In the afternoon, Li Wenran returned to the Wuhua Small Courtyard. He was much calmer now and brought word from their master, Xiao Yu.
Because the matter was of great importance, Senior Brother Li specifically used a magical treasure to set up a temporary screening barrier around the courtyard.
“Junior Sister, think carefully again. What caused your cultivation level to drop?”
“It seems to have been poisoning,” Song Shenshi pondered seriously. “Usually, I only focus on Junior Sister Lu’s cultivation and occasionally eat with her… I didn’t notice anything at the time. It was only on the day we fought the Nightmare Black Snake that my body started having problems.”
Recalling the scene at that time, Li Wenran’s face turned pale once again.
Lu Xiangyu raised her hand and said, “If the poison was in the food, I ate way more than Senior Sister did.”
“Perhaps it was a scent,” Li Wenran said with a frown. “If no poison was found in the courtyard, it must have been carried by someone who poisoned you while talking to you.”
“Then we have to drag that person out,” Lu Xiangyu supported with both hands—then she could cooperate with the internal mole to take down the female lead.
“Master’s meaning is that this matter cannot be publicized to avoid alerting others. I’m afraid there will soon be trouble within the sect.”
Song Shenshi also frowned. “Senior Brother Yu and the others… have they still not been found?”
Senior Brother Yu? Who was that again?
The names of cannon fodder were always hard to remember; Lu Xiangyu could only listen silently.
Li Wenran was silent for a moment, his expression pained. “Over the past month, the junior brothers have searched every inch of Songshan Island, and some even went to the edge of the Demon Realm, but they haven’t found the remains of Yu Ming and the others.”
“Yu Ming.” Lu Xiangyu was stunned.
“What does Elder Yu say about it?” Song Shenshi asked calmly while sipping tea.
Li Wenran shook his head. “After all, he is a member of the Yu family. The Hongluan Peak wants to continue tracking the trail of that demon.”
“…” Lu Xiangyu remembered what happened when she first arrived. She felt that just because three people were missing, the disciples of the Haiqian Sect shouldn’t have been harmed because of it.
Li Wenran shifted the topic back to the poisoning by the internal mole.
“Speaking of poisoning, Junior Sister, could it have been that Black Snake?”
There are many strange and eerie things in the Demon Realm. When mortals see them, they often have nightmares, leading to demonic possession. Killing relatives and friends or self-mutilation are common tragedies.
The Haiqian Sect was established at the edge of the Demon Realm and had long ago developed methods to handle nightmares.
First, they would keep the mortals within the sect to observe the reaction of the nightmares. These children previously had good mindsets and were healthy; the nightmares summoned by the Great Exorcism Array should have been easy to handle.
However, nightmares are not demons; they have form but no substance. They are actually the spiritual manifestations of the children and are not as dangerous as real demons.
“…No.” Song Shenshi shook her head, but a rare trace of strangeness appeared in her expression.
After a few words of comfort, Li Wenran took his leave.
After he left, Lu Xiangyu asked, “Was there something else wrong with that nightmare?”
Song Shenshi smiled faintly, looking at her tenderly.
“There was no problem. It was just that my strength suddenly decreased, and I couldn’t defeat it.”
Looking at such a fake smile gave Lu Xiangyu goosebumps, and she let out a couple of hollow laughs.
“It’s okay, Senior Sister. No matter what, I will protect you with my life.”
“I am very touched by your words, Junior Sister.”
“Haha…” Lu Xiangyu laughed dryly.
“But…” Song Shenshi stopped mid-sentence and shifted into a very languid posture.
Under the moonlight, she rested her chin on her fair, jade-like hand, her gaze deep as if peering through Lu Xiangyu’s body. She was looking at her, yet also seemed to be looking elsewhere.
“Senior Sister, if there’s nothing else, I’d like to…” Lu Xiangyu trusted her survival instincts and immediately wanted to slip away.
Song Shenshi didn’t care about her reaction; instead, she was lost in her own thoughts. She raised her other hand, her fingertips lightly stroking her soft lower lip, a hoarse and seductive voice coming from her fingertips.
“When I killed that Black Snake, I saw the nightmares of those children… they… many voices were calling out…”
“Calling what?”
“Mother.”
…
Although Song Shenshi’s cultivation had dropped, Lu Xiangyu firmly believed she would soon regain it. Never mind how she’d get it back—if she didn’t, how would the plot of the remaining one or two thousand chapters play out?
This matter couldn’t be publicized within the sect, but in reality, everyone who should or shouldn’t know already did.
For instance, the members of the “harem” who came to the door with rare treasures were all kicked out by Lu Xiangyu.
Of course, the spirit stones and materials had to be accepted. If they wanted to see the female lead, the price had to go up.
Later, Song Shenshi felt that hiding like this wasn’t the way to go. She planned to take Lu Xiangyu on a tour of the places they had visited before to look for the suspect who poisoned her.
Both of them knew that the biggest suspect was right by her side.
Lu Xiangyu was the demon cultivator she had killed once, with a clear and sufficient motive, staying inseparable from her every day, and often making verbal threats.
