Ning Wang had vanished, taking Su Ke’er with him into the void.
Three streaks of sword light descended upon the courtyard, and three voices— each sharp with a different emotion— rang out in the silence.
Perfected Ziyi’s delicate brows were knit tight with resentment. “He fled quickly.” She hissed. “Had he lingered, our combined strength surely would have been enough to shatter that incarnation!”
Perfected Ziling, however, cast a side-long glance at Perfected Ziqiong. A mocking, thin smile played on his lips. “‘Yao Girl?’ Eldest Senior Brother, is your disciple truly so…… intimate with the demon lord Ning Wang?”
Perfected Ziqiong’s face darkened instantly. He turned a frigid, piercing stare toward Chu Mingyao. “Mingyao, explain yourself! No— never mind. There is no need for words!”
With a violent flick of his sleeve, he unleashed a surge of spiritual energy. The force carried a heavy, stifling weight— a clear attempt to forcibly restrain her.
Chu Mingyao’s body trembled slightly, but a faint, self-mocking smile touched her lips. As expected. Her master was so eager to stifle her growth and manufacture a scandal that he was willing to ignore his rivalry with Perfected Ziling just to brand her a traitor. He didn’t want the truth; he wanted a suspect.
But the blow never landed.
Perfected Zizhu’s suspended longsword spun with a low hum, a flash of sword light interposing itself to shield her and deflect Perfected Ziqiong’s strike.
“Zizhu, what is the meaning of this?” Perfected Ziqiong’s voice grew even colder. “Are you in league with Ning Wang as well? Now that I think of it, you were the one guarding Danming Village. How could an incarnation slip past you so easily?”
The smile on Perfected Zizhu’s face stiffened for a heartbeat, but he quickly forced it back into a mask of genial affability. “Ah, Eldest Senior Brother, do not be so hasty. The sect master is standing right here. Surely the final decision rests with him? Besides, Junior Sister Ziyi, I thought you were in seclusion. What brings you here? If you’ve emerged, does that mean Luori Town is now under your protection?”
Perfected Ziyi offered a gentle, tired smile. “I have indeed come out of seclusion. I happened to overhear the sect master and the grand elder discussing the guard for Luori Town and volunteered. I’ll need you to fill me in on what you’ve seen here these past few days, Senior Brother. To think Ning Wang’s incarnation appeared in such a place……”
She trailed off, her brow furrowing as genuine worry clouded her eyes. “First the Celestial Fox Clan, and now Ning Wang. Both the Monster and Demon Realms have stirred. Could this be the herald of a new great calamity?”
A heavy silence fell over the group.
For Chu Mingyao and the younger disciples, the mere mention of a great calamity made it painfully clear that the situation had escalated beyond their control. Had it only been Perfected Zizhu present, Chu Mingxi might have dared a joke to lighten the mood, but with the sect master and the others looming, he kept his head low, trying to blend into the shadows.
Even the elders were momentarily speechless, drawn into their own dark contemplations of the future. After a long, tense silence, Perfected Ziling cleared his throat to speak.
“If a true great calamity were on the horizon, the supreme elders would be the first to sense it and inform us.” Perfected Ziling stated, his voice steady and authoritative, “Since they have remained silent, there is no need for excessive alarm.”
Before anyone could dwell on the dark omen, he chuckled softly. “Mingyao has been raised within our sect since childhood, and we practically watched her grow up. Naturally, I believe she has no ties to Ning Wang. The demon lord was undoubtedly spewing nonsense to sow discord. However,” He added, his tone shifting toward a chilling pragmatism, “since such words were spoken aloud, I cannot simply ignore them as the sect master.”
Perfected Zizhu’s smile began to fade.
Perfected Ziling continued, “And you as well, Zizhu. You were the guardian of this village, yet Ning Wang found an opening to infiltrate. This failure lies with you. For now, you and Mingyao will remain in this house and shall not leave. Once we have cleared Danming Village and returned to the sect, we will review the Heavenly Water Screen and investigate the incident in its entirety. Only then will your restrictions be lifted. Do you have any objections?”
By now, only a polite, hollow mask of a smile remained on Perfected Zizhu’s face. He gave a sharp nod. “I obey the sect master’s decree.”
He turned to Chu Mingyao. Seeing her silent nod of agreement, he took her by the arm and led her straight back into the ruined house.
Chu Mingxi’s eyes flickered with a calculating light. He watched the retreating figures for a moment before turning to bow respectfully toward Perfected Ziling.
“Master, just in case, why not allow this disciple to stay within the house as well? I can keep a close eye on them.”
Perfected Ziyi was the first to protest, her brow furrowed, “That hardly seems appropriate. Sect Master, if you know Ning Wang was deliberately sowing discord, why fall so easily for his scheme?”
Perfected Ziling offered a faint, inscrutable smile. “It is merely a precaution. Junior Sister Ziyi, let us not dally. We must locate all the remaining Demon Soil Incense and determine if any villagers have been compromised.”
“But……” Perfected Ziyi bit her lip, her gaze lingering worriedly on the closed door of the house.
Chu Mingxi bowed even lower, pressing his point, “Master, please, allow me to stand watch. With you, Martial Uncle Ziqiong, and Martial Aunt Ziyi all present— not to mention Second Senior Brother and Junior Sister Yun— the incense will be found in no time. My presence in the village will make little difference. However, I specialize in formations. If the demon lord left any hidden traps or arrays within the house, I am the only one who can detect them quickly.”
