Hold On set off once more with a letter for Wen Jingzhi.
This time, however, it was entirely willing—indeed, it was almost impatient to go.
But since the Blood Demon Ancestor had been searching for it all this time, Shu Xin had given Hold On a new scabbard. In any case, spirit swords all looked more or less the same. Once the scabbard was changed, no one could recognize it.
The sword spirit itself did not mind. Ever since it had been broken, changing scabbards had become an everyday occurrence.
At that moment, Wen Jingzhi was still a guest at the Blood Demon Sect.
After Yin Rushi got the information he wanted from Wen Jingzhi, he stopped showing himself very often. On the one hand, the Blood Demon Ancestor had asked him to keep Wen Jingzhi occupied for the time being, so Yin Rushi had chosen the simplest method: avoid him and stall for time.
On the other hand, whenever Yin Rushi and Wen Jingzhi were together, he always felt as though he were being watched by a ferocious beast.
Yin Rushi had always been proud of his instincts.
He felt that the reason he had managed to survive so smoothly in the Blood Demon Sect for so many years was largely thanks to his intuition.
For example, back when he was at the Profound Spirit Dao Sect, most people had thought Shu Xin was the easier target between her and Long Ling. Yet his instincts had told him something was wrong, so he had gone after Long Ling instead. The fellow who had chosen to deal with Shu Xin now had grass growing several yards high over his grave.
Likewise, when he was in the Seeking Deities Sect, his instincts had warned him not to act rashly. As it turned out, those who had attacked had never been heard from again.
And now, his instincts were telling him to stay as far away from Wen Jingzhi as possible.
There was something extremely strange and dangerous about this man.
He was like a lake that had been repressed for far too long, on the verge of suddenly giving rise to countless turbulent waves.
After thinking it over, Yin Rushi decided that everyone had their secrets. He had no desire to pry into anyone else’s, so he would keep his distance for now. After all, Wen Jingzhi could not do anything to him in the Blood Demon Sect.
Wen Jingzhi received the letter Hold On had delivered.
It contained Shu Xin’s entire plan: how they would scheme against the Earth Immortals, how they would coordinate their efforts, and what kind of results they might achieve if everything went smoothly. If Shu Xin really managed to outwit Wuweizi as well, Wen Jingzhi would have a chance to avenge himself.
“Sister Shu is still thinking too much about my feelings.” After reading the entire plan, a faint smile appeared on Wen Jingzhi’s face. “Senior Sword Spirit, you could try persuading her. The plan could actually be a little more aggressive.”
Hold On tapped Wen Jingzhi on the head with its hilt, wondering if his brain had been filled with water.
What nonsense was this kid spouting?
Shu Xin’s plan wasn’t aggressive enough?
She was practically one step away from tying those Earth Immortals up by their necks and treating them like dogs.
“The method Wuweizi uses to prolong his life is hidden within the blood feud of my Wen family.” Wen Jingzhi spoke softly. “But Sister Shu didn’t let me take part in it. Instead, she had Jiang Gui and Song Ping help cover up the lie. She’s worried that I’ll lose control because of this plan, and afraid that it will dredge up my painful memories.”
Hold On felt that being unable to speak was actually quite convenient.
Based on what it knew of Shu Xin, it felt that while Shu Xin had taken this into consideration, she definitely had not given it much thought.
They were going to seek revenge. Why should they care about the methods?
Of course, they should use whatever they could, stop at nothing, and try every possible approach.
“Since Sister Shu wants the Blood Demon Ancestor to take part as well, I’ll add a little more fuel to the fire. As it stands, this plan still isn’t foolproof. There are too many unpredictable variables.” Wen Jingzhi burned the letter. Flames seemed to dance in his eyes as he looked at Hold On. “Senior, please wait a moment. I’ll be done here soon as well.”
With that, Wen Jingzhi was about to leave for a while.
Hold On thought for a moment, then shrank itself down and transformed into a hairpin, hiding in Wen Jingzhi’s hair.
It felt that Wen Jingzhi was currently rather like a wild dog that had slipped its leash. With Shu Xin absent, he seemed to be acting a little too recklessly.
If he died, Shu Xin’s state of mind and her plan would undoubtedly be affected.
It was best to keep an eye on him first.
“Thank you for watching over me, Senior.” Wen Jingzhi touched his hair and spoke softly. “I won’t interfere with her plan.”
On the contrary, he would make the plan even more flawless.
…No, wait. Hearing you say that only makes me even more frightened.
Huh. This feeling seemed strangely familiar.
Hold On thought about it carefully.
Ah, it remembered now.
More than a hundred years ago, when Wen Jingzhi and Shu Xin had still been fleeing through the cultivation world, things had been exactly like this.
Shu Xin was responsible for devising the plans.
Wen Jingzhi was responsible for digging the pits and burying people in them.
And of all the things Wen Jingzhi could have learned from Shu Xin, he had somehow inherited that habit of doing terrible things while putting on an innocent, white-lotus act—only he had surpassed his teacher by far.
Otherwise, Hold On would never have called him Little Fox.
That long-lost feeling had returned.
Yin Rushi had been doing his utmost to avoid Wen Jingzhi.
That day, he was just about to enter seclusion and cultivate properly, hoping to reach the Immaculate Realm as soon as possible, when he suddenly received an urgent message from one of his subordinates.
This subordinate had been specially assigned to Wen Jingzhi. Yin Rushi had ordered him to report every detail of Wen Jingzhi’s daily activities.
However, unless something important happened, there was no need to contact him constantly.
The subordinate had never used the emergency communication method before.
But this time, the man was clearly panicking.
