Shen Qingyi tapped Du Yuanluo on the forehead. “What kind of solution are you thinking of? Don’t even try. You actually took me seriously?”
“If Senior Sister takes it seriously, then I take it seriously,” Du Yuanluo said earnestly.
Shen Qingyi remembered that Du Yuanluo possessed a strong sense of justice and righteousness, she wasn’t the type to favor her loved ones regardless of the truth.
“If I wanted to kill someone without cause, would you still help me?”
“If Senior Sister wants to kill someone, there must be a reason they deserve to die.”
“And if there is no reason?”
Shen Qingyi had thought about who she could turn to if she couldn’t accomplish this task alone.
Her Third Junior Sister was definitely out of the question, she was someone who would share in wealth but never in hardship. If it were something that could bring fame or merit, she would be the first to fight for it. But if it were an uncertain venture that might cost a life and leave one with a bad reputation, she would certainly hide.
As for her Fifth Junior Sister, her nature was too upright. Without a proper reason, she would never act recklessly.
Others were either lacking in ability or weak-willed, in the end, there wasn’t a single person who could help her.
As for Du Yuanluo, she had never been under consideration. Shen Qingyi didn’t even know why she was asking this now.
“Since Senior Sister wants to do it, I will do it. Whatever sin there is, I will bear it.”
Du Yuanluo spoke with such heroic righteousness that for a moment, Shen Qingyi felt her heart stir. Would she really help me?
But it was only for a moment. She quickly regained her composure. In this life, she was meant to protect her and compensate her, not drag her down and push her toward death.
At this moment, Du Yuanluo looked at her with a solemn expression: “Senior Sister, are we really going to kill someone?”
Shen Qingyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She shifted the topic: “Do you want to be my dowry maid?”
“No.” Du Yuanluo refused firmly. “The past is the past, the present is the present. Senior Sister promised to wait for me.”
When Shen Qingyi made that promise, she hadn’t actually expected Du Yuanluo to be able to do it.
If she could deal with Jiang Linchuan before Du Yuanluo became an inner sect disciple, she would seriously consider the matter. But if the future was uncertain and life or death hung in the balance, she couldn’t entertain the thought.
The Discipline Hall fell into a silent hush.
Shen Qingyi didn’t know if she was anticipating it or resisting it, but the day finally arrived.
Elder Songhe was very satisfied with this disciple and had promised early on to formally accept Du Yuanluo as his apprentice. However, the Yunyin Sect always took the peace of the world as its responsibility, no matter what path one took to attain the Dao, one had to pass a trial of subduing demons and devils.
Shen Qingyi wasn’t sure if she was being biased toward Du Yuanluo, but she felt that the girl’s medical skills were the best in the Yunyin Sect.
Any wound or illness she treated healed almost instantly, even Taoist Songhe did not possess such medical prowess.
Shen Qingyi was at ease regarding that, but she could not be at ease about the downhill trial.
The Yunyin Sect’s trials had always been rigorous. Many cultivators had lost their cultivation or even their lives during these tests.
Before the trial, Du Yuanluo had to use her own cultivation to forge a Natal Sword.
Shen Qingyi never usually joined crowds, but now she stood among a group of junior brothers and sisters, her eyes fixed on the bronze furnace in the center of the Great Hall.
Du Yuanluo sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, her fingers forming seals as fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
No one knew what kind of sword would emerge from the furnace.
Shen Qingyi’s palms were also slick with sweat. If it were a sharp, cold blade that could cut through iron like butter, it would mean Du Yuanluo’s cultivation was profound, and Shen Qingyi could rest easy.
She feared the emergence of a mediocre, common object. That would mean Du Yuanluo’s cultivation was shallow, and without the support of a powerful weapon, this journey would surely be perilous.
After an unknown number of hours, the fire in the furnace died down. The furnace lid gave a dull thud and slowly opened.
Amidst the swirling mist, a long object soared from the furnace and landed gently in Du Yuanluo’s hand.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the smoke to clear. Shen Qingyi’s heart pounded; she hadn’t even been this nervous when she forged her own Natal Sword.
As the white smoke dissipated, Shen Qingyi for a moment thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, until the sound of laughter erupted around her. Only then did she confirm she hadn’t misseen.
What Du Yuanluo held was neither a sharp blade nor a poorly made common tool. It wasn’t even scrap metal. It was simply a twisted vine, with a few fragile looking leaves waving mockingly in the midst of the crowd’s laughter.
While the objects produced by the furnace weren’t always swords, they were always weapons. What was the meaning of a vine?
Elder Songhe, however, wasn’t worried about his disciple at all. “Weapons are inauspicious; a healer’s heart is benevolent. Yuanluo, this dharma treasure suits you perfectly.”
Du Yuanluo, who had been looking dazed, beamed with joy upon hearing this. She tested the vine, and it made a whistling sound as it whipped through the air.
Du Yuanluo happily bid everyone farewell. She had a likable personality and many friends, everyone had a word of advice for her, except for Shen Qingyi, who stood among the crowd without saying a word.
Du Yuanluo exchanged pleasantries with everyone but didn’t receive any special attention from Shen Qingyi. She lingered and finally shuffled over to her. “Senior Sister, I’m leaving.”
“Go then.”
Du Yuanluo was incredulous. “I’m really leaving.”
“Mm.”
“Doesn’t Senior Sister have a few words of advice for me?”
“The Elders have already said everything I wanted to say. Get down the mountain quickly, and come back early.”
“Oh. Then Senior Sister, please wait for me a bit longer.” Du Yuanluo was somewhat disappointed. Had she known, she would have said goodbye to her Senior Sister first so she could speak first. In the future, she must remember not to save the best for last.
