"Offering a gift, of course!"
The purple-robed young woman cut in as if the question confused her.
"But you..."
"It's fine, Ying Luo, no need to fuss over something like this."
Jian Dan raised a hand to stop Ying Luo from asking further and gestured for the gifts to be set aside.
Ying Luo quietly stepped back to Jian Dan's side and said nothing more.
"Which branch of the Jian clan are you from?"
"I am Jian Shangxi. This is my younger cousin, Jian Fen, and the rest are members of my clan."
"So you came not just to thank me for saving your cousin, but also to find out whether this Mo Yue is someone from your Jian clan?"
Jian Dan spoke plainly. Jian Shangxi nodded without hesitation.
"Since birth, I've only had my mother. My father's side was overly ambitious, and she left them early on. That's why I took her surname."
As she spoke, Jian Shangxi took out the jade box that Jian Dan had gifted his cousin. The jade box bore the clan's crest and was stored within his spatial ring.
"This was given to my cousin by the Zhūnzhǔ. It bears our Jian clan's emblem."
"Oh, she felt quite familiar to me the last time we met, so I gave it to her."
And just like that, the conversation died.
Jian Dan made no effort to deny the item was hers, nor that she had gifted it. She also didn't hide the fact that she bore the surname Jian. But whether she was of the Jian clan? That, she left unsaid.
"Zhūnzhǔ, would you be willing to visit our Jian clan sometime as a guest?"
Jian Shangxi finally voiced the true reason behind their visit.
"I wouldn't say it's impossible. But not right now. I've taken on a rather important mission and will be leaving soon. We'll talk again after I return."
"Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ, how long will that be?"
Jian Fen immediately spoke up, hoping to secure a timeframe so their trip into the demon sect wouldn't be for nothing.
"I estimate at least eight to ten years."
"That long?"
Jian Fen looked like she might cry on the spot.
"Heh, I would prefer it to be sooner too. But heaven rarely grants what one wishes."
Jian Dan spread her hands, then smoothly changed the subject.
"To express my apologies, I've also prepared a small gift. Think of it as a greeting offering. Please pass it to your clan's ancestor on my behalf."
A scroll appeared in her hand. Ying Luo stepped forward to accept it and handed it to Jian Shangxi.
At first Jian Shangxi was puzzled. But the moment he saw the scroll and the seal on it, his eyes widened in fury. He held back the rising fire in his chest before speaking.
"Zhūnzhǔ, may I ask where this item came from?"
"I took it. Someone tried to use this scroll to capture me."
"He failed, of course, and had no right to claim one of my Jian clan's immortal artifacts."
"Then it really is something that drifted away from your clan. In that case, I'm simply returning it to its rightful owner."
"Many thanks, Zhūnzhǔ. The Jian clan is deeply grateful. I'll take it back to the clan right away."
"Good. I won't keep you. I took that scroll from the Tang clan. Their higher-ups are likely on their way by now. Best not to get caught up in their mess."
Jian Dan's tone was calm and casual. She made no effort to shield the Tang clan, nor did she offer to help the Jian clan deal with them.
"Thank you for the warning. We'll take our leave for now. Once you return to your peak, we'll come again with a proper invitation."
"Very well. Ying Luo, please see Young Master Jian off."
"Yes, Zhūnzhǔ."
Only after watching them go did Jian Dan let the smile fade from her face.
This Jian clan was quite interesting. On one hand, they were probing to see if she was a demon cultivator. On the other, they were trying to confirm her bloodline. So contradictory.
Ying Fěi rushed into the hall and bowed deeply to Jian Dan.
"Zhūnzhǔ, a Mahayana Zhēnzūn from the Tang clan has gone to the main hall of Tianmo Peak. He's demanding that you return the scroll. Palace Master Mo Lie asks you to come and meet him."
"No need. Have Ying Luo deliver the message instead. Tell him it's from me. Got it?"
"Understood. I'll handle it at once."
