Han Pengfei was caught off guard by his grandaunt's blunt question. He first nodded, then shook his head.
Yun Yun Zhēnzūn chuckled softly. "You nod, then deny it. What do you mean by that?"
"Grandaunt, I do admire Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ. But I don't know if she feels the same way. Besides, her cultivation is far above mine... I'm not worthy of her."
"Silly child. If you truly like her, your grandaunt can speak on your behalf."
"Thank you, Grandaunt, for your care. But this isn't something I plan to pursue for now."
"Oh?" Yun Yun leaned in slightly, curious about his reasoning.
"I admire Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ. That's exactly why I have to cultivate harder. I want to match her strength, to stand on equal ground with her. Only then can we face challenges side by side.
Even if you did step in now, even if she were to accept out of respect for you—what then? Would I just hide behind her whenever something happens? Besides, the cultivation world is in turmoil. I'd rather put my focus into training and tempering myself."
He paused for a beat. His eyes became resolute. "I will catch up to her. One day, I'll express my feelings properly."
"Haha! Good. Your grandaunt supports you fully!"
Faced with Yun Yun's gentle smile, Han Pengfei grew a little bashful. He gave her a respectful bow before turning to head toward the refining chamber, preparing to upgrade his natal sword.
The smile remained on Yun Yun's face. The younger generation of the Han family was finally growing into their own. Like those before him, Han Pengfei held onto deep affection and unwavering persistence in his bones.
It was just that... she herself had never mustered the courage to speak her heart to that person. That was why she now felt the urge to help her descendant with his budding feelings for Jian Lu.
Ever since Han Pengfei had met Jian Lu, everything seemed to be going his way. The joy on his face was unmistakable. His movements carried a subtle energy of lightness and purpose.
This was hard to miss, especially for Yu Yaoyao, who had come looking for him. One brief glimpse of him left her chest tight with emotions she couldn't explain. She had never seen Senior Brother Han smile like that.
Yu Yaoyao tried to intercept him, but Hai Yue, already anticipating this, stepped in.
"Junior Sister Yu, Zhēnzūn has ordered that Senior Brother is not to be disturbed in his cultivation for the time being. He needs to stabilize his realm."
"But didn't he just leave seclusion? His cultivation looks stable to me," Yu Yaoyao protested, unwilling to back down.
"Oh, he's gone to reforge his natal sword."
"Using the item Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ gave him?"
Yu Yaoyao asked knowingly. She had been there when it happened.
"You'll have to ask Senior Brother that yourself," Hai Yue replied vaguely.
"What sort of strange thing is that anyway? And he can just fuse it into his sword?"
"Watch your words, Junior Sister. Whether it can be fused or not, Zhēnzūn will make that call. Do you really think Zhēnzūn would endanger her own kin?"
Hai Yue's voice turned sharp with impatience. This Yu Yaoyao was clearly losing her mind. How could she speak so recklessly and even dare question Zhēnzūn?
Realizing she might have crossed a line by sounding disrespectful toward Yun Yun Zhēnzūn, Yu Yaoyao quickly shifted her tone.
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. I'm only worried about Senior Brother..."
Her eyes welled with tears, lips trembling as if on the verge of crying.
"Alright, enough with the helpless act. If not for Zhēnzūn's orders, I wouldn't even bother talking to you. Settle down already."
With a flick of her sea-blue robe, Hai Yue turned and walked away gracefully.
Once Hai Yue was out of sight, the innocent look in Yu Yaoyao's eyes vanished, replaced by simmering anger. But even so, she didn't dare force her way into the cave. While she clashed often with Hai Yue, she knew Hai Yue wouldn't dare fabricate orders from Yun Yun Zhēnzūn.
She stood there for a while longer, then finally left, unwillingly. Meanwhile, Han Pengfei remained focused, completely unaffected, continuing to refine the piece of black chitin.
Yun Yin Peak
There were two days of rest before the Divine Soul stage competition. Jian Dan, finally with a rare moment of peace, invited Jian Xu Zūnzhǔ to her cave dwelling. Together, they went over their strategy and refined the response plan further.
