At the moment Bai Yu’s life and Dao dissipated, the golden characters of his name—‘Bai Yu’—flickered and vanished from the highest position of a stone tablet within a Divine Temple at the center of the continent. A beam of spectral light shot through the temple's roof, piercing the heavens and dissolving into the sky before scattering across the Southern Province like falling stars.
It was a final send-off for this Soul Formation cultivator.
Only cultivators above the Nascent Soul realm could perceive such a spectacle.
The Divine Temple was the headquarters of the Southern Province Daoist Alliance.
A white-haired old man sitting cross-legged on the first floor of the temple slowly opened his eyes. “Bai Yu has gone.”
Space fluctuated suddenly as an old woman manifested before him.
“Indeed, the Southern Province has lost another Soul Formation cultivator.” Her sharp gaze fixed on the old man. “I went to investigate the abnormal lightning tribulation that appeared a few days ago but found nothing. However, the three Soul Formation cultivators near Bai Yu’s territory in the Fengyin Kingdom were all attacked. They are unharmed, but their Soul Blood was taken.”
The old man remained expressionless.
The old woman frowned. “You know who did it.”
“Let it go. None of us can interfere.” The old man’s tone was ethereal, carrying a hint of helplessness.
“Is it because those from the Central Province can no longer wait? But the Qingyun Gathering is imminent; even if they are anxious, they shouldn't move this quickly.” The old woman’s pupils constricted.
The old man was silent for a long time, his gaze falling upon a compass outside the temple.
“No matter who it is, we just need to guard the Southern Province. As long as she doesn't make another move against the Soul Formation cultivators, let her be.”
Even if he wanted to advise her, he simply didn't have the means to back it up.
To ensure that the remaining Soul Formation cultivators in the Southern Province did not fall, the old man issued an order within the Southern Province Daoist Alliance. From that day forward, all Soul Formation cultivators in the province were required to return to the alliance for a summit, followed by three years of closed-door seclusion.
With all the Soul Formation cultivators away, the safety of the various cultivation kingdoms would be stable, and no one would inadvertently offend that person.
He didn't believe that they couldn't hide even if they couldn't win.
At this time, Wen Li was unaware that she had made it onto the Southern Province's blacklist in a different way. To avoid her, the Daoist Alliance had ordered every Soul Formation cultivator to attend all-night meetings, even forcing some into mandatory seclusion.
Even Shengji and Linghu Ci were forced to go.
As for Xin Feiliu, she had already reached the Eastern Province, so the order had no effect on her.
Tingyin Pavilion was temporarily left in the care of Bai Songxu.
As for Wen Li herself, she was sleeping in her cave dwelling, waiting for the good news from her five disciples.
...
The next morning.
Jiang Nianyao felt stifled inside her guest building on Guest-Greeting Peak. Having just received musical treatment from a guest elder of Tingyin Pavilion, she changed into a peach-pink gown and went out for a stroll.
Four Golden Core cultivators followed her from a distance.
Her skin was as white as snow, and her face held the fragility of a long-term illness. Unlike Xin Jiuxian, who was frail but could still smash someone while carrying a zither with one hand, Jiang Nianyao would find her breathing heavy and uncomfortable after just a hundred steps, her face turning from pale to a flushed red.
After walking for a while, Jiang Nianyao felt her heart fluttering. She stopped on a bridge to rest.
Suddenly, a figure approached from the opposite direction. A girl dressed in striking red robes appeared; Jiang Nianyao recognized her as one of the four people playing cards in the dining hall that day.
Yao Dai saw her leaning against the bridge railing with a hand over her chest and immediately stepped forward with concern.
“Are you alright?”
Before she could get within two meters, the four Golden Core guards moved to intervene, but Jiang Nianyao stopped them with a look.
Only then did Yao Dai have the chance to step forward and support her.
Jiang Nianyao looked at her gentle face and smiled, shaking her head slightly.
“I’m fine. It’s an old problem.”
Yao Dai raised an eyebrow. “I’m a pill cultivator. Do you mind if I check your pulse?”
