“My lord, she seems unable to meditate and cultivate these days. She left first thing this morning,” Song Ping said cautiously to Situ Jian.
At times, even as a subordinate, he couldn’t help feeling a chill at Situ Jian’s unfathomable schemes.
As a spy, he seemed hardly required to do anything. All he had to do was occasionally say a few “careless” words as Situ Jian instructed, and he could effortlessly stir a person’s murderous intent.
Not to mention Wen Jingshu herself—even Song Ping, who had watched everything from the sidelines, had the illusion that Wen Jingshu had walked onto an irreversible path entirely of her own accord.
“She has always been timid,” Situ Jian said with a quiet chuckle. “She is cold when she should hesitate, yet indecisive when she should act. Still, if we expect her to fight Fu Ge with all her strength, we’ll need to add a little more fuel to the fire. In a moment, you will leave my residence openly and conspicuously. I’ll tell you how to answer them when the time comes.”
“Yes.”
Song Ping had already learned not to ask too many questions.
“Your visit to me has already attracted the attention of people who are watching,” Situ Jian said with another soft laugh. “But that isn’t your fault. The Longevity Dao Sect is filled with spies, and all kinds of methods of surveillance are used here. Even I can’t guarantee that I can evade every single one.”
Song Ping’s face paled slightly, but he still forced himself to remain standing.
He had completely failed to notice any of this.
The Longevity Dao Sect was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
“Before long, you’ll see several of the Nine Sons of Longevity die,” Situ Jian replied.
Song Ping suppressed the smile on his face, but his eyes shone with startling brightness.
“Yes!”
After waiting so many years, revenge had seemed impossibly distant. He had never expected to truly see a glimmer of hope.
So what if his cultivation was temporarily inferior to theirs?
As long as he planned carefully, he could still borrow another’s blade to kill his enemy!
Song Ping left Situ Jian’s cave residence beaming, several extra storage pouches hanging from his body.
Before long, Wen Jingshu’s other disciples caught him and dragged him straight before her.
“Master, please spare me! This disciple will never dare do it again.” Song Ping knelt prostrate on the ground, his entire body trembling.
Wen Jingshu’s almond-shaped eyes were filled with murderous intent. Her whole person seemed untouched by the mundane world.
“Song Ping, I have treated you fairly well. I don’t care if you associate with the disciples of others, but do you really think you can provoke a disciple of Gong Changshou?” Wen Jingshu demanded angrily.
“That’s right, Mistress. This man comes from a lowly background. Who knows? He may have sold our information to curry favor with someone else.”
“Mistress, this man must not be allowed to live!”
…
Although Wen Jingshu’s Immaculate Realm cultivation was unstable, she was still one of the Nine Sons of Longevity. Whether to stabilize her position or simply maintain her dignity and prestige, she had naturally accepted many disciples from powerful clan families within the sect.
As for Song Ping—not only was his cultivation weak, he had also been born a servant. In the blink of an eye, he had risen to stand on equal footing with them. How could they possibly accept that?
They had been watching Song Ping for quite some time and had discovered that he was constantly sneaking around with Situ Jian. Now that they had caught him red-handed, how could they possibly let him off easily?
“Master, this disciple… this disciple only went to exchange empty pleasantries with Situ Jian because my cultivation was improving too slowly and I had no other means at my disposal. As for anything else, I had only just entered the sect. To put it bluntly, I don’t even recognize all my fellow disciples yet. How could I possibly have any secrets to sell?” Song Ping kowtowed repeatedly. He turned his face slightly, making the features that had originally looked only seven or eight-tenths similar suddenly resemble an old acquaintance returned from the dead.
Wen Jingshu was dazed for a moment.
“Master, this man is clearly twisting the truth with honeyed words. If you let him go, who knows how much more of our information he’ll sell in the future?”
The other disciples were unwilling to let Song Ping off so easily.
They had already investigated him. Song Ping had mediocre talent and no family wealth or powerful background. He had merely gotten lucky enough to be taken in as a disciple because he bore some resemblance to one of their master’s old acquaintances.
They found him an eyesore even when they looked at him for a moment. It would be better to eliminate him as soon as possible.
“Senior Brother, I may have done wrong, but this cave residence belongs to Master. You usually order me around as you please, but how can you presume to order Master around as well?” Song Ping challenged.
