Huo Yin tightly gripped the now-subdued Huo Qi. With a hurried salute, he withdrew, and his figure quickly vanished below the stone steps.
Silence finally returned to the peak, leaving only the ethereal mist and Daoist Yun Qing sitting cross-legged with closed eyes.
Shen Zhuo stood his ground, gazing at his nominal master, who remained in meditation. He offered another salute before turning to depart.
On the way back, Shen Zhuo pondered the scene he had just witnessed.
Daoist Yun Qing appeared to defend his youngest disciple, yet his tone lacked any warmth or intimacy. Rather than showing favoritism toward Shen Zhuo, it seemed he had handled the matter lightly solely for Pei Chuan’s sake.
The crux of the matter was never about who was right or wrong; it was Yun Qing’s balancing act between Pei Chuan and Huo Yin.
Pei Chuan was his most valued head disciple, but why was Huo Yin also so important?
In his previous life, Huo Yin was merely an ordinary cultivator handling logistics. Why was he being so heavily relied upon by the Sect Leader in this life?
Furthermore, Yun Qing’s attitude toward the original owner of this body was baffling.
Remembering that the System could retrieve the original owner’s memories, Shen Zhuo called out in his sea of consciousness: “How did the original owner end up under Yun Qing’s tutelage?”
[Retrieving relevant plot for the host.] [Playback starting.]
In an instant, the world spun. Shen Zhuo found himself in a bustling marketplace.
In the center of his vision stood a three-year-old child, as exquisite as carved jade, standing lonely at a street corner. The child’s attention was caught by a sweet fragrance. Following the child’s gaze, Shen Zhuo saw a youth holding a Begonia cake.
The youth crouched down and held the pastry out to the child. “Want to eat?”
The child nodded eagerly, drool already escaping the corner of his mouth.
“Chuan’er?” An immortal-looking elder stepped out from the crowd, calling to the youth on the ground.
Shen Zhuo realized then that the youth was Pei Chuan and the elder was Daoist Yun Qing.
Yun Qing froze upon seeing the child. He crouched down, and with a flash of cold light, he sliced the child’s finger.
As the child wailed, Yun Qing tasted a drop of the blood. “As expected.”
Pei Chuan was confused. “Master, what do you mean by this?”
“If you like him, take him back to Xuanyun Sect.” Yun Qing stood up, looking down at the crying child with indifference. “He possesses the Great Yin Constitution.”
[Plot playback ended.]
Shen Zhuo was struck by a sudden realization. From the very beginning, Daoist Yun Qing had been after this Great Yin Constitution.
He recalled his own previous life. At the age of seven, he too had been separated from his family in a marketplace, only to be discovered by Mo Yuan for his Great Yin blood and taken back to the Underground Palace.
If that was the case, it was exceptionally fishy that the original owner had failed to reach enlightenment for so many years.
Was it intentional suppression? Or was the original owner merely being kept like a caged treasure?
He sighed. There were still too many doubts; the truth was far from coming to light.
The visions vanished, and he was back on the mountain stairs. Further up lay the small courtyard where he lived.
Shen Zhuo entered the courtyard while deep in thought, only to find the entire place eerily quiet.
“Fellow Daoist Xie?”
To his surprise, there was no movement from Xie Yuan’s room. Instead, a familiar female cultivator stepped out from the main hall.
“Senior Brother Shen! You are finally back!”
Shen Zhuo recognized her as the junior sister he had asked to look after Song Yan the previous day. She looked frantic.
“Something happened to Miss Song Yan! Fellow Daoist Xie already rushed over; he told me to wait here for you.”
“What? What happened?”
“After morning cultivation, I noticed Miss Song had not gotten up. When I checked, she was in a coma with a high fever. No matter how I called, she would not wake up!”
“Let us go!” Shen Zhuo decided immediately. Ignoring his confinement order, he turned and strode out. “Talk while we walk. When was she found? Did she act strangely before losing consciousness?”
He had not finished speaking when he pulled open the courtyard gate and nearly collided with someone blocking the way.
