“Old Ancestor, we just received word that Feng Ling engaged in a battle near Mount Meng in the northwest. His Nine Underworlds Reincarnation Banner and red umbrella were both destroyed. Nearby, the corpses of eight cultivators were found, all above Golden Core. Judging by the methods, Feng Ling killed them.”
“Meanwhile, both Feng Ling and his opponent have vanished.”
Within a pavilion in the forbidden grounds of the Taixuan Sect’s back mountains.
The meditating Old Ancestor of the Taixuan Sect, Meng Ji, abruptly opened a pair of gloomy, dark eyes.
“Feng Ling was defeated, abandoning even his life-bound magical artifacts.”
“This disciple has personally inspected the barrier of the Western Province, finding no sign of loosening or damage,” Grand Elder Shen Qiyong nodded solemnly. “Old Ancestor, could it be that another Soul Formation cultivator has emerged in the Western Province?”
“Feng Ling has been at the early stage of Soul Formation for many years and possessed the Nine Underworlds Reincarnation Banner. Jiuyin Island’s cultivation methods are incomparably treacherous; a newly ascended Soul Formation cultivator couldn’t possibly shake him,” Meng Ji dismissed the theory.
“Could it have been the Lingjian Sect or one of the other two sects?”
Within the Western Province, there were only four Fourth-Grade Cultivation Kingdoms. They had fought amongst each other for years, and Soul Formation cultivators were so few that rarely would anyone resort to lethal strikes so easily.
Meng Ji lifted his aged yet exceptionally sharp eyes. “The Five Provinces Aptitude Battle is imminent. At a time like this, they value their reputations more than anyone. Although Jiuyin Island acts tyrannically, it still possesses a deterrent force. Given Feng Ling’s formidable talent, if anything happened to him, Jiuyin Island would latch onto them like a rabid dog. The losses would far outweigh the gains.”
Unable to fathom who it could be, Shen Qiyong dwelt on it no longer, merely furrowing his brows. “Feng Ling met with trouble on our territory. Should we dispatch disciples to search for him to give Jiuyin Island an explanation?”
Meng Ji nodded. “We must at least make a show of it, though we shouldn’t make too big of a fuss. Jiuyin Island cares greatly about face.”
“Understood.”
“What about the person I told you to investigate?”
Shen Qiyong could not understand why the Old Ancestor would bother investigating a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. “After those three left the inn, they disguised their appearances and vanished. Eight cultivators set out in pursuit; two left, and the remaining six have gone missing.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “All were above Golden Core, including three Nascent Souls.”
Hearing this, Meng Ji knew the pursuit had hit a dead end, waving his hand dismissively. “If they can’t be traced, so be it.”
With Chen Feng acting as bait, the fish would eventually bite.
“Chen Feng’s aptitude is quite good. Compared to that female disciple of yours, he is far more innocent.”
Shen Qiyong’s brow twitched slightly, instantly grasping his meaning.
“Understood.” He sighed internally.
...
Several thousand miles away from the capital of the Heavenly Yuan Kingdom.
Atop a desolate mountain.
Beneath the night sky, the figure of a youth looked down upon the young girl lying unconscious on the grass.
He slowly reached out, wrapping his fingers around the girl’s fair neck, gradually tightening his grip.
A glint of murderous intent flickered within his demonic red vertical pupils.
If she died and he pinned the blame on the Beast Taming Sect, would someone as bizarre as Wen Li annihilate the Beast Taming Sect on her behalf?
In that case, his greatest concern would be resolved.
Bang.
Suddenly, the youth’s red pupils shrank. His tall, slender form abruptly shrank back into that of a four-year-old toddler, tumbling to the ground. His small hand could no longer maintain a grip on Yao Dai’s neck.
He snatched his hand back in irritation. Why am I still stuck in this wretched body?
Gazing at Yao Dai’s bloodless, pale face, whether torn over whether to kill her or simply overwhelmed by irritation, he scrambled to his feet and kicked the tree beside him.
Crash!
The entire tree toppled straight over.
Now he was even more irritated. Even a tree was this useless.
“Aaaaargh!!”
The little figure clutched his head and cried out in frustration. Finally, he calmed down, lowered his hands, and looked up.
No, that woman Wen Li isn’t here. I can’t let Yao Dai die like this, or she’ll suspect me.
Why not...
Xie Tinglan turned his head toward Yao Dai, his little eyes rolling with thought. Slashing his right wrist, blood welled up immediately.
He quickly pressed it against Yao Dai’s mouth.
Yet she was deeply unconscious and couldn’t drink it at all.
Troublesome.
The disgust in Xie Tinglan’s eyes was almost spilling over. Recalling the grudge from when Yao Dai had tied him into a ball and slammed him around, he reached out and directly dislocated her jaw.
Snap.
After forcing all the blood down, he snapped her jaw back in place.
Click.
His blood inherently possessed healing properties, which could temporarily keep her alive. As for the potent poison within that blood...
Wen Li doted on Yao Dai so much that she had held off enemies just so he could take her away. He could keep this as leverage for the future.
Xie Tinglan left Yao Dai lying on the ground while he ran off to hunt some game.
To prevent birds from defecating on her face—which he would then have to wipe off himself—he cast a barrier over her.
Besides, Wen Li had only told him to take her away, not to save her.
It didn’t count as disobeying his master’s orders.
If she died, it was just the will of Heaven for him to frame the Beast Taming Sect.
...
Five days later.
【Host, do you know that big shot? Otherwise, why would they step in to save you?】
“I fell unconscious right along with you. Who knows if they were saving me? Maybe Feng Ling acts like an insufferable jerk on a regular basis, so that big shot just casually dealt with him. If I hadn’t passed out, I probably would’ve been killed just for seeing it.”
