NOVPUB1135: My name is…
1135: My name is…
In moments like this, when words didn’t seem enough, Yang Qing chose what felt right.
He gently patted Ming Wa’s shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile—one that conveyed understanding.
It was the look of someone who had been where she was, more than once.
And it wouldn’t be a lie.
His last case with the Ice Emerald Sect had left him plagued with heart demons.
Fortunately for him, he had experienced seniors who anticipated the toll that case might take.
The moment he returned, they recognized the changes in him and made plans to help him address them.
But for Ming Wa, with how unnerved she looked, her emotions swelling into an indistinct storm, Yang Qing could see the isolation in her eyes.
He might not know her full story, but she had the desperate gaze of someone with few people to rely on.
It could explain why her actions had been so erratic and desperate.
Her expression reminded him of Ma Yuan.
That same desolation.
That same helplessness teetering on the edge of despair.
But unlike Ma Yuan—whose eyes held no fight when Yang Qing saved him—there was still a flicker of resistance in Ming Wa.
Faint as it was, it clung to her like a fragile thread, the last thing keeping her from falling apart.
Whatever strength she had left was like the weak flames of a small candle struggling to hold on in the midst of a cold, windy night.
All Yang Qing could do now was shield that flame with his hands—just until the sun rose and the storm calmed.
After a gentle pat on her shoulder and a reassuring smile, Yang Qing softly said, “Let’s go.”
Ming Wa nodded weakly, and they walked side by side back to the Black Medallion Tower.
Once inside, they made their way to Yang Qing’s office, where he prepared a pot of spirit-calming snow jujube berry tea to help soothe her.
The tea wouldn’t erase all the turmoil swirling within her, but at the very least, it would temper those emotions—renewing her spirit just enough that she could function, even with the weight of them still pressing down on her.
Yang Qing gave her a few minutes, waiting for the tea to take effect.
Only when he sensed that her soul was no longer as erratic as when he first found her and or when she collapsed outside the courtyard gates—did he begin his inquiry.
He started with a question that was both simple and significant.
“What’s your name?” Yang Qing asked, seated across from her.
His voice, his aura, and everything about his entire being was tranquil and gentle.
His aura was like that of a peaceful stream meandering through a quiet forest as it shifted to that of a tall tree standing silently amidst a forest offering an inviting refuge and shelter to the weary.
His state radiated outward, enveloping the entire office in a tranquil and gentle aura.
The effect seemed to soothe Ming Wa more than even the tea, as some color returned to her pallid skin, and the dullness in her pupils gave way to a glimmer of calm.
That effect wasn’t the result of any spell or technique—rather, it was a natural by-product of the resonance between his soul and his Yin-Yang Jade Nature Bone Physique.
Those in his clan had long theorized that the Peerless Jade Physique was quite peculiar to other stages in the body refinement realm.
One of those peculiarities was that its results couldn’t be replicated, not like the other stages, and the other was that no two people—whether in the past, present, or future—could possess the same type of peerless jade physique.
Because of this singularity, they speculated that the form the physique took was no accident.
Instead, it was believed to be a reflection of the person’s soul—a manifestation of their truest essence.
Yang Qing wasn’t entirely sure if their theory was correct, but he couldn’t deny that there was truth to it.
As grueling and harrowing as the process of acquiring the Peerless Jade Physique had been, of all the stages in the body refinement realm, it was the one that had felt the most natural to him.
For the other stages—whether it was the Iron Body, Bronze Body, or all the way to the Diamond Body—Yang Qing had needed time to adjust to the changes they brought.
But with the Yin-Yang Jade Nature Peerless Jade Physique, it was different.
From the moment he obtained it, he knew how to use it instinctively, as if he had been born with it.
Yes, there was still a lot he didn’t understand about his physique, but everything he did know—or could do with it—came as naturally to him as breathing.
I wonder if I always yearned for tranquility and balance, or if it’s just a consequence of my crazy family, Yang Qing mused.
The day he obtained his Peerless Jade Physique should have been the best day of his life—but instead, it was the most terrifying.
For a time, he genuinely believed he was going to die.
He couldn’t help but wonder if his desperation to survive—and the torment he had endured—had shaped the form his physique took.
At its core, his physique specialized in creating the optimal conditions for him to live by neutralizing all forms of spiritual, mental, or physical disturbances.
