As she meditated, Xin Feiliu looked at Zongzheng Huangyue. For a moment, she seemed to see someone else; that person had been just as clever, though she was gentle and quiet, unlike this girl’s cold and domineering nature.
If she were still alive and had raised Xin Jiuxian from childhood, Xin Jiuxian would surely have been just as intelligent.
“Sss...” Wait, that seemed right, but also not quite.
The more Xin Jiuxian thought about it, the more things felt off. With her silver hair hanging low by her ears, she knit her brows tightly, feeling like her brain was about to tie itself into knots. She simply sat down and began to replay everything, trying to figure out if she really had been schemed against by Zongzheng Huangyue.
Seeing that Hua Cishu had been cowed, that she had successfully driven a wedge between the fifth and sixth disciples, and that she had even taken the opportunity to intimidate the sixth while testing her foundations—completing her task of acting as the villain to spur on her fellow disciples for Master—Zongzheng Huangyue settled down in satisfied silence to wait for Wen Li.
Although the four old men like Huo Yuntian were meditating, they were fully aware of their petty squabbles.
Huo Yuntian couldn't help but open one eye to steal a glance at Zongzheng Huangyue, sending a mental transmission to Linghu Ci. “Don't say it—if this girl wasn't already the Senior’s disciple, I would really want to ask if she’d join my Fire Lotus Sect. Such a clever child would surely achieve great things in the future, even if her talent were only average.”
Linghu Ci replied indifferently, “How could a disciple accepted by the Senior have poor talent? You should stop thinking about it, though. With your brains, you’d only be leading a gifted child astray.”
“You!” Huo Yuntian choked on his words, his chest heaving with annoyance.
While it was lively outside the barrier, things were different inside.
Wen Li sat on a stone stool within a simple cave dwelling. Ten meters away, in the center, was a bed made of cold ice.
A faint soul hovered over the ice bed. It had no physical body and was almost translucent, appearing as an old man with white hair as messy as withered grass.
That soul then descended into a meditating youth sitting by the bedside.
That youth was actually Bai Songxu, the man who had helped Wen Li with the soul summoning. He opened his eyes, and his expression was no longer the shiftless one he’d shown yesterday; instead, he possessed a transcendental, natural calm and serenity.
“You’ve come.”
“You knew I would. You calculated it, didn't you? Looking at your decaying aura, you’re about to pass on.”
Wen Li wasn't surprised to see him, as if she had already guessed the truth. After all...
Xin Jiuxian had been inside the forbidden ground of Tingyin Pavilion, protected by layer upon layer of restrictions. How could it be such a coincidence that a soul-summoner just happened to appear at the foot of the mountain exactly when she needed him? And how could he coincidentally be able to use such a ridiculous method as soul summoning to take her away from the sect?
That Bai Songxu really was just an Early-Stage Golden Core cultivator. The secret lay with the ancestor's soul following him—the soul of the Supreme Elder of Tingyin Pavilion, Bai Yu. It was also why he hadn't appeared at the Xianle Grand Ceremony.
Bai Yu sighed softly. “Yes, my time is up. I used the last of my cultivation to perform a divination, and I calculated that the final sliver of survival for my Tingyin Pavilion lay with Xin Jiuxian yesterday. She was linked to a certain destiny—one I tried to see clearly, but I suffered a sudden backlash. It cost me a hundred years of my lifespan, leaving me with only ten. In my entire life, I’ve only encountered this twice. The first time was you, and the second time... was still you.”
“I warned you before not to calculate my destiny at will. It’ll kill you, but you didn't listen.” Wen Li shrugged. Seeing that he had already prepared tea, she poured herself a cup.
Bai Yu smiled helplessly. “After the first backlash, I believed you. Who would have thought the person in the second calculation would be you again?”
He stood up and stepped forward slowly. Without waiting for Wen Li to pour more tea, he took the pot and filled her cup.
“Do you still dare to drink the tea I pour?”
Wen Li's eyes were indifferent. “Why wouldn't I? If anything happens to me while I'm with you, you won't even need to calculate a second sliver of survival for Tingyin Pavilion; the sect would be wiped out in the next second. You already know the result—isn't that a pleasant surprise?”
“True. Otherwise, with only your current Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivation, how would you dare to stir up trouble all over the four provinces?”
