The next day, Xiao Hong finally decided to stop being a shut-in and stepped outside.
Closing her front door with a crisp clack, she inserted Qi into a small black token. Nodding in satisfaction at the low hum of security Arrays' powering up, she skipped down the road.
Chen Ruoxi had cheerfully told Xiao Hong that buying veggies - er, fetching ingredients for Alchemy - was super simple: you just have to go to the Alchemy Hall, flex your Second Stage Earthen Origin Cultivation Base, and they'd happily throw them at your face. Sounds easy, right? Not when you're the Jade Beauty!
Outside, the early-morning sun bathed the city streets in a warm glow. A light breeze caught her hair. She drew a deep breath of the crisp, cool air, and an invigorating energy filled her chest, lighting up a spark of energy within.
"Whoa," she gasped. It wasn't even the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth that surprised her. It was the pristine freshness of the atmosphere that made her gasp in wonderment. It was a world of difference from the smoke and dust-choked air she was used to on Earth.
It was the difference between Heaven and Earth. Okay, Earth wasn't that bad. She was jumping on the bandwagon of transmigrated MCs cursing about how they snorted gallons of traffic smog like pro druggies!
As she strolled down the main road, delighting in every lungful of this new world's air, people began to notice her.
It was kind of hard not to.
As if to compensate for her meagre talent, the Heavens had bestowed upon Xiao Hong the kind of beauty capable of stopping hearts and toppling kingdoms.
In the bloom of adolescence, she radiated the vibrant energy of youth. Her flawless skin glowed with a soft, rosy light. Silken locks cascaded past her graceful shoulders like a waterfall of ink, framing features sculpted by the Immortal Gods. Every frown of her delicately arched eyebrows, every curl of her cherry lips, every flutter of her eyelashes was heart-rendingly lovely. Even draped in loose Daoist robes, her sensual curves were impossible to hide, fueling countless daydreams. Gazing upon her, the world seemed to lose colour, surrendering to her brilliance.
Yet, the most enchanting of all were her eyes. Neither blazing like fire nor crimson like blood, but a transcendent red. A mysterious glow, like the Northern Lights, danced in them. Losing oneself in those iridescent orbs was easier than succumbing to the finest Immortal Wine.
Soon, Xiao Hong realised the attention she was gathering. Murmurs followed in her wake. Some openly ogled, others, more shy, did the awkward ninja routine of "glance-then-avert-eye-contact". It was amusing: a furtive glance towards her, then down as if the road was particularly interesting, then some random carriage passing by, then eagerly jumping back to her.
Well, it would be amusing if it weren't her who was the target of their attention. Now, she just quietly picked up her pace.
But the antics of passersby left her speechless.
'Brother, you just tripped over flat fucking ground. Please stop bringing shame to Cultivators worldwide!' She suppressed the powerful urge to roll her eyes. She threw a contemptuous glance at the Qi Gathering Cultivator, who nearly planted his face into the backside of the man in front of him.
'Should I have worn a cloak or something?' she regretted not bringing a scarf or something to cover herself up. Ignoring the stares that nearly turned her into Swiss cheese, she picked her pace up once again.
***
By the time she reached the busy Carriage Transport Station, she felt more like a fugitive fleeing paparazzi than a disciple running errands.
Slowing to scan her surroundings, she quickly spotted a large signboard displaying a map: a broad swath of land surrounded by eight black circles marking various cities. 'Let's see. I'm currently in Rising Sun City, and I need to get to the Purple Mansion Sect's Grounds…'
Soon after, she found herself in a broad plaza where horses stood in harnesses, each connected to a large carriage carved with the sect's emblem behind them.
She couldn't help but take a moment to admire the impressive beasts.
These horses, each almost twice her height, had intricate, flowing patterns running along their bodies, seemingly etched into their flesh. Their eyes emitted a faint bluish-white glow. But the soft, somewhat mechanical buzz of Spiritual Energy told her they weren't alive.
Puppet Horses. Old Xiao Hong's knowledge supplied.