Just as Du Yuanluo left the mountain gate, Shen Qingyi followed.
She couldn’t rest easy letting Du Yuanluo, who could only forge a vine, head down the mountain so recklessly.
Once a dharma treasure was forged, there was no reason to skip the trial. Even if Shen Qingyi were biased, she couldn’t break the rules.
She had thought about gifting her a magic tool or two, but most of Shen Qingyi’s treasures had been refined for a long time; Du Yuanluo might not be able to control them, and they might even become a burden.
Shen Qingyi was faster and arrived at the trial site ahead of her.
The mission Du Yuanluo had accepted was of moderate difficulty.
Civilian believers had sent word through incense, reporting a water ghost causing trouble in a river and praying for the Yunyin Sect immortals to capture the ghost and ensure peace.
Such matters were commonplace for Shen Qingyi. It didn’t take long for her to survey the situation.
It was merely a woman who had drowned herself and was seeking a “scapegoat” to take her place.
Usually, once a ghost finds a replacement, they can move on to reincarnation. However, this water ghost had been causing trouble for a long time, and since this river was the source of life and irrigation for the nearby villagers, they had no choice but to petition the Yunyin Sect.
This water ghost had already claimed dozens of lives, her accumulated resentment was significant. Shen Qingyi feared Du Yuanluo might not find it so easy to deal with.
However, it wasn’t impossible, it would depend on her resourcefulness and luck.
Having scouted everything, Shen Qingyi quietly hid nearby.
If Du Yuanluo could handle it on her own, that would be best. If she couldn’t, Shen Qingyi would ensure her life was never in danger.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingyi felt that it wasn’t unfair that she failed to achieve immortality in her previous life, she was always trapped by her own loves, hates, and preferences.
Shen Qingyi waited and waited by the riverbank, but Du Yuanluo never appeared. Although her cloud soaring technique was only at the beginner level, she should have arrived by now.
Did she go off to play on the way?
Despite the girl’s claims of not wanting her Senior Sister to wait, was she really just all talk?
Shen Qingyi wasn’t one for wild fantasies, but she could never be at peace regarding Du Yuanluo. Did something happen?
Retracing the path, she found Du Yuanluo in the village ancestral hall, chatting animatedly with the villagers.
When Yunyin Sect immortals came to the mortal realm for trials, they usually acted with mystery, like “divine dragons whose heads are seen but not their tails.” She, on the other hand, was practically staging a “hero’s homecoming.”
Shen Qingyi shook her head helplessly and sat quietly on the roof, watching Du Yuanluo boldly sit under the offering table eating the sacrificial pastries.
The villagers surrounded her, chirping about what they had seen and heard.
“That water ghost in the river is terrifying. I’ve heard about it since I was a child. You can’t go into the river; if you do, you’ll be dragged down.”
“That was in the past. Now it’s worse, not only does it grab people in the river, but on rainy days, it even crawls up the bank and knocks on doors house by house.”
“Exactly. Counting back to my grandmother’s generation, who knows how many dozens of lives have been lost. We’ve finally hoped for an immortal to come.”
Du Yuanluo struggled to swallow a large bite of pastry and asked, “How did this water ghost start in the first place?”
The younger villagers looked at each other, but an older villager spoke up: “I know this. When I was small, a wedding procession passed over that bridge. You could tell it was a wealthy family’s sedan chair, the grandeur was something we country folk had never seen. I followed the adults to watch the excitement. Hundreds of eyes were on it when the sedan chair flipped off the bridge. It was summer, right after a heavy rain. The chair vanished the moment it hit the water. It wasn’t found until several days later, ten miles downstream. Tsk tsk… the scene was so gruesome they wouldn’t let children look.”
Du Yuanluo, who was about to put a chicken leg in her mouth, paused. Dying in red on her wedding day, a great joy turned into a great tragedy. This bride was truly pitiful, and her resentment must be massive.
“No, you’re remembering it wrong.”
Someone interrupted, and Du Yuanluo thought there might be a turn for the better, perhaps things weren’t so thorny.
Du Yuanluo pricked up her ears as the person continued: “I heard from the elders in my family that the bride jumped off the bridge herself. The sedan chair never fell in.”
That was even worse than an accident. Dying with such deliberate spite only added resentment upon resentment.
“You only ‘heard’ it. I saw it with my own eyes!”
“You’re old, perhaps your memory has failed you.”
Amidst the bickering villagers, someone suddenly asked: “Immortal, you can solve this, right?”
The ancestral hall fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Du Yuanluo.
Shen Qingyi looked helplessly at Du Yuanluo, who, aside from her beauty, seemed no different from a mortal. Yunyin Sect immortals subdued ghosts and demons without asking about their past or origins. Based on their crimes, they were either killed or imprisoned. None of them chatted with people like Du Yuanluo was doing.
Du Yuanluo was nervous about her first solo trial, but with so many eyes on her, she could only stiffen her back and nod. “Since the Sect Leader sent me, then of course I can solve it.”
With that, she didn’t dare stay a moment longer, picking up her vine and walking out of the ancestral hall.
Her words clearly failed to put the villagers at ease. Once she was gone, they began to gossip again.
“Can a little girl like that really catch a ghost?”
“Probably? When the Yunyin Sect takes a case, it always gets done. This is my first time seeing a Yunyin immortal in person. She really is beautiful.”
“Is she really a Yunyin immortal? She looks just like a regular girl.”
“She must be. After all, she’s so pretty.”
Seeing Du Yuanluo walk into the distance, Shen Qingyi summoned a mist to hide her form and followed.