The day Shu Fu left Qingcheng, the weather was clear and cloudless, just like her mood.
Qi Feng, forthright and impartial, wasted no time. That very day, he summoned all the families allied with the Qi clan and publicly listed Third Master Qi’s crimes one by one. With deep remorse for his own negligence, he personally beheaded his younger brother and displayed the head on a high platform as a warning to others.
Thus, the once-powerful master of the Qi family—a loyal lapdog of Lingxiao City who had once held sway over Qingcheng—met his end with nothing more than a brief, pitiful cry. His arrogant head, so full of delusions of grandeur, thudded into the dust, carrying his dreams of soaring success straight to the underworld.
All men must die, but Third Master Qi’s death was truly lighter than a chicken’s feather.
Qi Xinlei, though uninvolved in the conspiracy, had still relied on her status to act tyrannically and bully the locals. She received a sound beating before being sent away for harsh cultivation. As for Qi Yuxuan, given her youth and the fact she had merely obeyed her father’s orders in aiding his misdeeds, Qi Feng showed leniency—he decided to imprison her first and execute her only after she came of age.
Qi Yuxuan wailed, "Just kill me now! Kill me now!"
Shu Fu sighed inwardly. What a shame modern juvenile delinquents didn’t get the same treatment.
As for how Qi Yuxuan wailed and lamented, or how he cursed the heartless "Jiang Ruoshui," Shu Fu couldn’t care less.
This time, she had truly severed the karmic ties binding the original owner of this body. She had repaid grievances with vengeance, settled old scores, and sent the trash male lead packing—finally cutting all earthly ties with a clean slate.
Though Qingcheng was remote, it boasted its own picturesque charm. Just beyond the city lay a vast sea of moss phlox flowers. Countless blossoms in varying shades of pink wove together like a plush carpet, their petals unfurling like the radiant faces of beauties gazing skyward with an air of innocent charm.
Shu Fu returned to the inn, collected the bewildered little maid Fangfei, and brought her to the flower field, where Jiang Xuesheng had been waiting.
With their business concluded, Jiang Xuesheng no longer concealed his appearance. He reclined among the blossoms like a carefree recluse, his ethereal grace a striking contrast to Liu Ruyi’s flamboyant crimson robes beside him.
One was jade in bone and autumn water in spirit; the other had a face like a lotus and brows like willow leaves.
Fangfei’s reaction was simple: "Wow! A fairy brother and a fairy sister!"
Shu Fu chuckled. "Two fairy brothers."
"Master, Senior Brother," she greeted them as she approached. "I’m back."
Truthfully, the terms felt awkward to her—modern sensibilities made them oddly embarrassing. But practice made perfect, and with enough thick skin, she’d get used to it.
Jiang Xuesheng turned to her amidst the sea of flowers, his faint smile softening his celestial demeanor. "No need to force yourself. If it’s uncomfortable, you may call me ‘Sir,’ like Ruyi does."
"Alright, Sir. Thank you, Sir."
Relieved, Shu Fu composed herself and continued earnestly, "Fangfei has been with me since childhood—she’s loyal to a fault. Now that I’ve gained this opportunity, I can’t just leave her behind in the Jiang family. I’d like to find her a place. In your opinion, which peak of Jiuhua Sect would suit her?"
Having decided to take care of Fangfei on behalf of the original owner, she intended to see it through to the end.
Jiang Xuesheng glanced down, his eyes half-lidded, his divine aura fading into approachable warmth. "Do you know anything about medicine?"
"Mm!" Fangfei nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling. "After the new madame entered the household, I worried someone might harm the young miss, so I learned some basic remedies just in case. Fairy brother, how did you know?"
Jiang Xuesheng smiled without answering and turned back to Shu Fu. "How about sending her to Dongming Peak?"
Shu Fu paused, recalling Dongming Peak’s motto: "Raise the dead, regrow bones." It sounded impressive—likely full of legendary G-cup healers.
Reassured, she replied sincerely, "Good."
Fangfei, however, pouted. "I want to stay with the young miss!"
Jiang Xuesheng reassured her gently, "Dongming Peak and Yaoguang Peak have always been close. Travel between them is unrestricted—just a short trip."
Now Fangfei brightened. "Then it’s fine! I won’t be apart from the young miss!"