Forged using mystical materials and the bones of Magical Beasts, and powered by intricate Arrays, they were an ingenious fusion of Artefact Refining and Formation Mastery. No poop, no food, no care, no rest, no mess. Peak Cultivator tech, this was!
She found them quite the marvel, honestly.
Eyeing the closest puppet horse, she wondered, 'If they are advanced enough to create these Puppet Horses, why don't they build engines?' That just seemed easier than this intricate masterpiece.
She spotted the public carriages bound for the Sect: enormous, double-decker, bus-sized vehicles, each drawn by six massive Puppet Horses. Yup, these were meant for the public.
Queues extended from a small official building to the left.
'Ah, the familiar rush of public transport,' she sighed. 'Old Xiao Hong sure had it easy, thanks to Lin Fan's private carriage.' Now, she had to rely on herself - what a woe! At least no one here was elbowing her for a seat while clutching giant grocery bags.
Xiao Hong joined the line and waited patiently.
But inevitably, she drew attention. Whispers spread. Fingers pointed. Heads turned.
Everyone craned their necks to get a glimpse of the rumoured 'No.1 Beauty of the Outer Sect'. The hush of admiration and envy spread like a wave around her. Xiao Hong pressed her lips together, resisting the urge to mutter an impressive litany of creative curses about every onlooker and the unsavoury ancestral ties to Magical Beasts. 'This blasted queue had better disappear fast…'
To her dismay, the quarter-hour wait felt interminable, as if each minute was stretched into an hour under the barrage of stares. By the end of it, she felt like she might be lacking a layer of skin from all the stares.
"Eh?!" A rather loud gasp drew her attention. Her gaze flickered towards the disciple.
The disciple's eyes widened as he stared at her. Xiao Hong could practically see the buffering icon rotate above his head. Just as her tongue rolled about, prepping a new insult, he straightened his posture and plastered on a welcoming grin, "Heading to the Sect, Junior Sister?"
She affirmed, "Yes, Senior Brother."
"We've got a… standard public carriage leaving in about ten minutes."
Xiao Hong offered a polite nod, already fishing for her badge. Unexpectedly, the ticketing disciple leaned in, whispering, "But, you're just in luck, Junior Sister: in about five minutes, we have a semi-private carriage leaving as well. I recommend it - it's much better than the public carriage."
He lowered his voice even more as he pointed above, "Especially since the new Deacon's policy is to stuff the carriages just shy of bursting." He lowered his voice conspiratorially, "Turns him a tidy profit, I hear."
Suddenly, his voice snapped back to normal. "It seems that there is an empty seat on that ride." The man winked, "I'll set you up!"
Before Xiao Hong could even formulate a response, she was walking out with the ticket for a semi-private carriage. She was a little confused but… "Oh well," she shrugged and threw the matter to the back of her mind, "all the better for me!"
It's normal for a Jade Beauty to have some perks, right?
***
Meanwhile, back at the ticketing station.
A young man in exquisite clothes cursed, "Dammit, I can't believe I missed it! I timed it all perfectly so that I could get on that semi-private carriage - I even paid extra!"
The ticketing disciple shrugged. "Can't do anything about it - you're too late. Even if you paid extra, it can't make up for bad luck."
Strictly speaking, what he said wasn't wrong: after all, the Sect kept the ticket prices of both the same. It was just that the Deacon saw more profit in… increasing the price, and the Sect couldn't be bothered - maybe it even preferred it that way? Maybe this was just one among countless invisible motivators nudging disciples to train harder and earn more.
The young man's eye twitched. "Are you telling me I lined the Deacon's pockets for nothing?"
The ticketing disciple raised an eyebrow, his expression saying, 'What else?'
"Anyway, the next one's in two hours. Do you want to wait or take the public carriage?"
"Ugh, forget it, I'll take the public carriage," he signed resignedly and trudged off to join the endless line, muttering curses against Deacons, Spirit Stones, and the cruelty of Fate.
***
'What speed!' Xiao Hong marvelled as the scene outside the window rushed past, leaning back into the spacious seat. 'It's going at least a hundred miles an hour.'