It was so potent that if he wanted to, he could sleep peacefully in one of the deadliest miasma fields on the continent without worrying about being poisoned or harmed.
His physique would simply adapt him to the environment by perversely neutralizing all the harmful effects the miasma would have on him.
Yang Qing couldn’t remember the last time he fell under the effects of poisoning, which was a huge boon to him, as it allowed him to sample questionable ingredients that had excellent tastes, heaven-defying even, if one ignored the lethal nature of those ingredients.
His mouth watered as a few of those ingredients surfaced in his mind, especially the silk jade empyreal boa.
It was one of the most aesthetically beautiful spirit beasts he had ever laid eyes on.
Its glistening scales shimmered with ethereal light, each scale seemingly hiding some profound and enchanting truth.
But for all its beauty, it was equally deadly.
A single touch from the scales of a silk jade empyreal boa in the early stages of the core formation realm could instantly claim the lives of anyone in the core formation realm or below.
It didn’t matter whether you were at the 12th stage of core formation or just an early-stage qi refinement cultivator—three seconds of contact was all it took for death to follow.
And yet, when Yang Qing had only been an eighth-stage foundation establishment cultivator, not only had he touched its scales and survived—he had gone even further.
He devoured the entire body of one that was not only in the core formation realm but had even reached the middle stages of it.
Its scales, as deadly as they were, were the least poisonous part of a silk jade empyreal boa.
Its blood and flesh were far deadlier—with the blood being the most lethal.
The blood of one at the first stage of the core formation realm, in certain doses, could heavily injure an early-stage palace realm expert.
Despite being a spirit beast—creatures known for their sturdy defenses—the silk jade empyreal boa had some of the weakest defenses Yang Qing had ever encountered.
It was so fragile that a half-decent chop from a cultivator at the peak of the qi refinement realm could slice clean through the body of one in the early stages of the core formation realm.
Even its flesh was just as delicate.
When Yang Qing first sampled it, the skin was so soft it melted instantly on his tongue with just a slight roll.
Because of its paper-thin defense, poison was one of the few ways it could guarantee its survival—hence why it possessed some of the deadliest venom known.
Yet, Yang Qing consumed all its highly poisonous parts with a gleeful, and ecstatic stride.
That boa easily ranked among the top five tastiest things he had ever eaten, and it had come as a “gift” from his grandfather—who, of course, had an ulterior motive for giving it to him.
He wanted to test the limits of Yang Qing’s physique against extreme poisons. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
Naturally, he left that part out and presented the boa as a “gift delicacy” to his “favorite grandson.” It was only when Yang Qing was already halfway through eating it that his grandfather let his motives slip as he excitedly marveled and remarked at the impressive poison resistance his physique granted.
If it weren’t for his filial nature as a grandson and his magnanimous character, he might have held a grudge.
But because of his good heart, he indulged his grandfather’s experiments and finished the remaining half of the boa—despite knowing it was highly poisonous.
Its heavenly taste had no bearing on his decision.
It was simply a grandson indulging his grandfather’s questionable habits.
Thanks to that unsolicited experiment, they uncovered even deeper layers of the innate advantages his physique offered.
As Yang Qing grew stronger, he realized he could extend those benefits to his surroundings—so long as he willed it.
That was exactly what he was doing now.
Bathed in a gentle aura that washed over her like a refreshing spring, Ming Wa took a few breaths, set her tea down, and looked at Yang Qing.
For some reason, he felt approachable—almost like a safe refuge—compared to how he had felt before.
While he had always carried a carefree and approachable air, there had been something else beneath it—an inviolable power that made her uneasy.
It was like a form of suppression, subtle yet undeniable.
But now, that oppressive sensation was absent.
Already at the end of her tether, and with no idea as to what to do about her circumstances, coupled with the atmosphere in the office, and the effects of the tea, the last of her defenses shattered as Ming Wa decided she might as well open up.
Influenced by a mix of futility, desperation, and the tranquil air surrounding her, she finally spoke—though not without a lingering thread of nervousness.
All her life, all she had known was caution, apprehension, and wariness.
Even with the soothing atmosphere dulling the edges of her tension, her body resisted.
It had spent too long adapting to fear; letting go wasn’t something that came easily.
“My name is…” Ming Wa hesitated, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her clothes as though trying to draw strength from it.
“…Xia Fang,” she finally said.