Shu Fu laughed but couldn’t help feeling a pang of melancholy. Such a sweet girl had been mere cannon fodder in the original story—what a waste.
But this time, not only would she avoid that fate, she might even become a top-tier healer.
"Since we have the chance, I’ll tell you all about Jiuhua Sect on our way back," Liu Ruyi offered cheerfully, delighted by the spirited girl. "Dongming Peak is devoted to healing—full of compassionate souls, the most amiable of the nine peaks. Fangfei won’t suffer there."
Shu Fu caught the implication: some peaks were less amiable.
Sure enough, Liu Ruyi continued, "Master Mingxiao of Tianxuan Peak is straightforward, and Master Bailian of Yuheng Peak is honest—both get along well with us. The others are mostly neutral, neither close nor contentious, maintaining a polite distance. But Tianji and Tianquan Peaks? They clash with us constantly, always picking fights. Not easy to deal with."
Ah, the legendary villain peaks.
One "Heavenly Rooster," one "Heavenly Dog"—together, they formed the idiom "chickens and dogs ascending to heaven." A perfect match.
Shu Fu understood immediately. So, they’re next on the hit list?
She quickly reviewed her knowledge:
Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang, Dongming, Yinyuan.
These were the ancient names for the "Nine Stars of the Northern Dipper," also the titles of Jiuhua Sect’s nine peaks.
From the storyteller’s accounts, she remembered that Tianxuan Peak’s master was a female sword cultivator—peerless in skill, unmatched in the world. Zhong Lan was her disciple, a striking figure who left a lasting impression.
Yuheng Peak specialized in spells and formations, versatile in support and offense, self-sufficient enough to even heal in a pinch.
Being on good terms with them was certainly a plus.
As for the troublesome two...
"If I recall correctly," Shu Fu said carefully, "the master of Tianji Peak is none other than Master Jinghai."
The original owner’s teacher—the spineless homeroom instructor who turned a blind eye to bullying.
And they didn’t get along with him?
That was fantastic.
Shu Fu was so thrilled she nearly cursed out loud in celebration. A face delivered on a silver platter—how could a protagonist of wish-fulfillment fiction resist slapping it?
Misreading her grin as interest, Liu Ruyi eagerly elaborated, "Which peak intrigues you, Junior Sister? I’ll explain in detail."
Shu Fu answered without hesitation, "I’ll take them all."
Liu Ruyi laughed, impressed by her boldness, and patiently began his breakdown.
First Peak: Tianshu Peak, the sect leader’s domain, central and paramount.
The sect leader’s surname was Qiu, given name Xin—combined, it formed the word "sorrow," as if foreshadowing his fate of toiling for the sect until his hair fell out from worry.
His Daoist name, Zhiyuan, suited him well—serene, detached, and genuinely benevolent (unlike Jiang Xuesheng’s occasional act). He was naturally mild-tempered, a rarity in cultivation circles.
Among the current elders, he was neither the most powerful in cultivation nor the most cunning or skilled in tactics, but he was undoubtedly the most suitable to be the sect leader.
As for the strongest in cultivation, that title belonged to none other than the master of the second peak, Tianxuan Peak—the female sword cultivator Ming Xiao, renowned for her "one sword chilling fourteen provinces."
Shu Fu was certain that the original novel had never mentioned such a character, or if it did, she was merely a background figure. In fact, apart from the male lead, female lead, and the villainess’s faction, more than half of the nine peaks in the story were treated as background elements.
Master Mingxiao, whose full name was Ming Xiao, used her given name as her Daoist title—a bold move, considering she never deigned to acknowledge heaven or earth, yet the heavens themselves seemed eager to favor her.
According to Liu Ruyi, Ming Xiao possessed an extraordinary talent for sword cultivation, surpassing even the male lead in sheer brilliance, embodying the essence of "coolness." If ordinary cultivators progressed at a snail’s pace and the male lead at a light jog, Ming Xiao was leaping forward in triple jumps, leaving countless others green with envy.
With such unparalleled talent and an obsession with the sword, it was no surprise she was so formidable.
Liu Ruyi lamented, "Master Mingxiao is elusive, wandering the world, and rarely seen within the sect. If you’re fortunate enough to meet her, perhaps she could offer you some guidance."
So she was hard to encounter. Shu Fu thought with some regret—truly a dazzling yet underutilized background character, staying true to the original novel’s setup.
