Xia Yiwan immediately cupped her fists, her movements stiff but full of newfound resolve. "Yiwan is willing to return to Dengyun Tower and seize the blade held by the evil cultivators." Only then did she ask a little awkwardly, her gaze flickering toward the ground as she realized her lapse in etiquette. "Yiwan still doesn't know the two seniors' names."
"This Lord is Ran Xi of Haoran Sect, an ascended cultivator from the Weiyu Realm."
"This Lord is Yun Po, just a loose cultivator who took on a mission from the Loose Cultivator Alliance to track evil cultivators. Being able to work with Ran Xi Daoyou this time is also fate."
Xia Yiwan committed both of their Dao titles to memory, her mind racing to place the names. Ran Xi sounded strangely familiar, echoing a name she had heard in her gate's records. A moment later, she suddenly looked up at Yunxi, who was rubbing Li Li's head with a gentle, rhythmic touch. "Ran Xi Zūnshàng, y you wouldn't happen to be Yixian Gate's successor in the Weiyu Realm, would you?"
"That's right," Yunxi admitted openly, her voice calm and steady. It wasn't some big secret anyway, and there's no need to hide her lineage from a fellow member of the sect.
Her expression relaxed visibly, the tension draining from her shoulders as she realized she is in the presence of an elder. She immediately bowed solemnly, her head low in a gesture of profound respect. "Thank you, Ran Xi Zūnshàng, for saving me. Yiwan is deeply grateful."
Yun Po laughed, the sound hearty in the open courtyard. "Since we come from the same source, we will have plenty of chances to exchange later. For now, let's talk about the plan. This concerns your life and the traitor inside Yixian Gate."
Xia Yiwan nodded seriously and took a seat across from them, looking completely obedient and focused. Things couldn't possibly get any worse than they had been, and she is ready to follow their lead to redeem herself.
Over the next three days, she focused on repairing her soul injuries, the medicinal power of the seventh-tier pill working through her sea of consciousness. Under their careful guidance, she clearly understood what she needed to do after returning to the nest of vipers at Dengyun Tower. During this time, she also dispersed one layer of her cultivation, dropping herself back to the mid Out-of-Body stage. Only then would she avoid suspicion from the Tower Master when she returned to his side.
When the three days were up, Yun Po sent the extracted evil soul back into her body with a precise and practiced motion. She relinquished control of her physical form and retreated back into her sea of consciousness. This time, however, her awareness remained clear, and she could sense everything happening outside through the mental link they had established.
When she opened her eyes again, an icy blue glint flashed through them, marking the presence of the puppet master's influence. She respectfully bowed to the man. "Master."
"Mhm, not bad. Once Muyu comes back, this Lord will send you back. Don't mess it up."
"Yes."
At that moment, the restriction outside the courtyard is tapped, a soft ripple in the spiritual air. There's no need to guess who it's. Yun Po nodded at Yunxi and took Xia Yiwan into the side room to hide their preparations.
Yunxi sat at the stone table in the courtyard and flicked her sleeve to open the restriction. Zhuge Muyu walked in first, dressed in a moon white robe that caught the light, followed by a seductive-looking female cultivator whose presence is as heavy as her perfume.
She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the woman. She had seen her before during the previous selection. She is one of the ten female disciples Han Qingwen had brought that day and would clearly have been displeased when Yun Po chose Xia Yiwan over her. If she wasn't mistaken, this woman should be Niao Niao.
Zhuge Muyu stepped forward with a smile, his expression polite and deferential. "Zūnshàng, Muyu has returned."
She glanced at him and saw that his cultivation had already recovered to the Divine Transformation stage, his aura much more stable than it had been three days ago. She put on a satisfied expression. "Not bad. Not bad. As expected of Dengyun Tower. You managed to recover to Divine Transformation in just three days."
"That's thanks to the Tower Master's care. He hoped I could assist Zūnshàng at your side, so he helped me recover a layer of cultivation and repair my foundation."
She replied casually, leaning back slightly against the stone seat. "Relax. You helped this Lord break through, so this Lord won't treat you poorly. With my strength, I can afford to keep you."
She then looked at the woman in the purple-red robe behind him, her gaze inquiring.
He quickly explained the situation to her. "Zūnshàng, this is my senior sister, Niao Niao. Since Junior Sister Xia Yiwan joined recently, the Tower Master is worried she might make mistakes, so he had me bring Senior Sister Niao Niao along. If Yun Po Zūnshàng isn't satisfied, she can be replaced at any time."
