Chapter 74: Bats Way of Making Friends
It was another self-study period. Nora lay sprawled across her desk, clearly distracted. Every now and then, she would secretly glance over her shoulder. As handsome as Yu Xian already was, she still found herself wondering what he would look like in the future.
Yu Xian was stared at for so long that his scalp began to tingle. He finally asked, "Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something on my face?"
Nora shook her head without saying a word. Then she turned away and rested her head on her desk.
Yu Xian blinked. Having no idea what was going on, he could only look toward Chen Ling for help, silently sending a message with his eyes. Your Majesty, please use your invincible gossip energy to save me! [1]
Receiving the distress signal loud and clear, Chen Ling blinked. "Salted Fish, are you never going to grow up again?"
Yu Xian's eyes widened. He looked at Chen Ling with gratitude. At last, he understood why Nora had been acting moody. He had known for a long time that he would no longer grow physically, but that Nora would. Apparently, however, Nora had realized it only this morning, and that was making her feel down.
Raising his voice just a little, Yu Xian answered Chen Ling, "Theoretically, no. I probably won't grow any further. But... in the future, I should be able to adjust my appearance however I want. If I want to look a certain age, I can simply make myself look that age."
Nora couldn't help turning around to ask in a small voice, "With a mystic art?"
Yu Xian shook his head. "Not a mystic art. The ability itself is confidential, so I can't explain the details. But it's a genuine physical transformation. Not an illusion, not a temporary mystic art. It permanently changes my appearance."
He was referring to the Pangu Transmutation. Pangu's Divine Arts were all classified secrets, so he couldn't reveal any specific details. That said, brushing up against the edges of confidentiality was still acceptable. After all, whenever someone used one of these Divine Arts in public, it wasn't as if they could kill every witness afterward.
In theory, Pangu Transmutation could permanently alter the user's physique. If he pictured what he would look like as an adult, he could use the Divine Art to reshape himself accordingly. In effect, he could choose whatever age he wanted to appear. Moreover, each transformation was permanent unless he chose to use the Divine Art again and make further adjustments.
Nora asked, "So, does that mean you could turn yourself into a grandpa?"
Her thought process was unlike that of an ordinary human. As she imagined what an elderly Yu Xian would look like, her eyes sparkled.
Resting his cheek on one hand, Yu Xian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Maybe."
Chen Ling gave him a meaningful wink. "Salted Fish, can you do me a favor?"
Yu Xian immediately made a go-ahead gesture. The debt collector has arrived.
Chen Ling reached into her backpack and pulled out a slightly worn old book. "I picked up a cultivation manual from Antique Street. I took it to several appraisal agencies, and every appraiser said it was authentic. Can you help me figure out whether it's the real thing?"
Yu Xian took the book and flipped through a couple of pages, but the contents made absolutely no sense to him. After getting Chen Ling’s permission, he pulled out his phone, snapped a few photos, and posted them directly to the discussion boards on the Qilin app.
A reply came only moments later. The manual was genuine, but it was also about as common as dirt. It was called the Primordial Breath Cultivation Manual. Although it placed almost no demands on a cultivator's talent, its cultivation speed was unbelievably slow. In other words, it was the sort of technique even an ordinary person could practice.
After scanning the book and confirming that no pages were missing, Yu Xian handed it back. "The manual is authentic, but for an ordinary person, cultivating it for a lifetime would probably only improve health and extend longevity. Unless someone is an absolute genius, becoming a cultivator through this manual alone is basically impossible."
Chen Ling looked disappointed for a moment. Then curiosity got the better of her. "What if vampires cultivated it?"
Yu Xian immediately shook his head, making it clear that he had absolutely no interest. He already possessed the Pangu bloodline and a vampire bloodline. If he went and threw a cultivation technique into the mix, he’d turn into some kind of bizarre, cross-genre freak of nature. It's terrifying just to think about it. I feel like I may literally explode.
Chen Ling turned to Nora. "Nora, why don't you give it a try?
Nora hesitated. "Can vampires even cultivate?"
The moment he noticed Nora instinctively turning toward him, Yu Xian quickly said, "Don't look at me. I have no idea."
