CHAPTER

17

The Glistening Stone Hunt

I

“So, about Bao Yun…” Hao Zhen glanced at Tian Jin. They had just left Tian Jin’s house and were on their way to Duo Lan’s. “What do you think of her?”

Tian Jin gave a half-shrug. “She’s a nice senior sister, I guess,” he said. He inclined his head. “Why do you ask?”

So it was exactly as he had feared. Hao Zhen looked around, making sure there wasn’t anyone within earshot, before he ran a hand through his hair, trying to think of a good way to say this. “Look, I’m pretty sure she’s… interested in you.” He gave Tian Jin a pointed glance.

Tian Jin narrowed his eyes, his expression one of clear incomprehension. “What do you mean?”

Hao Zhen groaned. It seemed like trying to sugarcoat or dance around the subject wouldn’t work. “I believe Bao Yun is interested in you romantically,” he said, keeping his gaze fixed on Tian Jin’s face so as to fully capture his reaction.

Sure enough, Tian Jin’s expression went blank for a moment, and he almost missed a step, slightly faltering. Rather stiffly, Tian Jin fully turned toward him. “What are you talking about?”

Oh boy. So Tian Jin really had no idea. Hao Zhen had been hoping Tian Jin was simply feigning obliviousness because he wasn’t interested in being more than friends with Bao Yun or something along those lines. Unfortunately, Tian Jin really was the archetypal dense protagonist.

“I might be wrong, but as far as I can tell, Bao Yun doesn’t just want to be friends with you.” Of course, whether Bao Yun herself was aware of her own feelings was also up in the air. In cultivation novels featuring dense protagonists, this obliviousness often went both ways. “I believe she wants to be your…” What was the right word? “Girlfriend” didn’t feel right, given the setting. In fact, he wasn’t certain he had ever heard that word in his current life. “Partner,” however, felt too strong. Perhaps… “I think she’d like to be your lover.”

“But… But wasn’t yesterday your first time seeing her?” Tian Jin asked. “You were able to tell that just from that short meeting?”

Tian Jin was clearly flustered, but the blind denial Hao Zhen had been expecting didn’t come. That was good—it showed that he was at least somewhat receptive to the idea. Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as he had feared it’d be.

“Like I already said, I might be wrong,” Hao Zhen said, making it clear that he could be wrong in case he had completely misunderstood the situation. After all, he wasn’t some kind of expert on the subject. Still, he had been a high-school student before he transmigrated, and he wasn’t someone socially inept. Fluttering eyelashes, furtive glances, and ever-present blush—any of those three things on their own would be telling, but all three together? “But as far as I can tell, that’s the case.”

Bao Yun’s feelings weren’t what he was really concerned about, however. Instead, to Hao Zhen, what really mattered was what Tian Jin thought of the situation and whether Du Qing was also involved in this matter. A love triangle subplot was what he dreaded the most. “More importantly, however,” Hao Zhen said, “now that you know there’s a chance Bao Yun likes you, does that change the way you feel about her?’

“I…” Tian Jin trailed off. He pressed his lips together, his gaze growing distant. Finally, he shook his head. “I only see her as a senior sister.”

Hao Zhen breathed out in relief. Tian Jin seemed to have properly considered the situation before giving that answer, and even though the situation could change in the future, at least for the time being Tian Jin wasn’t romantically interested in Bao Yun, and that was great news.

Cultivation novel protagonists had a tendency to throw caution to the wind—not that they had much of it in the first place—in any situation that involved a love interest. So far, Hao Zhen had been able to keep Tian Jin from giving in to his recklessness by reasoning with him, but he didn’t think he’d be able to do the same thing if Tian Jin was under the influence of love.

With the matter of Tian Jin’s feeling settled, it was time to tackle the other vertex of the triangle.

“What about Du Qing?” Hao Zhen asked.

Tian Jin started, clearly confused about the sudden turn the conversation had taken. “What about him?”

