spiritual power

Nighttime, the Jiang family residence in Yunmeng.

At this moment, four ceramic bowls and a plate of beef were placed on the stone table, along with several packets of candied fruit and osmanthus cakes brought by Nie Huaisang. Xie Linyang was pushing a small plate of chopped braised meat to the center of the table, with a few bright red peppercorns floating in the braising liquid, which she had made in the kitchen during the day using scraps.

"It's settled then, today is my birthday, none of you are allowed to mention schoolwork." Nie Huaisang announced solemnly, waving his fan, but a bamboo leaf was still stuck to the fan, which amused Xie Linyang and made him smile.

"I know, I know, Young Master Nie is the most important, right?" Wei Wuxian smiled as he lifted the lid of the teapot, the aroma of tea mixed with steam wafting out. "Have some tea to warm your stomach first, I brought you a 'big gift'." As he spoke, he suddenly turned around and dragged out two black earthenware wine jars from the corner of the wall. He tore off the red cloth covering the mouths of the jars, and the rich aroma of the wine instantly overwhelmed the tea fragrance—it was two jars of Emperor's Smile!

Jiang Cheng's face darkened instantly: "Wei Wuxian! Are you crazy? Alcohol is forbidden in Cloud Recesses, and you still dare to bring Emperor's Smile wine in?!"

"Oh, just hide it properly, and it'll be fine." Wei Wuxian nonchalantly slapped open the clay seal and poured some into each person's rough earthenware bowl. "Besides, this wine wasn't easy to come by; I had to fight Lan Zhan to get it!"

"What?!" Xie Linyang's teacup had just touched his lips when he heard this and immediately stopped, his eyes shining like stars. "You fought with Hanguang-jun? Who won? Did he use a sword or a zither? How did you escape?" A barrage of questions came out, and even Nie Huaisang forgot to fan himself, curiously leaning closer: "Is that so? Brother Wei, tell me quickly!"

Jiang Cheng chuckled, picked up his bowl, took a sip of wine, and said in a chilling tone, "I bet you went and provoked someone again, and Lan Zhan grabbed you by the collar and threw you out, didn't he?"

"How could that be!" Wei Wuxian exclaimed, rolling up his sleeves to reveal his arm. "Look, this is what happened when he used Bichen to cut my headband! But I didn't lose out." He patted the wine jar triumphantly. "While he was swinging his sword, I grabbed both jars of wine and snatched them away, stepping on his headband! His headband was fluttering like a white silk ribbon, and I almost dirtied it. He was so angry his face turned blue, but he still couldn't catch me!"

"Pfft—" Xie Linyang almost spat out the tea he had just drunk, covering his mouth and laughing: "You dare touch Hanguang-jun's headband? You stepped on his headband ribbon? Brother Wei, you're really bold."

At this moment, Xie Linyang had no idea about the meaning of the headband of the Gusu Lan Clan. If she knew, she would definitely ship the male leads to death.

"What ribbon? That's called a 'cloud-patterned forehead band'!" Jiang Cheng glanced at Xie Linyang with annoyance, then said to Wei Wuxian, "Keep acting up. When Lan Qiren finds out, you'll be copying the Lan Clan rules until you cry." Although he was scolding, there was no real anger in his eyes. Instead, he reached out and added some more wine to Nie Huaisang's bowl. "However, it's Huaisang's birthday today, so I'll let you off this time."

Nie Huaisang quickly smoothed things over, "Yes, yes, birthday is the most important! Jiang Cheng, you should try the braised food Lin Yang made, it has duck feet, duck necks and chicken feet!" He then turned to Xie Lin Yang, "Lin Yang, you should also try the osmanthus cake I brought, it's sweet but not greasy."

Xie Linyang smiled and took a bite of osmanthus cake. The sourness of the plum mixed with the sweetness of the osmanthus melted on his tongue. He looked up and saw Jiang Cheng staring at the braised food on the plate. Jiang Cheng picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. He frowned slightly as if he was numb, but he still picked up a second piece of food without making a sound.

Wei Wuxian was still excitedly recounting how he and Lan Zhan circled in the bamboo forest, describing how Lan Zhan's swordsmanship was "watertight" and how he "won against all odds." In his excitement, he almost spilled his wine bowl, but Jiang Cheng swiftly caught it. Nie Huaisang waved his fan, occasionally giggling, the bamboo leaves on the fan swaying gently with his movements.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, landing perfectly on the two jars of Emperor's Smile wine, which shimmered with an amber glow. The wind howled outside, but inside it was as warm as a small steamer. The aroma of wine, tea, and sweet cakes mingled with the laughter of young people, dispelling some of the chill of the night in the Cloud Recesses.

