ér mò guò duō jiǔ ， wèi lù yī xíng jiù shùn zhe zōng jì zhǎo dào le liǎng rén 。
而没过多久，魏鹭一行就顺着踪迹找到了两人。
Not long after, Wei Lu and his companions followed the trail to find the two.
bù guò tā men zěn me yě méi yǒu xiǎng dào ， duǎn duǎn shí jiān nèi ， yuán běn zhuī jī de liè wù ， què yáo shēn yī biàn 、 chéng wéi le liè rén 。
不过他们怎么也没有想到，短短时间内，原本追击的猎物，却摇身一变、成为了猎人。
However, they never expected that in such a short time, their original pursuers had transformed into hunters themselves.
tū pò dào zhù jī qī hòu ， lǐ qíng de zhàn lì jī hū chéng bèi biāo shēng 。
突破到筑基期后，李晴的战力几乎成倍飙升。
After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Qing's combat power almost doubled. Moreover, she was ruthless in her attacks, causing more damage than even Shi Jie from the late Foundation Establishment stage.
ér qiě chū shǒu hěn là ， shèn zhì bǐ qǐ zhù jī hòu qī de sī mǎ jīng zào chéng de shā shāng dōu duō 。
而且出手狠辣，甚至比起筑基后期的司马菁造成的杀伤都多。
These people were merely hired killers; seeing that their mission was hopeless, they immediately decided to retreat. But Wei Lu grew anxious and couldn't help but stop them.
yào zhī dào ， zhè huǒ rén bù guò shì ná qián bàn shì ér yǐ 。
要知道，这伙人不过是拿钱办事而已。
During this brief moment of confrontation, Li Qing seized the precise opportunity to reveal Wei Lu's true identity by attacking him in the shadows.
yǎn jiàn shì bù kě wèi ， tā men dùn shí dǎ qǐ le tuì táng gǔ 。
眼见事不可为，他们顿时打起了退堂鼓。
Wei Lu's face turned pale as he revealed himself. Shi Jie, enraged, trembled with fury for the first time, his eyes filled with murderous intent. With no way out, they were destined to have a tragic end.
ér wèi lù zhè shí hòu què jí le ， rěn bú zhù jiāng tā men lán zhù 。
而魏鹭这时候却急了，忍不住将他们拦住。
Wei Lu made a desperate decision, pledging everything he had to persuade the retreating bandits back into battle. The two sides clashed again, and without holding back, Li Qing and Shi Jie fell into a disadvantageous position.
zhèng dāng tā men duì zhì de zhè duǎn zàn shí kè ， lǐ qíng què shì zhuā zhù le zhè yī jīng què de shí jī ， zhí jiē jiāng yǐn yú àn chù de wèi lù gěi dǎ le chū lái 。 bìng qiě jiē lù le tā de zhēn miàn mù 。
正当他们对峙的这短暂时刻，李晴却是抓住了这一精确的时机，直接将隐于暗处的魏鹭给打了出来。并且揭露了他的真面目。
In this critical moment, Li Qing seemed to break through once more, causing the Yin Wind Valley's extreme阴气to surge. They took advantage of this to escape.
wèi lù bào lù ， miàn sè dà biàn 。
魏鹭暴露，面色大变。
From then on, Li Qing and Shi Jie fought their way back, using combat as a means to train. Their cooperation grew increasingly默契, almost doubling their actual combat power when they attacked together.
ér sī mǎ jīng yě shì qì de hún shēn chàn dǒu ， yǎn zhōng dì yī cì yǒng xiàn chū le shā yì 。
而司马菁也是气的浑身颤抖，眼中第一次涌现出了杀意。
Ultimately, relying on the terrain advantages of Yin Wind Valley, they achieved a counter-kill.
shì yǐ zhì cǐ ， wú lùn rú hé shì bù kě néng shàn zhōng liǎo 。
事已至此，无论如何是不可能善终了。
Looking at Shi Jie's hateful gaze, Wei Lu opened his mouth but was immediately crushed by Li Qing into dust before he could say anything.
wèi lù xīn zhōng yī hěn ， yǐ zì jǐ de quán bù shēn jiā xǔ nuò ， zài dù jiāng nà qún tuì suō de fěi tú shuō dòng 。
魏鹭心中一狠，以自己的全部身家许诺，再度将那群退缩的匪徒说动。
The crisis over, with Li Qing’s help, Shi Jie completed the sect trial and returned to the inner sect together. As for what happened in Yin Wind Valley, although Wei Lu had initiated the plot, they both killed each other out of frustration. To avoid punishment from the sect, Shi Jie reluctantly kept it a secret.
