In the Flying Grotto of Immortal Harmony, the Lin family estate.
Lin Youwei flew straight toward the dwelling of the Lin family ancestor, not bothering to spare a single pleasant look for the cousins and siblings scattered across the clan grounds.
"Third Cousin really has some skills, huh? She's about to wrap Situ Jian around her finger in no time."
"Heard she even got Shu Xin to openly profess admiration for her, hahaha."
"I think that Situ Jian is full of hidden ambition too. Hope our dear cousin doesn't end up getting pecked by the wild goose after a lifetime of hunting them."
……
Inside the family, snide remarks and people waiting to kick others when they're down were everywhere. Within their sect, they might still put on a polite facade for one another, but back home, there was no such thing as fraternal harmony or sisterly affection.
The Lin family had countless descendants, but far too few cultivation resources to go around.
Any heir with mediocre aptitude, poor luck, or no favor from the senior elders would soon be groomed for a political marriage, turned into a disposable chess piece the family would sacrifice at will. Their only purpose was no different from the breeding stock of the mortal world: burn through their own cultivation to produce more talented offspring for the clan.
Mortal clans prized having many children, but anything that grew too plentiful would turn cheap.
These so-called cultivation aristocratic families were nothing short of living hell.
"Thirty-fifth generation granddaughter of the Lin clan, Lin Youwei, pays respects to the ancestor." Lin Youwei had already checked her entire bearing to make sure there was no misstep in her etiquette, then knelt carefully, bowing so deeply she did not dare lift her head even a fraction.
All cultivators knew well: when facing a top-tier senior cultivator, it was far better to follow every rule of propriety perfectly than to risk offending them by accident, which might get you struck dead on a whim.
"You are Lin Youwei? You must know why I summoned you." The Lin family ancestor sat at a height so great and a distance so far it seemed unreachable, yet his voice rang clear as if right beside her ear.
"This unworthy granddaughter is indeed Lin Youwei." Lin Youwei had never laid eyes on the ancestor before; the most senior elders she had met regularly were only the previous generations of forebears. "Since you personally called for me, ancestor, it must be regarding the matter of Situ Jian. Please hear me out: Situ Jian is top-tier in every aspect, from his aptitude and background to his state of mind and age. Now that he has formed his Dao Infant, he will surely become a Wugou Realm Heavenly Lord for our Lin family in the future."
"Oh? And what did you do about that former betrothal of Situ Jian?" The Lin family ancestor did not follow along with her words, pressing on instead.
"Granddaughter has already spoken to that woman, paid her a substantial sum of resources, and she has voluntarily dissolved the engagement. She has even smeared her own reputation so no harm will come to our Lin family's name." Lin Youwei kept pressed flat to the ground.
"Foolish!" The Lin family ancestor's voice boomed in a sharp rebuke.
Lin Youwei's limbs went weak, and she collapsed fully onto the floor, spitting out mouthfuls of blood before she could struggle to prop herself up on her arms again.
"I-I do not know why you are angered, ancestor. Please enlighten me."
"When you do something, either don't start it at all, or see it through to the absolute end." The Lin family ancestor's voice was ice-cold and severe. "They had a hundred-year engagement, and entered the sect together. It's more than likely they have long since shared a life-and-death bond. All this yielding and stepping back they're showing now is nothing but a deliberate scheme. Who's to say they won't bide their time, swallow this humiliation, and plot to seize power from the Lin family someday? You went out of your way to steal her man, so you should have eliminated every last hidden risk completely."
"Ancestor, that woman has done nothing to deserve death." Lin Youwei could not hold back a word of protest. "She already agreed to end the betrothal. Why must we chase her to the brink? Besides, if she dies and the sect launches a strict investigation, they might trace it back to our Lin family, and then..."
"Womanly soft-heartedness." The Lin family ancestor scoffed. "All you have to do is slip one extra treasure into the resources you give that woman, something that will draw other cultivators in the sect to attack her. Afterward, our Lin family will avenge her, and hold the most grand, elaborate funeral for her. That way, Situ Jian will truly be loyal to us, no strings attached."
"But... what if she doesn't die?"