"Come on, let's have a toast!" Wei Wuxian raised his bowl. "Happy birthday, Nie Huaisang! May you have many more birthdays to come, and may you... uh, may you copy fewer of the Clan rules every year!"

"Get lost!" Nie Huaisang laughed and nudged his arm, but still raised her bowl. "And may we... be able to get together like this again in the future!"

Jiang Cheng's gaze swept over Wei Wuxian's bright eyes, Nie Huaisang's hand waving a fan, and Xie Linyang's lingering smile. In the end, he didn't say anything more about "rules," but simply touched the rim of the bowl lightly, the wine clinking together with a crisp sound.

The smell of Emperor's Smile liquor still lingered in the small house. Xie Linyang felt a burst of scorching energy suddenly erupt in his dantian, even more intense than when he activated his Yang energy during sword practice in the daytime. It felt like a ball of fire was rushing up his meridians, burning his fingertips until they went numb.

"Ugh..." she groaned softly, feeling a burning sensation in her palm. She instinctively released her grip, and the earthenware bowl crashed onto the stone table with a "clatter." As soon as the spilled wine hit the ground, a three-inch-high flame suddenly shot up from her outstretched palm!

The fire wasn't the usual orange-red, but a translucent golden-red, like crushed molten gold from a setting sun, dancing in her fair palm, even distorting the air slightly from the heat.

"What is that?!" Xie Linyang was so frightened that she jerked her hand away, but the flames seemed to have eyes, clinging to her fingertips and refusing to dissipate, instead climbing up her sleeve. She ran frantically outside, her mind blank, only remembering that her master had said that strong liquor was the worst enemy of Yang energy, but she had completely forgotten that her constitution couldn't tolerate even a drop!

"Lin Yang! Where are you going?" Nie Huaisang's voice chased after them. Wei Wuxian saw the flames and dropped his wine to follow. Xie Lin Yang, however, had already rushed out of the hut. The golden-red flames trailed thin, shimmering tails in the night wind, like a string of flowing starlight.

She stumbled and bumped into a solid "wall".

"Bang--"

His forehead slammed into the hard chest, his nose stung, and Xie Linyang lunged forward uncontrollably, the golden-red flames in his palms brushing against the other person's body.

Jiang Cheng saw Xie Linyang rush in like a moth drawn to a flame, a gold hairpin in his hair digging into his collarbone.

"I..." Xie Linyang hadn't finished speaking when the flame in her palm suddenly shot up to half a foot high, startling her so much that she quickly pulled her hand back. But she forgot that Jiang Cheng was still holding her arm, and she staggered forward, almost touching him.

"Hot!" Jiang Cheng cursed under his breath, feeling a burning pain in his arm as if he were holding a red-hot iron. Without thinking, he quickly formed a hand seal, conjuring a pale blue water spell at his fingertips, and splashed it onto her palm with a "whoosh." But the golden-red flames didn't extinguish upon contact with the water; instead, they sparked, causing his sleeve to smolder.

"Concentrate!" Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth, released his grip on her arm, and instead pressed his hand against her back, slowly injecting a gentle stream of spiritual energy.

This spiritual energy was not as intense as hers; rather, it was like a clear mountain spring, flowing smoothly through her meridians.

Xie Lin Yang felt a chill in her back, and the heat that had almost melted her actually subsided a little. Her muddled mind gradually cleared, and she realized that she was hanging on Jiang Cheng. The fabric of his robe near his chest had been scalded by her body heat, and she could vaguely see the white undergarment underneath, with a few charred streaks.

"I'm so sorry..." She took a step back abruptly, creating distance, her voice trembling, "I never thought... that touching alcohol would lead to this..."

Jiang Cheng withdrew his hand, his fingertips still tinged with the burning heat of her back. He watched as the flames in her palm finally died down, leaving only wisps of smoke, before he breathed a sigh of relief. But then he frowned, his tone clearly reproachful: "What's wrong with you? Did you try to burn down Cloud Recesses?"

"I..." Xie Linyang lowered her head, twisting her burning sleeve with her fingers, too ashamed to speak. "I'll pay for your clothes."

"Pfft—Hahahaha!"