Jian Xu Zūnzhǔ still kept her true identity concealed from the other Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, maintaining the appearance of a mere Divine Transformation cultivator. She even avoided Jian Yu to prevent being recognized.
Yue Liang had just returned from a sweep of the peak. After bowing to Jian Xu, she turned to Jian Dan.
"Zūnzhǔ, that gaze watching me... it's appeared again."
"Can you determine their exact position?"
"It's difficult. Their cultivation is higher than mine."
Yue Liang gave an honest report. She always spoke cautiously about matters like this, unwilling to let her assumptions affect Zūnzhǔ's judgment.
"Just go about your days as usual. Pretend you haven't noticed. They likely won't make a move until after the competition."
"Understood. I was doing my rounds when I came back to report this to you."
"Good girl. Now take a break."
Jian Dan smiled. The moment she said that, Yue Liang blinked once and instantly curled up into Jian Dan's lap, seeking a bit of pampering.
"Did you get Yue Liang from Medicine Peak, Junior Sister?" Jian Xu asked, looking at the obedient beast.
"Yes. I encountered her during a selection at Law Enforcement Peak back when I was still in the Golden Core stage."
"Then she's been with you a long time."
"We've spent a lot of time apart too. Either she was in hibernation, advancing her cultivation, or I was out on sect missions."
"The raccoon beast clan is nearly extinct in the beast territories. Only our Medicine Peak has a surviving branch."
As Jian Xu shared what she knew of the raccoon beast lineage, Yue Liang perked up, ears twitching attentively. This concerned her kind.
"Why is that, Senior Brother? Do you know?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to be tied to their innate divine ability."
Jian Dan's hand paused on Yue Liang for a moment, then resumed stroking her. She understood. It was likely related to Yue Liang's soul-piercing talent.
After all, Yue Liang had destroyed soul fragments from that evil cultivator twice now. It was clear the enemy had taken note. Yue Liang was their nemesis.
So these two instances of surveillance targeting Yue Liang... needed re-evaluation. Were they aimed at her because she followed her? Or because of her rare divine ability?
When the raccoon beasts took refuge with the Heavenly Sword Sect, was there something hidden behind that decision?
Jian Dan's mind raced with possibilities, but she chose not to ask further.
Suddenly, a message came from the silver-armored mother insect. Jian Yu had left his temporary cave dwelling.
"Senior Brother, Jian Yu has left his cave."
Jian Xu smiled and nodded, disappearing from Jian Dan's sight.
Jian Yu had come specifically to see Jian Dan.
"I won't be attending the match tomorrow. There are still injured cultivators from earlier rounds. I'll stay behind to tend to them until your group returns victorious."
"Alright. Thank you for your help while I was in seclusion. The competition should end in just a few more days."
Jian Dan smiled, though her thoughts drifted elsewhere. Since the tournament began, Jian Yu had hardly left Yun Yin Peak. Now he was reporting this to her personally. What was his real purpose?
As she watched him walk away, her eyes narrowed slightly.
The next day, the Divine Soul stage competition began as scheduled. As it was a critical round, most of the sects' Zūnzhǔ had shown up to observe.
Jian Dan had dressed for the occasion, wearing her Heavenly Sword Sect Zūnzhǔ robes. A purple jade sword pendant hung at her waist, and nestled in her hair was the magnolia hairpin Han Pengfei had given her.
Once all the Zūnzhǔ were seated, the match officially commenced.
Yu Yaoyao, who hadn't been seen for several days, appeared among the Cloud Sea Sect's delegation. She hadn't seen Han Pengfei at all recently, so she had come to the tournament grounds, hoping he might make an appearance.
But even as the match began, she saw no sign of him.
Her gaze, however, was drawn to the magnolia hairpin in Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ's hair. After staring at it twice, she looked away and began smoothing her robes, but a flash of resentment passed through her eyes.