“L-Lord, there’s something very wrong with that Wen Jingzhi,” the subordinate stammered.
“What’s wrong?” Yin Rushi asked.
“When he flew overhead just now, I noticed that his appearance had changed. He had transformed into someone else,” the subordinate said hesitantly.
“Who did he turn into?” Yin Rushi jolted upright.
“Situ Jian.” The subordinate nearly broke down in tears. “He’s Situ Jian!”
When Yin Rushi heard that name, his entire mind went blank.
What?
Situ Jian?
The Situ Jian who had vanished under the pursuit of the Earth Immortals—the one the Blood Demon Ancestor himself had said he could take as a direct disciple?
Yin Rushi felt as though the sky had collapsed.
Every day, he worked hard to prove his loyalty to the Blood Demon Ancestor, hoping that one day he might become the Ancestor’s disciple.
And now, the man whom the Blood Demon Ancestor had personally offered to take as a disciple had simply appeared right in front of him?
No, wait. You were supposed to be an upright cultivator from the Longevity Dao Sect. Couldn’t you have shown some backbone and firmly rejected the Ancestor’s offer?
How could you surrender so suddenly? As a native cultivator of the Blood Demon Sect, this left him feeling extremely conflicted.
Yin Rushi no longer dared to enter seclusion. He hurriedly went to notify the other elders instead.
Wen Jingzhi changed back into his original appearance and flew straight toward the Blood Demon Ancestor.
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s location was easy enough to find. He only had to look for the place with the densest demonic energy.
Naturally, the moment Wen Jingzhi returned to his original appearance, he caused an enormous uproar throughout the Blood Demon Sect.
After all, Situ Jian was the only person in the entire world whom the Blood Demon Ancestor had personally declared he was willing to take as a direct disciple. Who in the Blood Demon Sect could possibly fail to remember his face by heart?
When they saw Wen Jingzhi actually appear, the first thought that came to everyone in the Blood Demon Sect was: Were they really about to gain a new young sect master?
Could the Blood Demon Sect really be on the verge of a change in leadership?
Yin Rushi was still rushing over in a panic. The moment he sensed the Blood Demon Ancestor’s aura beginning to draw near, he knew it was over.
There was going to be someone else above him again.
How powerful was the Blood Demon Ancestor’s divine sense? The instant Wen Jingzhi flew in his direction, the ancestor sensed his presence.
Hold On was utterly despairing.
It had made a mistake. It should have sent Deng Deng instead.
These two really did treat an Earthly Immortal like some village fool they could trick. You couldn’t tell whether to admire their skill and daring or call them reckless fools who didn’t value their own lives.
At least Shu Xin hadn’t met an Earthly Immortal face-to-face. But you? You actually went and delivered yourself to him as bait.
Are you out of your mind?
“Hahaha! Good disciple, have you finally come around? No longer planning to run away?” In the blink of an eye, the Blood Demon Ancestor’s avatar appeared before Wen Jingzhi.
He looked Wen Jingzhi over, pleased with his current condition.
The last time they’d met, his cultivation at the Immaculate Realm had been unstable, and demonic energy had spilled from him in every direction.
But now, all traces of demonic energy had been completely contained, and his cultivation had become remarkably stable.
He was a born saint of demonic cultivation!
The Blood Demon Ancestor was genuinely pleased with Wen Jingzhi.
He had always done as he pleased, undefeated throughout the cultivation world for many years. Other Earthly Immortals might be timid and afraid to show themselves, but he was different. With countless avatars, he roamed the cultivation world, stirring up trouble wherever he went.
After all, if they couldn’t ascend, their kind were doomed to die sooner or later.
And if death was inevitable, why go out meekly?
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s thinking was simple: when his time came, he’d drag a few old fellows he disliked down with him. Even in death, he’d make sure a few sects were buried alongside him.
With that sort of personality—if he couldn’t be happy, nobody else could—most of the other Earthly Immortals went out of their way to avoid crossing him.
Who would willingly provoke a lunatic for no reason?
And this particular lunatic was a demonic cultivator to begin with. There was even less anyone could do about him.
The Blood Demon Ancestor didn’t necessarily want the most talented disciple. What he wanted was someone who knew how to cause the most trouble.
To be honest, he was quite taken with Shu Xin.
If he’d known that this female cultivator could cause so much trouble, he would have snatched her from Xu Guan long ago and made her his disciple.
What a shame he’d arrived too late.
Still, Situ Jian would do. He was quite satisfied with him, too.
“Which is your real name, Situ Jian or Wen Jingzhi?” The name Wen Jingzhi sounded vaguely familiar to the Blood Demon Ancestor. Recalling what Yin Rushi had told him earlier, he asked, “What is your relationship to Wen Jingshu of the Changsheng Dao Sect?”
Wen Jingzhi looked at the Blood Demon Ancestor. There wasn’t the slightest trace of fear in his eyes, nor did he show any inclination to grovel.
He knew there was no point lying to an Earthly Immortal like this.
These people had lived for who knew how many years. The only lies that might fool them were ones built from the truth.
A cage woven from truths was the hardest to escape.
Wen Jingzhi simply cupped his hands and bowed slightly. “I am Wen Jingzhi. The Wen Jingshu you mentioned is my aunt. We are all from Wen Family Town.”
“Wen Family Town?” The Blood Demon Ancestor looked puzzled, though he had a feeling there was some great secret here that he didn’t know about.
Wen Jingzhi continued, “The name Wen Family Town may not mean much to you. But the ancestor of our town’s people was the ancient demon race’s Chun.”
The Blood Demon Ancestor’s expression changed at once.