"If she somehow survives that, then it means she is destined for great things in the future. In that case, you will step in at the critical moment to save her, so she owes you a karmic debt. And if all our schemes come to light? You will take your own life, and do not drag the Lin family down with you." In just a few short sentences, the ancestor had laid out the entire course of her fate.
Lin Youwei seethed with fury deep inside.
The ancestor was clearly treating her as nothing more than a disposable pawn, not caring if she lived or died at all.
If Shu Xin died, the Lin family would get to play the part of her avengers, and Situ Jian would have to think twice about betraying the Lin family later for the sake of his own moral reputation.
If Shu Xin lived, the Lin family could step in to do her a favor, and rope her into their fold as well. And if everything went wrong, all the blame would fall on her, Lin Youwei, alone, while the clan got to keep every last benefit.
"What? You defy me?" The Lin family ancestor's voice sharpened into a question.
"To be able to dedicate myself to the family is this granddaughter's greatest honor." Lin Youwei bit back all the rage in her chest, not letting a flicker of it show. The ancestor would never spare a thought for the life of a descendant who had no more use, and she did not dare to gamble with that.
"Leave now." The Lin family ancestor sent Lin Youwei flying out of his domain with a wave of his power.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Youwei found herself standing in the Lin family's martial training grounds.
Dozens of young Lin children were there, pushing themselves hard to cultivate. When they saw Lin Youwei, their eyes were full of admiration and longing.
Even within the Lin family, only the most outstanding juniors could earn a spot in the sect, to get that tiny sliver of so-called "freedom" and "future."
She was the image of success in everyone else's eyes, but to the ancestors of the clan, she was just a tiny, insignificant ant.
Lin Youwei stood there watching the children for a long, long time, but in the end, she crushed the spirit message slip she had been about to send to Shu Xin.
They were enemies through and through. If Shu Xin did not fall, it would be her, Lin Youwei, who ended up dead.
Outside Shu Xin's cave dwelling.
"Shu Elder."
"Elder."
Shu Xin's group of subordinate elders had gathered in a nearby cave for a long, heated debate, and had finally reached a unanimous decision after all the back-and-forth arguing.
The topic they had been bickering over this whole time? Whether they should get Shu Xin a gift that men liked, or a gift that women liked.
There was no helping it. The question of Shu Xin's gender was now the most viral topic of discussion across the entire Eternal Dao Sect. Any cultivator who did not know the full context of the story did not even qualify to chime in with their two cents.
This topic was even more popular than the cliché tales of "two women fighting over one man" or "a noble sect daughter stealing the love of a grassroots girl."
But soon the subordinates' attention was pulled away by other news: after Shu Xin walked out of Situ Jian's cave dwelling, she sent them a spirit message telling them her next plan. All of them, along with their families, would now transfer their allegiance to Situ Jian, and from then on they would devote themselves fully to serving him. She herself would formally dissolve her engagement with Situ Jian at the Dao Infant Convention, and any of them who did not wish to side with Situ Jian should make other arrangements as soon as possible.
This move only made her subordinates even more deeply grateful to her.
They could all guess that once Shu Xin broke off the engagement with Situ Jian, she would most likely leave the sect to lie low and avoid the public outrage. Even so, before she left, she had gone out of her way to find them a superior backer like Situ Jian. Even if she never looked after them again, none of them would have a single complaint.
So after a quick discussion, they each chipped in a share of their own spirit stones, then went back to pressure their respective families for more, pooling together a hefty sum to buy Shu Xin a gift.
After much back and forth, they finally decided the gift would be the Fingertip Light that Shu Xin had always wanted.
It was true that the portion they could afford to buy was only a small fraction of the full treasure, but it was the thought that counted, a piece of their sincere gratitude.
No matter whether Shu Xin was a man or a woman, running into such a generous, good employer was truly a stroke of luck spanning three lifetimes.
Shu Xin had not expected those elders to even remember to bring her gifts. She simply offered them a few words of encouragement, exchanged some polite formalities, then saw them off. The Fingertip Moon light she had been given, of course, she kept.