Next was the third peak, Tianji Peak, home to Master Jinghai.
Liu Ruyi didn’t care to elaborate on this man.
The reason was simple: though Tianji and Tianquan Peaks sounded like "Heavenly Chicken" and "Heavenly Dog," their respective masters, Master Jinghai and Master Huaigu, were the only two peak leaders in the sect who openly discriminated against demonic cultivators.
Master Huaigu held the highest seniority in the sect, surpassing even the sect leader and other elders, but his temperament was inversely proportional to his status—he was a stubborn, old-fashioned fossil who clung to outdated traditions.
Master Jinghai, aloof and proud, showed no deference even to the sect leader, but he held deep respect for Master Huaigu, who had once saved his life.
The two were birds of a feather, always in lockstep, a perfect match.
Under their leadership, Tianji and Tianquan Peaks emphasized orthodoxy, viewing demonic and half-demon cultivators as untamed heretics, no different from demonic cultivators.
In stark contrast, Yaoguang Peak welcomed demons and half-demons with open arms, making them natural enemies of the other two peaks.
To them, Yaoguang Peak was nothing more than a den of "mudbloods."
But the sect leader didn’t care—not only did he not care, but he also treated Yaoguang Peak’s Jiang Xuesheng as a sworn brother, laughing and joking with him as if they were inseparable.
So, no matter how much the other two peaks despised it, all they could do was pick fights and seethe in helpless rage.
One minute of picking fights, a whole year of getting beaten. A century of impotent fury.
Shu Fu couldn’t help but think, Wow, what a classic setup for cannon-fodder villains. Truly a vintage cultivation novel.
This kind of trope had fallen out of fashion years ago.
In her memory, the last famous cultivation sect that discriminated against demons was the Qiongxian Sect from Xianjian Qixia Zhuan 4. Discrimination was fun until the whole family ended up in the crematorium, with the entire sect sentenced to centuries of imprisonment—and the ringleader got life without parole.
Are these two masters so bold because they, too, want to declare, ‘I’d rather become a demon’?
Sorry, that’s an insult to Xuan Xiao.
Shu Fu silently apologized to Xianjian Qixia Zhuan.
Liu Ruyi, being someone who wore her emotions on her sleeve, couldn’t be bothered to waste words on people she disliked. She skipped ahead to the next peak: "The fifth peak, Yuheng Peak, specializes in spells and formations. Its master, Master Bailian, is quite an interesting character."
Shu Fu asked, "Interesting how?"
Liu Ruyi’s eyes sparkled as she deliberately played coy, clearing her throat mysteriously. "Ahem, you’ll understand when you meet him."
Shu Fu pressed, "Please give me a heads-up, Senior Brother. I’d like to be mentally prepared so I don’t offend the master."
"Plenty of people have offended Master Bailian. If he held grudges over every slight, he’d never get anything else done."
Jiang Xuesheng interjected dryly, his tone a mix of sarcasm and odd familiarity. "You might not know this, but Bailian’s original Daoist title was ‘White Lotus’—literally ‘Bai Lian,’ given to him by his master. Later, after enduring endless mockery, he couldn’t take it anymore and begged his master to change it."
"Why?" Shu Fu was puzzled. "What’s wrong with ‘White Lotus’?"
Though "white lotus" had negative connotations in modern times, in the cultivation world, the lotus symbolized purity and resilience, untainted by the mud it grew from. A Daoist title like that should have reflected noble character.
Even if Master Bailian was a straight-laced man who found floral names too feminine, surely he didn’t need to change it outright.
Liu Ruyi and Jiang Xuesheng exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Finally, Liu Ruyi explained, "Junior Sister, do you know what Master Bailian looks like?"
Shu Fu: "What?"
Liu Ruyi: "He’s nine feet tall, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and dark skin. Before joining the sect, he was a famous outlaw in the mortal world, known as Xu Yunlong."
Shu Fu: "Pfft—"
Who the heck is this?!
He sounds like the lovechild of Xu Wenqiang and Li Yunlong—terrifying!
Liu Ruyi continued, "The reason he was called ‘White Lotus’ stems from an anecdote. Apparently, he once invented a fire-based artifact that accidentally vaporized an entire spiritual lake, leaving only a single lotus flower bathed in heaven and earth’s spiritual energy. Amid the blackened ruins of the lake, that one white lotus stood tall and unblemished, embodying the ‘untainted by filth’ ideal. His master was so moved that he bestowed the name."