She focused on the Puppet Horses of a public carriage as they passed by, mesmerised by the blueish-white pulsing across its body, racing along those strange patterns. 'And it's still accelerating!'
Soon, though, the novelty wore off and her thoughts drifted.
"Fascinating creations, aren't they?"
Xiao Hong jumped, somewhat startled at being broken out of her reverie. She turned to the curly-haired young man sitting across from her, regarding her with bright eyes.
"Made mostly from tempered Black Steel and a bit of Flowing Spirit Gold, they are one of the greatest achievements of the Puppet Path!" The curly-haired young man smirked, chin lifting slightly.
'Okay, but I didn't ask?' Xiao Hong retorted inwardly.
"I see, it is quite enlightening to know, Senior Brother." Outwardly, she smiled and nodded politely, before turning back to the window.
Unfortunately, the curly-haired fellow really thought she cared and pressed on. "Those Artefact Forgers and Formation Masters argue about whose invention it truly is. But in reality, they could never achieve a single whit without the masters of the Puppet Path!"
'Again, I didn't ask!' she turned to the curly-haired young man once again.
Any other time, Xiao Hong would be fascinated by gossip about Sect politics and artisan feuds: it was in her blood as a man - well Soul now. Right now, though, she was preoccupied and just wanted some quiet.
So, she decided on a different tactic. She smiled sweetly, "Senior Brother is very knowledgeable about Puppet Horses!"
She leaned forward, eyes radiating curiosity, "Actually, I have always been puzzled by something: Why could we not simply have the wheels on the carriage rotate using Array Formations? Would that not be simpler? Making an entire Puppet from scratch seems far less economical."
She looked at him expectantly, as if she truly expected him to answer. Inwardly, though, she sniggered, 'Struck speechless, aren't we~? Whatchu gonna say now?'
Unexpectedly, the curly-haired young man laughed, "If it were most people, they would not know how to answer your question. But you see, my Clan has greatly contributed to the creation of these Puppet Horses, so I know a little more than others."
He cleared his throat, "The fundamental principle of Feng Shui and Array Formations is to leverage the power of Nature, primarily the Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth.
"And, as every Cultivator understands, the more 'natural' something is, the deeper the Spiritual Energy resonance is.
"Puppetry takes advantage of a living being's form, weaving special Array Formations through it. This allows puppets a far greater resonance with Spiritual Energy and even allows it to inherit some of the properties of the said living being.
"For example, a living being has its own regenerative properties, and thus it is more 'natural' for it to possess a maintenance Formation.
"On the other hand, there is the man-made carriage. Simpler to produce, but it is almost completely man-made; it lacks the natural synergy with the Spiritual Energy. The maintenance Formation has no natural slot and has to be forced in.
"Moreover, the stronger the Spiritual Energy resonance, the lower the Spirit Stone cost!"
Xiao Hong blinked, stunned by the reply - it made sense!
She peered at the curly-haired young man, who was testing the limit of his facial muscles by attempting to show all thirty-two teeth, when a thought suddenly struck her mind. She pressed her lips shut to stop herself from swearing out loud.
This fellow was doing what any man does when he finds himself in the presence of a beautiful woman: turning into a damned peacock and show off!
It took divine willpower to keep the veritable sea of curses behind her teeth!
Outwardly, she donned the persona of a fangirl.
"Ooh~ I see now!" Her eyes sparkled in wonder. She gave the young man a look of deep admiration. "Senior Brother's attainment in Puppetry is astonishingly deep!"
"Ahahaha! Junior Sister is exaggerating: my meagre accomplishments are really nothing to write home about..." He waved his hands casually, as if to indicate that it was nothing much, but his chest, which puffed up like a proud chicken, told a wholly different story.
"Senior Brother is so modest!" Xiao Hong exclaimed, nearly gagging as he positively preened under her praise!
Thankfully, he got off somewhere in the middle, and she was left alone in blessed silence. "Oh Heavens~, please don't make me go through that again," She looked up at the sky and pleaded earnestly.