“Do you think he’s interested in Bao Yun?” Now that Hao Zhen had confirmed that Tian Jin was the dense, oblivious type, he doubted Tian Jin would have been able to notice whether Du Qing had any feelings for Bao Yun, but he still decided to ask just in case.

“I… I don’t think so?” Tian Jin furrowed his brow. “I mean, I’m not sure.”

“Has he never told you to stay away from Bao Yun or something like that?” Hao Zhen tried. That’d be a pretty tell-tale sign.

“Not really,” Tian Jin said. “I think I already told you, but every time I meet Du Qing, Elder Bao was nearby, so he’s always cordial and friendly.”

Right. Hao Zhen vaguely remembered Tian Jin saying that back in Duo Lan’s place. Well, that certainly made things harder. He had been about to ask whether Tian Jin had seen Du Qing acting unusually close or touchy with Bao Yun, but considering Elder Bao was always around, that probably had never happened, either.

It seemed like this was a dead end, then.

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“But now that I think of it…” Tian Jin said, and Hao Zhen whirled toward him. “Du Qing glares at me whenever I talk with Bao Yun. He always stops whenever I look at him, though, so I wasn’t sure what to think of it before.”

“Hmmm. I see,” Hao Zhen said, nodding his head, inwardly relieved. He could work with that. It was a starting point, of sorts—an indication that Du Qing’s conflict with Tian Jin wasn’t just over Elder Bao. Of course, even if Du Qing was interested in Bao Yun, that didn’t necessarily mean he was interested in her person. There was a chance that what he was after was becoming Elder Bao’s son-in-law to increase his chances of becoming a legacy apprentice.

For the time being, Hao Zhen decided to assume Du Qing also considered Tian Jin a love rival, and act accordingly. In some ways, that made the situation more complicated, but in other ways, it gave Hao Zhen some avenues to explore. Du Qing’s desire to make Bao Yun his was something that could be exploited. Hao Zhen didn’t have any clear plans yet, but it was definitely something to keep in mind going forward.

Seeing that he wouldn’t be getting anything else out of this conversation, Hao Zhen changed the topic back to Tian Jin’s adventures in the Outer Court, and shortly afterward, they arrived at Duo Lan’s place.

II

As it turned out, Duo Lan was waiting for them right in front of her house, and upon seeing them, quickly motioned for them to follow her before heading inside. As far as Hao Zhen could tell, she didn’t look particularly worried, but she did appear somewhat anxious, if not hesitant. He exchanged a glance with Tian Jin, and they headed inside.

He didn’t think this was some kind of trap, but just in case, he started chanting the incantation of the Drifting Moonlight Method so that he’d be able to activate his spiritual skill at a moment’s notice. He also activated Spiritual Sight, just in case.

Without a word, Duo Lan led them to her living room, just like she had done yesterday. Nothing happened on their way there, and there didn’t seem to be anything off about the room.

“Sit down,” she said, motioning toward the couches. Once they were all sitting, Duo Lan looked at the two of them intently, though her focus appeared to be on Tian Jin. “I’ve got some news.” She paused, clearly hesitating, before continuing, “Have either of you heard about the Glistening Stone Hunt?”

Hao Zhen had never heard of it, but it appeared to be some kind of event. He allowed himself to relax a little. It looked like this wasn’t a trap, after all. “No,” he said, shaking his head. Tian Jin reacted the same way.

Duo Lan took in a deep breath. “The Glistening Stone Hunt happens every five years,” she explained. “All the outer, inner, and prime disciples of the sect are taken to the Glistening Stone Valley, where they must hunt monsters and gather magical herbs for a month. Afterward, the disciples participating are ranked according to how many magical beasts they’ve killed and magical plants they’ve collected, and receive rewards according to their ranking. They can also exchange magical herbs and body parts of monsters for contribution points.” She leaned forward. “This year, the top five outer disciples will each be given a Shimmering Light Pill, which contains enough spiritual energy for a second-level redsoul to advance to the third level.”

