The primary objective behind the Star-Moon Sect’s current expedition into the capital was to rescue Yinye, who had been captured by The Six Gates.
The Star-Moon Sect boasted a vast number of members, with hidden agents planted across the realm.
Disciples of Menglan’s rank were a dime a dozen throughout the Divine Land, cementing their position as one of the top factions within the Demonic Faction.
However, due to the grueling nature of their cultivation methods and a brutally strict screening process, inner disciples were few and far between—and true, core legacy disciples were even rarer.
In Xue Qingqiu’s generation, there were only three direct-line legacy sisters.
After their eldest martial sister mysteriously vanished, a teenage Xue Qingqiu was forced to shoulder the weight of the entire sect, followed later by the youngest of the three, Yinye.
While the eldest sister had taken on many apprentices, she left behind no direct legacy successor.
Furthermore, since Yinye had not yet begun accepting disciples, Yue Xiaochan was the sole direct descendant of the next generation.
As such, she had been groomed from a very young age to be the future Sect Master.
Excluding a few elders and guardians currently back home protecting their headquarters, Yinye—as Xue Qingqiu’s junior martial sister—was one of the foundational pillars and absolute core figures of the sect.
Compounded by the unique nature of her cultivation technique, the Star-Moon Sect simply could not function without her.
It was the capture of such a vital figure that had forced Xue Qingqiu to pause her regular cultivation, leave their stronghold in Lingzhou, and rush to the capital overnight with her beloved disciple, crossing paths with Xue Mu along the way.
As for the financial losses of their businesses, that was never the main purpose of this trip; it was merely a secondary issue to resolve on the side.
In fact, Xue Qingqiu had intended to use this trip as a hands-on opportunity to train her disciple’s management skills and diplomatic tact with the Imperial Court.
Over the past two days, Xue Qingqiu had quietly observed Yue Xiaochan working on her business revival plan.
While she felt her disciple was getting a little too close to Xue Mu, she figured Yue Xiaochan was still too young and innocent for any real trouble to sprout.
Seeing how effective Yue Xiaochan’s actions had been, she felt quite relieved.
Consequently, she had left her disciple behind tonight to handle the business while she went to negotiate with The Six Gates alone.
She just hadn’t expected the negotiations to break down so spectacularly.
Xue Qingqiu called her inner circle into the room to discuss their next move.
At his current level, Xue Mu obviously lacked the necessary trust to participate in such high-level strategic discussions.
Left with no choice, he walked back to his bamboo lodge to turn in for the night.
Yue Xiaochan glanced back at Xue Mu’s retreating figure.
She gently tugged at her master’s sleeve.
“Master…” “Yes?” “Do you think it might be better if we brought Xue Mu in on this?” “…” Xue Qingqiu shot her an exasperated look.
“Have you lost your mind?
This is a matter of absolute core security, and you want an outsider we literally picked up off the side of the road to sit in on it?” Yue Xiaochan puffed out her cheeks.
“Xue Mu is incredibly clever.
I’m sure he’d have some great insights.” Xue Qingqiu replied indifferently, “It is precisely because he is so clever, Chan’er…
Initially, you and I treated him like absolute garbage.
Even if his background was a mystery, we didn’t give it a second thought.
But now that we know he is no ordinary man, how can you not keep your guard up?” Yue Xiaochan opened her mouth but found herself entirely speechless.
Hearing her master’s warning, she realized she might have indeed become a bit too dependent on Xue Mu lately.
The moment a problem required actual brainpower, her immediate instinct was to let Xue Mu handle it.
That probably wasn’t a good habit; it was a surefire way to make herself lazy.
If we can’t come up with a good plan during the meeting, Yue Xiaochan thought, I’ll just quietly ask Xue Mu tomorrow morning.
As for keeping her guard up around him?
The girl completely pushed her master’s warning to the back of her mind.
Xue Mu returned to his bamboo lodge, entirely untroubled.
He knew it was pure fantasy to expect the leader of a demon sect to trust him after such a short time.
Ever since he transmigrated, his brain had been working at a million miles an hour, save for the first night when he was knocked out.
Right now, he was utterly exhausted.
It was better to get a good night’s sleep and recharge before worrying about anything else.
Consequently, his head barely hit the pillow before he drifted off to sleep.
In his hazy state, he seemed to witness two figures locked in combat in the sky.
He couldn’t make out their faces, but every punch and kick they threw altered the weather and shifted the stars.
Floating right between the two combatants was a massive bronze cauldron.
Following an earth-shattering clash, the bronze cauldron nearly shattered, plummeting from the heavens.
It crashed violently into the earth, carving out a massive crater several miles wide.
Groundwater began bubbling up from the impact site, rapidly turning the crater into a deep, icy pool.
That cataclysmic clash seemed to possess the terrifying power to tear through dimensions.
At the exact moment the bronze cauldron fell, a tiny fragment of its engraved pattern fractured off the main body.
It zipped through countless dimensional spaces and crossed untold ages before turning into a streak of brilliant light.
It plunged right into the palm of Xue Mu, who had been spectating from an unknown vantage point, bringing with it a sudden, sharp sting.