"I've gathered quite a bit of this Fingertip Moon light now. At a critical moment, it should be enough to let you briefly return to your original form to protect yourself, right?" Shu Xin asked the Sword Spirit.
This time she was leaving the Longevity Dao Sect, and she had made plenty of preparations, but she still had to account for unforeseen accidents. At a crucial juncture, how much power the Sword Spirit could unleash would greatly affect all her plans.
The Sword Spirit looked at the pile of Fingertip Moon light Shu Xin had collected, and sighed in exasperation. [With all this, I can barely piece my blade back together. I'd be lucky to unleash even a tenth of my original power. The effect would only last about three breaths—just long enough for you to swing one strike.]
Great, that's all I need anyway. If I tried to swing a second strike, your rank would drain every last bit of energy out of me!
"Are you some kind of gold-eating beast? I spent almost my entire fortune on these Fingertip Moon lights, and all I get is one single sword strike?" Shu Xin put on an act of feigned dismay. She was no fool. Fingertip Moon could extend the Sword Spirit's recovery time to draw more attention, but there was no way she could contain that level of power then.
If you hadn't forged me into two separate swords back then, we wouldn't be in this mess! the Sword Spirit grumbled inwardly, but it still refused to give up and tried to coax her. [How about you find a way to fully refine me? I'll cooperate with you wholeheartedly, and we can merge me back into my original single sword form. What do you say?]
"No way," Shu Xin rejected the idea without the slightest hesitation. "If you fully recovered into your original sword, the few remaining Earthly Immortals in this world would all come hunting me down. I'm not that stupid."
Her sword could be her greatest advantage, but it absolutely could not become a danger to her life.
Besides, Fingertip Moon was just a fancy new name slapped on the same thing that would cost her a fortune. That was no different from a product getting a repackaged look and doubling its price.
She had money, yes, but she was not an idiot.
[Then can you at least give me a new name? Wait and Hold On are so cringey. What about Clearwind and Brightmoon instead?]
"No can do." Shu Xin made it a point to respond to every one of its requests, but never actually agreed to any of them. Instead, she dangled a tempting prospect in front of the Sword Spirit. "You know I've already reached out to the Inquiry Divine Sect. After Situ Jian's Dao Infant Assembly ends, they will accept me into their sect. The Longevity Dao Sect snatched disciples from them in the past. They're just returning the favor, and the Longevity Dao Sect would never pick a fight with the Inquiry Divine Sect just over little old me."
[That sect is a crumbling relic, nothing but an empty name anymore. The Longevity Dao Sect cares too much about its reputation to hold you back. But that place has almost no spiritual energy left. What good can going there do?]
The Sword Spirit was no naive creature. Back in the day, the Inquiry Divine Sect had stood shoulder to shoulder with the Longevity Dao Sect as equal peers, but it had fallen into decline for all sorts of reasons. A generation back, the previous sect leader of the Inquiry Divine Sect had finally taken two exceptionally talented disciples who seemed destined to revive the sect. But when they traveled to the Longevity Dao Sect for a banquet, one of the two was tricked into marrying into a prominent local family as a son-in-law.
The Inquiry Divine Sect was furious, but the Longevity Dao Sect refused to let such a promising talent go. Even worse, they did not want to see their old rival rise back to power. They just claimed the two young people were a perfect match that they could not bear to separate, and said that in the future, any disciple from the Longevity Dao Sect who wanted to could go to the Inquiry Divine Sect to study as well.
The former Inquiry Divine Sect sect leader was so enraged by this that he poured every last resource the sect had into the remaining disciple. That disciple did not let him down. In a very short time, he broke through to the No Defilement realm and took over as the new sect leader. Now it is said he is on the verge of advancing to the Great Vehicle realm, drawing countless scattered cultivators from thousands of miles away to come and seek to become his disciples. But this new leader is wholly devoted to his cultivation, sets the bar extremely high, and only accepts disciples of the most exceptional natural talent.
There was a very real problem, though. All of the Inquiry Divine Sect's resources had been spent pushing their leader to that height. They had nothing left to spare for any other disciples.
