Chapter 5: Mission Accomplished

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Autumn, in the side courtyard of the Yan residence.

Several young maids idled together, chatting quietly.

“Lingzhi, I heard you were promoted to Grade B recently? Word is, ever since you began cultivating, your progress has been remarkable, so after passing the assessment, you were rated B.” The speaker was Qiuxiang, a kitchen maid who’d been registered as Grade D.

“It’s not much, really. If you practice diligently, you’ll improve as well.” Lingzhi couldn’t entirely hide her pride at the compliment, though she quickly tempered it and offered Qiuxiang a few words of encouragement.

Sitting apart, the twin sisters from the music department exchanged a glance, both faces full of disdain.

“My sister and I were up late practicing yesterday, so we’ll skip the chatter and rest in our room.” The elder twin, unwilling to listen to Lingzhi’s praises, found an excuse to leave with her sister.

The remaining maids, seeing them go, seemed equally discontent.

“We only mentioned Lingzhi a few times and they couldn’t take it. Hmph! Both were rated B again this time, and the younger one was even reprimanded—almost demoted,” Qiuxiang said, standing up for Lingzhi.

“Exactly. They never mingle with us unless you’re Grade A or B. You’d think being a maid made them the mistresses instead.” Pan’er, another kitchen maid, chimed in.

“Perhaps they just look down on people like us,” Lingzhi murmured, discouraged. She was now Grade B herself, but the twins had never treated her as an equal.

“Anyway, enough about them. Lingzhi, I heard your roommate Su Yue hasn’t returned because she’s still in body refinement, but she’s been kept at Grade A for now,” Qiuxiang shifted the topic, noticing Lingzhi’s mood.

“Yes, they said her evaluation would wait until she’s done. But this Cloud Sea Sword Manual is brutal—there’s even furnace refining! Isn’t that practically torture? I heard two sisters from the farm department—one, on the third day, couldn’t bear the pain and dashed her head against the furnace; the other survived, but she’s in poor shape.”

Pan’er shuddered, recalling the sight of someone dressed in mourning white that day.

“Enough, you’re scaring me. This advanced cultivation is truly tough. Just look at Sister Yanran—she lost her Grade A status for failing the Spring Renewal Technique. We’re all just mud-born maids; how can we become fairies? Yet some insist on being so stubborn,” Qiuxiang sighed.

Just a few days ago, the supervisors had reassessed everyone. Lingzhi was promoted directly, while Yanran from Grade A and Ruoyao from the service department were both demoted a rank. The rest remained unchanged.

“Today is Su Yue’s forty-eighth day in the furnace—she’ll be out tomorrow. No news is good news,” Lingzhi said.

She remembered Su Yue had spent the whole month in the furnace, missing both skill and culture lessons. Even if she returned, demotion seemed inevitable.

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The following day, Granny Sujin ordered the two alchemy furnaces opened at the appointed time.

First was the little maid from the farm department. Several strong women leaned in to peer inside.

To their surprise, a young girl emerged. Though she’d come from a furnace filled with medicinal dregs and filth, not a speck of grime could be seen on her. She seemed so light she could barely keep her feet on the ground.

“What’s this?” one woman said, supporting the girl.

“Don’t touch her. Her living soul has separated from her body. Put her back inside the furnace—she’ll return in a moment,” Granny Sujin instructed.

The women hurried to comply, but the soul clung desperately to the edge, terrified of the alchemy furnace. In the end, it took all of them to pry her fingers loose and push her in.

About a quarter-hour later, the second furnace was opened. A great rush of steam displaced the air, leaving the supervisors gasping for breath.

As the lid lifted, a dark, human-shaped figure stepped out.

Granny Sujin narrowed her eyes at the shape, hesitating before she asked, “Su Yue?”

“It’s me, Granny. Could you prepare a tub of water for me? I’m covered in medicinal residue and impurities,” Su Yue said, shivering and hugging her arms for warmth.

Hearing Su Yue’s voice, Granny Sujin was quietly pleased. Su Yue was the first in many years to walk into the furnace and walk out again. If anyone could master the Cloud Sea Sword Manual, it might well be her.

Soon, an aunt led Su Yue to the washroom. After bathing and changing, her sallow skin was gone, replaced with delicate, snow-white flesh. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders like silk.

Su Yue lounged languidly at the edge of the tub as her aunt cleaned her back. Dressed in white brocade and boots, she was then taken to see Granny Sujin.

In the side room, Granny Sujin’s eyes widened at the sight of Su Yue.

“You’ve broken through a layer?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Yes. I broke through on the twenty-eighth day in the furnace. I’ve now reached the peak of Qi Refinement,” Su Yue replied, kneeling opposite her.

“I thought you’d have to finish body refinement first to advance. Turns out it was my own limitation. I’m glad I didn’t mislead you. Child, you are destined to be the Yan family’s right hand—I wasn’t wrong about you,” Granny Sujin said, gently patting Su Yue’s hair with her withered hand.

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Su Yue nodded lightly, then knocked her two arms together, producing a metallic clang. She grinned. “The Cloud Sea Sword Manual is indeed worthy of its reputation. The Yan family has given me such kindness—I will repay it with all my efforts.”

For example, by making sure you’re not all wiped out, Su Yue thought privately.

“With this breakthrough and your rapid progress, there’s no need for further assessment. I’ll inform the other supervisors: you’ll be promoted directly to Grade A,” Granny Sujin said.

Only then did Su Yue realize she hadn’t attended any basic culture or skills classes for over a month. She’d have to catch up with the others—a daunting task.

“But… my basic classes are probably in shambles. Is this really okay?” Su Yue asked uncertainly.

“Such things are child’s play for you. With your intelligence, you’ll catch up in no time,” Granny Sujin replied with utter confidence.

Su Yue looked at the old woman’s “you’re a genius, you’re the best” expression and fell into thought.

[Quest Four: A Scholar’s Acclaim (Side Mission): Possess refined literary and artistic skills to earn widespread admiration. Within three months, practice the guqin and deliver an outstanding performance that wins praise from all present. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with the Luo Xi Guqin.]

As the electronic voice sounded, Su Yue saw the quest appear before her eyes and pressed her hand to her forehead in dismay.

In the original story, the second male lead, Yan Qitang, was not only the Yan family’s most gifted talent in a thousand years but also learned in poetry and skilled in the arts. There was a scene where, during a banquet, his guqin performance captivated the female antagonist. Su Yue remembered this was revealed in the antagonist's dying recollection. If she traced the timeline…

“In a few days, there will be a flower-viewing banquet at the manor. All the prominent families of Cloud Continent will attend, and the supervisors are worried about having enough hands. You all will help and learn,” Granny Sujin mentioned offhandedly.

But Su Yue immediately realized: that was when the female antagonist first saw the second male lead play. And the season matched.

Tears welled in Su Yue’s heart. Why was she always thrown into these sink-or-swim tasks? She was just a humble maid, yet forced to follow the male lead’s path. It was exhausting.

When she finally returned to the side courtyard, Su Yue found the room empty. Only then did she remember the others still had classes.

Left alone, Su Yue took out the full Cloud Sea Sword Manual, her reward for breaking through the first layer, and began to study it closely.

“Amazing—how did the author conceive such a perfect method, and it suits me so well,” Su Yue murmured, leafing through the manual with fascination. She read eagerly until noon, when voices rose in the courtyard, and only then did she reluctantly put it away and hide it.