Wen Li noticed that the system was too weak to even bicker with her. Narrowing her eyes, she stopped talking to it and returned her attention to the real world. She watched as Yan Yurong, showing an admirable ability to adapt—or rather, a quickness to admit fault—stepped forward to apologize to Jiang Nianyao.
“Miss Jiang, just now my mouth was foul and my words were thoughtless. I have offended your ears. Please, forgive me.”
He hadn't looked closely before, but now he saw five cultivators flanking Jiang Nianyao, clearly sent by her father to protect her. Yan Yurong was not stupid enough to actually pick a fight with them.
Surrounded by the five Beast Taming Sect cultivators, Jiang Nianyao’s brow furrowed slightly. This man wasn't as arrogant or vulgar as the other cultivators who had just harassed her, and she believed in being merciful whenever possible.
“Since you have sincerely apologized, let the matter be settled,” she said.
Yan Yurong nodded obediently. “Thank you for your magnanimity, Miss Jiang.”
He immediately hurried back to the teleportation queue, only to realize something.
“Hey, where’s my spot?”
The gap he had occupied earlier had long since been filled by people moving up.
Yan Yurong sighed helplessly, cursing his own big mouth. He had no choice but to pay the fee again and get back in line.
Jiang Nianyao and her party headed for the Teleportation Pavilion’s VIP channel. Wen Li glanced over and realized they were also heading to the Fengyin Kingdom.
With the misunderstanding resolved, Wen Li’s group finally reached the front of the line. The three of them entered the teleportation array in silence, waiting for it to activate.
Suddenly, an angry roar erupted from outside.
“Hey! Where’s my storage bag?! There’s a thief! Catch the thief!”
Just as the shout ended, the spiritual light of the array flared, and Wen Li’s trio was whisked away.
...
Southern Province.
Fengyin Kingdom, a Third-Grade Cultivation Kingdom.
Within the borders of the Fengyin Kingdom, there was only one governing sect: Tingyin Pavilion.
Tingyin Pavilion focused primarily on music cultivation. Its disciples were proficient in musical theory, using either their voices or instruments for their cultivation. They specialized in playing and singing. Rumor had it that Tingyin Pavilion had been established nine hundred years ago, standing second only to the Beast Taming Sect and the Buddhist powers of the Fourth-Grade Cultivation Kingdoms. The sect’s foundation was incredibly profound.
Music cultivators could use melodies for both offense and defense. They could also use music to cultivate the heart and regulate a cultivator’s meridians, providing healing effects. Unlike the external treatments of pill cultivators, their methods were primarily focused on psychological and internal restoration.
The entire Fengyin Kingdom was within Tingyin Pavilion’s sphere of influence, divided into several small vassal sects responsible for recruiting cultivators. Naturally, Tingyin Pavilion didn't just recruit disciples with exceptional musical talent; they also took in sword cultivators, pill cultivators, and the like. However, the resources available to those disciples were naturally inferior to those given to the music cultivators.
Wen Li and her companions were teleported directly to the capital city where the main sect of Tingyin Pavilion was located.
Xianle City.
As soon as the three of them stepped out of the Teleportation Pavilion and onto the street, they saw various groups of music cultivators from Tingyin Pavilion walking about in pairs and trios.
As for how they could tell they were music cultivators...
“Hey, Senior Brother, help me check my xiao later. The breath feels different when I play it lately.”
“Is it because you didn't swallow your food before playing? Maybe food residue is blocking the air hole.”
“Hey, you're right! Senior Brother, you’re a genius!”
“Senior Sister, my suona isn't making any sound. Why?”
“Junior Sister, your suona doesn't have any holes bored into it...”
“Wow, Senior Sister, you’re amazing. I just bought this; I thought I’d been cheated!”
Wen Li’s group hadn't even walked a hundred meters, and every cultivator passing them either had a xiao or a flute hanging from their waist, or was carrying a guqin on their shoulder and a suona on their back. It felt exactly like accidentally stumbling into an entrance exam for art students.
From time to time, the three of them could hear elegant zither music drifting from the balconies along the street. It seemed the cultivators were exchanging musical insights. The sound was refreshing to the mind and body, making one feel as if they were in a celestial realm, even smoothing out their meridians.
Wen Li couldn't help but marvel.
Art students truly were art students. They were nothing like those rough brutes among the sword and body cultivators. Everyone here carried an air of elegant artistry. They looked far more stable and refined than other cultivators, not the type to start killing at the drop of a hat.
She remembered what that dog system had said—Old Six was an artifact soul, originally known as the Yulan Floating Light Zither. A music cultivator and a villain with incredible talent... the zither music they played would surely nourish the soul more than half a month of absorbing spiritual energy.
“When the time comes, four can carry the sedan, one can scatter flowers, and Old Six can play the zither... Heh, that’ll be more grand than Feng Ling’s entrance.”
Wen Li muttered to herself as she imagined the scene, her eyes sparkling with the joy of planning her own magnificent debut.
Zongzheng Huangyue overheard her master’s mumbling. Unlike Hua Cishu, who was confused, her intelligence and understanding of Wen Li allowed her to immediately link it to the palanquin Zongzheng Yingchu always used for travel. She understood exactly what her master was thinking.
“...”
Dark lines appeared on her forehead. Her master was great in every way, but she occasionally cared a bit too much about appearances. It was quite a mismatch with her mysterious, powerful, and calculating aura.
However, she didn't try to talk Wen Li out of it. She only sighed silently. If that day ever came, she would volunteer for the flower-scattering task first; at least that was somewhat dignified.
Hua Cishu watched the passing cultivators, all of them carrying instruments. He looked on curiously and couldn't help but reach out a wicked little hand.
He wanted to use the master-thief skills Wen Li had taught him over the past few days to strike again.
“Hey.”
Wen Li noticed his restless hand first and grabbed it, giving his head a light, warning smack.
“Do you think you’ve lived too long? This is their territory. A music cultivator’s instrument is their lifeblood. If you steal it one second, we’ll be hung from a tree and paraded through the streets the next.”
Because Hua Cishu had no cultivation, she had been worried he might get kidnapped or starve to death, so she had taught him the thieving techniques that Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan couldn't learn. She hadn't expected him to be the most suited to inherit this ultimate skill. However, having just learned it, he couldn't resist the urge to show it off.
It was one thing with Yan Yurong, since it was crowded and they were entering the teleportation array, making it hard for anyone to notice or catch them.
But where were they now? On someone else’s home turf. That was no different from holding a lantern in a latrine—looking for death.
Hua Cishu obediently pursed his lips.
“Fine...”
He watched as people walked by swinging their instruments, looking so sophisticated and classy. His eyes darted around as if he were thinking of something else.
Wen Li’s group found an inn and checked in, taking one room each.
Since she had made off with the storage bags of everyone in Wangquan Wuho’s tomb, she was reasonably wealthy again. Now that she had taken in Hua Cishu, she didn't want to show her stingy side too much.
Sitting in her room, Wen Li took out a small white bottle containing the drop of essence blood Wangquan Sheng had given her. Then, she pulled a box from her storage bag. Inside was a pair of golden pupils, which appeared exceptionally eerie and unsettling in the dim light.
Her expression shifted subtly.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Master.”
“Come in.” Wen Li put the items away.
Zongzheng Huangyue walked in and closed the door. She held the Moon Soul Arrow in her hand.
“Master, Yuepo has something to say to you.”
As she spoke, a faint blue light flickered on the Moon Soul Arrow, and spiritual energy manifested into the form of a translucent woman.
Wen Li sat in the main chair and looked up. “Speak.”
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