“I don't mind.” Jiang Nianyao pursed her lips, her eyes soft.
Yao Dai was surprised by her gentle demeanor. To think that the Beast Taming Sect could torment Xie Tinglan into such a state, yet the sect master’s daughter possessed such a temperament. Was it a facade, or her true nature?
“Alright.” Yao Dai nodded politely, placed a handkerchief over Jiang Nianyao’s wrist, and focused on the pulse. Her expression shifted slightly as she looked up at her.
“Your body...”
She trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. Jiang Nianyao gave a soft, knowing smile, seemingly prepared for bad news, though a trace of regret still lingered in her eyes.
“Your body is actually quite good. You’ll definitely live to be several thousand years old,” Yao Dai said, changing her tone with a bright, confident smile.
“...?!”
Jiang Nianyao’s sorrowful expression froze. Her eyes, clear as autumn water, stared at her in a daze. “Huh?”
She said she could live for thousands of years?
She didn't say she was destined for an early grave and wouldn't live past a hundred like every other pill cultivator.
Yao Dai couldn't stand people questioning her skills. “What? You don't believe me? I’m a very talented pill cultivator, one who absolutely never sells fake pills.”
She only sold poison that didn't match its description.
Selling fake pills?
“No, it’s not that I don't believe you.” Jiang Nianyao let out a joyful laugh. “Hahaha...”
The four Golden Core guards watching from the shadows were also moved. One of them murmured softly.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the young lady laugh like that.”
“I’m not doubting you, it’s just that you’re the first pill cultivator to ever say I could live so long. I was a bit surprised.” The gloom in Jiang Nianyao’s brows cleared significantly. She looked at her with clear eyes. “You aren't from Tingyin Pavilion, are you?”
None of the four card-players that day had been wearing Tingyin Pavilion attire.
“I’m not. I’m just staying here for a few days waiting for someone,” Yao Dai admitted candidly.
“My name is Yao Yaoling. What’s yours?” This was the alias her master had given her.
Jiang Nianyao found the name novel. “My name is... Jiang Nianyao.”
The two of them spent the morning in pleasant conversation. Yao Dai did most of the talking, recounting amusing stories from her travels and keeping the girl in constant laughter.
By noon, Yao Dai had things to do and prepared to leave. Before they parted, Jiang Nianyao asked, “Will you come here again tomorrow?”
Under the midday sun, Jiang Nianyao’s face held a touch of expectation. Her peach-pink gown made her look like a fresh, soft peach.
However, Yao Dai, dressed in red, said, “I won’t. I have to go look for medicinal herbs tomorrow.”
Jiang Nianyao’s eyes dimmed slightly, but she quickly nodded with a smile. “I see...”
“I’m off then.”
Yao Dai waved at her and walked away, taking the liveliness with her.
“Goodbye.”
The silence returned to Jiang Nianyao’s side. Her gentle eyes gradually grew calm as she slowly turned to leave.
Suddenly...
“Are you free tomorrow? How about we go look for herbs together? Would you like that?”
A lively, bright voice rang out from behind her.
Jiang Nianyao’s pupils brightened as she turned around. Yao Dai had reappeared before her.
“I would!”
Jiang Nianyao nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at grain, her eyes sparkling.
Yao Dai snapped her fingers. “It’s a deal then! I’ll pick you up right here at the same time we met today!”
“Okay!” Jiang Nianyao agreed immediately.
Once Yao Dai left, the four Golden Core cultivators appeared. The youngest man frowned. “Miss, you cannot just leave with a stranger. If the Sect Master finds out, he won't forgive us.”
Jiang Nianyao knitted her brows in displeasure. “Father sent me to Tingyin Pavilion for treatment. If going for a walk with her can cure my heartache, then that counts as treatment. Father won't blame you. If you don't tell and I don't tell, no one will know.”
“Father said you must obey my orders. Now that he isn't here, you listen to me. At worst, you can just follow us from the shadows.”
“...Very well.”
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