny Jing had already taken him with her, soaring straight into the sky.
The wind whistled past his ears as Shaohua Mountain shrank rapidly beneath him.
In the blink of an eye, the clouds were within reach. The clouds were merely at the mountainside of Shaohua Mountain. Once they passed through it, a snow-covered peak came into view, its summit nearly piercing the boundless gales of the heavens.
From his vantage point, Qin Sang could barely make out a stone door embedded in the cliff face at the very peak.
Intricate runes were engraved upon the stone door, glowing with a mysterious light, none of which Qin Sang could comprehend.
The bitter wind howled, and snowflakes danced in the air, yet not a single flake could pass within ten zhang of the stone door.
"Is this enough?"
Granny Jing turned to glance at Qin Sang.
If I say it’s not, are you planning to push the door open?
Qin Sang forced a wry smile. For the first time, he realized just how fragile his heart was—it simply couldn’t handle this much turmoil. "It’s enough! It’s enough! I believe you, Senior!"
...
Chaotic Island Waters
Qin Sang sat dazed inside his cave dwelling, one hand grasping a bundle of fine spiritual threads, the other flipping the wooden carving Granny Jing had given him over and over again.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream—so unreal. He had traveled to the sect and back, caught a glimpse of the Spiritual Infant grandmaster's cave dwelling, and only now, sitting inside his own cave dwelling, did he fully process what had transpired.
The moment they returned to the Chaotic Island Waters, Granny Jing left, leaving him with only the Star Spirit Net and the wooden carving.
Before, Qin Sang had thought the carving was exquisitely lifelike, near perfection.
But after seeing the real person, he realized that it didn’t even come close.
Qin Sang’s thoughts churned endlessly, his mind circling around a single question.
Granny Jing... just how powerful is she?
Even someone as formidable as Snake Granny would never be able to move through Shaohua Mountain so freely, let alone evade the detection of Dong Yangbo.
The gap between the Foundation Building Realm and Golden Core Realm was already vast.
The gap between the Golden Core Realm and Spiritual Infant Realm must be like a bottomless chasm. There were many Core Formation cultivators in the Small Cold Domain, but how many Spiritual Infant powerhouses truly existed?
Is Granny Jing a hidden Spiritual Infant master, one who has concealed her identity all this time?
The thought sent a shiver down Qin Sang’s spine. His expression shifted unpredictably, unable to settle.
If he could establish a good relationship with a Spiritual Infant powerhouse, even without receiving any benefits, Qin Sang would be more than willing. Let alone the fact that Granny Jing had promised to help him obtain as many Elemental Star Stones as possible in exchange for the Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris Flower.
However, Qin Sang understood that by doing so, it had turned into a transaction. Once the deal was complete, they would owe each other nothing.
Building good karma was not so simple.
With his current cultivation, he held no value whatsoever to a master of Granny Jing’s level.
Her true nature was one of cold detachment, keeping others at a distance. The old woman at Wenyue Market had merely been a disguise—a facade for her to wander the mortal world.
As for why Granny Jing had chosen to seclude herself in Wenyue Market, Qin Sang did not dare to ask further.
"Zhitian Peak..."
Qin Sang glanced toward the southeast, then put away his distracting thoughts and entered a state of meditation.
...
Once again, he was awakened by the flickering of his command token.