Su Quan spread his divine sense in all directions. Confirming that the secret realm under his clan's control had vanished, or more accurately shifted from its original location, he frowned, calculated with his fingers, sighed inwardly, and prepared to return to the clan.
The onlookers were impatient. Seeing nothing revealed on Su Quan Zhēnjūn's face, a Zhēnjūn familiar with the Su clan spoke up. "Su Daoyou, was the disappearance of the secret realm man-made?"
Su Quan shook his head. "This realm detached on its own. Most likely its resources were over-harvested, so it sealed itself and entered a period of recuperation."
"So that's how it is. A pity."
Su Quan's expression did not change. "Not necessarily. The Su clan has held this realm for over two hundred years. It is time it rested."
"Su Daoyou speaks truly."
Voices rose to agree. Su Quan cupped his hands and took his leave.
After he left, the gathered cultivators drifted away in small groups, though they doubted his explanation. A clan's own secret realm, gone without warning, yet the Su clan showed no anxiety. It felt wrong.
With the principal gone, the crowd dispersed. Near midnight, a black silhouette glided to the empty entrance where the realm had been, lingered for half a stick of incense, then slipped back into the dark.
Deep within Wangyou Mountain, in a cave residence, a meditating male cultivator snapped his eyes open. A jade talisman floated before him. He sent his divine sense into it. Three breaths later he flicked his sleeve, shattering the talisman. Thick gray threads of baleful qi seeped from his body as he rasped,
"A bunch of fools."
———
Yunxi, who had taken Xiao Lei away, had not gone far. She settled the girl in a hidden cave, concealed herself, and waited to observe the reactions after the secret realm vanished.
She knew the disappearance of a secret realm was no small matter. The owner clan, the Su clan, would certainly come to investigate, and the evil cultivators would as well. This had been an important hideout.
She watched the Su clan's Nascent Soul Zhēnjūn and found his attitude a little too calm. Perhaps the Su clan was wealthy and did not care about a realm that no longer produced benefit, so his indifference was genuine. His claim that the realm needed to recuperate was not entirely wrong either.
What Yunxi now questioned was whether the Su clan knew their realm had been used by evil cultivators. If they knew, were they in league with them. If they did not know, who had shielded the truth for the evil cultivators.
After all, Haoran Sect had noticed something and sent her to verify it. It made little sense that the Su clan had heard nothing. In the cultivation world there were few true secrets. It was worth probing. Yunxi noted these points into a blank jade slip and kept her watch. Sure enough, after the righteous cultivators left, someone else appeared.
A black figure examined the empty entrance briefly, then vanished again without lingering.
"Tch, quick on the retreat."
She squeezed Dian Dian and sent a sound transmission. "Can you confirm he was an evil cultivator?"
Dian Dian's tiny nose twitched twice. It sniffed hard at the trace wind Yunxi had returned with before answering, "Master, he was not an evil cultivator. His aura belongs to a demon cultivator."
"A demon cultivator."
"Yes, Master. And the baleful qi on him was heavy. Who knows how many lives he has taken."
Yunxi's lips curved. She gave Dian Dian another gentle pinch. "Relax. Your master will not recklessly tail him. My mission is to eliminate the evil cultivators, rescue Xiao Lei, and ensure Xiao He's deep-cover plan proceeds smoothly.
Being a demon cultivator does not mean he is part of the evil cultivators' faction. He might be here for the same reason I am, to investigate. Or he could be their accomplice, scouting out what became of them.
Either way, remember that aura. If we meet it again, alert me."
"Yes, Master."
Dian Dian agreed crisply.
No more cultivators appeared by dawn. Only then did Yunxi slip away.
When she reached the place she had hidden Xiao Lei, she found the girl awake and furiously attacking the restriction Yunxi had set. Yunxi arched a brow, waved a sleeve to open the ward, and stepped into the cave.
Xiao Lei's spirit sword hacked at an invisible membrane. In the next breath the blade met empty air. Joy flashed across her face, then her heart tightened. She retreated swiftly, sword raised toward the entrance.
Seeing a woman in red enter, yet unable to see through her cultivation, Xiao Lei's unease spiked. She bit her lip to steady herself. "Senior, were you the one who saved me?"
A sweep of divine sense told Yunxi the girl was forcing herself. Her body was spent, standing upright on will alone. Yunxi nodded. "Yes. I came at your brother Xiao He's request."
Hearing her brother's name made Xiao Lei's feelings knot. In her worst moments she had only one hope, that her brother would come. Yet it had also been her brother whose actions led her into the hands of evil cultivators.
Yunxi read the conflict in her eyes and spoke evenly. "To avenge your father, your brother joined forces with evil cultivators and helped slaughter the Xiao clan. The deed is done. One wrong step, then another. The only thing he still cares about is you. He did not want you dragged into their schemes, so he sent you away.
But bargaining with a tiger brings no good end. Even with you far from him, they seized you to better control him.
He wanted to save you, but lacked the strength. I offered him a proposal, your life and a path forward in exchange. He agreed. That is why you are alive."
Xiao Lei let the sword fall. She swayed, caught herself against the wall, and managed, "I remember, when my mind was blurring, someone said 'my brother is not a fallen evil cultivator, everything he did was to infiltrate the evil cultivators.' Was that you, Senior?"
Yunxi nodded. "I said it. You were on the brink of losing yourself and becoming a puppet. I had to kindle your will to live. It was not entirely a lie.
I rescue you. Your brother remains embedded among them and passes us their plots. He will atone through merit. It is also the way to win you a clear road ahead.
In the cultivation world, the end outweighs the means. Live well. One day, clear your brother's name."
Understanding dawned. Tears slid down Xiao Lei's cheeks. She knew if her brother misstepped, there would be no return.
Strength leaving her, she slid down the wall and lost consciousness.
Yunxi sighed, swept a "Sleeve" technique to collect her, and vanished from the cave.