But… It seemed that the Heavens apparently held a grudge for the middle finger!
A few minutes later, another man took his place, eyes lighting up as soon as he laid his eyes on her.
She swore inwardly, nearly 'defying' the Heavens again!
***
After a carriage ride that left her utterly exhausted, Xiao Hong found herself before the Alchemy Hall - an imposing edifice towering at least a dozen storeys high. Its gates were so immense, she wondered if giants were supposed to roll them open instead of humans.
As she walked towards it, she felt countless gazes latch onto her.
"Hey, Hey! Isn't that Junior Sister Xiao Hong?! The No.1 Beauty of the Outer Sect?!" A disciple whispered, none too quietly, to his friend, who was in a daze, staring at Xiao Hong.
His friend replied with poetic eloquence, "Eh? Ah? What?"
"She seems to have become even more gorgeous…"
"So beautiful… I would give up 500 years of my lifespan to be her Dao Companion…"
"Tch, you're only a puny First Stage Qi Gathering Cultivator, where're you gonna get such a long lifespan?" another disciple mocked without any semblance of respect.
"Damn you! Thirty years east, thirty years west, don't you dare bully me because I'm poor-!" the young man bristled.
"Oh, fuck off. You're almost thirty now. By the time you reach the west, you'll be a rickety old grandpa," the other man ruthlessly tore him down.
"You bastard! Let's take this outside!"
"Hah! Come on, then! Who's afraid of who?!"
Xiao Hong's mouth twitched. Should she be amused? Should she be annoyed? It was hard to decide!
Stepping past the entrance, a mélange of herbal scents assailed her nose. Some were light and fragrant, like tea; some were strong and sharp, like ammonia; some were cool and refreshing, like mint; and some were so alien that she could not attach a word to them.
Her eyes shifted to the mammoth cauldron dominating the centre of the hall, nearly two storeys tall. Delicate engravings swirled across its body, weaving together in an enchantingly complex web of runes and patterns. It was not just her - everyone entering the Alchemy Hall found their eyes irresistibly drawn towards it.
Even dormant, it commanded attention.
'That should be the replica of the Purple Flame Star Refining Cauldron,' she thought, recalling the Alchemy Hall's famed Spirit Artefact. 'Damn, I want one too!'
Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the cauldron, she let her eyes wander through an interior as grand as the exterior. Magnificent pillars of white marble rose several storeys to support the lofty ceiling. Walls displayed murals featuring Immortal Gods in graceful poses, refining medicines to cure the masses or passing down the Art of Alchemy.
Xiao Hong's jaw slackened at the opulence. Eyes sparkling, she concluded: 'These Alchemists are loaded!'
"Hi there, beautiful Junior Sister! Would you like to test our newest Pill Appraisal Mirror?"
'And wow! Are there interior designers in the Xianxia World too?' She found it hard to believe that anyone who wasn't extremely well-versed in architecture and interior design could have come up with such a grand design that seemed dignified rather than obnoxious.
"Um, hello? Junior Sister?"
She looked down, cautiously toeing the floor with her sandals, 'Hey, isn't this white jadeite? And so well polished too! How am I not gliding across the hall right now? Some kinda spell?'
"Ahem! This Junior Sister with red eyes!" A somewhat exasperated voice interrupted her intense scrutiny of the floor.
Startled, her head jerked up towards a hulking man several heads taller than her, waving at her. Beside him stood a bespectacled young man staring at her like he'd recently misplaced his soul. On his other side was a finely dressed blonde-haired lady who looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here. All three surrounded a bookshelf-sized, bronze-framed mirror.
Xiao Hong coughed, somewhat embarrassed at being caught acting like a country bumpkin. Cheeks flushed, she clasped her fist in apology, "Forgive me, Senior Brother, I was just lost in thought over some issues in my Cultivation."
"Ah, it's quite alright, Junior Sister, I don't mind." Senior Brother not-so-green-Hulk nodded understandingly. He smirked, a teasing glint flickering in his eyes, "I was just asking if you'd like to test out the Pill Appraisal Mirror when you were lost comprehending the secrets of the Great Way from the floor."