shuāng fāng zài dù zhàn chéng yī tuán 。
双方再度战成一团。
Wei Lu's disappearance as a Foundation Establishment disciple didn't draw much attention; soon, he was forgotten.
bù zài liú shǒu zhī hòu ， lǐ qíng yǔ sī mǎ jīng dùn shí xiàn rù xià fēng 。
不再留手之后，李晴与司马菁顿时陷入下风。
Although they were already inseparable, they still needed to be more discreet in public.
guān jiàn shí kè ， dà zhàn zhī zhōng de lǐ qíng fǎng fú yòu yǒu tū pò ， yǐn dé yīn fēng gǔ zhōng zhì yīn zhī qì bào dòng 。
关键时刻，大战之中的李晴仿佛又有突破，引得阴风谷中至阴之气暴动。
Shi Jie returned to the inner sect and reported to his master.
èr rén chèn jī dùn zǒu 。
二人趁机遁走。
At this time, Shi Jie began to think about how to persuade his master to take Li Qing under his wing. This way, they could see each other often.
jiē xià lái ， lǐ qíng yǔ sī mǎ jīng qiě zhàn qiě tuì 、 qiě tuì qiě zhàn 。
接下来，李晴与司马菁且战且退、且退且战。
Li Qing, meanwhile, hid his identity and quietly came to the market district, using the spirit stones obtained from Wei Lu and others to purchase some elixirs that concealed his true strength.
yǐ zhàn yǎng zhàn 。
以战养战。
Half a month later, Shi Jie's master, Huo Jingtong, finally agreed to meet Li Qing after much persuasion. It seemed that Huo Jingtong was still bothered by Li Qing’s transformation into a woman.
ér zài zhè ge guò chéng zhōng ， liǎng rén pèi hé de mò qì yuè lái yuè gāo 。 wǎn ruò xīn líng xiāng tōng ， hé jī zhī xià ， jī hū jiāng shí jì zhàn lì yòu fān le yí bèi 。
而在这个过程中，两人配合的默契越来越高。宛若心灵相通，合击之下，几乎将实际战力又翻了一倍。
However, all these concerns vanished when she saw Li Qing in person.
zuì zhōng yī kào yīn fēng gǔ dì lì ， shí xiàn le fǎn shā 。
最终依靠阴风谷地利，实现了反杀。
Li Qing knelt before her and waited for questions. After a long time, Huo Jingtong finally spoke, "Jing'er has already told me everything. You may go."
kàn zhe sī mǎ jīng yàn wù de yǎn shén ， wèi lù zuǐ bā zhāng hé ， sì hū hái yào shuō xiē shén me 。
看着司马菁厌恶的眼神，魏鹭嘴巴张合，似乎还要说些什么。
She didn't immediately give an answer but said it with a faint tone.
dàn zài fā shēng zhī qián ， jiù yǐ jīng bèi lǐ qíng cuò gǔ yáng huī 。
但在发声之前，就已经被李晴挫骨扬灰。
Li Qing respectfully bowed and left. But from the persistent spiritual awareness on him, Li Qing knew that things were settled.
wēi jī jiě chú ， zài lǐ qíng de bāng zhù xià ， sī mǎ jīng suí hòu wán chéng le zōng mén shì liàn rèn wù 。
危机解除，在李晴的帮助下，司马菁随后完成了宗门试炼任务。
Sure enough, seven days later, he received notification from the sect and officially became Huo Jingtong's disciple.
èr rén yì qǐ fǎn huí zōng mén 。
二人一起返回宗门。
Although the outer sect female cultivators were reluctant to see Li Qing leave, they secretly wished him well. Li Qing promised to visit often.
zhì yú yīn fēng gǔ zhōng fā shēng zhī shì ， suī rán shì wèi lù tú móu bù guǐ zài xiān ， dàn bì jìng tā men liǎng yě shì wèi le xiè fèn 、 bǎ duì fāng zhí jiē gěi shā le 。
至于阴风谷中发生之事，虽然是魏鹭图谋不轨在先，但毕竟他们两也是为了泄愤、把对方直接给杀了。
After a series of parting farewells, Li Qing moved into Moonlight Mountain.
wèi le bì miǎn zōng mén zé fá ， zài lǐ qíng de quàn shuō xià ， sī mǎ jīng zuì zhōng hái shì méi yǒu jiāng zhè jiàn shì gēn rèn hé rén tí qǐ 。
为了避免宗门责罚，在李晴的劝说下，司马菁最终还是没有将这件事跟任何人提起。
The outer sect female cultivators, filled with longing for Li Qing, redoubled their efforts and broke through many long-standing barriers, joining the inner sect. They could now frequently visit him.