“You… You’re slandering me! Master, this disciple never meant that!”
“That’s enough.” Wen Jingshu felt a headache coming on. “All of you, leave. I want some peace and quiet.”
“Master, I know what I did was wrong, and I’ve been thinking of making amends. That is why I’ve been trying to sound out Situ Jian these past few days. Please dismiss the others first and listen to the information I managed to obtain.” Song Ping suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke excitedly.
After thinking it over, Wen Jingshu nodded. She ordered the other indignant disciples to leave first, intending to hear what Song Ping had managed to find out.
“Master, as it happens, Gong Changshou has been in seclusion cultivating recently and has delegated many matters to others. Situ Jian also comes from a wandering cultivator’s background, so he revealed a few things to me in confidence.” Song Ping forced a smile. “Situ Jian said that his master, Gong Changshou, suddenly ordered him to investigate an ordinary town from a hundred and fifty years ago. Moreover, Gong Changshou had his other senior disciple capture several demonic cultivators. I don’t know what he intends to do with them.”
Wen Jingshu’s expression darkened at once. “What else?”
“This… This disciple is useless. That’s all I was able to find out.” Song Ping knelt and kowtowed. “I spent a long time pestering Situ Jian, and he only vaguely mentioned that his master had learned some secret and was so confident of success that he would surely reach the Mahayana stage, or something to that effect.”
Bang!
Song Ping jumped in fright.
A large hole had been blasted into the spot where Wen Jingshu stood.
“Get out. Leave!” Wen Jingshu pointed toward the exit, her eyes brimming with murderous intent.
“Yes, yes.” Song Ping scrambled away on all fours.
Wen Jingshu clenched her fists.
She had never intended for that old bastard Gong Changshou to die so soon.
But after threatening her, he had actually begun investigating what happened back then?
Since he was determined to court death, she couldn’t be blamed for granting his wish.
Ning Weixuan had only just returned to his cave residence when Wen Jingshu and Fu Ge arrived together to seek him out.
What rare visitors.
“Eighth Junior Brother, Little Junior Sister, you actually came to see me together? It seems your relationship isn’t as poor as you make it out to be.” Ning Weixuan found it amusing. The two junior disciples had been taken in by their master on a whim and had never been particularly close to the rest of them. Their sudden visit clearly meant that something was going on.
“Senior Brother Ning is as perceptive as ever, so there’s no need for us to beat around the bush.” Fu Ge cupped his hands and smiled. “I simply feel that Senior Brother has been treated unfairly. In the past, with your cultivation, you could at least contend with Eldest Senior Brother. Yet now you can only watch as two people inferior to you attempt to break through to the Mahayana stage. It must be difficult to endure.”
“So you’ve come to kick me while I’m down?” Ning Weixuan sneered.
“Senior Brother Ning, you misunderstand us. On the contrary, we’re here to offer you a suggestion.” Wen Jingshu wore a gentle smile, looking innocent and harmless. “As long as the position of a Mahayana cultivator remains vacant, it means that every cultivator in the Wugou Realm has a chance to compete for it. Of course, I can barely hold on to my own Wugou Realm cultivation, so I have no hope of competing with you senior brothers. But you, Senior Brother Ning, may not be without a chance.”
“Everyone knows that I’ve only just recovered from my serious injuries. If I attempt to break through to the Mahayana Realm, I’ll merely be throwing my life away.” Ning Weixuan refused to take the bait.
“Senior Brother Ning, that isn’t entirely true. Although heavenly treasures capable of repairing one’s foundation are exceedingly rare in the cultivation world, they do exist. Besides, my junior sister and I were able to reach the advanced Wugou Realm in such a short time only because of our master’s help. If Master were to intervene, what would your injuries amount to?” Fu Ge urged him.
“Master has been in seclusion for many years. Even I may not be able to see him. Besides, we are all his disciples. How could I ask Master to help me?” Ning Weixuan would not move until he saw the benefits. He knew there had to be a reason why these two junior disciples had been accepted by their master.
Although he did not know why they were currently at odds with Gong Changshou and Zong An, Ning Weixuan knew that these two must possess something capable of helping him.
“We can see Master.” After a moment of silence, Wen Jingshu continued, “The two of us will help you meet him, and we’ll plead your case as well. Whether Master will help you after that will depend on your own ability. But if Master has no other choice, then it would only be reasonable for him to choose you to advance to the Mahayana Realm.”
