"Senior Brother, are you worried I'll get surrounded?" Jian Dan asked with a cheeky smile.
"We just entered here and were immediately spotted by Hou San and his group. Can you guarantee no one else noticed us? Xiao Yue is attracting a lot of attention right now, so we need to be cautious," Jian Mao explained.
"You're right, Senior Brother. I got ahead of myself!" Jian Dan immediately admitted her mistake.
"I know, everyone's anxious. Jian Jun might be waiting for our support, so of course we want to move fast. But in moments like this, we have to stay careful and not let them cloud our judgment." Jian Mao spoke patiently, and his words were for everyone present as well.
Everyone nodded, appreciating Jian Mao's thoughtful guidance.
"Tomorrow, we'll act together. For now, let's bring the other person over and have Jian Chuang question them."
"Yes, Zūnshàng," Jian Chuang replied immediately.
"Tonight, everyone rests and gets a feel for this place. Tomorrow, we move as one and let Hou San guide us," Jian Mao continued.
"Yes."
This time, everyone agreed without hesitation.
Jian Dan stood up and said, "I'll go talk to Xiao Yue and see if he can sense the spatial rift. We can't have him being clueless and missing it."
"Exactly, that's important. Make sure you communicate well with him," Jian Mao nodded.
No one questioned how she managed to open the spirit beast pouch and summon Xiao Yue, which made Jian Dan quite satisfied.
She stepped aside slightly and emerged from the rift, approaching the resting Xiao Yue. He twitched his ears and immediately lifted his head when he realized Jian Dan had arrived.
"Xiao Yue, how do you feel?"
"Great. I can train here. The energy is purer than the Moon Essence I usually absorb, which benefits my cultivation," he replied.
Jian Dan frowned slightly. Earlier, Liu Chuan had warned her that this was Xianyuan energy, which differs from spiritual power.
She then asked, "Xiao Yue, can you sense the spatial rift? The one that connects to the continent we're on?"
Xiao Yue blinked his big eyes at her serious expression, wrinkling his nose before saying, "I don't sense the rift you mentioned, but as long as there's the moon, we wolves of the Moon Howl clan can always find our way home."
Jian Dan's eyes lit up. She pressed on, "Xiao Yue, did you learn this from your bloodline inheritance?"
"Yes. Coming here unlocked more of my bloodline inheritance," he said. Though slightly puzzled, he knew this info would help them, so he shared it.
"Good, Xiao Yue. If you sense the way home, tell me immediately."
"No problem."
Jian Dan felt reassured.
Xiao Yue sniffed around, then said, "You're completely different from Mo Yue, but your scents are the same. Xiao Yue's a little confused!"
Jian Dan laughed, rubbing his head and whispering, "Mo Yue is me, Jian Lu is me too. I cultivate both Dao and Demon paths and can switch freely. This is our secret, and you can't tell anyone—not even the wolf clan chief!"
"Alright! And the spirit spring water and beast meat you gave me in the spirit beast pouch, can I get some more?" Xiao Yue squinted, making demands.
"Tch, now you're asking for hush money!" Jian Dan chuckled, agreeing generously. She waved her hands and said, "This place is great for your cultivation, but we can't use spiritual power here. We'll make it up to you when we return. Deal?"
"Okay!"
The wolf and his mistress happily negotiated the bribe, then Xiao Yue returned to his watch, and Jian Dan stepped back into the rift.
The others hadn't rested either, listening to Jian Chuang's interrogation results. Jian Dan returned to her mat and sat down.
"The other person's info mostly aligns with Hou San's. He's weaker, stayed behind often, got fewer resources, and hasn't been to the central area much," Jian Chuang reported.
Everyone nodded. Even three-year-old intel was better than blindly investigating.
"I just spoke with Xiao Yue. He can train here, and the wolf clan inheritance includes a way to find the path home."
A sigh of relief swept through the group. That was good news.
"Xiao Yue doesn't sense anything yet, so no rift to Lingyun Continent has appeared. There's no moon visible here, either. I told him to report immediately if he notices anything," Jian Dan added.
"Good. We have a way back; now it's up to Xiao Yue," someone said.
"Senior Brother, things have been chaotic since entering the rift. Let's let everyone rest, change our robes, and adjust our belongings so no one here mistakes us for easy marks," Jian Jing said.
"Senior Sister's attentive. Let's do as you say. Everyone, adjust. Call each other only by seniority titles and drop the 'Jian' from your dao names for safety."
"Yes, Senior Brother Mao," Jian Dan agreed. Everyone smiled, approving, then the Heavenly Sword Sect members went to another storage room to change robes.
Kuang Dao didn't care about changing his plain black robe. He grabbed the just-interrogated person and left, giving Jian Dan and Jian Jing the space.
Jian Dan took a sky-blue robe from her storage bracelet and changed into it, stowing her sword. She hung a magnolia pendant for passive defense, inserting a magnolia bead hairpin and Cotton Candy. Clean and practical.
Jian Jing changed into a white robe embroidered with gold patterning, the lines forming protective arrays. She wore a peace-token pendant and tied her hair with a white jade pin, looking elegant.
They exchanged smiles and returned to their mats to wait for the men.
Jian Mao emerged first in a dark blue robe, exuding maturity. Jian Xu followed in white, a graceful young man. Wu Siyuan wore dark navy, showing some wealth.
Only Jian Chuang lingered, finally appearing in a deep red robe, the most eye-catching among them.
"Didn't expect you'd pick this style, Jian Chuang. Haven't seen you wear it before—it suits you," Jian Jing commented.
Jian Dan smirked. She hadn't realized he had such flair, but it matched his elegant demeanor.
Jian Chuang laughed awkwardly, smoothing his robe. "These are all Heavenly Sword Sect robes and everyday wear. I didn't prepare others. I found this one during a dungeon exploration with someone. The defense level was high, so I kept it. I originally intended to give it away."
"Defense is what matters," Jian Jing said.
Everyone found a corner, sitting cross-legged to meditate or check jade slips. Kuang Dao went to guard the two prisoners.
Jian Dan finally focused, questioning Liu Chuan: "Chuan, this is a corner of the Immortal Realm. Do you know exactly where? There's no spiritual power here, only Xianyuan energy. Why can you, Mò Xī, and Mó Yuè Zhǎn absorb and refine it? I also feel my previously hidden meridian power reacting!"
===
Author Note:Good afternoon, dear readers! Here's a quick Q&A:
Book title: Original title was Simple's Yanran Immortal Path, containing heroine and side character names. I felt it wasn't catchy, so I changed it—thanks for understanding. I'll stick to my chosen name from now on.
Protagonist name: Jian Dan—"the Dao is simple, I walk alone!" Very meaningful, highlights the great female lead. It's not "low," please understand.
About the saintly act: Readers see things from God's perspective and expect a reborn heroine to slay recklessly. She's cautious, tests the waters, and grants opportunities.
Anyone reborn would be cautious and confirm repeatedly. Even near ascension, Jian Dan would remain careful. Her caution allowed her to discover Du Yanran also reborn, putting them on equal footing. Jian Dan continues acting to maintain advantage.
This is a literary technique—first suppress, then elevate the plot.
Immortal Realm story: The current rift plot sets up the Immortal Realm arc, so stay tuned.
Foreshadowing: Feng Ling loves leaving clues everywhere. Readers who miss details might overlook things; revisit previous chapters to catch them.
Feel free to report typos or awkward sentences in the comments!
Thank you!