After leaving the cafeteria, Xie Tinglan and the other three didn't leave immediately. Instead, they took shade under a nearby willow tree. One couldn't tell the four were sitting in the tree unless they looked closely.
Xie Tinglan sat with one leg propping up his arm and the other dangling casually as he hung his head, lost in thought. Yao Dai’s feet were in the air, swinging freely, while Zongzheng Huangyue sat upright with her feet together.
As for Xin Jiuxian, the top half of her body was that of a cold, silver-haired, sickly beauty with a dazed expression as if she were perpetually troubled. The bottom half of her sat astride a tree branch, with the Yulan Floating Light Zither tucked under her rear as a cushion. It made things more comfortable.
She was reminiscing about which dish had tasted best so she could order it again next time.
They had only been resting for a short while when they spotted Jiang Nianyao walking out of the cafeteria with her four guards. Their position was remote and well-hidden, so they weren't noticed.
Xie Tinglan’s cold eyes turned dark as he stared at them. Though his eyes had been disguised to look black, a faint hint of bloodlust rose within them.
Yao Dai, clad in her rippling red robes, arched an eyebrow. “Why not give it a try? The strongest among them is only at the Late-Stage Golden Core realm.”
Hearing this sudden, cryptic remark, Zongzheng Huangyue immediately confirmed the suspicion she’d had from the start. Xie Tinglan had a grudge against Jiang Nianyao—or rather, the Beast Taming Sect. After all, he was a demon, and the Beast Taming Sect’s specialty was...
Catching demons.
“I heard an Elder is also at the Tingyin Pavilion,” Xie Tinglan said, his youthful voice low and slow, yet bone-chillingly cold.
In his eyes, there was no such thing as mercy for the family of his enemies. If they crossed him, they all had to die.
Especially since the Beast Taming Sect was the source of all his agony.
Yao Dai sighed softly. “Then there’s no point in trying anything.”
Zongzheng Huangyue was unaware that Yang Yankuan of the Beast Taming Sect had already handed over his Soul Blood and submitted to Wen Li. She raised a hand to block the sunlight filtering through the willow branches, a faint smile on her face.
“I’ve heard... that Miss Jiang is in poor health and is most afraid of...”
“...Snakes.”
At those words, Xie Tinglan and Yao Dai both looked up and turned to face her at the same time.
Xie Tinglan narrowed his eyes, his tone freezing. “What do you know?”
Neither he nor Yao Dai had ever mentioned a word about the Beast Taming Sect, yet she had accurately pinpointed exactly what they were currently considering.
If she weren’t Master’s disciple, he would have already struck her down.
“Hmm? Know what? Since Jiang Nianyao came out, I just happened to recall this bit of gossip.” Zongzheng Huangyue looked up with an innocent expression.
But after playing cards with her earlier, Xie Tinglan wouldn't believe that for a second. He stared at her with a grim gaze.
“Put away your clever little tricks; don't use them on me. Master might not allow us to fight each other, but I won’t just let myself be played for a fool.”
It was her idea to play cards before the meal, and it hadn't just been to kill time. She was clearly using the gambling game to analyze everyone while hiding her own competence. He loathed people with so many schemes.
Especially since this person was likely using her wits to win over Master’s favor.
Yao Dai also picked up on something being off and turned to look at Zongzheng Huangyue. No wonder. No wonder she felt like every card the girl played was perfectly timed—it was far too strange.
It was as if she knew beforehand what Yao Dai was going to play...
Yao Dai suddenly blurted out, “Did you peek at our cards?!”
She looked as if she had finally used her brain to uncover the hidden truth.
It was as if this could wash away the humiliation of losing nine games in a row. It wasn’t her luck or her brains that were the problem—it was someone cheating! Yes, that had to be it. Her luck couldn’t possibly be that bad.
Xie Tinglan: “...”
In the two years since Master had left, Yao Dai’s brain seemed to have left with her as well.
