Yun Jin ultimately decided to make a trip to the Spirit Beast Forest. This was a place she was bound to visit sooner or later.
When she last met Master Liu Li Zūnzhǔ, she had been given a crystal-clear bead. Her Master had told her to wear the bead in the most visible spot, saying it could help her avoid many troubles.
Now, Yun Jin carefully placed the bead where it would be most noticeable.
Among her Masters, Liu Li Zūnzhǔ was the one who knew the Spirit Beast Forest best, but even she could not know what kind of trap Lin Xiao had hidden in his words.
Still, Master Liu Li had said that with this bead, Yun Jin could resolve one critical crisis.
Yun Jin had never been timid. She was going to the Spirit Beast Forest.
Partly, it concerned the growth of her few spirit pets.
But more importantly, in this world, the Xuan Yin Crystal and Tian Zhao Stone were the perfect materials for the Tai'a Sword's ascension. She could never afford to miss them.
Perhaps there was a trap in Lin Xiao's words. But he could never have imagined that her own strength would rise to terrifying levels in just half a month.
His little schemes might not succeed after all.
Before leaving Sky City, Yun Jin had a conversation with Hong Ye. She had no intention of asking too much, but since she was leaving for a while, she wanted to lay some groundwork.
"Hong Ye," Yun Jin said with a gentle smile, "yesterday in the square, you met someone familiar, didn't you?"
Hong Ye's heart trembled. Her small schemes had not escaped the Sect Master's notice. A bitter smile appeared on her lips. "Sect Master, you saw through it. It was just some ancient matters from a thousand years ago."
Yun Jin nodded. "The past is like fleeting smoke. Hong Ye, I want to remind you: the cultivation method of this man comes from the same origin as Lin Xiao's. He is from Qingxiao Pavilion."
Yun Jin stopped there.
Hong Ye's expression changed drastically. "Qingxiao Pavilion? He is from Qingxiao Pavilion? Sect Master, there must be some misunderstanding!"
There was a note of urgency in her voice.
Yun Jin was slightly surprised.
Hong Ye seemed to care for this man quite a lot.
Noticing Yun Jin's astonished gaze, Hong Ye stiffened, then said softly, "Sect Master, I just feel that he is not the same as those people from Qingxiao Pavilion."
A thousand years had passed, and the feelings between her and Xuan Kong had become a joke. Yet Hong Ye still remembered. When she was being hunted and cornered, it was Xuan Kong who saved her. When they traveled together, Xuan Kong never behaved like the haughty disciples of sects. They protected the weak and restrained the strong, earning great renown among the loose cultivators.
Even after Xuan Kong left, Hong Ye's prestige among loose cultivators remained high, which was why she could easily gather so many loose cultivators with a single word.
"Xuan Kong has helped many, saved many. Many loose cultivators owe him their lives," Hong Ye said urgently. "Sect Master, if you ask those cultivators now, perhaps some still remember Daoist Bai Shu back then."
A trace of nostalgia flashed across her features. Back then, her Dao name was Hong Ye, and he was Bai Shu. A casually chosen name, but for a long time, it had been a symbol of faith among loose cultivators.
Yet that very person, one day, coldly revealed his true face. His real name was Xuan Kong, a disciple of a great sect. He had mingled with the loose cultivators only for amusement.
The so-called feelings with Hong Ye were just a whim, a fleeting game.
At the time, she could not accept this truth. But Xuan Kong gave her no time to process it. He left after dropping mocking words about her low talent and unworthiness.
That episode had passed more than thirteen hundred years ago. At first, whenever Hong Ye recalled those words, they pierced her heart.
Gradually, the memory faded.
Eventually, she almost never thought about it.
She only knew she had trained harder, both for herself and to prove to someone that low talent did not matter; with enough effort, she would not be worse than anyone.
But today,
in this situation, seeing Xuan Kong without warning, Hong Ye admitted that her heart had stirred slightly.
Yet it was only the stir of seeing a familiar face. And that stir lasted only a moment. They were strangers now. Reflecting on a thousand years with a calm heart, Hong Ye felt much more at ease.
The Sect Master had once said, when doing good deeds, judge by actions, not intent.
Xuan Kong said he helped loose cultivators as part of a game, yet he had indeed helped countless people. The original world of loose cultivators had been pure jungle law, and he had created the initial rules that brought some order.
Some of the rules he set had even lasted until today.
Such a person—how could he be from Qingxiao Pavilion?
Qingxiao Pavilion was supposed to be a holy place, lofty and revered, yet in Hong Ye's eyes, it was no different from a den of demons.
When she was a loose cultivator, if she encountered someone from Qingxiao Pavilion, the first principle was to run. Several times, it was Xuan Kong who led them to escape.
Now the Sect Master said Xuan Kong was from Qingxiao Pavilion. Hong Ye's emotions churned, unable to accept it.
Seeing Hong Ye's expression, Yun Jin rubbed her chin thoughtfully. She had thought there was some grudge between them. Now it seemed Hong Ye's feelings toward this man were more complicated.
Yun Jin said, "Hong Ye, he really is from Qingxiao Pavilion. Moreover, he is likely from the most direct lineage. I have seen many from Qingxiao Pavilion, but only his cultivation method matches Lin Xiao's in lineage. Either he is Lin Xiao's disciple, or his junior brother. Judging by his strength, he is unlikely a disciple. He is most probably Lin Xiao's junior brother."
Hong Ye's face went pale.
Xuan Kong was not just from Qingxiao Pavilion, he was at the core of the core!
She gripped her great sword tightly, her wrists trembling.
He was from Qingxiao Pavilion!
Then everything he had done before—what had been his true purpose?
He had left suddenly, without her ever speaking a bad word against him, and she had even defended him in front of other loose cultivators.
And now?
Hong Ye felt like a joke.
"I will kill him," Hong Ye suddenly said, her teeth clenched, cold light flashing in her eyes!
He could belong to any sect, but how could he be from Qingxiao Pavilion?!
She could not accept it, nor could she tolerate it.
Hong Ye was about to rush out.
Yun Jin was startled. It was the first time she had seen Hong Ye act so impulsively. She waved her hand, and a thin black-and-white cord wrapped around Hong Ye, pulling her back.
Hong Ye stood before Yun Jin again, dazed for a moment. When had the Sect Master acted?
She had not reacted at all to that instant. If the Sect Master had attacked, she would already be a corpse. The Sect Master had improved so much during this retreat!
"Don't be too impulsive," Yun Jin said helplessly. "Xuan Kong is from Qingxiao Pavilion, but he may not be utterly wicked or evil."
Yun Jin addressed the matter logically. "You said he helped many loose cultivators. If he had sinister intentions, what would he gain? Gratitude from loose cultivators? Supreme prestige? Those would mean nothing to him."
Hong Ye pressed her lips together.
She had never understood this point. Even if it were just a game, what benefit could such a game give him? He had painstakingly saved so many people and meticulously set rules to maintain order.
It was completely selfless yet benefitting others.