"Um, sorry, test what? A Pill Appraisal Mirror?" she inquired in puzzlement, acting as if she didn't notice his teasing jab.
The man, somewhat disappointed at his failed attempt to tease, nodded anyway, "Yes!"
His voice rose with great enthusiasm, "This," he patted the mirror affectionately, "is our latest model. It can identify more than one thousand different pills within Grade 1 with ninety-eight per cent accuracy and is twice as fast as a veteran Pill Appraiser.
"And most importantly," he spread out his hands, "it can do all this automatically!"
Xiao Hong blinked. She had no reference for how remarkable that was. So she pretended to be doubtful, "Really? One thousand different pills automatically? Sorry, but I find that hard to believe." Scepticism worked wonders if you wanted someone to spill out the details - especially when they are proud of their creation.
The bespectacled young man opened his mouth, but the bulky man raised a hand to stop him. "I know, I know. It's hard to believe that this mirror, an unranked Artefact, can do something so complex.
"But, you should understand that this Pill Appraisal Artefact has learned to distinguish pills from a vast amount of knowledge. Thousands of Pill Appraisers and Alchemists have lent their expertise in identifying, classifying and grading hundreds of thousands of pills - and all this data was inherited by this Artefact.
"Even so, many find it hard to believe." He smiled, "That is why I welcome you to try it out - free of charge!"
Xiao Hong squinted suspiciously at the mirror. Isn't this just… Machine Learning?
She nodded hesitantly, "Very well, I shall give it a try."
Senior Brother Not-so-green-Hulk smiled in triumph. With such a beautiful participant, he could attract a lot more people!
She stepped in front of the mirror and scanned it, noticing, yet again, those intricate patterns that signified Array Formations on its bronze frame. 'These things seem to pop up everywhere. I really need to study them once I've dealt with this Senior Brother Mo business.'
The two men and the lady moved away from the mirror and to Xiao Hong's side as if to indicate that they were not interfering with the mirror.
She took out an eyeball-sized light green orb from her pouch and placed it in front of the mirror as directed by the burly man. Some weird part of her brain chanted happily, 'Mirror, mirror, in the Hall, which pill will return my ball-?'
Her face froze.
"Junior Sister, shall we begin?" Senior Brother not-so-green-Hulk asked, barely stopping her from starting a war of epic proportions against her intrusive thoughts.
At her nod, the burly man made a hand seal. A beam of light shot out from the mirror towards the pill, enveloping it.
"Now, we just need to wait for a minute while the Pill Appraisal Mirror works its magic," he explained, folding his arms as the array patterns flickered into action. Xiao Hong watched the patterns dance across the mirror's surface in wavelike pulses.
While they waited, a few deeply intriguing murmurs reached her:
"Oi, isn't it one of those damned whatchamacallits? Pill Appraisal Mirrors? Why are those people here again?! Shouldn't they be booted out?!" a disciple cursed angrily.
"They aren't really disturbing the operations of the Hall, so the Alchemists don't give a shit." Another disciple shrugged.
"Well, they should! These damned things might take their jobs next!"
"That's impossible. Forget Magical Tools or even Magic Treasures, I doubt even a Spirit Tool would be able to achieve that."
Xiao Hong turned towards the burly man, a strange expression appearing on her face. 'Is this what I think it is?'
The next comments basically confirmed her suspicions:
"I heard that Grade 1 Talisman Appraisers have all lost their jobs - the Talisman Appraisal Mirrors are handling most Grade 1 appraisal tasks. Only some special ones require intervention, and Grade 2 Talisman Appraisers do those." A disciple said matter-of-factly.
A disciple next to him scoffed, "Ha! Serves them right! Never able to create Talismans themselves, they only make things difficult for us Talisman Masters. Now that we have an impartial judge, it is much better."
This fellow had quite the beef with Talisman Appraisers!
At this moment, Xiao Hong's only thought was: Damn, AI is taking over the Cultivation World too!