“...”
Who would turn their nose up at a pill recipe? Especially one recognized by Mingdan Pavilion.
Before setting out, some pill cultivators from Taiqing Pavilion had mentioned that it would be best to get the pill recipe from this personal disciple named Lin Mu.
However, not many people from Taiqing Pavilion had come, and since Feng Qing had assigned them a lot of menial chores, they had been constantly delayed.
The leading cultivator's face darkened even further. He asked sternly, “Did Sect Master Feng really tell you that?”
Before Song Yao could respond, a cultivator beside him immediately stepped forward. Leaning close to the leader's ear, he lowered his voice. “She's a personal disciple of the Nine Saints Hall. Watch out. She might be trying to drive a wedge between our two sects. Don't fall into her trap.”
“She isn't lying.”
Wen Wumian, who had been standing silently to the side, suddenly spoke up. His tone was cold and devoid of emotion. “She's holding the silver token of the Beiyao Sect's Pill Pavilion leader.”
The others immediately looked over. Sure enough, the token bore the mark of the Beiyao Sect.
The leading cultivator caressed his sword hilt, his lips pressing into a thin line.
He had already harbored doubts about the Beiyao Sect's constant excuses over the past few days. Comparing the two situations now, the cloud of suspicion in his mind grew even heavier.
He looked up at Song Yao, his expression grave. “Come with me.”
“I can't.” Song Yao shook her head hesitantly. “The Beiyao Sect's pill cultivators haven't finished their lessons yet, and...”
Lowering her voice, she said weakly, “They won't let me interact with you too much. They said you're quite brutal and might take my life.”
“Utter nonsense!!” The leading cultivator flew into a rage upon hearing this. The veins on his temples throbbed as he violently whipped his sleeve, shouting, “This is the territory of the Nine Saints Hall! Since when is it the Beiyao Sect's turn to block out the sky with one hand here?!”
He took half a step forward, the pressure around him growing terrifyingly heavy. “Come with me and explain everything in detail! With our Taiqing Pavilion here, I guarantee they won't dare to do anything to you!”
Song Yao nearly burst out laughing.
They were both bandits, yet he was guaranteeing her safety?
She still seemed to hesitate, but two Taiqing Pavilion cultivators had already stepped up on either side of her, clearly leaving her no room to refuse.
Song Yao puckered her face and reluctantly walked forward with them, not forgetting to remind them, “Then you must keep it a secret. You absolutely cannot let Sect Master Feng know I told you this, or they won't let me off...”
Wen Wumian, who had been silently trailing at the back of the group, suddenly walked up to her side and spoke quietly, “Don't worry. I won't let them do anything to you. Just tell the truth.”
Song Yao looked up at him with a hint of surprise.
When did this block of ice from the Wen family become so kind-hearted?
As her scrutinizing gaze remained completely unhidden, Wen Wumian's lips pressed even tighter. Keeping a stiff, cold face, he explained in a flat tone, “The family head specifically ordered that if I met you here, I should look after you. If you really can't stay here any longer, you can also return to the Wen family with me to take refuge for a while.”
Song Yao was stunned for a moment.
The Wen family head? Wen Yu? That little girl?
The last time she saw her, the Wen family had been in complete chaos, and Wen Yu had been completely incapable of supporting the family. Since Wen Wumian was saying this now, the Wen family's situation must be decent, and Wen Yu must be doing alright too.
However, she actually still remembered her.
That was quite rare.
Song Yao shook her head. “No, Sect Master Feng wants me to refine pills for her here. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't.”
Seeing his brow furrow slightly, she thought for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up as she smiled at him. “Why don't you and Family Head Wen kidnap me together? From now on, in life, I'll be a Wen family member, and in death, I'll be a Wen family ghost. Quite a bargain, don't you think?”
Wen Wumian choked, giving her an indescribable look.
This person was always fond of talking nonsense. Having been messed with by her a few times, he was already somewhat used to it.
But after pondering for a moment, he thought of something and replied very seriously, “Alright. I will discuss it with the family head.”
Song Yao grinned and waved her hand. “I'm just kidding. Don't, don't. You guys shouldn't wade into this muddy water. It's unnecessary and not fun at all.”
It was unclear whether Wen Wumian had heard her clearly or not, but he turned and retreated to the side with a thoughtful expression.
...
Inside a secluded, hidden pavilion of the Nine Saints Hall, a crowd of cultivators stood respectfully.
A transmission incense burned, releasing pale green smoke. At its peak floated a translucent figure—it was indeed the Second Elder of Taiqing Pavilion, Ye Linchong.
Clad in a long robe, his face was as dark as ink, his knuckles clenched white. His voice suppressed a surging rage: “Is what you say true?! Does the Beiyao Sect really disregard the righteousness of our alliance to such an extent, attempting to secretly pocket the valuable items of the Nine Saints Hall?!”
Below the steps, a Taiqing Pavilion cultivator immediately bowed and cupped his hands. “Reporting to Second Elder, it is absolutely true! Initially, this disciple was skeptical, but upon communicating with the Taiqing Pavilion leaders responsible for the various areas, I discovered that this is the case everywhere!”
“Taking advantage of Pavilion Master Ye's absence and the fact that you and the other four elders have withdrawn back to the pavilion, the Beiyao Sect has constantly made us Taiqing Pavilion cultivators do menial chores, handing out insignificant, petty favors. As for the treasures of the Nine Saints Hall, we haven't been able to touch a single one.”
“Furthermore...”
The cultivator paused before continuing, “If the Nine Saints Hall's personal disciple, Lin Mu, hadn't accidentally let it slip, we would still be kept in the dark! Not only did the Beiyao Sect claim all three main herb peaks as their own territory and seize all the high-rank spiritual grasses, but they also secretly forced that personal disciple to hand over the pill recipe, deliberately hiding it from us!”
The projection on the transmission incense trembled slightly with anger as Ye Linchong shouted harshly, “What a Feng Qing! If we hadn't taken action, how could she have the chance to lord over this place?! Now she is so treacherous as to learn the pill recipe behind our backs! What on earth are they planning?!”
Before his voice could fade, a light chuckle suddenly came from the back of the crowd.
Ye Linchong was taken aback. Only then did he notice an unfamiliar cultivator sitting by a desk in the corner behind them. His brow furrowed even tighter. “Who are you?”
Wen Wumian took half a step forward and reported in a cold voice, “Reporting to Second Elder, she is that Nine Saints Hall personal disciple, Lin Mu. The matters of the Beiyao Sect monopolizing resources and secretly learning the pill recipe were all told to us by her.”
“Lin Mu?”
The name sounded slightly familiar.
Young Master Ye seemed to have suffered quite a bit at her hands, and he had even heard the Hall Master mention her.
None of the personal disciples of the Nine Saints Hall were easy to deal with. A trace of wariness appeared in Ye Linchong's eyes. “Is this little girl trying to drive a wedge between our two sects?”
The cultivator beside him immediately shook his head. “This disciple has already verified everything. The situation is indeed true, which is why I came to report to you, Elder.”
It was true?!
Ye Linchong took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. His heavy gaze fell upon Song Yao. “Little girl, what were you laughing at just now?”
Song Yao sat cross-legged and looked up at him. “What else could I be laughing at? Of course, I'm laughing at how stupid you are. Even a newly entered personal disciple pill cultivator like me was targeted by them. Not to mention the elders of my hall and my senior brothers and sisters—they must have been learning from them for over half a month, right?”
After saying that, she swirled the teacup in her hand and said slowly, “I just wonder who they want to deal with next, after learning so many secret arts and methods.”
Rate on N.U.