ér wèi lù zhè yī zhù jī dì zǐ de shī zōng ， yě méi yǒu yǐn qǐ duō dà de guān zhù 。 hěn kuài jiù bèi rén yí wàng 。
而魏鹭这一筑基弟子的失踪，也没有引起多大的关注。很快就被人遗忘。
This was left aside for later discussion.
suī rán zǎo yǐ jīng rú jiāo sì qī ， dàn zài dà tíng guǎng zhòng zhī xià de shí hòu ， hái shì yào shōu liǎn yī xiē 。
虽然早已经如胶似漆，但在大庭广众之下的时候，还是要收敛一些。
Huo Jingtong's lineage resided on Luyue Peak in Moonlight Mountain, not far from Zhao Senior Sister’s Cold Moon Peak. However, Zhao Ruoxi was still in seclusion, so Li Qing had no intention of visiting her.
sī mǎ jīng fǎn huí nèi mén ， xiàng shī zūn fù mìng 。
司马菁返回内门，向师尊复命。
There were over a hundred female disciples on Luyue Peak, mostly virgins who had never experienced anything.
tóng shí kāi shǐ zhuó mó zhe ， zěn me yàng quàn shuō shī zūn jiāng lǐ qíng shōu rù mén xià 。 zhè yàng liǎng rén yǐ hòu jiù néng jīng cháng jiàn miàn le 。
同时开始琢磨着，怎么样劝说师尊将李晴收入门下。这样两人以后就能经常见面了。
Li Qing's arrival here felt like a rat falling into a grain bin. But with great resolve, he resisted the urge to misbehave and instead focused on practicing the true transmission from Huo Jingtong: The Moonlight Hundred Transformations.
ér lǐ qíng zé shì yǐn cáng le shēn fèn 、 qiāo qiāo lái le fāng shì ， yòng cóng wèi lù děng rén shēn shàng sōu guā dào de líng shí ， gòu mǎi le yī xiē yǐn cáng xiū wèi de dān yào 。
而李晴则是隐藏了身份、悄悄来了坊市，用从魏鹭等人身上搜刮到的灵石，购买了一些隐藏修为的丹药。
This was indeed a top-tier daoist technique, far superior to any other methods Li Qing had previously gathered.
zhí dào bàn gè yuè hòu ， sī mǎ jīng de shī zūn huò jīng tóng jīng bú zhù ruǎn mó yìng pào ， zhōng yú dā yìng jiàn lǐ qíng yí miàn 。
直到半个月后，司马菁的师尊霍晶彤经不住软磨硬泡，终于答应见李晴一面。
Li Qing repeatedly pondered over it, filled with joy. After trying to practice it, he found even more surprises.
kàn lái ， duì yú lǐ qíng bèi rén yān gē 、 yóu nán zhuǎn nǚ de shì shí ， huò jīng tóng hái shì yǒu xiē jiè yì de 。
看来，对于李晴被人阉割、由男转女的事实，霍晶彤还是有些介意的。
The pure yin body transformed by the Reverse Etiquette Scripture seemed to have an inherent advantage in practicing The Moonlight Hundred Transformations.
bù guò ， zhè xiē gù jì zài tā jiàn dào lǐ qíng běn rén de shí hòu ， tōng tōng huà zuò wū yǒu 。
不过，这些顾忌在她见到李晴本人的时候，通通化作乌有。
After seven days of seclusion, he had reached the early stage of Golden Core, equivalent to his current realm.
lǐ qíng guì zài táng xià ， dī tóu děng dài zhe huò jīng tóng tí wèn 。
李晴跪在堂下，低头等待着霍晶彤提问。
Moreover, Li Qing discovered that simultaneously practicing two techniques did not burden him. Instead, they complemented each other, further accelerating his already rapid progress.
shuí liào zú zú guò qù xǔ jiǔ ， huò jīng tóng dōu méi yǒu fǎn yìng 。 lǐ qíng hái yǐ wéi zì jǐ de jì móu shī suàn le ， rěn bú zhù tái tóu wàng qù shí ， cái fā xiàn duì fāng réng zài zhēng zhēng dì dīng zhe zì jǐ 。
谁料足足过去许久，霍晶彤都没有反应。李晴还以为自己的计谋失算了，忍不住抬头望去时，才发现对方仍在怔怔地盯着自己。
For a while, he devoted all his free time to cultivation until both Reverse Etiquette Scripture and The Moonlight Hundred Transformations reached the early stage of Golden Core perfection before stopping.
