It was likely the first time she had ever taken a child to the academy. Bai Xun skipped ahead cheerfully, while the two women stood beneath the trees, gazing at each other from a distance.
Lu Xiangyu was profoundly astonished. In the original novel, would someone who valued his pride more than his life be so easily coaxed? Furthermore, the two of them had frequent disputes back in the secret realm, and Bai Xun appeared to have suffered quite a lot. Had the female lead really just glossed over everything with a single safety amulet?
Before she could wrap her head around it, Lu Xiangyu met Song Shenshi’s gaze—a look that held a faint, enigmatic smile.
Whatever was discussed at the Main Peak’s assembly today, it certainly wasn’t about this.
Yet, the female lead’s face was as radiant as a peach blossom, her cheeks flushed with a faint red, looking as though she had encountered something wonderful.
…Something was wrong.
“Back at the assembly hall, you—” “What did you say to Bai Xun?”
Song Shenshi and Lu Xiangyu spoke at the same time.
Lu Xiangyu reacted quickly. She blinked and asked, “Who is Bai Xun? Do you mean that little Senior Brother from just now?”
Song Shenshi’s doubt was cleared: “So you don’t know him.”
Lu Xiangyu nodded.
Fortunately, she had been quick-witted enough not to let the female lead see through her.
Suddenly, Song Shenshi leaned in close, her expression half-hidden in the shadows.
“He is dangerous. Stay away from him.”
“…” Who do you think I’m doing all this for, female lead?! Bai Xun’s fall into demonic cultivation was the direct cause of the heroine being driven out of the sect. If Lu Xiangyu could pull this hidden threat out by the roots ahead of time, she might be able to change the plot.
Thinking this, Lu Xiangyu felt like crying from her own sense of self-sacrifice.
As she stood there lost in thought, a pair of slender, jade-like hands suddenly appeared before her eyes, brushing against her eyelashes with a ticklish touch.
“You’re crying,” Song Shenshi said, her voice unreadable for a moment.
“I just chatted with little Senior Brother Bai for a bit. His experiences were simply too tragic,” Lu Xiangyu said, feigning an excuse.
“…” Song Shenshi didn’t take the bait. Instead, she asked, “Just now… I sensed a disturbance in the restriction, and I felt you calling for me…”
Lu Xiangyu’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. The resentment she had suppressed deep in her heart, which had been on the verge of collapsing, suddenly came rushing back. She stared at Song Shenshi with a distorted, pained expression—yet she wasn’t truly looking at her, but was instead sinking deep into a state of mournful bitterness.
What is she talking about… didn’t I become like this because of her? Just because she is the “Righteous Path,” the heroine of this novel, she can trample on demonic cultivators and villains like me at will? Yes, I’ve done bad things, but which demonic cultivator hasn’t killed? Are these sins—things that are commonplace to us—enough for them to judge me?
If being “Righteous” were that easy, if being a good person were that easy, if turning over a new leaf were that easy, how could I still be a demon?
Lu Xiangyu knit her brows tightly. She didn’t blink, yet her vision grew blurred. Small, fragmented sobs escaped from her throat.
A warm hand reached her face, gently wiping away the scalding tears one by one. Lu Xiangyu pushed her away, using her own sleeve to wipe her eyes.
“It’s… it’s all your fault…” Lu Xiangyu muttered resentfully.
“Yes, it is all my fault. If you ever leave me, I must find you as quickly as possible to spare you from this suffering and bitterness.”
“…” Lu Xiangyu stopped crying and looked at her in disbelief, tear stains still on her face.
She could not understand the woman in front of her.
Song Shenshi remained as calm as a passing cloud, seemingly unbothered by Lu Xiangyu’s earlier outburst. She had clearly sensed the abnormality in Bai Xun, yet she hadn’t uttered a single word of warning.
The wind whistled through the bamboo grove, drying the tears on Lu Xiangyu’s face and making her feel cold.
As Lu Xiangyu turned to leave, Song Shenshi caught her, brushing aside the messy hair on her shoulder.
Her tone remained gentle and full of concern.
“You’re injured.”
Lu Xiangyu froze, her expression timid. She didn’t dare look up again as a bright red burn was exposed to Song Shenshi’s sight.
After observing it for a moment, Song Shenshi used the Ranxi Gauze in her hand, rolling it into a strip and wrapping it gently around the wound. In no time, the task was finished. Lu Xiangyu touched her neck, feeling a mint-like coolness replace the searing heat on her skin. It was incredibly soothing.
“…” She kept her head down, still feeling awkward.
“Thank you, Senior Sister.”
Song Shenshi let out a couple of low chuckles. Lu Xiangyu peeked at her from behind like a little mouse, her expression suddenly shifting into one of disdain.
Just you wait… you can’t be this confident forever!