It was just that Lu Xiangyu wouldn’t admit it.
Song Shenshi was also surprisingly open-minded; since Lu Xiangyu didn’t admit it, she actually believed her.
Song Shenshi took Lu Xiangyu to Zeng Hongfei’s grave in the back mountains.
“Brother Zeng, if your spirit in the underworld knows, please understand that I didn’t bring your remains back out of necessity.”
Song Shenshi knelt before his tombstone to burn paper money, leaving Lu Xiangyu dumbfounded.
Lu Xiangyu couldn’t remember exactly how her demon body died, but she remembered from the novel that Zeng Hongfei was her subordinate—a mole. If she had been the one to do it, it certainly wouldn’t have been a peaceful death.
With a pale face, Lu Xiangyu followed Song Shenshi in burning the paper.
Is this right? Bringing the killer to burn paper for your senior brother, is this right, female lead?
After burning the paper, Song Shenshi stood up and looked around.
The grave was new, a cenotaph containing Zeng Hongfei’s clothes. Lu Xiangyu had dug the hole, Song Shenshi had carried the bricks, and Lu Xiangyu had buried it.
At that time, Lu Xiangyu was still confined to the courtyard for cultivation. Song Shenshi had spent a few days completing the tomb, during which she encountered two senior brothers who came to help.
“Then let’s go find them,” Lu Xiangyu said.
Song Shenshi shook her head. “Those two were also sent out to investigate Yu Ming’s whereabouts and haven’t returned yet.”
“What kind of background does this Senior Brother Yu have?” Lu Xiangyu couldn’t help but ask. Wasn’t he just an ordinary cannon fodder? Why all the fuss?
Song Shenshi explained, “The Haiqian Sect has three side peaks. Bishui Peak practices sword arts; our master, Xiao Yu, is the elder there. The other two are Danheng Peak for medical cultivators, with Elder Mu Chenxin, and Hongluan Peak for array cultivators, with Elder Yu Ji.”
“Yu Ji has three daoist partners, but only this one son.”
After Elder Yu discovered that Yu Ming hadn’t returned for a long time, he gathered all the peak masters and relevant people at the main peak. He wanted to hold Song Shenshi accountable, but Xiao Yu stopped him and sent most of the sword-cultivating disciples out to search for Yu Ming.
“…No wonder.” Understanding the connection, Lu Xiangyu was speechless.
She was naturally feeling guilty; if something really happened to Yu Ming, she was indirectly responsible.
“Let’s look elsewhere.”
After the tomb was built, Song Shenshi had ordered Lu Xiangyu to fetch water from the mountain while she followed from a distance. During that time, a junior sister had also brought them steamed buns and pickles.
The number of people they encountered along this path increased. Although they still greeted Song Shenshi respectfully, their expressions were significantly different than before.
Previously, they feared Song Shenshi’s strength; now, it was merely unnecessary formal etiquette.
Song Shenshi’s expression was gentle with a shallow smile. It was clearly the same smile as before, but in Lu Xiangyu’s eyes, it looked much more pleasant—less “fake.”
“Among these people, could there be the person who poisoned you?” Lu Xiangyu whispered when there were fewer people around.
“How would I know?” Song Shenshi shook her head.
Then what was the point of this trip? Lu Xiangyu was puzzled.
Song Shenshi continued walking down the mountain.
As Lu Xiangyu’s cultivation was progressing, they went to the area where the outer disciples stayed, where they had encountered a vast crowd of people.
According to Song Shenshi, she discovered the poisoning during the fight with the Black Snake. It was unlikely to have happened on the day of the match; the best time would have been that day when they mingled with the outer disciples and the poison was planted during the chaos.
Fortunately, Lu Xiangyu had asked the two senior brothers and sisters for the register, and she still had an impression of the names she had written down.
Lu Xiangyu flipped open the registration book, which was as thick as a dictionary. The pages rustled in the wind.
“Then let’s start looking for them one by one.”
However, they encountered a difficulty.
In the world of cultivation, cultivators and mortals are not the same species; a natural chasm exists between them. Within the sect, the same holds true for the outer and inner disciples.
The Haiqian Sect operates primarily on a merit system. Difficult missions are assigned to inner disciples, while ordinary maintenance tasks within the sect are handled by outer disciples.
An inner disciple’s mission starts at a merit value of three spirit stones with no upper limit. In contrast, most outer disciples can only exchange their merits for three copper coins—their accumulated merits are practically useless. Some stay in the outer sect for so long that they may never become inner disciples in their entire lives.
Initially, every person Lu Xiangyu tried to find refused to see them.
She recalled the day of the competition; Du Yuxi had taken the stage early, but until the very end, no one could defeat Lu Xiangyu. The gap in talent was truly terrifying.
Du Yuxi was merely a passing mention in the original novel—a background character with slight talent—whereas these people living in the Outer Sect Village were the true “trash fish.” Some of these fish might have had a bit of fight in them once, but after losing for so long, they had likely lost even their last shred of spirit.