The system sighed with both regret and relief. 【Good thing! I almost thought you were dead and nearly started looking for a new host.】
Wen Li, who was currently flying on her sword, narrowed her eyes dangerously. “You want to serve two masters?”
【How could I ever!】 The system, which usually lacked a few brain cells, reacted with lightning speed. 【I am utterly faithful to you, Host! If you had died, I definitely would have made the next host avenge you!】
Wen Li couldn’t be bothered with this fence-sitting system that misused idioms. “Hurry up and check which mountain peak Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan are on.”
【Make a U-turn in five hundred meters.】
“You went the wrong way!” Wen Li barely managed to halt midair.
【Uh, wasn’t I focusing on replying to you, Host?】 Guilty, it had forgotten to watch the road.
Wen Li inhaled deeply. “Is there any possibility you can materialize a physical body?”
【Sniffle, Host, you’re so sweet! You actually want to meet me in person? Sadly, I’m just data; I don’t have a physical form.】 The system grew teary-eyed.
As she turned around, Wen Li felt immense regret. If it weren’t data and had a physical body, she would have stabbed it to death with her sword.
When Wen Li finally found Xie Tinglan and Yao Dai...
She turned around, wanting nothing more than to leave immediately.
On that hillside, with wild grass sticking out of his messy hair, clothes covered in blood and mud, faintly dotted with animal feathers, his tiny face as filthy as a beggar’s, and chewing on a raw rabbit with a mouthful of fur—who else could it be but Xie Tinglan?
As for Yao Dai, thankfully, she was still wearing the same bloodstained clothes from when they parted, lying on the ground, neither dead nor alive.
The moment she wasn’t around, these two had practically reverted right back to their beggar days.
Wen Li took a deep breath, swooped down, and smacked Xie Tinglan squarely on the noggin.
“Hsss!”
Xie Tinglan, who had long sensed her approach, was caught off guard. He had never expected to get beaten the very second they met.
And to think he had actually worried there would be no one to collect her corpse if she died.
“What are you doing?!”
Dropping the caught rabbit to the ground, he scrambled up and confronted Wen Li.
“I told you to take Yao Dai away. Did you really just take her away? Have you fed her any medicine? She’s about to starve to death! She’s a mortal right now; she needs to eat!”
Wen Li crouched down to examine Yao Dai’s condition, only to discover that before her vitality had even burned out, she was about to be starved to death.
Having been hit, Xie Tinglan was defiant. “You never told me any of that! She drank my blood; she won’t die anytime soon.”
Wen Li raised her eyes, her gaze chilling in a way he had rarely seen.
Xie Tinglan choked down his stubborn words in an instant. Frowning, he explained, “I didn’t dare take her to crowded places alone, afraid the Beast Taming Sect or Feng Ling would come after us. Nor could I leave her here by herself. I could only cut myself to feed her blood. My blood has healing properties. I fed her once every morning and evening. Even without food, she can barely hold on.”
“Never mind. Let’s disguise our appearances and head down the mountain first to find a place to treat Yao Dai.”
Wen Li knew that in the past, he had only demon beasts for company. Snakes were by nature cold and ruthless, even savage, and did not understand many human emotions. Having suffered decades of abuse at the hands of the Beast Taming Sect, it was already a blessing that he hadn’t murdered Yao Dai to frame them.
Giving him that talisman to evade the Beast Taming Sect’s pursuit was also meant as a subtle warning against his petty schemes.
Hearing that he had fed her blood every morning and evening proved he still possessed a shred of conscience.
After scanning her four or five times to confirm that she was genuinely unharmed, Xie Tinglan muttered an agreement.
“Fine, then.” In the depths of his eyes lingered a faint worry that even he hadn’t noticed.
Though minute, it was better than nothing.
【Ding! +2, Villain Salvation Progress Bar: 12%.】
The toddler’s brow relaxed. To emerge unscathed from the hands of a Soul Formation cultivator... this woman had sheer luck, and she was indeed qualified to be called his master.
If she noticed the poison in Yao Dai’s body, he would just pin it on her enemies. She was the one who had taught him to frame others, after all.
It wasn’t as if Yao Dai was the only one capable of learning.
He could do it too.
Thud.
Suddenly, an object flew toward him. Xie Tinglan reflexively batted it away.
“What are you doing? You even look down on a High Grade Rank 1 Demon Beast Transformation Pill? Did you strike it rich behind my back recently?” Wen Li, who was scooping Yao Dai up, snapped in annoyance. Striking it rich without telling her!
Hearing this, Xie Tinglan immediately darted forward to catch the swatted-away pill bottle. Even though he had already taken human form, this pill could help him grow taller.
“Lugging deadweight like Yao Dai around, where could I possibly strike it rich?” He had been starved to the point of gnawing on raw rabbit, which wasn’t nearly as delicious as the roast chicken and fried duck from before. Truly, humans knew how to enjoy life best.
Opening the bottle, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. Xie Tinglan looked up in confusion, and seeing Wen Li flying off on her sword, he hurriedly gave chase.
“Where did you get a High-Grade pill?” Everything she had given him before was medicinal herbs, and horribly bitter at that.
“Oh, some big shot happened to pass by, got annoyed with Feng Ling, and beat him to death or something. When I woke up, I had the storage bags of those six cultivators, the two female cultivators, and Feng Ling on me. I guess that big shot wanted to check for good loot, but nothing caught his eye. Seeing me lying unconscious in a pool of blood looking so pitiful—and peerlessly gorgeous and brilliantly intelligent to boot—he probably just tossed them to me.”
“...”
Silence hung thick in the air.
Xie Tinglan wished he had never asked. He was an Ancient Soaring Serpent, yet this was the first time he had ever seen someone with skin thicker than his own serpent scales.
Rate on N.U.
