Chapter 10: Could the Righteous Saintess Also Be a Member of the Northern Abyss?
“You... you are the Celestial Beauty Jinghong!?”
Liu Cuier stared at the woman standing before her—an exquisite figure with an oval face, flowing long hair, bright eyes, and a smile that could topple kingdoms. She was utterly stunned.
It was no wonder Liu Cuier reacted this way. After all, publicly, this ethereal woman was the newly appointed Sacred Maiden of the most powerful sect in Songwu Prefecture—the Yaochi Immortal Mountain—a goddess who captivated the hearts of countless disciples.
Who would have imagined that, behind the scenes, she was actually a member of the Beiming Organization?
What surprised Liu Cuier even more was that this divine figure, whom she had only seen once and had thought unattainable, behaved with utmost reverence and humility before Wang Chu, showing none of the airs or demeanor of a Sacred Maiden.
“Heh heh heh, Liu’er, there’s no need to be so surprised. As long as you work hard, I believe that one day you will catch up to Junior Sister Jinghong.”
“Me?”
Liu Cuier shrank back somewhat insecurely. “Brother Wang, please don’t comfort me like that. Someone like the Celestial Beauty Jinghong—how could I ever hope to catch up?”
Jinghong turned her head and smiled gently at Liu Cuier.
“Junior Sister, there’s no need to feel self-conscious. When I first joined Beiming, I was just a village girl with no cultivation talent whatsoever.”
Liu Cuier’s face showed disbelief.
“Celestial Beauty Jinghong, you... you’re not joking, are you?”
Jinghong smiled warmly.
“Of course not.”
She looked gratefully at Wang Chu.
“It was Senior Brother and Beiming who gave me the chance to change my fate. Without them, Jinghong might have long since been taken advantage of by the village bullies and turned to dust.”
Seeing Jinghong’s sincere expression, Liu Cuier finally believed her words a little. Curiously, she asked:
“Celestial Beauty Jinghong, then... how exactly did you do it?”
Jinghong extended her right hand, revealing a flawless, pale wrist.
With the flow of her spiritual power, a flickering mark appeared on her wrist—an intricate Bagua formation.
“With this.”
Liu Cuier looked at the pattern on Jinghong’s wrist, momentarily baffled.
“What does it mean?”
At that moment, Wang Chu approached Liu Cuier and handed her a sky-blue jade token.
“Take this. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Upon receiving it, Liu Cuier felt a sudden warmth spread through her palm, like sunlight pouring through a winter window.
In moments, the warm energy coursed through her body and settled in her palm.
Driven by an invisible, mysterious force, Liu Cuier instinctively infused her spiritual power into her palm.
Immediately afterward, she opened her hand and saw the same pattern that had appeared on Jinghong’s wrist now glowing in her palm.
Then Wang Chu spoke:
“Silently recite in your heart: ‘In Beiming there is a fish, its name is Kun.’”
Liu Cuier followed suit, whispering inside her heart:
“In Beiming there is a fish, its name is Kun!”
Suddenly, colorful lines burst forth in front of her eyes.
These lines swam like fish, swiftly passing through her body and swimming backwards.
After a few breaths, as the fish-like lines vanished, Liu Cuier was astonished to find that she was no longer inside Wang Chu’s shop.
Around her stretched a blue world filled with shifting lights and shadows, within which she saw many figures moving about.
Suddenly, a line of text appeared in the void nearby:
“Welcome, newcomer, to Beiming!”
“Sun and Moon Mistake: Welcome, newcomer!”
“Long Live Beiming: Welcome, newcomer!”
“Master, I Was Wrong: Welcome, newcomer!”
...
Reading the scrolling messages, Liu Cuier was utterly bewildered.
With her current worldview, she could not begin to comprehend what was happening.
“Heh heh, those are your fellow disciples welcoming you.”
Fortunately, Liu Cuier was not alone. Jinghong stood beside her.
Turning to Jinghong, Liu Cuier noticed that her appearance had changed drastically.
Her hair was now purple, and her facial features were quite different.
If it weren’t for the similar voice, Liu Cuier wouldn’t have guessed this was the same Jinghong.
“Celestial Beauty Jinghong, why have you changed your appearance?”
Jinghong patiently explained:
“This is the Kun Realm. Every Beiming member who enters here takes on another identity to communicate with others in this world. You will do the same. Now, choose a name you like and pick an appearance you prefer.”
As soon as Jinghong finished speaking, a scroll-like interface appeared before Liu Cuier:
“Please name yourself:”
Liu Cuier took a moment to process the information, then replied:
“Wanghou!”
“Name registered successfully. Please select your appearance:”
...
After some time, a petite young girl with blue hair named Wanghou appeared in the Kun Realm.
Jinghong appraised Liu Cuier from head to toe and nodded approvingly.
“Junior Sister Wang, you have excellent taste.”
Liu Cuier timidly twisted her fingers.
“Celestial Beauty Jinghong, please don’t tease me.”
“Still calling me Celestial Beauty Jinghong?”
Jinghong squinted her eyes and smiled.
Liu Cuier blushed and waved her hand awkwardly.
“Sorry, I forgot again. It’s... Village Girl Senior Sister.”
In the Kun Realm, Jinghong’s name was Village Girl.
Jinghong covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Heh heh heh, that’s more like it. Now, Junior Sister, I’m going to present you with your initiation gift for joining Beiming. Are you ready?”
Liu Cuier swallowed nervously.
“Yes!”
Hearing this, Jinghong produced a small vial.
“Guess what this is.”
Liu Cuier looked at the vial, pondered a moment, and replied:
“A pill that drastically boosts cultivation?”
Jinghong shook her head.
“Nope.”
Before Liu Cuier could guess again, Jinghong handed her the vial with a mysterious smile.
“Junior Sister Wang, drink it. Once you do, you’ll know what it is.”
Taking the vial with a pounding heart, Liu Cuier opened the stopper.
Looking down, she saw a pale green liquid inside.
Without hesitation, Liu Cuier drank it all at once.
Immediately, she felt her dantian heating up, and the blood coursing through her body quickened.
A wondrous transformation was taking place within Liu Cuier...