Shen Ying found it almost too easy to mess with him, to the point where she felt a little guilty.
However, given Ji Liantan’s lingering presence near the Xuanji Sect, and considering the usual twists of fate in such stories, these next few days were unlikely to remain peaceful.
According to the original plot, his arrival alone would shatter Shen Ying’s illusion of a tranquil life—one where she had distanced herself from the Hehuan Sect and the burdens of her mission.
But Shen Ying harbored no such inner conflict. In fact, she’d be thrilled if he showed up just so she could toy with him a little. What suffering or hesitation could there possibly be?
So Shen Ying asked Ji Liantan: "What have you been up to lately, Senior Brother?"
Ji Liantan replied: "Nothing much. Just wandering around, inspecting the Hehuan Sect’s assets, and checking in on the spies we’ve planted everywhere—making sure they’re still loyal."
Shen Ying: "That may be so, but how many of them are actually worth your personal attention?"
"What do you do in your free time, then?"
Though Ji Liantan had grown up alongside Shen Ying, casual conversations like this were rare. He found it strange—normally, she wouldn’t dare pry into his affairs so casually, fearing his temper. But ever since she left the Hehuan Sect, she’d become downright brazen around him.
Part of him felt provoked, yet another part found their current dynamic oddly pleasant.
So he convinced himself to let it slide—today, at least, he was in a good mood.
"The rest of the time, I train. The Grand Competition is approaching—unlike some, I don’t have the luxury of slacking off."
Shen Ying: "Senior Brother, you’ve seen my recent progress. How can you say such things?"
Ji Liantan: "Enough. What is it you really want?"
Shen Ying: "If you have time, why not come to Youyun Peak for a chat?"
"The mountain scenery here is breathtaking—close enough to touch the stars. And, more importantly, Peak Master Ye is here too."
Ji Liantan’s expression, previously calm, darkened instantly, as if ink could drip from his face.
"Are you asking for death again? Don’t think your current advantages make you untouchable."
Shen Ying sighed in mock disappointment: "Ah, so Senior Brother still can’t face his own mother? Fine, forget it then."
Ji Liantan nearly exploded: "Say that again?"
Shen Ying: "Never mind, never mind! Calm down, Senior Brother. It’s not that you’re afraid to confront your birth mother—you’re just worried about Xuanji Sect’s tight security, right? Afraid you won’t make it back?"
"A wise man doesn’t stand under a crumbling wall. Your caution is perfectly reasonable."
"..."
This was even more infuriating. Was she calling him a coward? Him, afraid of Xuanji Sect’s bunch of hypocrites?
One day, he’d lead the demonic path straight to their doorstep.
But before he could retort, Shen Ying sent another message: "Well, Senior Brother, if you won’t come, I’ll just enjoy the moon atop Youyun Peak with Brother Ye."
"Oh, and I’ll persuade him to join the Demonic Path Grand Competition. Prepare the entry permit—I’ll come collect it in a couple of days."
With that, she ignored Ji Liantan’s furious replies. Fuming, he could only swallow his anger, knowing she was currently busy coaxing Ye Qingchen.
Having thoroughly teased her senior brother, Shen Ying headed to Ye Qingchen’s courtyard in high spirits.
Inside, she found him watering a flower. Youyun Peak’s abundant spiritual energy ensured lush growth even without care, but the plant before him was withered and lifeless—utterly unworthy of its surroundings.
Its shape was unfamiliar too. Even with Shen Ying’s combined knowledge (her own and the original host’s), she couldn’t name it, though it felt vaguely familiar.
She couldn’t quite place where she’d seen it before.
Not disturbing him, she quietly watched as Ye Qingchen tended to the flower with meticulous care, as if convinced it could revive despite its dying state.
After finishing with the spiritual solution, he spoke: "How long do you think this flower has left, Junior Sister?"
Shen Ying: "Probably enough stubborn vitality to cling on for a century?"
The answer seemed to catch him off guard. For a moment, Ye Qingchen’s gaze wavered with uncharacteristic surprise.
"That’s the first time I’ve heard that answer. Since I was seven, people have told me it wouldn’t last half a month."
"Yet here it remains, while some of those who doubted are already gone."
Shen Ying pondered briefly before smiling. "So, what’s special about this flower, Senior Brother?"
Ye Qingchen: "The flower itself is ordinary. It just happens to require a specific soil to survive."
Shen Ying: "What soil?"
Ye Qingchen: "Heart Demon Soil."
The moment he said it, Shen Ying remembered where she’d seen such a flower before.
Shortly after joining the Hehuan Sect, a senior had succumbed to a heart demon. The Demon Lord took great interest, exhausting all means to help eradicate it.
Heart Demon Soil was dug from the spiritual realm where a cultivator’s heart demon took root—a space born from their own psyche during the internal struggle.
The Heartstring Flower grown from this soil could reflect the heart demon’s intensity, serving as a useful tool in its suppression.
Yet Ye Qingchen claimed people had been commenting on this flower since he was seven.
The amount of information contained within was immense.
Shen Ying voiced her question, "If I recall correctly, Senior Brother Ye just mentioned seven years old?"
"Is this the Heartstring Flower you've been cultivating since you were seven? Using your own Demonheart Soil?"
Ye Qingchen smiled, his expression appearing rather relaxed. "So my dear younger brother didn’t need to go through all that trouble of having my junior sister tempt me into nurturing a demonheart."
"Because I already had one long ago."
"Junior sister also doesn’t need to worry about failing the mission and being punished by Ji Liantan."
Shen Ying studied Ye Qingchen for a long moment. His self-exposure of his didn’t evoke much of a reaction from her in terms of providing a sense of security in handling the situation.
She simply thought to herself—this world’s original plot was truly riddled with pitfalls.
Honestly, whether the actual circumstances matched the original novel’s account, Shen Ying wasn’t even sure.
After a long pause, she remarked with admiration, "Senior Brother Ye is truly impressive, nurturing a demonheart at just seven years old."
"At that age, my senior brother was probably still sniveling and playing with mud in the Joyous Harmony Sect, wasn’t he?"
Ye Qingchen’s fingers stilled. Her casual attitude toward demonhearts left him at a loss for how to respond.
A faint sense of frustration welled up in him.
It seemed he could never predict where this woman would step next.
Then Shen Ying added, "But since Senior Brother Ye already has a demonheart, I can rest easy now."
Ye Qingchen’s eyes flickered, thinking she was finally showing some normal consideration.
But when he looked into her eyes, he caught a glimmer of unusual excitement and anticipation in the demoness’s gaze.
What was she so happy about?
Before he could dwell on it, Shen Ying changed the subject. "By the way, Senior Brother Ye, I’ve already obtained the entry token for the Demonic Path Tournament. You can come with me when the time comes."
"As long as we’re careful not to expose your identity, there shouldn’t be any mishaps."
Ye Qingchen raised an eyebrow, surprised she had secured it so quickly.
"How did you persuade Ji Liantan without raising his suspicions?" he asked.
Shen Ying replied, "I told him you wanted to go, and he handed me the token without another word—he was thrilled. If the setting had been more appropriate, he’d probably be outside doing celebratory laps right now."
Ye Qingchen: "..."
For a brief moment, his scalp tingled with dread. He had assumed that no matter what Shen Ying was scheming, her actions would at least follow some discernible logic.
But—
Ye Qingchen, uncharacteristically gritting his teeth, said, "Junior Sister Shen, as a member of the demonic path, is there anything in your eyes that can’t be stated outright?"