He exhaled a heavy breath and looked at Yao Dai, his voice tight with suppressed irritation. “Stop talking.”
No wonder Master had wanted to bring her back early. She was likely afraid that if Yao Dai continued her travels alone, she’d be sold off without even knowing it.
Zongzheng Huangyue hadn't expected Yao Dai to actually believe she’d just been peeking at their cards, even after Xie Tinglan had spelled it out. Her lips curved upward slightly.
“So, Eldest Senior Sister noticed.”
“Tsk, whether I talk or not is none of your business.” Having received her confirmation, Yao Dai rolled her eyes at Xie Tinglan and looked at the others with joy. “Then my turn to cook for all those losses today doesn't count, right?”
Xie Tinglan didn't want to deal with her anymore. He stood up, jumped down from the tree, and walked away.
Zongzheng Huangyue also jumped down. “Why be so angry, Second Senior Brother? As fellow disciples of Master, isn't it only right that we help each other solve our problems? Master has often mentioned you and Eldest Senior Sister to me over the past few months, worrying about your safety. That's why I've learned a bit about your backgrounds from her occasional remarks.”
This explained how she knew their unspoken code. Originally, no amount of flowery words from her would have made Xie Tinglan believe even half of it. But upon hearing that Wen Li often worried about them and had mentioned them unintentionally, his defiant brow furrowed.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared ahead, his footsteps halting. “Really?”
Zongzheng Huangyue nodded, her gaze sincere. “Of course. Third Senior Brother also heard Master mention you. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him when he arrives.”
Master had mentioned him, of course—but not his background. She’d only said that Second Senior Brother was a snake, that his height varied wildly—sometimes being as small as a four-year-old child who only reached her knees—and that he had once been kidnapped by someone using food as bait. Oh, and that he ate people.
Although Xie Tinglan was still suspicious, he was mollified by these words. He gave a soft huff. “Master really tells everyone everything.”
The defensiveness in his eyes relaxed slightly, and he accepted that the fourth disciple knew about his history with the Beast Taming Sect.
Seeing his reaction, Zongzheng Huangyue finally confirmed her suspicions; her probe hadn’t been in vain. With a faint curve to her lips, she looked toward Yao Dai and Xin Jiuxian, who were following behind.
Yao Dai was displeased. “Why are you two walking so fast? She just admitted to peeking at our cards, so my nine losses don’t count anymore!”
Xie Tinglan, her creditor, wasn't having it. He turned around to glare at her. “Stop pretending. You know exactly how you lost. You have no integrity and no sportsmanship. I’m not playing with you next time.”
Her gambling skills were all heart and no technique, a total disaster.
He knew she was deliberately playing dumb to let Zongzheng Huangyue probe her mind, only to turn around and claim the game was void because of 'peeking.' Both of them were crazy.
One was a smart person acting dumb, and the other was a dumb person acting smart.
Exposed, Yao Dai gave a defiant “Tsk” and turned her head away. She didn't say another word, but internally, she vowed to sharpen her skills and win back everything she had lost!
Xin Jiuxian walked beside them, having put away her zither. Her breathing grew heavier with every couple of steps; she needed a moment to catch her breath.
She opened a medicine bottle and swallowed a dozen or so pills at once, chewing them like they were candy.
Yao Dai watched with curiosity. “What are you eating? Give me one.”
It wasn't that she was greedy; she was just curious. It was a professional habit of hers as a pill cultivator—she wanted to study every pill she saw.
Xin Jiuxian stared at her, then shared one generously.
Yao Dai examined it curiously, sniffing it. As a pill cultivator, she couldn't even identify the ingredients. She simply popped it into her mouth and started chewing.
“This pill (chew, chew, chew)... why does it taste sweet, but also has a (chew, chew, chew) messy, bitter aftertaste...?” Antidotes didn't usually taste like this.
“Oh, because it’s poison.”
Xin Jiuxian gave a serious answer with her frail, expressionless face.
Rate on N.U.