"Yun Po has been in seclusion these past two days and hasn't come out yet. You will have to wait for him."
As she spoke, she flicked a thread of spiritual power toward the restriction on the side room, notifying the man of their arrival.
A quarter hour later, he finally opened the restriction and walked out at an unhurried pace, muttering under his breath as if he had been interrupted. "My dear sister, why are you looking for me at a time like this? You know I'm consolidating my cultivation."
He swept a glance over the visitors, then sat down beside Yunxi. He poured himself a cup of spiritual tea before looking at the newcomers.
"The Tower Master is worried I wouldn't be satisfied, so he eagerly sent another beauty over. Take a look yourself."
Niao Niao immediately stepped forward and bowed, her movement fluid and low. "This disciple of Dengyun Tower, Niao Niao, greets Yun Po Zūnshàng."
He waved a hand dismissively and said to his companion, "I'm very satisfied with Yiwan. I don't plan to change her."
She smiled faintly at his stubbornness. "If you like her, you're free to take her back later. But right now, you should focus on consolidating your cultivation. I think this Niao Niao is not bad for the task."
He glanced at the newcomer again. She smiled seductively, blinking her bright eyes, clearly trying to change his mind with her charms.
In the end, he relented, shrugging his shoulders as if giving in to a minor whim. "Fine then. Either way, I'm not losing out on anything."
He then called Xia Yiwan out from the side room.
Her face is a little pale, matching her supposed state of recovery. Though she is clearly unwilling to be replaced, she still bowed respectfully to both of them. As she left the courtyard, she shot Niao Niao a fierce, jealous glare that looked entirely natural.
Seeing that her cultivation had fallen back to the Out-of-Body stage, Niao Niao curled her lips into a mocking smile before moving to the man's side and eagerly pouring him tea.
Yunxi had already set Li Li down on the ground to explore. She held Zhuge Muyu's hand and put on an act of concern, asking about what has happened after they had separated while discreetly checking his physical condition. Niao Niao watched the interaction coldly from the side and said nothing.
Yun Po told Niao Niao to return to her room and prepare. Over the next month, he would be in seclusion consolidating his cultivation and wouldn't leave the small courtyard.
"Niao Niao, go back to your room first."
"Yes, Zūnshàng."
She obediently returned to the side room without showing the slightest intention of eavesdropping on their conversation.
Once she is gone, she raised her hand and set up a sound isolation barrier, the air shimmering as the shield fell, and dropped the act from her face. He had already formed hand seals to share the information gathered from Zhuge Muyu's memories of the past three days.
About the time it took for an incense stick to burn (around 30 minutes), he waved his hand and sent the man back to his room. Only then did he look at her.
"It's like our instincts are spot on. Dengyun Tower really is a blade wielded by evil cultivators.
They will use helping cultivators break through as an excuse and roam all over the Weiling Realm. Through dual cultivation, they will plant evil seeds inside cultivators' bodies. Since the seeds will enter along with spiritual power, they're hard to detect in the early stages of the process.
But as time passes, the evil seeds grow stronger and gradually affect the cultivator's soul. If their Dao heart is unstable, it's easy for the seed to lure them onto a crooked path and eventually turn them into pawns of evil cultivators.
Even if a cultivator has noticed something is wrong and has tried to force the seed out, it's already too late. Unless they disperse all their cultivation, the evil seed can't be fully removed. As long as they will suffer a severe injury or their Dao heart wavers, the seed will resurface. It's extremely insidious."
Yunxi clicked her tongue inwardly at the description of such a trap. Being entangled in something like this would be disastrous for any practitioner. No one would willingly disperse all their cultivation and age themselves to death in an instant. Evil cultivators had understood cultivators' psychology far too well.
"How will the evil seeds form?"
He had explained, "An evil seed is a sliver of an evil cultivator's soul stripped from their own soul. When it's fused into a dual cultivation partner's body, it's like raising a clone. As long as the original body will survive, the evil seed will slowly gnaw away at the cultivator from the inside."
"Even if it's discovered, as long as the cultivator doesn't disperse all their cultivation, the seed will keep lying low and wait for the right moment to strike again."
"That's really troublesome. Did Muyu uncover anything else?"
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Okay, that's all for this time's exception gift. I will head back to AO3 now and return to my primary roadmap. I still have drafts ready, probably enough for a few days to a week of chapters for this novel.
See you on the other side. Don't worry, I will come back here once everything there is settled.
28 Jan
Reiya
Ciao~