“ ń hēng 。” huò jīng tóng bì jìng shì huà shén xiū shì ， bǐ qǐ xiǎo gū niáng sī mǎ jīng ， chéng fǔ hái shì yào gēng shēn yī xiē de 。
“嗯哼。”霍晶彤毕竟是化神修士，比起小姑娘司马菁，城府还是要更深一些的。
Finger calculations revealed that only three months had passed. For ordinary cultivators, reaching the Golden Core realm often took years, with some even secluding for over a decade.
“ jīng ér shì qíng dōu yǐ jīng gēn wǒ shuō le 。 nǐ qiě xià qù ba 。”
“菁儿事情都已经跟我说了。你且下去吧。”
For him to go from initial Golden Core to the bottleneck in just three months... it was unheard of!
bìng méi yǒu dāng chǎng gěi lǐ qíng dá fù ， ér shì dàn dàn dì shuō dào 。
并没有当场给李晴答复，而是淡淡地说道。
However, the bottleneck Li Qing felt gave him some reassurance.
lǐ qíng gōng jìng de xíng le yī lǐ ， zhuǎn shēn lí kāi 。
李晴恭敬的行了一礼，转身离开。
"A pure yin body at my current state seems insufficient to continue practicing Reverse Etiquette Scripture."
dàn cóng duì fāng yì zhí suǒ dìng zài zì jǐ shēn shàng de shén shí lái kàn ， lǐ qíng zhī dào shì qíng wěn le 。
但从对方一直锁定在自己身上的神识来看，李晴知道事情稳了。
"More refined yin qi is needed."
guǒ rán ， qī tiān zhī hòu ， tā shōu dào le zōng mén tōng zhī 、 zhèng shì bài rù huò jīng tóng mén xià 。
果然，七天之后，他收到了宗门通知、正式拜入霍晶彤门下。
Li Qing's eyes sparkled as he thought about the hundreds of beautiful female cultivators on Luyue Peak. They were all excellent resources for his cultivation!
nà xiē wài mén nǚ xiū men ， suī rán duì yú lǐ qíng de lí qù duō yǒu bù shě 。
那些外门女修们，虽然对于李晴的离去多有不舍。
However, this was still the inner sect of the Daoist Sect.
dàn yě shì xīn zhōng mò mò zhù fú 。
但也是心中默默祝福。
His early Golden Core strength was not enough to allow him to act recklessly. If discovered, it might result in immediate废功and expulsion from the sect.
lǐ qíng yě shì xǔ nuò ， yǐ hòu huì jīng cháng huí lái kàn kàn 。
李晴也是许诺，以后会经常回来看看。
Therefore, Li Qing decided...
yī fān yīng yīng yàn yàn de lí bié zhī hòu ， lǐ qíng bān jìn le yuè huá shān mài zhōng 。
一番莺莺燕燕的离别之后，李晴搬进了月华山脉中。
To start directly with his master, Huo Jingtong, a divine cultivator!
nà xiē wài mén nǚ xiū ， yóu yú duì lǐ qíng duō yǒu sī niàn 。 yú shì fēn fēn fèn qǐ xiū xíng ， jìng rán yǒu bù shǎo rén tū pò le cháng jiǔ yǐ lái de píng jǐng ， tóng yàng dé yǐ jiā rù nèi mén 。 dé cháng suǒ yuàn ， néng shí cháng qù tàn wàng lǐ qíng 。
那些外门女修，由于对李晴多有思念。于是纷纷奋起修行，竟然有不少人突破了长久以来的瓶颈，同样得以加入内门。得偿所愿，能时常去探望李晴。
(End of Chapter)
Not long after, Wei Lu and his companions followed the trail to find the two.
However, they never expected that in such a short time, their original pursuers had transformed into hunters themselves.
After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Qing's combat power almost doubled. Moreover, she was ruthless in her attacks, causing more damage than even Shi Jie from the late Foundation Establishment stage.
These people were merely hired killers; seeing that their mission was hopeless, they immediately decided to retreat. But Wei Lu grew anxious and couldn't help but stop them.
During this brief moment of confrontation, Li Qing seized the precise opportunity to reveal Wei Lu's true identity by attacking him in the shadows.
Wei Lu's face turned pale as he revealed himself. Shi Jie, enraged, trembled with fury for the first time, his eyes filled with murderous intent. With no way out, they were destined to have a tragic end.
Wei Lu made a desperate decision, pledging everything he had to persuade the retreating bandits back into battle. The two sides clashed again, and without holding back, Li Qing and Shi Jie fell into a disadvantageous position.