“Oh?” Ning Weixuan finally showed some interest in cooperating. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Gong Changshou and Zong An. I want both of them to die while attempting to break through to the Mahayana Realm.” Wen Jingshu enunciated every word. “Fu Ge and I will help you. Once we confirm that both of them are dead, we’ll help you meet Master.”
“That condition is a little too weak.” Ning Weixuan spoke flatly. “You want me to kill two of my dear junior brothers in exchange for merely meeting Master once? If Master finds out, I won’t have a good end.”
“Senior Brother Ning, you don’t have to pretend with us. The moment either Gong Changshou or Zong An truly becomes a Mahayana cultivator, you’ll have to live at their mercy. It will only be a matter of time before they settle accounts with you. For the sake of their disciples and their own faction’s interests, they’ll drive all their fellow disciples far away to prevent them from competing for resources. Perhaps one day, you’ll even be sent to the front lines as a heroic sacrifice for the sect. At most, you’ll receive a few hypocritical tears after your death.” Wen Jingshu replied, “Besides, Fu Ge and I will take action as well. All you need to do is help us.”
If the two of them were confident that they could kill Gong Changshou without anyone noticing, why would they have come to Ning Weixuan?
As for killing Zong An as well, that was simply to make Gong Changshou’s death seem more plausible.
They had failed to survive the tribulation while attempting to break through to the Mahayana Realm and died as a result. That would be perfectly normal, wouldn’t it?
This was an opportunity that came once in a thousand years.
“Taking a step back, even if you ultimately fail to become a Mahayana cultivator, as long as Gong Changshou and Zong An fail as well, you’ll still be second only to Senior Brother within the Nine Sons of Longevity. When chaos eventually descends upon the cultivation world, you’ll naturally have your chance.” Fu Ge continued, “But if they succeed, who knows whether they’ll tolerate you becoming a Mahayana cultivator in peace?”
There were only so many resources. The entire cultivation world could not support a thirteenth Mahayana cultivator. Did Ning Weixuan really think Changsheng Daoist Sect could support many Mahayana cultivators?
Once Changsheng Daoist Sect gained another Mahayana cultivator, it would be forced to wage war against other sects and seize their spiritual veins. Otherwise, it simply would not be able to supply the resources required for a Mahayana cultivator’s cultivation.
If they refused to seize resources from others, they could only wait for their own spiritual veins to be drained dry!
“Gong Changshou’s place of seclusion must be extremely difficult to find. Merely locating him will be a challenge.” Ning Weixuan raised another question.
“Senior Brother Ning, you can rest easy on that front.” Wen Jingshu smiled. “He has a disciple named Situ Jian, who is very close with one of my disciples. If he’s smart, he’ll willingly work for us. Leave this matter to me, Junior Sister. All you need to do is act at the critical moment and ensure that their deaths appear perfectly natural.”
Ning Weixuan finally smiled.
“Deal.”
Within Asking-Deities Sect.
Shu Xin had forcibly disguised every one of her junior brothers and sisters. She had even confiscated nearly all the spirit stones on them, leaving each person with only three hundred spirit stones for travel expenses. The rest could be described as nothing more than abject poverty.
“Senior Sister, taking our spirit stones is one thing, but why did you confiscate our robes as well? Why do we have to dress like this?” Cao Ru looked as though she was about to cry. She would not claim to be particularly fond of pretty clothes, but she still could not bring herself to wear such coarse hemp garments. They made her look no different from a beggar.
“Don’t flaunt your wealth. You’ll be much safer if you have no money or spirit stones,” Shu Xin said seriously. “Besides, when people see how poor you look, no one will guess that you’re Dao Infant cultivators, and they’ll be even less likely to throw themselves at you. Besides, you’re all Dao Infant cultivators now. Don’t you know how to make money? Did following me all these years teach you nothing?”
“Was that really making money? That was no different from robbing people in broad daylight,” Yuan Dawei muttered.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I was saying that Senior Sister is wise and mighty. Your methods of making money are far beyond anything we could ever learn.” Yuan Dawei immediately backed down and answered obediently.
“You’re going down the mountain to gain experience, not to enjoy yourselves.” Shu Xin snorted. “In any case, remember this: the prettier a person is, the better they are at deceiving others. If I discover after you return that any of you is no longer a virgin, hmph, you know what will happen.”
