Aerial Rain
Translating Web Novel

THDP Ch 169 Part 1 – Entering the Array (I)

“Phew…” Meng Qi exhaled softly, glancing down at her palm where the jade slip lay quietly, looking no different from before. Only the faint red line in the center of the yellowed, warm jade had faded significantly.

Next, she directed her spiritual senses and entered her spiritual sea. There, a jade slip almost identical to the one in her palm was completely enveloped in aura, gently floating up and down, a bright red line visible in its center.

Earlier, when she held the jade slip, she could hear a mysterious sound emanating from it. Now, relying solely on her spiritual sense, she could hear it more clearly. The red line within the jade slip seemed to come alive, pulsating like a blood vein, and Meng Qi could even feel blood starting to flow through it again.

Staying cautious, she sent a wisp of her spiritual sense to touch the jade slip. The moment they made contact, her spiritual sense pulled back, as if scorched. The jade slip tumbled in the air above her spiritual sea, and though it was an inanimate object, Meng Qi felt as if it were looking at her haughtily.

Letting out a soft snort, Meng Qi divided her spiritual sense into eight strands and wrapped them around the jade slip from all directions. This time, driven by her will, the strands of spiritual sense encased the jade slip forcibly.

As her spiritual sense touched the jade slip, a ‘thud’ echoed in her ears. The sound was faint and a bit distant as if someone was standing in a vast expanse, striking a large drum made of cowhide with a heavy mallet. Once again, the jade slip writhed and spun, seemingly trying to get free from the bind of Meng Qi’s spiritual sense. Determined, Meng Qi sent out another portion of her spiritual sense, dividing it once more into eight strands to further enwrap the slip.

Thud.

Thud, thud, thud…

The sound grew increasingly more audible. Instead of the beating of a drum, it was more like a heartbeat—slow, vivid, yet powerful.

Along with each beat, Meng Qi seemed to see a picture unfold before her eyes. With just a few strokes, a landscape sprang to life on the canvas. Majestic, misty mountains surrounded a massive lake reflecting the twinkling stars. In the sky above the scenery, seven stars shone brighter than the rest, arranged in the array of the Big Dipper, mirroring the seven towering mountains.

As Meng Qi stared at the painting for a while, the scenery slowly seemed to come to life. The stars glittered, and the mountains, like sharp swords, pointed towards the sky. The clouds at the mountain peaks seemed to merge with the night sky, making it hard to distinguish between the mountains and the sky. A gentle breeze blew upon the lake, creating beautiful ripples.

The ripples spread out in circles, shattering the starry reflection on the lake. In the end, only the seven stars, bright as the Big Dipper, continued to shine brilliantly, like monarchs overlooking their domain.

The mountains, the lake, the starry sky… Meng Qi was entranced, feeling her consciousness being slowly absorbed into the lake. Drawing closer, she could see the tiny stars sparkling in the clear lake water, and she could even feel the cold water gradually engulfing her spiritual sense, bit by bit.

An odd sensation surrounded Meng Qi as tiny starlights twinkled around her spiritual sense. The water in the lake didn’t feel like water, but something soft and comfortable…

Spiritual aura?!

Meng Qi suddenly jolted awake, feeling someone holding her hand. A voice, seemingly from a great distance, finally broke through the barriers and reached her ears: “Meng Qiqi? Meng Qiqi! Meng Qiqi… Qiqi, wake up!”

Meng Qi abruptly opened her eyes.

“Whew—” someone in front of her exhaled deeply, and immediately afterward, Sikong Xing’s anxious voice rang out, “Meng Qiqi, you’re finally awake!” As she spoke, she reached out and pinched Meng Qi’s cheek. “We called you just now, but you didn’t respond at all. You scared us to death!”

It was only then that Meng Qi realized she was lying on the ground. The soft grass beneath her and the concerned faces of Sikong Xing and the others made her feel both embarrassed and confused. “I…” Meng Qi tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse as if it had been ground through the sand.