The Glistening Stone Valley… Hao Zhen remembered seeing it on the map of the area around the sect. It was a valley on the Blazing Light Mountains, the mountain range the sect was based in, and it was located right beside the sect.

Although he had never heard of the Glistening Stone Hunt, events like that were pretty common in cultivation novels, so he wasn’t surprised. Considering prime disciples would also be participating, this was likely what Bao Yun had been busy preparing herself for the previous night. Moreover, as Duo Lan had said, this was an opportunity.

If Duo Lan and Tian Jin could get their hands on Shimmering Light Pills, they’d be able to immediately advance to the third level of the Red Spiritual Realm and take the promotion exam to become inner disciples, which they’d surely pass. He was also interested in those pills himself.

At the same time, however, this wasn’t all good news, because depending on how the Glistening Stone Hunt was set up, there was a chance Du Qing would have far more chances to do something to them while they were in the valley, making the event a mixed bag of sorts. They’d have to be careful, but if things worked out…

“The Glistening Stone Hunt usually happens a month and a week before the Drifting Clouds Conference, an event organized by the Drifting Clouds Palace, which usually takes place in the last month of the year,” Duo Lan kept explaining. “This year, however, the Drifting Clouds Conference was brought forward to the sixth month so that it could coincide with the hundredth birthday of the palace leader of the Drifting Clouds Palace.”

Hao Zhen had never heard of the Drifting Clouds Conference before, but the Drifting Clouds Palace was familiar to him. The Blazing Light Mountains, the mountain range the Blazing Light Sect was based in, was located right next to Drifting Clouds City, and the organization controlling Drifting Clouds City was precisely the Drifting Clouds Palace, the palace leader doubling as the city lord.

Hao Zhen made a mental note to look into the conference later. If he knew anything about cultivation novels, then after the Glistening Stone Hunt, the next stop would be the Drifting Clouds Conference.

“Because the Drifting Clouds Conference was brought forward this year, the sect also decided to hold the Glistening Stone Hunt earlier this year, so it’ll be starting three days from now. The sect will be announcing the day before the start of the hunt.” Reaching that point, Duo Lan suddenly shifted slightly in her seat, her expression turning rather awkward, before she steeled her expression, looking firmly at Tian Jin. “The disciples participating in the hunt don’t have to, but they’re encouraged to form teams. I’d like to form a team with you, Tian Jin. Don’t take this the wrong way—I don’t need your help. But considering our situation, I think it’s better if we team up.” She then turned to Hao Zhen and added, almost as an afterthought, “And you, too, I guess, since you’re pretty smart.”

Hao Zhen studied Duo Lan, surprised. She didn’t seem like the sort that liked to team up, and given her reactions just now, he reckoned that she had decided to do so after a lot of deliberation. This was good—it showed she was willing to put her grudges and pride aside when the situation called for it. It seemed like there was even more depth to her than he had originally assumed. As for being treated as an afterthought, he didn’t particularly mind. He was satisfied that Duo Lan had even factored him in on her own.

There was, however, something off about the situation. As far as he could tell, the Glistening Stone Hunt was being kept a secret for now, something only the upper echelons were supposed to be privy to. Otherwise, Bao Yun would have probably told Tian Jin about it yesterday. There were already too many suspicious things about Duo Lan, so should he call her out on this?

Hao Zhen considered his options. Most likely, if he did ask her just how she knew about it, she’d probably come up with an excuse, just like she had done previous times. She’d also be more careful about slipping up in the future. On the other hand, if he pretended not to have noticed anything odd about the situation… there was a chance she’d let her guard down.

“I agree—we should definitely team up,” Hao Zhen said. Tian Jin similarly agreed to it, nodding his head.

Duo Lan then revealed that she had managed to get her hands on some material that could help them, including a jade slip with a map of the Glistening Stone Valley that had, marked on it, the locations certain monsters were known to live in and areas specific magical herbs could be found at. Together, they went through everything, making plans for the hunt.

Hao Zhen never voiced his suspicions, and Tian Jin, probably following his example, similarly remained quiet.