"No need to shout so loud. I can hear you just fine," Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ said with a slight smile.
Jian Dan casually set down her teacup, clearly unbothered by Qi Hua's slip in etiquette, and continued, m"Still, given the long-standing rivalry between your two clans, even if you did report it without concrete evidence, the other side would just flip the accusation back on you. So instead, you stayed silent, waited for the truth to come out, and only then made your move. Am I wrong?"
"Zūnzhǔ sees clearly. The Qi Clan is stuck in the middle, and it hasn't been easy," Qi Hua replied, straightening her posture. "The Fu Clan has always kept a tight watch on us. Even when we caught signs of something wrong, we couldn't find anything solid. So how could we report it to the sect? Like you said, even if we spoke up, they'd just turn around and accuse us of slander."
Her voice was sincere, her defense for the family direct and honest.
"Unlike you, Zūnzhǔ, we lack the strength to confront another clan head-on."
That final line came with a note of praise.
Jian Dan accepted the compliment with a light laugh and a nod.
"That's understandable. A family has too many strings attached. You weigh every angle, hesitate, and in doing so, miss the best moment to strike.
I act alone. I don't have those burdens. If the Fu Clan wants to come after me, I strike first. It's that simple. The outcome was unexpected, perhaps, but the move itself? I made it knowingly. Don't you agree?"
She smiled, eyes narrowed with amusement as she posed the question.
Qi Hua felt a chill creep across her scalp. "This Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ was truly a killing god." Before coming here, she'd done her research—Jian Dan had carved her way to her position through sheer force, ruthless and decisive. And now, because of the incident with Jian Yu, Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ had been dragged into the mess, and she'd promptly pulled an entire family down with her.
Still, it only proved how sharp Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ's instincts were. She'd grasped the key point and turned the impossible into reality. The Law Enforcement Hall had already issued an order summoning Qi Hua to assist in the follow-up matters concerning the Fu Clan. That's why she had volunteered to sound out Jian Dan's intentions.
Noticing Qi Hua's eyes shifting left and right as she stayed silent, Jian Dan chuckled and waved her off.
"You don't need to waste your breath trying to fish information from me. As long as your clan wasn't secretly fanning the flames behind the scenes, you won't be dragged into this. But the sect has made one thing clear: there won't be a second Fu Clan.
Tell your elders exactly that. They'll understand."
"Yes, Qi Hua understands. Thank you, Zūnzhǔ."
Realizing that Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ had already seen through her reasons for coming, Qi Hua gave up on the pretense and accepted the answer gracefully.
Once Qi Hua left, Jian Dan turned her attention back to designing the defensive artifact she was preparing for Yue Liang.
Meanwhile, Qi Hua returned directly to Tiandu Peak. She reported to the Qi Clan's local head everything that had transpired during her meeting with Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ, ending with her own analysis.
"Judging from her words, as long as we didn't get involved in the Fu Clan's schemes, we'll stay clean. But from now on, our family's development within the Heavenly Sword Sect will definitely be more restricted."
"Hmm. A good analysis, Hua'er. What else?"
"Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ is someone worth befriending. As long as you don't touch her bottom line, she's actually easy to speak with."
"Heh. Seems like Hua'er has grown up. You even know how to curry favor with Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ now."
Qi Hua laughed and said playfully, "Uncle, all you do is tease me. It's not like I have a choice. She's stronger than us, so I'd rather get on her good side."
"Exactly. That's the key. Jian Lu got to where she is through her own strength, and she's far from done. Watch her carefully. Learn what you can."
"Understood. I will."
After that meeting at Tianyue Peak, the Qi Clan kept a much lower profile within the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The family's high-ranking cultivators rarely returned home, and younger disciples were no longer sent en masse to Tiandu Peak. Those who wanted to join the sect had to earn their place on their own merit. Whatever peak they were assigned to, that was where they stayed.
Back on Tianyue Peak, Jian Dan made some adjustments to her artifact design and recorded the blueprint onto a jade slip. She planned to visit the artifact refining hall soon to start crafting the prototype.
"Zūnzhǔ, someone claiming to be your student is requesting an audience."
This time, it was Ting Feng reporting in. His expression was unusually conflicted, which made Jian Dan laugh.
"Which student has you looking so uncomfortable?"
"There are two of them. One says her name is Yu Jiajia, and the other is Zhao Yunhai. Both are seven-year-old children."
"But their attendants are both high-level Divine Transformation cultivators!" Ting Feng silently grumbled in his heart.
"Oh, they're kids I taught at the Tongzhi's Hall. Let them in."
Ting Feng nodded and went to bring them up the mountain.
Yu Jiajia arrived first, dressed in a pink fairy dress, hair tied in little buns, a long-life pendant hanging from her chest, a pair of high-grade defensive bangles jingling at her wrists, and pink boots made from tier-six deer hide. The girl looked like a walking treasure vault.
A step behind her was Zhao Yunhai, no less extravagant in a white inner-sect robe with dark patterns, his tiny jade crown doubling as a spirit artifact, and a pale green storage belt around his waist. Clearly, someone had taken the time to dress him to perfection.
"Zūnzhǔ!"
As soon as Yu Jiajia spotted Jian Dan under the banyan tree, she dashed forward. Zhao Yunhai had been trying to maintain his composure, but once his friend broke into a run, he quickly caught up.
"Hmm."
Jian Dan acknowledged them with a small sound and waved her hand, summoning two taller jade stools by the stone table.
"Yu Jiajia and Zhao Yunhai pay respects to Jian Lu Zūnzhǔ!"
The two little ones bowed formally. Jian Dan helped them up and guided them to their seats before speaking.
"Zūnzhǔ, are you staying in the sect this time?"
"I'll be here for a while. Why? Did you need something, Jia Jia?"
"Then... when will you come back to teach us class?"
"Oh? I thought you all complained about being tired. I even assigned homework before I left."
Jian Dan raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"We finished it!" they chorused.
"Zūnzhǔ, you can test us. We've been training our bodies and swordplay just like you said!"
"Good. So what made you decide to visit me today?"
"I saw you when you returned to the sect, Zūnzhǔ," Zhao Yunhai said first. "But you seemed really busy, and my elders told me not to bother you. So I waited until today to come."
Then, stars twinkling in his eyes, he added, "I saw your warship, Zūnzhǔ. It was so cool!"
Jian Dan chuckled. "Was it the warship that was cool, or me?"
"Both! You were amazing too! Everyone was bowing to you!"
Yu Jiajia's sweet voice piped in, full of admiration.
Jian Dan let out a light laugh. "You sure know how to flatter."
"Zūnzhǔ, we're here on behalf of all the children at the Tongzhi's Hall," Yu Jiajia finally said, "to ask if you'll return to teach us soon."
Jian Dan thought it over and quickly understood. This probably wasn't just the children's idea. Their elders had likely pushed for it as well. They'd already seen the benefits—fast, clean breakthroughs without hidden dangers.
Everyone wanted their children to become the next Jian Lu. After all, Jian Dan had gone from a Foundation Establishment cultivator to her current peak Void Refinement realm in under a hundred years. That kind of speed was rare even among the most gifted, and she was only a five-element root cultivator. That alone made people pause and think.
"Alright. I'll speak with Senior Brother Jian Li tomorrow and let you know."