Bai Yu was amused by her words, knowing they were the truth. He sat across from her. Knowing she wouldn't pour tea for him, he poured himself a cup.
Wen Li wasn't happy to hear that. “Tsk, am I the one stirring up trouble? It’s clearly those people who lack eyes and insist on provoking me.”
Bai Yu didn't agree. Indeed, those people were quite ‘blind’ to try and settle scores with her after she had stolen their belongings and killed their kin.
Wen Li looked at the young face he was using and gossiped, “Is this kid your descendant or something?”
She was referring to the youth, Bai Songxu. The one speaking to her now was the Supreme Elder, Bai Yu, who was borrowing the body.
Bai Yu shook his head. “I focused solely on cultivation and never married. This child is merely someone I picked up. His background was pitiful, so I kept him by my side to raise and teach.”
Wen Li raised an eyebrow. “Since you’re dying, you never thought about possessing him?”
“You know that I was already heavily injured after that incident in the Central Province. Coupled with the backlash from calculating your destiny and the heavenly lightning that damaged my soul, possession is no longer possible. Besides, I am tired. I have cultivated for thousands of years, and after all that circling, I still cannot break through. My path ends here; even if I tried again, it would be in vain.”
Bai Yu shook his head, his eyes reflecting his calm acceptance of life and death.
“Now, the only thing I cannot let go of is Tingyin Pavilion, which my master entrusted to me on his deathbed. The Fengyin Kingdom is governed by Tingyin Pavilion. According to the rules, it requires one Mid-Stage Soul Formation cultivator and three Early-Stage Soul Formation cultivators to guard it. If I leave and the kingdom loses its Mid-Stage Soul Formation cultivator, it will be swallowed by other Third-Grade Cultivation Kingdoms. When that happens, the disciples of Tingyin Pavilion will have nowhere left to go.”
Wen Li looked up. “What? Are you hoping I’ll take over? Aren't you afraid I’ll refine all your disciples?”
Knowing her character, Bai Yu was naturally uneasy. She only cared about whether someone was useful, not about sentimental ties. But he had no other choice, especially now that he had Xin Jiuxian as a bargaining chip. “If you save Tingyin Pavilion this once, Xin Jiuxian will be the next in power.”
Hearing that he knew she intended to take Xin Jiuxian as a disciple, Wen Li gave a short click of her tongue. “I don't like being coerced. Whether she is with me or not has nothing to do with whether I want to destroy Tingyin Pavilion. My protection fee isn't something that can be paid so easily.”
So what if Xin Jiuxian was connected to Tingyin Pavilion? Once she became Wen Li's disciple and was completely devoted to her, Wen Li had a hundred ways to handle things. Framing someone else for a crime was always effective, or she could simply wait for the sect to face an existential threat and then happen to pass by to save them.
Sensing her meaning, Bai Yu sighed helplessly. If it weren't for the desperate situation, he naturally wouldn't dare make a deal with a god of slaughter like her.
“Then after I die, I will abandon all mental resistance and allow you to refine me. That way, you will have a Mid-Stage Soul Formation puppet by your side, and your actions won't be hindered by your Foundation Establishment cultivation.”
He didn't know why her cultivation was currently in such a low state, but he knew that even so, she wouldn't easily run into trouble. However, her actions would certainly be restricted.
Having heard the answer she wanted, Wen Li nodded. But then she added, “What else?”
“You took Xin Jiuxian away and then came back—you must have realized her soul is unstable, right? I will use the last of my cultivation to mend her soul completely, so you’ll never have to worry about it again.”
This was why he had intentionally sent Bai Songxu to release Xin Jiuxian and let Wen Li take her.
If she hadn't gone through that trouble and then returned, his bargaining chips would have been significantly lessened.
Wen Li was angered into a laugh by his logic. “You’re about to die and you still haven't forgotten to scheme against me. It’s lucky for you that you look like a ghost right now, otherwise I’d have to slash you twice just to vent.”
“Xin Feiliu learned from you; her explosive temper was passed down to Xin Jiuxian as well.” Bai Yu shook his head calmly. “I know you have no humanity. If I didn't rely on interests and schemes, why would you truly protect Tingyin Pavilion?”
Wen Li leaned back lazily. “I'm not in the Soul Formation realm right now. Once you die, I have no way to create a Mid-Stage Soul Formation cultivator.”
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