WBICDPH Chapter 42 Part 1

Chapter 42: Light at the End of the Tunnel

After being taught a painful lesson about “never trusting strangers” by a mysterious little black butterfly of unknown origin, Lin Jin spent the terrifying free fall replaying his very short life in his head. He hadn’t even finished reminiscing when—just before he could become the first cultivator in history to die by being smashed flat against the ground—a formless, invisible force caught him for a brief moment.

That force slowed his descent considerably. Unfortunately, once it dissipated, Lin Jin still ended up face-planting into the ground.

By the time he finally hit, the drop wasn’t especially high anymore, and he landed on a stretch of soft grass. Even so, his body was far too fragile. The impact left him stunned for quite a while. He lay there for a long time before finally managing to push himself up with great effort, one hand bracing his aching lower back.

Every bone in his body felt like it had been knocked loose. Rubbing his arms and legs, Lin Jin finally had the presence of mind to look around.

He had never known there was a cliff behind the rainforest at Nanqian Sect.

Still less had he known that at the bottom of that cliff lay a lush, verdant bamboo grove.

The spiritual energy here was extraordinarily dense, the air fresh and pleasant. Wisps of white spiritual mist drifted through the forest, thick enough to reach his waist.

Unable to resist, Lin Jin reached out and grasped at the flowing mist. It felt like soft silk gauze slipping through his fingers—smooth and delicate.

What an incredible place.

As Lin Jin scanned his surroundings in confusion, he suddenly noticed a figure sitting not far ahead.

The person’s shape was obscured by the mist, hard to make out clearly.

Lin Jin was still anxious to find the Red Silk Mountain Chicken and return to Nanqian Sect as soon as possible. Seeing someone here, he decided to go over and ask for directions. He brushed aside the mist and walked toward the figure—only to be mildly surprised when he got close enough to see who it was.

The man was sprawled lazily on a bamboo lounge chair. His long hair lay loose, blending with his dark, wide-sleeved robes as they draped over the edge of the chair and disappeared into the hazy white mist.

Zhe Yu?

What was he doing here?

The question had barely crossed Lin Jin’s mind before he answered it himself—

Slacking off, obviously. What else?

There wasn’t much written about Zhe Yu in the original novel. From those scant descriptions, he was a fiercely competitive junior disciple who had gone so far as to kill his own senior brother out of jealousy to secure his current position. He was also an utterly incompetent sect leader, infamous for neglecting his duties and wandering around Yanyu Mountain like an NPC who randomly spawned in different locations each day.

And now, Lin Jin had just “run into” him.

To be honest, Lin Jin was rather envious of Zhe Yu’s mental state and lifestyle. After their previous meeting, his impression of Zhe Yu had been fairly positive—certainly not as awful as the novel made him out to be. So, unlike most people, Lin Jin didn’t instinctively keep his distance.

Since they had happened to meet, Lin Jin stepped forward openly and gave him a proper salute.

“Greetings, Sect Leader.”

“Hm?” Zhe Yu glanced sideways at him, the corner of his lips curling slightly.
“So it’s you, kid.”

As he spoke, he gestured toward the empty seat across from a small table.
“Have a seat.”

Lin Jin hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down.

Earlier, he had wondered why Zhe Yu would sit alone in a place like this—after all, aside from bamboo, there wasn’t much to look at. But once seated, Lin Jin realized that Zhe Yu seemed to be watching a spring.

The bamboo grove was actually a sunken basin. Beside it stood a low, cliff-like hill, from which a massive rock jutted out. Clear water trickled along the surface of the rock, gathering at its edge before forming a droplet that fell with a soft drip into the clear pool below.

Years of dripping had worn a shallow groove into the stone’s edge—something Lin Jin could see clearly.

Only then did he realize that this was a spiritual spring. The dense spiritual energy and moist white mist filling the bamboo grove all originated from this small pool before them.

Still, even if it was a spiritual spring, what was so interesting about watching it? What exactly was Zhe Yu looking at? The falling droplets? Water wearing through stone?

Wasn’t this unbearably dull?

“This spring is called Diandi—‘Drop by Drop.’ What do you think?” Zhe Yu suddenly asked.

Startled out of his thoughts, Lin Jin replied stiffly,
“Uh… it fits the scene, I suppose.”

Zhe Yu chuckled softly and didn’t press him further. Instead, he asked,
“Do you drink?”

“Yes,” Lin Jin nodded.

Before long, a delicate white jade wine cup appeared in his hand.

He took a small sip. The wine tasted lightly sweet at first, but finished with a faint bitterness—an unexpectedly intriguing flavor.

“By the way,” Zhe Yu said, “how did you end up here? People know I frequent this place, and they usually avoid this bamboo grove entirely.”

“Huh? Did I disturb you, Sect Leader?”

“No. It’s refreshing, actually, to have someone come by now and then—to drink and talk.”

“Oh… I kind of fell here by accident. I was searching the woods behind Nanqian Sect for the Red Silk Mountain Chicken my master lost. I didn’t find the chicken, but I ran into a black butterfly instead. That thing had a rotten heart. I thought it was leading me out, but it lured me to the edge of a cliff. I slipped and fell—and ended up here, running into you.”

“I see.”

When Lin Jin mentioned the “rotten” butterfly, Zhe Yu smiled faintly to himself, which Lin Jin couldn’t see. He quickly concealed it and asked instead,

“I read the Tier-Three task you completed. The elders in the Mission Hall were full of praise for you. A kid fought over by Elders Moyuzi and Liuxun—your talent really is exceptional.”

You read it too…?

Lin Jin felt a little guilty. He quietly drank his wine, then couldn’t help saying,
“I’m not that exceptional. That’s about all I can do.”

“Oh?” Zhe Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Why do you say that?”