“Are we not going to the next one?” Song Shenshi asked, seeing Lu Xiangyu standing still.
Lu Xiangyu turned back to look at her. Song Shenshi’s expression was calm, showing no trace of anything unusual.
Even with her cultivation fallen, if Song Shenshi insisted on questioning them, she could easily barge into their homes and interrogate them. Bullying of outer disciples was incredibly common; as long as it didn’t affect the sect’s surface operations, no one cared if they lived or died. Sometimes, their situation was even worse than that of mortals.
“Senior Sister, they don’t welcome you,” Lu Xiangyu shrugged.
Song Shenshi glanced at the darkening twilight sky. “Where can we find someone who does welcome us?”
“Let me see…”
The two walked toward the marketplace.
The Outer Sect Village was scattered at the foot of the main peak. As it grew, some hamlets expanded, even pushing their boundaries beyond the sect’s Great Array. Consequently, mortals had also settled here.
The village streets were lively. Two of the villages had been carved up by the Lou and Chen families, leaving only this largest village not yet fully controlled by any clan.
The streets were lined with shops, restaurants, inns, general stores… and even a red-light district. Most of the vendors on the street were mortals shouting their wares.
During their last visit, the two hadn’t explored deeply, and inner disciples rarely frequented such places. Lu Xiangyu and Song Shenshi stood out like sore thumbs. The inquisitive gazes from passersby were far from polite, and few who recognized them dared to greet Song Shenshi.
Lu Xiangyu felt a strange sensation. It was hostility.
But in her heart, she found it somewhat amusing. Hostility from ants… aren’t they afraid of being crushed to death?
Behind her, Song Shenshi simply followed, neither asking questions nor talking to other pedestrians. It was as if she were ignoring the entire world, acting as a puppet led by Lu Xiangyu.
Lu Xiangyu found the liveliest restaurant on the street. The building was teeming with people, and waiters darted through the halls—it was incredibly boisterous.
Zuimeng Pavilion… Lu Xiangyu glanced at the name on the plaque above the door. Just as she was about to step inside, a dark shadow lunged from behind the door.
Before the person even arrived, a foul stench of booze preceded them. Seeing that the person was about to collide with her, Lu Xiangyu twisted her waist and nimbly dodged.
The drunkard fell onto the roadside with a heavy thud, drawing a crowd of onlookers.
“Tsk, Luo Shengwang, don’t come back! You want to drink top-grade Siluo Spring? Pay back your tab first!” The waiter at the door spat at him.
“Blegh…” Luo Shengwang was clearly as drunk as one could be. He vomited a mess of rotten food and wine onto the street, drawing boos from the crowd.
“I have money… I have spirit stones… give me wine!” Luo Shengwang mumbled while vomiting, clutching a flat, empty purse.
The waiter clicked his tongue, ignored the drunkard, and went back inside to work.
Luo Shengwang rolled his eyes and looked up. He seemed to see Lu Xiangyu, whose face was pale with disgust, and actually recognized her instantly. Seeing this creature—half-man, half-ghost—attempting to crawl toward her feet, Lu Xiangyu was overcome with revulsion and quickly stepped back.
At that moment, a green robe smelling of light incense fluttered before her eyes, dispelling the nauseating stench of alcohol.
The person looked on with compassion, as if oblivious to the filth, her eyes reflecting only the suffering of the mortal world. She grabbed Luo Shengwang’s arm and, with a surge of strength, pulled him up until he stood like a man again.
Luo Shengwang, through his disheveled hair and grime, stared blankly at her with dark eyes.
“So it’s an Immortal… You are very good, but this world… doesn’t like people who are too good.”
This nonsensical sentence made Lu Xiangyu frown.
Suddenly, a woman’s scream erupted from the crowd.
Someone shouted, “My purse is gone! Those two are thieves!”
In an instant, the onlookers became hideous. They raised knives, spears, clubs, and even kitchen utensils, surrounding Lu Xiangyu and Song Shenshi with sudden, malicious courage.
“Cough… cough…” Luo Shengwang’s ugly, filthy face remained weary. “Don’t block my way.” He seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere, simply finding a corner, pushing past people, and leaving.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Lu Xiangyu stood in front of Song Shenshi. These people’s cultivation was shallow—hardly stronger than mortals. If a fight really broke out, they would be the ones injured or killed.
“You… you stole my purse! There was a lot of money in there!” The woman who claimed her purse was missing was heard but not seen in the crowd.
Seeing Song Shenshi just silently watching them, Lu Xiangyu turned back helplessly to continue the negotiation.
“We didn’t steal the purse. Tell me how much was in it, and we will compensate you. Consider it a way to ward off your bad luck.”
“No!” the woman shrieked again, her voice sharp and piercing. “That money was to save my child’s life! You stole it, and now I can’t find a doctor. My child will die! You have to pay with your lives!”
“What is this…” Lu Xiangyu was getting annoyed. If she were still a demon cultivator, she would have unhesitatingly flattened all of them.
“No rush.” Just as Lu Xiangyu was about to strike, Song Shenshi placed a hand gently on her shoulder.