The junior brothers and sisters immediately lowered their heads.
“Also, you are absolutely forbidden to return before completing thirty years of experience. Even if you hear that Asking-Deities Sect has been attacked—or even destroyed—you are not to come back.” Shu Xin continued, “Your brains aren’t capable of distinguishing which pieces of information are traps and which are real. You only need to remember one thing: if Master and I can’t resolve a problem, then coming back will only make you dead weight. And if we can resolve it, then coming back will still make you dead weight. Of course, if any of you can reach the Grotto-Heaven Realm within thirty years, you may return.”
Reach the Grotto-Heaven Realm in thirty years?
They might as well be reincarnated. That would probably be faster.
“That’s all I have to say. Hurry up and leave.” Shu Xin waved her hand repeatedly. “Don’t waste time. Get down the mountain as soon as possible.”
“Senior Sister, I’d like to pay my respects to Master before I leave. May I?” Yi Renjie had barely spoken at all. It was only when they were about to depart that he finally made the request.
“Wait thirty years, then come back to congratulate Master,” Shu Xin refused outright. “Master is in seclusion right now. If you go and bid him farewell at a time like this, you’ll only distract him.”
Yi Renjie had no choice but to bow deeply to Shu Xin. “I wish Senior Sister great success in your cultivation. May we meet again thirty years from now, when you have reached the Wugou Realm.”
Master had originally intended for both him and Senior Sister to leave.
But now that Senior Sister had chosen to stay behind while all of them were driven down the mountain to gain experience, it was obvious that she had voluntarily shouldered all the responsibility.
“Second Senior Brother, you’re being too crafty, trying to curry favor with Senior Sister at a time like this!” Yuan Dawei hurriedly bowed as well, secretly accusing his second senior brother of lacking loyalty.
A chance to please Senior Sister was something they should obviously seize together.
Just listen to how well he put it.
Senior Sister had already made an outrageous promise to reach the Heavenly Grotto Realm within thirty years, and Second Senior Brother had gone so far as to wish that she would reach the Wugou Realm?
As expected of Second Senior Brother!
The other junior brothers and sisters quickly followed suit, showering Senior Sister with praise for nearly half an hour before finally descending the mountain reluctantly.
Watching them gradually disappear, Shu Xin couldn’t help feeling a little emotional.
“I suddenly feel like a mother.”
[Please. That feeling of yours won’t last for more than an hour.]
The sword spirit saw through her perfectly. Shu Xin didn’t actually like taking care of children at all. She only liked making things difficult for people.
“Now, the Inquiry God Sect belongs to me.” The next second, Shu Xin revealed her true nature. She spread her arms and spun around happily. “Ah, how should I remodel the Inquiry God Sect? And what about those teachers? The sect hasn’t started accepting disciples yet, so they need to write some textbooks too. They can’t just sit around eating for free!”
As for how much private material Shu Xin slipped into those textbooks, that was her own business.
Education had to start with children.
If she wanted the disciples accepted by the Inquiry God Sect in the future to be different from the disciples of the other sects, she had to establish the right values in them from the very beginning.
Otherwise, she knew a little martial arts herself—and when it came to purging the sect, she would show no mercy, not even to her own family.
“Come on. Let’s reserve a few tables first and have a proper feast.” Shu Xin was now treating the Inquiry God Sect as if it were her own property.
Ugh, rebuilding a sect from scratch was so exhausting.
Under the current circumstances, even if she directly took over as sect master, neither Xu Guan nor the Divine Flame Diagram Spirit Tome would object.
[That probably won’t work. Someone’s here.]
The sword spirit chuckled. [They’re all cultivators above the Heavenly Grotto Realm, led by a Wugou Realm cultivator. They’re wearing identity plaques, too. Hmm, they’re from the Carefree Dao Sect.]
Shu Xin frowned.
They had arrived far too quickly.
“They’re probably on their way to investigate the Longevity Dao Sect and are stopping by the Inquiry God Sect to take a look at Master,” Shu Xin said, immediately figuring out what was going on.
After all, Xu Guan was still young, and it hadn’t been long since he entered the Wugou Realm. Naturally, many people would exclude him as a potential rival.
However, some people knew that the Inquiry God Sect possessed the Divine Flame Diagram Spirit Tome. If Xu Guan truly went all out, then with the help of the Divine Flame Diagram Spirit Tome, it wasn’t impossible for him to advance to the Mahayana Realm.