Xue Mu bolted awake, realizing it was all a dream.
He leaned against the headboard, panting heavily.
Deep down, he knew this was likely no ordinary dream.
This was the origin of the bronze fragment that had caused his transmigration in the first place.
Because his connection to this world was growing tighter, the energy within the bronze fragment had finally resonated with his consciousness, projecting its origins to him in the form of a vision.
If that was the case, his arrival in mid-air right above that body of water wasn’t a coincidence at all.
He had transmigrated to the exact location where the bronze fragment had originally split from the cauldron.
The master and disciple bathing there at that exact moment—now that was the real coincidence.
If they hadn’t been there, he would have plunged straight to his death.
Xue Mu sighed, pulling himself out of bed to wash up.
He had barely wiped his face with a towel when a loud commotion erupted outside, accompanied by the distinct sounds of colliding qi and clashing blades.
Figures, he thought.
Either the Righteous Sects have come looking for trouble, or that female constable roleplay uniform caused a massive scene.
Xue Mu slipped quietly over to the back door of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion to watch the drama unfold.
Sure enough, several squads of people were lined up in the main lobby.
They were all dressed in identical uniforms, and their eyes were practically spitting fire as they glared at the girls of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, who happened to be wearing the exact same attire.
Zhuo Qingqing and Menglan stood before them, their faces veiled in light silk.
Their postures were relaxed, completely indifferent to the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere.
The Righteous Sects each held their own territory, but they didn’t have any real big shots stationed here in the capital.
With their own Sect Master backing them from the shadows, how could they possibly care about these minor fry?
Opposite them, a long-bearded Taoist priest—who seemed to be the leader—raised his sword in fury.
“Zhuo Qingqing!
Your Star-Moon Sect dares to insult our Xuantian Sect like this!
Do you think my blade is dull?!” As it turned out, those robes belonged to The Profound Heaven Sect.
The hems were embroidered with cloud-shrouded mountains and green bamboo, a highly distinctive pattern.
Xue Mu glanced over at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion girl wearing the exact same outfit and couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.
Zhuo Qingqing responded casually, “Daoist Dongfeng, I’m afraid I don’t follow.
The girls can wear whatever they like.
Which imperial law exactly are they breaking?” “You are impersonating our sect’s disciples to engage in these filthy, wretched acts, and you still claim to be in the right?!” “We make it perfectly clear to our guests that the girls do not actually belong to your respective sects.
If you don’t believe us, you are welcome to ask them yourself…
Tell you what, how about the Hundred Flowers Pavilion puts up a sign explicitly stating that none of the girls have any affiliation with you?” “Preposterous!” “My, my, for a man of the Dao, you certainly have a fiery temper,” Zhuo Qingqing purred with a sweet smile.
“I heard that when you were younger, Daoist, you confessed your love to a certain lady from The Sword-Seeking Sect, only to be brutally rejected.
Ever since then, your tastes warped, and you developed a craving for…
backdoor access.
Why don’t you take a look at our Qianqian and see how she compares to that lady?
Perhaps she can help you fulfill your lifelong dream.
We’ll even give you a fifty percent discount…” Pfft…
A chorus of giggles erupted from the spectating girls of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Even among the Righteous disciples, a few could be seen with twitching shoulders, desperately trying to stifle their laughter.
Then again, quite a few Righteous disciples were actually staring at the girls dressed in their sects’ sacred attire, their hearts fluttering.
Their eyes darted around guiltily, likely wondering if they should sneak back here under the cover of night.
Daoist Dongfeng was so enraged that his beard practically stood on end.
He swung his longsword.
“Talk is cheap!
If your Star-Moon Sect refuses to mend its ways, we will tear your Hundred Flowers Pavilion down today!” “Who wants to tear down our Hundred Flowers Pavilion?” A voice as crisp as a songbird echoed from nowhere.
Immediately after, a slender silhouette drifted past, moving like a literal phantom.
Along with a gust of fragrant wind, a fountain of blood suddenly erupted from Daoist Dongfeng’s throat.
He fell backward, crashing to the floor.
The slender figure executed a graceful, delicate spin, landing right between Qingqing and Menglan.
The veil parted to reveal Yue Xiaochan’s brightly smiling face.
“Yue Xiaochan of the Star-Moon Sect, making her official debut in the martial world!
I look forward to your guidance, senior brothers and sisters.” An impossibly beautiful and cute face, dressed in spotless white robes and bare feet, smiling sweetly amidst a literal mist of fresh blood.
The jarring, monstrous contradiction of the scene instantly plunged the lobby into a dead silence.
Even The Profound Heaven Sect disciples, whose leader had just been slaughtered, stood frozen like wooden chickens, their brains completely short-circuiting.
Watching secretly from the sidelines, Xue Mu slapped a hand over his forehead.
Like master, like disciple.
I guess, he thought, this one is a big shot too…
Then again, how on earth has this Demonic Faction survived until now by screwing around like this, offending both the government and the Righteous Sects to death?
They can even run legitimate businesses out in the open.
It defies all logic…