Perfected Ziling waved his hand with a flicker of impatience. “Go, then.”
Chu Mingxi did not wait for a second command. He hurried into the house immediately.
Inside, he found Chu Mingyao staring at Perfected Zizhu with wide, expectant eyes, while the elder wore a look of utter helplessness. Hearing the door creak open, Chu Mingyao— clearly annoyed by the intrusion— shot Chu Mingxi a sharp, warning glare.
Chu Mingxi, unfazed as always, flashed a roguish grin. “Martial Uncle Zizhu, you can’t play favorites and give Eldest Senior Sister special treatment in secret! If she’s allowed to listen, why am I excluded?”
Perfected Zizhu flicked Chu Mingxi’s forehead with feigned disdain before bursting into a hearty, booming laugh. “What I am about to teach Little Mingyao is hardly suitable for your ears. Tell me, have you even touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage yet?”
Chu Mingxi fell silent, properly chastened.
Perfected Zizhu laughed again, then his expression grew contemplative. “Little Mingyao’s divine sense is exceptionally potent— far exceeding her current cultivation level. I have been pondering which technique would best suit her so that such talent isn’t squandered. I walk the Sword Path of Seven Emotions, a discipline that demands a formidable soul. I dare say that among the True Void experts of our sect, no one is better equipped than I to guide her.”
Chu Mingxi nodded fervently. He had suspected as much. The way Perfected Zizhu had practically dragged her into the room smelled of private tutoring. Risking the sect master’s ire to sneak in under the guise of surveillance had been the right move.
Contribution points for clearing incense were one thing, but a private lecture from a True Void master? That was a treasure no amount of sect currency could buy, even if the lesson wasn’t tailored for him.
However, a flicker of disappointment crossed Chu Mingyao’s eyes. While she valued the technique, she was far more hungry for the truth regarding the history between Perfected Ziqiong and Perfected Ziling.
Her master, Perfected Ziqiong, had always maintained that the sect master was chosen for being the strongest. Yet, as the eldest senior brother of his generation, Perfected Ziqiong should have held that title. Why, then, was Perfected Ziling the one in the position?
She remembered asking Perfected Ziqiong about it as a child. He had flown into a rage and refused to speak to her for weeks. Other elders had whispered of an accident during the succession competition— a tragedy that had barred Perfected Ziqiong from competing and cost him the position. It was a lifelong scar, one that Perfected Ziqiong guarded with bitter silence.
Perfected Ziqiong’s constant efforts to steer her away from leadership had convinced her that the sect master’s seat was a cursed throne in his eyes, which only strengthened her own resolve to avoid it. But today, seeing the estranged Perfected Ziqiong and Perfected Ziling suddenly united in their desire to suppress her, while Perfected Ziyi remained an outlier, the old puzzle pieces began to shift.
Previously, Chu Mingyao hadn’t closely observed Xiang Qingyun’s interactions with the elders, nor had she stood beside her in their presence. Consequently, seeing the drastic shifts in Perfected Ziling’s and Perfected Ziqiong’s behavior, she had simply attributed it to the ‘Child of Fate’ factor— that inexplicable influence surrounding Xiang Qingyun.
But a darker possibility now took root in her mind. Was their change of heart independent of Xiang Qingyun’s charm? Did the two of them harbor long-standing, ulterior motives toward her?
Perhaps Xiang Qingyun simply served their hidden agendas better, prompting them to discard their interest in her. Yet, she struggled to imagine what two powerful masters could possibly want from her. To siphon away her cultivation resources? To trick her into solving Chu Mingdong’s martial bottlenecks?
In truth, her presence or absence made little difference to those ends. The only tangible result of their interference was the deliberate slowing of her own progress. No matter how she analyzed it, such sabotage did nothing to bolster the strength of the Sword Sect.
If the ultimate goal was to pave the way for Chu Mingdong to become the next sect master, why the elaborate charade? If an accident could strip Perfected Ziqiong of his position years ago, why couldn’t a similar fate simply befall her?
The excuses that had once pacified her were now like a rickety house, swaying and ready to collapse. She was desperate for a new explanation. Since the events of her own life offered no clarity, she had to look to the past.
That was why, moments before Chu Mingxi had burst in, she had been secretly transmitting messages to Perfected Zizhu, probing for the origin of the rift between Perfected Ziqiong and Perfected Ziling. She had nearly worn him down, but Chu Mingxi’s arrival provided the elder with the perfect excuse to retreat.
The delay stung, and a wave of disappointment washed over her. However, she quickly suppressed her emotions, centering herself to focus on Perfected Zizhu’s instruction.
“Before I arrived here, I had already resolved to teach Little Mingyao the Soul Extinguishing Needle.” Perfected Zizhu began, his voice taking on a resonant authority. “I originally intended to wait until we returned to the sect, after she had submitted her mission and found some rest. But circumstances have changed. I will teach both of you as much as I can now. Little Mingyao, you should be able to grasp the fundamentals before we depart. Little Mingxi, your divine sense has not yet reached the Nascent Soul stage, so I will not demand immediate progress from you— but regardless of how much you understand, you must commit every word to memory!”
Perfected Zizhu’s voice, carrying on rhythmic waves of divine sense, vibrated within their minds. The lesson had officially begun.