Suddenly, Wei Wuxian burst into laughter behind them, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up. Nie Huaisang, standing to the side, covered his face with a fan, but his shoulders were shaking like a leaf.

Wei Wuxian pointed at the two of them, laughing until tears streamed down his face. "Jiang Cheng, look! She really is a little sun, even burning clothes is so energetic! The fabric is ironed so well, tsk tsk, it's more effective than Lan Qiren's ruler!"

Jiang Cheng turned around abruptly, his eyes as cold as ice: "Wei Wuxian."

"Hey! I'm here!" Wei Wuxian immediately stopped laughing and asked seriously, "Lin Yang, what happened to you just now?"

Upon hearing Wei Wuxian's question, she took a deep breath and frankly said, "My spiritual power... is different from that of ordinary cultivators."

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the scorch marks on her cuffs, her tone tinged with helplessness. "My master said that I was born with a 'pure and yang' constitution."

"Pure and yang?" Nie Huaisang's fan fell to the ground with a "thud." He bent down to pick it up, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Isn't that the legendary constitution that can purify evil spirits? I've heard my older brother say that this kind of spiritual power is extremely rare, and has a natural ability to restrain evil things..."

“It’s restraint, but it’s also troublesome.” Xie Linyang gave a wry smile, his fingertips brushing against the stray hairs at his temples that were damp with sweat. “Because the spiritual energy is too intense, I’ve been afraid of heat since I was a child. In the summer, I feel stuffy even wearing a single layer of clothing. I can’t touch charcoal fire, and even drinking a sip of hot tea makes my palms sweat. My master said that strong liquor is ‘hot’ and can best stimulate the yang energy, so he has strictly forbidden me from drinking alcohol since I was a child. Even medicinal soup has to be cooled to lukewarm before I can drink it.”

She paused, looked at Jiang Cheng's scorched cuff, and felt even more guilty: "I thought it would be fine to just take a small sip... I didn't expect Emperor's Smile to be so strong. As soon as it went down my throat, it felt like a fire was thrown into my dantian, and my spiritual power was instantly out of control."

"Then what about purifying evil spirits?" Wei Wuxian squatted down, picked up the fan that Nie Huaisang had dropped and handed it to him, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Xie Linyang, as if he had discovered something new and interesting.

"It's because of the 'yang energy' of spiritual power," Xie Linyang explained, his fingertips unconsciously curling up. "Evil things will avoid me if they come into contact with the yang energy I've cultivated, just like being branded with a hot iron."

But she didn't mention that she also suffers from "yin energy allergy," and that she catches a cold in places with heavy resentment—a real cold with a runny nose, fever, and cough.

Nie Huaisang suddenly realized, opened his fan with a "whoosh" and shook it twice: "Lin Yang, no wonder you said in class that you could be buried wrapped in resentment, only you can do that!"

"This is really interesting." Wei Wuxian looked at her as if she were a treasure.

Xie Linyang scratched his head, looking somewhat annoyed: "I was careless today. Not only did I almost burn the house down, but I also dragged Jiang Cheng into this..."

"Alright." Jiang Cheng suddenly spoke, interrupting her apology. His Adam's apple bobbed, and although his tone was still firm, it was less reproachful: "It's not your fault that you have a special constitution. Just be more careful in the future."

Wei Wuxian whistled and moved closer to Xie Linyang: "So, if I take you with me on night hunts, we won't even need talismans anymore! You'll be a living 'human talisman'!" He deliberately bowed exaggeratedly, "Thank you, Fairy Xie, please accept my bow!"

"Wei Wuxian!" Jiang Cheng frowned and hissed, but he didn't actually stop him.

Xie Linyan's lips curved into a smile, and her guilt eased somewhat. Looking at Jiang Cheng's still tense profile, she recalled the gentle spiritual energy he had transferred to her earlier, which was like a mountain stream extinguishing a flame. She whispered, "Anyway... thank you all. And Jiang Cheng, thank you for transferring spiritual energy to me."

Jiang Cheng glanced at his cuff; the charred patterns resembled a strange flower. He didn't reply, but simply turned and picked up the Emperor's Smile wine jar from the ground, pouring the remaining liquid into the nearby pit with swift and decisive movements: "Don't touch this stuff again."

The night breeze swept through the bamboo grove, carrying the coolness of the grass and trees, which soothed Xie Linyang's burning cheeks. She vowed that she would never dare to touch that thing again in her life.