In this critical moment, Li Qing seemed to break through once more, causing the Yin Wind Valley's extreme阴气to surge. They took advantage of this to escape.
From then on, Li Qing and Shi Jie fought their way back, using combat as a means to train. Their cooperation grew increasingly默契, almost doubling their actual combat power when they attacked together.
Ultimately, relying on the terrain advantages of Yin Wind Valley, they achieved a counter-kill.
Looking at Shi Jie's hateful gaze, Wei Lu opened his mouth but was immediately crushed by Li Qing into dust before he could say anything.
The crisis over, with Li Qing’s help, Shi Jie completed the sect trial and returned to the inner sect together. As for what happened in Yin Wind Valley, although Wei Lu had initiated the plot, they both killed each other out of frustration. To avoid punishment from the sect, Shi Jie reluctantly kept it a secret.
Wei Lu's disappearance as a Foundation Establishment disciple didn't draw much attention; soon, he was forgotten.
Although they were already inseparable, they still needed to be more discreet in public.
Shi Jie returned to the inner sect and reported to his master.
At this time, Shi Jie began to think about how to persuade his master to take Li Qing under his wing. This way, they could see each other often.
Li Qing, meanwhile, hid his identity and quietly came to the market district, using the spirit stones obtained from Wei Lu and others to purchase some elixirs that concealed his true strength.
Half a month later, Shi Jie's master, Huo Jingtong, finally agreed to meet Li Qing after much persuasion. It seemed that Huo Jingtong was still bothered by Li Qing’s transformation into a woman.
However, all these concerns vanished when she saw Li Qing in person.
Li Qing knelt before her and waited for questions. After a long time, Huo Jingtong finally spoke, "Jing'er has already told me everything. You may go."
She didn't immediately give an answer but said it with a faint tone.
Li Qing respectfully bowed and left. But from the persistent spiritual awareness on him, Li Qing knew that things were settled.
Sure enough, seven days later, he received notification from the sect and officially became Huo Jingtong's disciple.
Although the outer sect female cultivators were reluctant to see Li Qing leave, they secretly wished him well. Li Qing promised to visit often.
After a series of parting farewells, Li Qing moved into Moonlight Mountain.
The outer sect female cultivators, filled with longing for Li Qing, redoubled their efforts and broke through many long-standing barriers, joining the inner sect. They could now frequently visit him.
This was left aside for later discussion.
Huo Jingtong's lineage resided on Luyue Peak in Moonlight Mountain, not far from Zhao Senior Sister’s Cold Moon Peak. However, Zhao Ruoxi was still in seclusion, so Li Qing had no intention of visiting her.
There were over a hundred female disciples on Luyue Peak, mostly virgins who had never experienced anything.
Li Qing's arrival here felt like a rat falling into a grain bin. But with great resolve, he resisted the urge to misbehave and instead focused on practicing the true transmission from Huo Jingtong: The Moonlight Hundred Transformations.
This was indeed a top-tier daoist technique, far superior to any other methods Li Qing had previously gathered.
Li Qing repeatedly pondered over it, filled with joy. After trying to practice it, he found even more surprises.
The pure yin body transformed by the Reverse Etiquette Scripture seemed to have an inherent advantage in practicing The Moonlight Hundred Transformations.
After seven days of seclusion, he had reached the early stage of Golden Core, equivalent to his current realm.
Moreover, Li Qing discovered that simultaneously practicing two techniques did not burden him. Instead, they complemented each other, further accelerating his already rapid progress.
For a while, he devoted all his free time to cultivation until both Reverse Etiquette Scripture and The Moonlight Hundred Transformations reached the early stage of Golden Core perfection before stopping.
Finger calculations revealed that only three months had passed. For ordinary cultivators, reaching the Golden Core realm often took years, with some even secluding for over a decade.
For him to go from initial Golden Core to the bottleneck in just three months... it was unheard of!
However, the bottleneck Li Qing felt gave him some reassurance.
"A pure yin body at my current state seems insufficient to continue practicing Reverse Etiquette Scripture."
"More refined yin qi is needed."
Li Qing's eyes sparkled as he thought about the hundreds of beautiful female cultivators on Luyue Peak. They were all excellent resources for his cultivation!
However, this was still the inner sect of the Daoist Sect.
His early Golden Core strength was not enough to allow him to act recklessly. If discovered, it might result in immediate废功and expulsion from the sect.
Therefore, Li Qing decided...
To start directly with his master, Huo Jingtong, a divine cultivator!
(End of Chapter)