He genuinely didn't know whether vampires could cultivate. However, after saying that, he became worried that Nora would try something reckless. So, he quickly opened the Qilin app and asked his fellow members for information.
A response soon arrived from a member codenamed Bat.
Bat: Vampires can indeed cultivate. However, most vampires are compatible with only yin-aligned cultivation methods that circulate qi through the Ren Meridian. Yang-aligned cultivation methods, such as the Blazing Fire Divine Art and the Nine Yang Scripture, are harmful to vampires.[2]
Bat: That said, I've always had a theory. Marcus's daughter, Nora, might be well-suited for cultivating such techniques. As it happens, I possess a manual called Sunward Sunflower Divine Art. If she's interested, I'd be willing to pass it on to her.
Yu Xian thought about it for a moment.
Salted Fish: Thanks. I'll ask her.
This Bat clearly knew who he was. Coincidentally, Yu Xian also knew who Bat was. He was the very same vampire Nora had mentioned before, the wild vampire who had escaped persecution by the Blood Race after joining Qilin. In a sense, the two of them were the only members of their kind within the organization.
Yu Xian turned to Nora. "Nora, do you know Bat?"
A question mark practically appeared above Nora's head. She set the Primordial Breath Cultivation Manual down on the desk. "Who's Bat?"
Yu Xian explained, "Do you remember telling me before about a wild vampire who avoided the Blood Race's hunt by joining Qilin? Bat is that vampire."
A look of sudden realization flashed across Nora's face. "Oh, him."
However, she shook her head. "No, I don't know him."
Yu Xian was confused. "Then why is he asking me to give you a cultivation manual?"
Instead of wasting his time guessing, he decided just to text the person. The reply came back remarkably straightforward.
Bat: Because of curiosity. I'm a researcher specializing in the development and study of cultivation techniques. Both you and Nora are exceptionally rare individuals.
Salted Fish: Then why not approach me directly?
Bat: You're too unstable. I've never heard of a vampire rising from Insect rank to Sparrow rank in just a few dozen days. While the Blood of Pangu certainly played a role, I don't believe it's wise to introduce additional variables into your situation. Nora's condition is clearly far more stable than yours. And stability means safety.
Although Bat phrased it diplomatically, Yu Xian immediately understood. In simple terms, Bat viewed him as a bomb that could explode at any moment and wasn't eager to conduct further experiments on him. Bat had instead set his sights on Nora. By using Yu Xian as the intermediary, he could gain access to Nora and carry out his research.
The more Yu Xian thought about it, the more his eyes narrowed.
Salted Fish: The cultivation manual Chen Ling found, was that from you?
Bat: Correct. Consider it a gift. I hope you liked it.
Yu Xian stared at the screen for a moment before typing back.
Salted Fish: I'm a pretty straightforward person, so I'll be blunt. I don't like the way you do things. If you ever try to manipulate my friends again, I'll find you and beat you up.
He had already found the entire situation suspicious. Even if the Primordial Breath Cultivation Manual was a dime a dozen, there was no way an ordinary person could casually stumble across a genuine copy of it. Otherwise, with the millions of delusional teenagers out there, this kind of cultivation manual would have spread like wildfire among ordinary people ages ago.
Obviously, Bat knew quite a lot about Yu Xian's social circle. He also knew that Yu Xian had been attending school recently. By simply gifting Chen Ling an unnamed cultivation manual, he had effortlessly baited Yu Xian into asking about it on the Qilin app. Then, seizing that window of opportunity to make contact, he had successfully reeled him in to pitch the Sunward Sunflower Divine Art.
Bat seemed to have anticipated Yu Xian's displeasure. He sent a smiling cartoon bat sticker, then added his assurance.
Bat: There won't be a next time. After all, aren't we already acquainted now?
1. Gossip energy here is a satirical play on cultivation tropes, treating a classmate's love for drama with the same grand, epic phrasing usually reserved for superpowers like spatial energy or sword qi. ☜
2. 任脉 (rèn mài), also known as the Ren Meridian or Conception Meridian, is one of the body's primary qi channels in traditional Chinese cultivation theory. It is typically associated with yin energy and is often contrasted with the Du Meridian (督脉, dū mài), which is associated with yang energy. ☜