Tang Yi, Mahayana Zhēnzūn of the Tang clan, sat motionless in the great hall. He had said nothing thus far, saving his fury for when Mo Yue arrived.
Ying Luo entered, saluted, and addressed Palace Master Mo Lie.
"Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ has already departed with her party for Nether Valley. She asked me to inform you so you need not worry."
"Hmph. Bold of her, thinking she can just walk away?"
Tang Yi stood abruptly, glaring at Palace Master Mo Lie.
"Out of respect for Mo Yàn Zhēnzūn, I will not act rashly today. But that scroll belongs to the Tang clan. If she refuses to return it, I won't be so polite next time."
"Zhēnzūn, wait a moment."
Ying Luo stepped in front of Tang Yi as he turned to leave.
"Zhēnzūn, Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ asked me to pass along a message. The true owner of the scroll has already come and taken it."
"Who?"
"A hidden clan, the Jian clan. Zhūnzhǔ says they haven't gone far. With your cultivation, you should be able to catch up."
"I will settle this with her!"
Tang Yi flung his sleeve and vanished from the hall.
Palace Master Mo Lie narrowed his eyes at Ying Luo.
"Tell me the truth. Where is Mo Yue right now?"
"She's enjoying the flowers on Mo Ying Peak."
"Then why send the Tang clan off like that?"
"Zhūnzhǔ said someone would take care of it. No need for you to worry."
Hearing Ying Luo's steady and matter-of-fact tone, Mo Lie waved him off, then summoned a guard in black robes.
"Go check things out and report back."
"Yes, understood."
Jian Shangxi, scroll in hand, left the Tianmo Palace without delay, traveling as fast as he could.
"Brother, what do you think Mo Yue Zhūnzhǔ really meant by this? Why give us such a grand gift for no reason?"
"She doesn't fully trust us. This is a test."
"A test for what?"
"That scroll was crafted by the Jian clan's artifact ancestor. Only direct descendants can use the secret hand seal to claim ownership. Others may be able to use it, but only at a quarter of its power. They can never form a true bond with it."
"So she knows it's ours, but didn't try to claim it. She gave it back to see whether we could claim it—and whether we could handle the consequences from the Tang clan?"
"Exactly. We reacted quickly enough this time."
"Give me some credit, I've reached Divine Transformation. I'm not that slow!"
"Quiet. Someone's coming."
Tang Yi approached, aura oppressive.
"Hand over the scroll, brats. Don't let others use you. I'd rather not hurt you."
Jian Shangxi immediately raised his double-edged sword. Jian Fen flicked out her twin daggers.
"Overconfident fools."
Tang Yi hovered in mid-air, looking down like they were ants. With a wave of his sleeve, he prepared to subdue all ten of them at once.
But just then, a deep and melodious male voice echoed out.
"Hmph. The one who overestimates himself is you. Let me show you the true Desert Sands Map—Bind."
Tang Yi's heart jolted. A sense of danger flared, and he tried to rip open the air to escape into another space.
But before he realized it, their entire space had already been wrapped inside a massive, unfurled scroll. There was no sign of a desert or sandstorm. Only a vast, clear sky.
Still, the moment Tang Yi tore open a new space and stepped through, he emerged into a raging sandstorm. A hurricane of sand surged up and swept him inside.
Tang Yi could never have imagined that he would be trapped by the very immortal artifact he once considered his own.
Of course, it no longer belonged to the Tang clan.
It was the Jian clan's all along.
"Ancestor, we're lucky you arrived."
The Jian clan's ancestor waved a hand casually.
"You all handled yourselves well. But Mo Yue was one step ahead."
"Ancestor, is she truly one of us?" Jian Fen finally asked the question that had been haunting her.
"She is. And very likely from the direct bloodline."
"Then..."
"Mo Yue will not be returning to the clan anytime soon."
"Why not?"
"The direct line was betrayed by a side branch. That's why she never made it to the Lingyun Continent. Now that she's here... who knows if that's a good thing at all?"