A Waste of Time-Chapter 126: Latent Mirage

Little Mei felt betrayed when Yan Jia suddenly pushed her into the bully’s embrace. She squirmed, trying to free herself, but froze the moment his hand slid down and gave her butt a gentle squeeze—a sharp reminder of the spanking he had given her earlier. Her resistance wilted instantly. She went limp in his arms, lying there like a dead fish, her small frame tense in the strength of his grip—strength that felt far too developed for someone of his age.
Both of them turned their eyes toward Yan Jia. She had risen gracefully from the water and seated herself at the edge of the bathtub. Naked, yet radiating dignity, she crossed her legs and entered meditation.
The steam wrapped around her flushed skin, making her glow as though she were a sacred figure. She sat still, serene, a flower caught at the very moment of bloom, her beauty sharpened by the heat of the bath and the calm focus in her eyes before closing them.
Yan Jia was inspired by Ippo’s words. Following her intuition, she began to gather the scattered specks of ash drifting throughout her body, carried along every channel by the circulation of her Fire Qi.
Each time she pulled a fragment back into her Dantian, the little raven Martial Spirit stirred with joy, its feathers shivering as though cheering for her. That joy was infectious. Encouraged, she worked harder, more ash returning to the pile with every cycle of breath.
But still, nothing.
No Phoenix. No rebirth.
The pile of ash grew heavier, but it showed no sign of igniting, no spark to suggest the rise Ippo had spoken of. Slowly, discouragement seeped in.
What am I supposed to do?
Suddenly, she missed Daemon with a sharp ache in her chest. He was always the one who shone brightest in moments like these, the one who cut through confusion with ease. She remembered his face, and a faint smile touched her lips. Another memory rose—the day he gifted her the little Phoenix and the little Raven. He had brought them into being with just a touch.
But she could not reach out. She could never lay hands on the ash within her own Dantian. Still, she refused to give up. That vibrant golden bird had been taken from her too soon—before she could even cherish its companionship.
Ippo and Zhou Mei watched as a tear rolled down her cheek, splashing softly against her flushed skin.
At that moment, her Fire Qi erupted.
Flames burst from her pores like a volcano tearing itself open. Ippo cursed and leapt from the bath, twisting his body to shield little Mei from the sudden inferno. The water boiled away in seconds, the tub evaporated, and the entire top floor scorched under the violent surge.
Yan Ru rolled his eyes the moment he sensed the source. Not an enemy attack—just his sister.
You scolded Ippo and Kirin for ruining the garden, now look at you—burning the whole mansion down!
With a sigh, he reached into his Space-Pouch and tossed clothes toward Ippo and Mei. The pouch had been a gift from the White-Moon Syndicate’s officials when they first arrived at the Capital—a welcome that doubled as an inspection, a chance to judge whether this group might be spies from the Mountain.
That was why the City Guards hadn’t come pounding on their gates when Kirin had revealed its true form earlier. They were still under watch. Still under suspicion.
And now Yan Jia had just burned the top floor to ash. Surely visitors would come soon. At the very least, stern reprimands and punishment for disturbing the peace.
But the gates remained silent. No one came.
This is not a good sign,
Yan Ru thought grimly. He pushed Water Qi outward to keep the fire from spreading, but his efforts fell short. His sister’s Cultivation Base—and the intensity of her Fire Qi—were far beyond his ability to contain.
Then things grew worse.
His Sword began to tremble in its scabbard, humming with agitation. On its hilt, a shimmer of light flickered—and a small, radiant Phoenix appeared, golden feathers gleaming, tail long, crest proud.
Chirp!
It was only a single note, but it rang clear across the entire Crimson Horizon City.
“Shit!” Yan Ru cursed. He vaulted through the window and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Run!”
Ippo didn’t hesitate. He seized Xia and Zhou Mei by the waists and bolted. Kyra and her cub had already fled instinctively, their animal senses screaming danger as soon as Jia began her meditation. They crouched far off behind a rock formation near the walls, keeping out of reach.
Only Kirin was unafraid. The eagle screeched with excitement and soared toward the top floor.
Boom!
A pillar of flame tore upward, demolishing the mansion as it climbed into the sky.
Cultivators across the city looked on. Foundation Establishment experts narrowed their eyes, piercing the cloud of fire, lightning, and smoke to glimpse the truth within.
There, amidst the blazing storm, three shapes revealed themselves: a golden bird blazing with brilliance, a black raven wreathed in silver, red, and violet lightning, and a pitch-black eagle—the same beast that had caused havoc earlier in the day.
And at the heart of it all, sitting amid the rubble of the ruined mansion… a girl. Naked, serene, fire wrapping her body.
What in the heavens is going on?
Many cultivators had the same thought, shaking their heads in disapproval.
Juniors these days… no sense of shame. At least put on some clothes before meditating, girl!
That day marked Yan Jia’s triumph.
Her Martial Spirit, the little Phoenix, was reborn from ash—its flame brighter and more vibrant than before. At the same time, her cultivation surged upward, carrying her past the bottleneck of the Eighth Stage entirely. In a single sweep she ascended straight to the Ninth Stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
The leap was no miracle of luck. It was born from her deep accumulations—the scars and lessons of battling Yue Lan and Xue Lian, the grief of losing her Martial Spirit, and the enlightenment she had tasted in that desperate moment. All of it came together in one eruption of growth.
When she finally opened her eyes, Yan Ru stood over her, jaw tight. For a moment it looked as though he wanted to scold her endlessly, to chew her ears off with warnings about recklessness, danger, and responsibility. But in the end, he only sighed.
Silently, he slipped off his robe and draped it across her shoulders, covering her bare body. Then, with weary steps, he turned toward the gate to deal with what awaited them—the Knight commander and the hundred City-Guards standing outside, demanding answers for the spectacle that had shaken Crimson Horizon City.
Kai lived like an explorer, free to carve his own path.
His first stop was the Nie Family’s smithy. The seven brawny men nearly dropped their hammers when the short cloaked figure who demanded a private meeting removed his white mask—revealing the unmistakable face of Da Wei’s son. The same boy who, by all accounts, should have been locked away in one of the Mountain’s cold prisons.
Shock turned to wary silence until Kai explained himself. His story did not match the truth of Da Niu being an only child, but the six Nie brothers and their old man knew enough to keep questions unspoken. Instead, they guided him to the forge.
There, with their help, Kai fashioned his own weapons: a Sword of clean steel and a Spear whose tip could be detached and hidden. When dismantled, it looked no different from a heavy staff of refined metal. The spearhead itself slid into a secret compartment built within the scabbard of his Sword—a craftsman’s trick, clever and discreet.
By the time the work was finished, the air was thick with soot and sweat. Kai clasped their hands in gratitude, offering a brief farewell to the muscular family of smiths. He bathed himself clean of the ash and grime, the water washing away the day’s labor, and set out once more.
His next destination: the neighboring village where Lin Qiu was rumored to have gone after selling her stall and bidding farewell to Auntie Ming and Auntie Fan.
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