“Drink some water.” Sikong Xing helped her up, letting her lean on her shoulder, and handed her a small water bottle. The cool water, with a hint of floral sweetness, moistened Meng Qi’s parched lips.

“What happened to me?” Meng Qi let out a long breath, knowing that something must have occurred while she was examining the jade slip.

“You suddenly fainted,” Sikong Xing said, putting away the water bottle. “Li Che couldn’t figure out what was wrong with you either.”

“Fainted?” Meng Qi was startled. Her consciousness had remained clear; could she have really fainted?

It was common sense that cultivators rarely faint. If they sustained injuries or exhausted their aura to the point of fainting, they would lose all awareness and couldn’t control their spiritual sense.

“How long was I unconscious?” Meng Qi asked hoarsely.

“One hour,” Sikong Xing quickly replied.

“Meng Qiqi.” Li Che, who was beside her, asked, “What exactly happened? I tried to check your condition, but my aura couldn’t enter your body. A powerful force was blocking it.”

Meng Qi spread her hand, looking down at the jade slip in her palm. Had she really spent an hour just staring at that painting?

“This jade slip…” Li Che followed her gaze and asked worriedly, “Is there something strange about it?”

Meng Qi closed her eyes for a moment, then took out a blank bamboo slip from her storage space. She held the bamboo slip, intending to draw the mountains and stars she had seen. For a cultivator, once they had an image in their mind, they could transfer it onto a medium with a bit of aura—at least, in most cases. But this time, as soon as she began to sketch a corner of a mountain, her spiritual sea emptied, leaving her unable to draw another stroke.

Meng Qi: “…”

“What happened?” Li Che asked. His eyes, full of concern, never left Meng Qi.

“I saw a painting in that jade slip,” Meng Qi explained, realizing she could only convey her findings verbally, “I suspect it’s the Starfallen Sea of the Demon Realm.” She paused and continued, “I wanted to draw it for you, but my aura was exhausted after just one stroke.”

Li Che, Sikong Xing, and the others gasped. “One stroke?”

“Yes.” Meng Qi took out a Beiming pill and swallowed it. She continued, “The landscape, and the stars in the sky, were arranged like the Big Dipper.”

“That’s it!” Sikong Xing clapped excitedly. “I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ve heard my father say that the seven mountains around the Starfallen Sea are indeed arranged like the Big Dipper.”

“Exactly.” Meng Qi nodded.

“Then why did you faint?” Li Che was still puzzled. He grasped Meng Qi’s wrist again and sent a strand of aura through her veins. This time, without the strange force blocking it, Li Che smoothly infused her with his aura.

“Strange…” he murmured, “It’s working now.”

“While looking at the painting, I felt like I entered the lake,” Meng Qi recalled, “and then I heard Xingxing calling me…”

“Besides the painting, I didn’t see anything else in the jade slip,” she continued, “There were no signs of Seven Kills or Seven Emotions either.” She turned to Pei Mufeng and handed the jade slip back to him.

“Even with the combined efforts of several elders from Xingluo Pavilion, they could barely discern the words Seven Kills within. You don’t need to push yourself too hard.” Pei Mufeng said.

“Um.” Meng Qi nodded. She stood up with the help of Sikong Xing. As her aura gradually recovered, so did her strength. “Let’s enter the array,” she said decisively. Since they couldn’t use the jade slip effectively, there was no need to delay further.

“Alright.” The rest nodded in agreement.

Only Li Che remained deep in thought, murmuring, “What was that power in Meng Qiqi’s body just now?”

Sikong Xing patted his shoulder. “Stop thinking about it and let’s enter the array first.”

“Hmm? Oh, right.” Li Che snapped out of his thoughts and nodded repeatedly. “Let’s enter the array first.” Still, he couldn’t help but glance at Meng Qi again, as he kept pondering the force that had prevented his aura from entering her body. Medical cultivators’ aura was usually gentle and smooth, rarely obstructed by other aura. He had a nagging feeling that this sensation was familiar, but he couldn’t recall when he had encountered it before, or perhaps…

Had he seen it in a book?

Li Che wondered.

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