So when Shu Xin offered a hundred thousand spirit stones as her entrance fee to join the sect, the Inquiry Divine Sect's leader, pressured by the harsh reality of their situation, had no choice but to agree to her request.
That was what they called "money makes even the ghosts turn the mill."
"You just don't get it. I want a sect that doesn't meddle in my business but whose reputation I can still borrow freely," Shu Xin said with a smile. "That way, I can bring you along to wander in all sorts of dangerous forbidden grounds across the cultivation world. Once I wash the immortal blood off your body, you won't be noticed by the Earthly Immortals anymore. What could you possibly have to worry about then?"
[...That does sound nice, I'll give you that. I guess we'll see.] The Sword Spirit was thoroughly tempted.
Shu Xin smiled faintly. "Now all we have to do is wait and see what moves the Longevity Dao Sect and the Lin family make next. I really hope the Lin family is smart enough. That way, I can make a nice little extra profit out of this."
[But didn't you already strike a deal with the Lin family?] The Sword Spirit was confused.
"Sword Spirit, I'll say it again: you don't understand human nature. Especially not the nature of those selfish, powerful people who never see the people below them as anything more than tools, yet somehow climb their way to the very top," Shu Xin said slowly. "The great clans of the cultivation world are monsters that combine the worst of feudal imperial power and ruthless capital. If they truly have their sights set on Situ Jian, they will eliminate every single unfavorable factor around him without a second thought. And they'll still put on a fake, kind face, acting like they're doing nothing wrong, while they try to squeeze every last drop of marrow out of your bones."
So many great clans had fallen to ruin just because they failed to stamp out their enemies completely. They would never let her just walk away easily with a huge fortune in resources.
Situ Jian forming an alliance with them was nothing but making a deal with a tiger.
But only monsters like these would be capable of fighting the even more terrifying monsters that stood above all the great clans.
"When dealing with monsters like that, you have to hurt them badly enough that they feel the pain. There's no use trying to settle things peacefully. Truth only holds sway within the range of your cannons." Shu Xin chuckled. "I'd love it if the Lin family ended up covering that hundred thousand spirit stone entrance fee for the Inquiry Divine Sect for me."
The Sword Spirit didn't know exactly how powerful the Lin family was, but it knew Shu Xin was one of the most black-hearted people it had ever met.
If the Lin family really mistook her for some trivial little Dao Infant realm cultivator, they were in for a very nasty, costly fall.
Shu Xin and Situ Jian had an unspoken, mutual understanding. They both stayed in their caves focused on their cultivation, never going out, never doing anything unnecessary, just quietly waiting for the Dao Infant Assembly to arrive.
The disciples of the Longevity Dao Sect were already busy and familiar with running the preparations for this grand event.
The Dao Infant Assembly for a core inner disciple of the sect would invite disciples and elders from other sects as well, so everyone could exchange information and recommend their own talented juniors to each other. To put it plainly, the Longevity Dao Sect was just giving Situ Jian a golden ticket to the next level of the cultivation world. They held several events like this every single year, and they had the whole process down to a complete, well-oiled routine.
"Friend, I've got a seat a little closer up, one that lets you see Shu Xin perfectly. You want it?"
"You don't know who Shu Xin is? She's Situ Jian's fiancee. Word is she's going to break off the engagement with him right at the Dao Infant Assembly. This is the best seat in the house to watch all the drama go down."
"It's not expensive, just a thousand spirit stones, and the seat is all yours."
"A thousand spirit stones, how is that expensive? That's always been the going rate. Have you considered that maybe you just aren't working hard enough?"
"I've also got tickets for seats right next to Lin Youwei over here."
"Not interested in the gossip? Well then, I've got tickets for seats near the end of the spiritual energy flow too! The spiritual energy there is definitely thicker than in regular seats!"
...
The Dao Infant Conference hadn't even started yet, and all sorts of scalpers — no, more accurately, the scalper ring working under Shu Xin — were already wildly reselling the venue seat tickets.
But Shu Xin and his crew had still hoarded a number of tickets for the core section seats, and hadn't put them up for sale for the time being.
Their boss had told them that a big, spectacular show was going to take place later on, and those seat tickets would fetch an even higher price once that happened!