[What are you going to do? Pretend to be Xu Guan? You’re pretty convincing when you imitate him.]
“I can pretend for a while, but not forever. The cultivation techniques Master and I practice are completely different. It would be easy for them to see through me.” Shu Xin rejected the suggestion.
[Then what are you going to do?]
“Ah, there’s no helping it. I can only wrong Master a little. His reputation isn’t exactly going to benefit from this, but once he reaches the Mahayana Realm, he definitely won’t care about these rumors.” A smile appeared on Shu Xin’s face. “Let’s go. Time to properly welcome our guests.”
The cultivators from the Carefree Dao Sect flew down and stopped beneath the Inquiry God Sect’s signboard.
“Elder, is the Inquiry God Sect really worth a visit? Just look at how thin the spiritual energy is here. Does Xu Guan really think he can reach the Mahayana Realm in a place like this?”
“Exactly, Elder. We should go to the Longevity Dao Sect first and investigate the situation, then act when the opportunity arises.”
The several Heavenly Grotto Realm cultivators were all confused. They were practically already at the Longevity Dao Sect, so why had their elder detoured to the Inquiry God Sect?
“There are certain secrets you don’t know about.” Elder Yao glanced at them. “There are plenty of people investigating the Longevity Dao Sect already. We won’t lose anything by taking a little time to come here.”
If possible, he also wanted to see the legendary Divine Flame Diagram Spirit Tome and find out whether it was truly as powerful as the rumors claimed.
In this age of depleted spiritual energy, treasures capable of giving birth to an artifact spirit were exceedingly rare. Artifact spirits of immortal-grade quality that had survived from ancient times could be counted on one hand. Every one of them was a treasured possession at the heart of an earthly immortal’s collection. They were not things ordinary people could hope to see.
The Inquiry God Sect was the only place that still had such an artifact spirit protecting it, allowing the sect to endure until this day.
He did not have much time left. If he took these fools to the Longevity Dao Sect to investigate the situation, he didn’t even know whether he would make it back alive. Naturally, if he had the chance to see the legendary artifact spirit, he could not afford to miss it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Senior.” Shu Xin leaped down from her flying sword and cupped her fists toward Elder Yao. “I’m Shu Xin, the eldest disciple of the Inquiry God Sect. Greetings, Elder of the Carefree Dao Sect, and fellow Daoists.”
“You’re Shu Xin?” As a Wugou Realm cultivator who had never entered seclusion, Elder Yao clearly had little hope of advancing any further.
His hair and beard were already streaked with white. It was obvious that his lifespan was nearly exhausted; otherwise, he would not have come out to do this kind of work that was bound to offend people.
“That’s right.” Shu Xin smiled.
“Ling Xin and Rongyun are also my disciples. I’ve heard them mention you,” Elder Yao said with a smile. “We happened to be passing by the Inquiry God Sect, so I hope you won’t mind the interruption. I merely wanted to meet your master and exchange some experiences. In particular, I’d like to learn from him about teaching disciples. I really must ask him for advice.”
An awkward expression flashed across Shu Xin’s face. “Unfortunately, you’ve come at a bad time. Master isn’t here, so I’m afraid you’ve made a wasted trip.”
“Oh? Could it be that your master has broken through in cultivation and entered seclusion?” one of the Heavenly Grotto Realm cultivators behind Elder Yao asked, suddenly interested.
Could it be that they had actually found someone?
Did Xu Guan of the Inquiry God Sect also intend to advance to the Mahayana Realm?
“No, no, absolutely not.” Shu Xin waved her hands. She glanced at the cultivators before continuing, “This is a private matter of our sect, so it would be inappropriate to discuss it with outsiders. But once Master returns, I’ll be sure to tell him. He can personally visit the Carefree Dao Sect another day and drink with all of you.”
Elder Yao thought for a moment, then cast a spell that surrounded him and Shu Xin with a barrier, preventing anyone else from spying on them.
“Little Friend Shu, I can see that you look troubled. Are you facing some kind of difficulty? The Dao sects stand together as one, and your master and I can be considered old friends. If you truly need help with something, you may as well tell me.”
“How could I possibly say it?” Shu Xin’s expression turned bitter. “My master went off to look for my mistress.”