Shu Fu: "..."
Was that so-called fire artifact… the legendary Italian cannon?
Half an hour later.
Still reeling from the mental image of Master Bailian, Shu Fu listened to the remaining peaks in a daze, only half-absorbing the details.
Of course, being the diligent student she was, even in her stupor, she took meticulous notes.
She wrote methodically:
1. Tianshu Peak: Handles sect affairs, working 24/7—cultivating immortality in both senses.
2. Tianxuan Peak: The sect’s strongest enforcer, too cool for friends.
3. Tianji Peak: Absolute trash.
4. Tianquan Peak: Also trash, but skilled in alchemy and artifact forging—so it’s a wealthy trash.
5. Yuheng Peak: White Lo—no, Bailian. A total hunk. Xu Wenqiang and Li Yunlong’s secret lovechild.
6. Kaiyang Peak: Houses the sect’s library. "Kaiyang it, and you’ll know."
7. Yaoguang Peak: Yaoguang’s grand stage—if you’re tough enough, come play.
8. Dongming Peak: "Healing with a flick of the chest"—if you’re not dead yet, they’ll fix you.
9. Yinyuan Peak: The cultivation world’s 007, masters of disguise. Their collective face-swaps could circle Jiuhua Sect.
And so on.
Perfect.
Satisfied, Shu Fu tucked away her notes, planning to review them later to memorize the peaks and facilitate flirting with the sect’s beauties and hunks.
Just then, a thin, girlish voice piped up from her sleeve: "Hey, girl. I wanna check out Yuheng Peak. What d’ya think? That Yunlong dude sounds badass—I wanna meet him!"
The voice was delicate, but the phrasing was rough.
It belonged to none other than Tian Xin, the unsung hero of the "Qiongqi" incident.
Logically speaking, now that her vengeance was fulfilled and her wish granted, she should have moved on to reincarnation. But she insisted on seeing Big Yellow fully recover, pestering Jiang Xuesheng relentlessly until he finally agreed to take her back to the Jiuhua Sect, allowing her to remain until the orange cat regained his memories before entering the cycle of rebirth.
So now, she was sealed inside a jade vial specially designed to contain spirits, tucked away in Shu Fu’s sleeve.
Though Big Yellow’s accumulated sins had yet to be absolved, and he would still face a long sentence of reform through labor—far from easily regaining his freedom—for Tian Xin, this was already a tremendous comfort.
It was only in moments like these that Shu Fu began to suspect that perhaps Jiang Xuesheng, cold-faced but warm-hearted, was actually quite easygoing.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
While he treated his comrades with the warmth of spring, his treatment of enemies was absolutely as ruthless as the harshness of winter.
Shu Fu pondered this and realized that this was exactly what she liked about him. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have willingly called him “Sir.”
“Got it all memorized?”
This ruthless master of hers was looking down at her, his features bathed in a gentle warmth like the spring sun in March. “If you’ve memorized it, let’s go.”
Fangfei eagerly cut in, “Immortal, are we going to ride swords?”
“No need.”
Jiang Xuesheng replied, “Sword riding isn’t very stable—it might scare you. The Jiuhua Sect is a place where every step reveals a new sight, full of enchanting scenery. Since it’s your first time entering the sect, it’s better to take your time and enjoy the view.”
As he spoke, he turned and shot Liu Ruyi a meaningful glance. “Ruyi, escort your junior sisters.”
Liu Ruyi pouted. “Always ordering me around.”
At the same time, his crimson-robed figure spun gracefully, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
In his place appeared—
“A giant white goose?!”
Fangfei’s eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect “O” as if she’d just swallowed a goose egg whole.
“Silly child, it’s a swan.”
Liu Ruyi’s melodious voice rang out, though his form was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a snow-white bird resembling a swan landed gracefully, folding its pristine wings without a single stray feather, its long, elegant neck curving like a swaying water plant.
He lowered his beautifully shaped head and, without further ado, nuzzled affectionately against Shu Fu. His feathers were soft and silky, his voice as clear as birdsong:
“Hop on, little junior sister.”
Shu Fu: “...”
Help, this goose is practically tempting me to commit a crime.
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