After returning, Lu Xiangyu began to cultivate in earnest.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t been serious before, but previously she had been forced; now, her attitude had become exceptionally proactive.
Whether it was Senior Brother Li coming to visit, or Lin Feiyuan, Bai Xun, and the others coming to request a sparring match, nothing could distract Lu Xiangyu.
The female lead could be with whomever she wanted—nothing was allowed to affect the speed at which she drew her sword!
Only occasionally, when she grew tired of practicing her moves, would she set down her sword and pour a cup of tea in the pavilion. Separated only by a single wall, she overheard the female lead speaking with Senior Brother Li.
“The tomb has been built, and the items have been placed inside. I found a quiet, cool spot for Senior Brother Zeng on the back mountain; I’m sure he will like it,” said Song Shenshi’s voice.
“You’ve worked hard, Junior Sister. This sort of thing shouldn’t have been left to a young lady like you,” Senior Brother Li replied. “I still have some of our Junior Brother’s old belongings. We shall go pay our respects together when the time comes.”
“As you wish, Senior Brother.”
So, during these past few days, Song Shenshi had been busy constructing a tomb for Zeng Hongfei.
The tomb was finished, but there was no sign of anyone clearing the name of this undercover agent. Lu Xiangyu shook her head, thinking to herself that since the culprit was right here, Song Shenshi could still hypocritically build a tomb for the man—was she not afraid Zeng Hongfei would crawl back from the Demon Realm to bite her?
Once the end of June passed, the date of the Minor Trials drew closer and closer.
Lu Xiangyu calculated that her skills were now proficient, but she needed to understand the level of her opponents beforehand. Thus, she pestered Song Shenshi into taking her to the foot of the mountain to gather information.
Most participants in the Sect Minor Trials were from the Outer Sect, along with some rogue cultivators. If an outside rogue cultivator proved strong enough to pass both the Outer and Inner Sect assessments consecutively, they could likewise be recruited as disciples.
The Haiqian Sect was a sect characterized by a high frequency of combat, a high casualty rate among disciples, and a high turnover of people—especially among the sword cultivators who served as the primary combat force.
While general sects only opened recruitment for Inner Sect disciples once every few months or even once a year, the Haiqian Sect held them as often as once every two months. The threshold was extremely low, and the Minor Trial was the simplest form of arena combat.
With the competition imminent, many areas where Outer Sect disciples gathered at the foot of the mountain were packed to capacity. The area was roughly the size of three small towns, and the liveliest among them, the Outer Sect Village, was already draped with banners. Two disciples from Bishui Peak had set up a booth at the entrance to register applicants.
On the other side stood another booth filled with various books and herbs, with only a young Junior Sister with her hair in twin buns dozing off inside.
Lu Xiangyu glanced at that booth a few times, noticing a plaque leaning against it that read: “Identify herbs to obtain medical texts; be a medical cultivator again in the next life.”
She let out a sudden snort of laughter.
“What is it?” Song Shenshi asked curiously from beside her. “Didn’t you come to find the roster? There aren’t many people now, why not go take a look?”
“Not… many?” Lu Xiangyu looked helplessly toward the Bishui Peak booth. An Inner Sect disciple was shouting at the crowd not to cut in line or block the road, telling them to line up along the roadside, yet the dark mass of people was still squeezed into a chaotic huddle.
“There have been far fewer people these past two years. When it was truly busy, the entire village would be filled with disciples wanting to become sword cultivators.”
Sword cultivation had always been the biggest trend in the cultivation world!
The thought of having so many competitors made Lu Xiangyu’s scalp tingle.
Song Shenshi wanted to ask something more, but Lu Xiangyu was already eager to get away from her. She took a few steps toward the Bishui Peak booth and nimbly squeezed through a gap in the crowd.
The disciple at the entrance thought she was cutting the line and opened his mouth to drive her away, but Lu Xiangyu slapped her disciple token down.
“Senior Brother, that’s not right. I am also from Bishui Peak. Passing by and seeing both of you so overwhelmed, I naturally must help where I can.”
Lu Xiangyu did indeed live on the sword cultivators’ mountain, and the two of them had seen her before. Without overthinking the technicalities of her status, they asked if she could write. The Senior Sister, whose hand was aching from writing, beckoned her over to help record the names.
Several of them worked until late into the night before the queue finally dispersed. Lu Xiangyu flipped through the dictionary-thick register, sighing inwardly at the sheer number of “small fry.”
“Senior Sisters, will the arena matches for the competition still follow the old rules?” Seeing the two preparing to pack up their stall, Lu Xiangyu seized the moment to ask.
“Yes, the same as before. The order of appearance in the arena is determined by drawing lots.”
“I see.” Lu Xiangyu nodded, a brilliant idea forming in her mind.