Shen Zhuo stopped abruptly. Seeing who it was, his brows furrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, is this not Senior Brother Shen, who was just sentenced to three days of confinement by the Sect Leader? Where are you heading in such a hurry?”
The man spread his arms, firmly blocking the exit, his face full of smugness.
Shen Zhuo’s gaze turned cold. Time was of the essence; he had no time for this nonsense.
“Huo Qi, what do you want now!”
It was Huo Qi, who had just parted ways with them at the Sect Leader’s peak. Beside him stood the junior brother from yesterday, holding various items.
“The Sect Leader ordered you to reflect in your courtyard for three days,” Huo Qi said, brandishing his borrowed authority. “I am here personally to seal this courtyard.”
He gestured, and the junior brother handed over pre-written sealing strips.
The female cultivator cried out anxiously, “Junior Brother Huo! There is an emergency at the female guest’s quarters. A guest is unconscious; Senior Brother Shen must go save her!”
“Save someone?” Huo Qi sneered. “I think you have conspired to help him sneak out. What kind of person can a useless person like him save? The Sect Leader’s command is absolute. Today, do not even dream of stepping a foot out of this yard!”
Shen Zhuo had initially viewed him as an ignorant junior; as a cultivator in the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, bickering with a child felt beneath him.
But Huo Qi’s repeated provocations finally ignited a spark of true anger.
“Move.”
“And if I do not?” Huo Qi raised his chin defiantly. “If you force your way out, that is adding a crime to a crime! It is the same as betraying the sect! I see you”
Before he could finish his threat, Shen Zhuo’s patience snapped.
Song Yan’s condition was unknown; he did not have time to listen to a fool barking!
Shen Zhuo condensed a surge of spiritual energy and struck at Huo Qi’s ankle.
Huo Qi, mid-sentence, suddenly felt his feet trip. He instinctively looked down, but the force intensified, jerking him backward. He lost his footing completely and landed flat on his face, the sealing strips flying from his hands.
It happened so fast that the junior brother could not react. He stared agape at his previously arrogant senior brother now sprawled on the ground.
Shen Zhuo glanced at the terrified junior brother, who flinched and stuttered, “It… it has nothing to do with me.”
Ignoring them, Shen Zhuo stepped over the fallen Huo Qi and said to the female cultivator, “Let us go.”
Huo Qi, dazed from the fall, saw the world go dark above him. Hearing Shen Zhuo leaving, he roared, “You dare leave? If you step out today, you are defying the Sect Leader!”
Shen Zhuo did not even look back.
The two rushed to Song Yan’s quarters. Upon pushing open the door, they found Xie Yuan already checking on her by the bedside.
Xie Yuan looked up and met Shen Zhuo’s eyes. “It is the work of resentment.”
Shen Zhuo approached the bed. Song Yan’s eyes were tightly shut, her cheeks flushed with an abnormal fever, and fine beads of sweat covered her brow.
“Miss Song?” he called softly.
There was no response.
Shen Zhuo placed two fingers on her wrist. With a flicker of spiritual light, he detected a wisp of malevolent energy that had somehow invaded her meridians. The cause of the sudden fever was clear.
Retracting his hand, Shen Zhuo asked, “Where is the jade pendant?”
Xie Yuan pointed to a side table. The pendant lay there, shrouded in a layer of white light.
He asked, “Does that pendant not contain a remnant soul of the Song Family Head? How could it let resentment reach his own daughter?”
“Initially, the resentment in the pendant stemmed from the Song family blood feud. Later, it absorbed stray resentment from the world, growing stronger,” Shen Zhuo paused. “But after the incident with Old Master Jian’s demonization, I suspect part of that resentment has turned into Demonic Qi.”
“Demonic Qi?!” Xie Yuan was shocked. “Resentment comes from human emotion, but Demonic Qi is refined resentment that only a Demon Sovereign can command. If it really is Demonic Qi, a remnant soul certainly would not be enough to suppress it.”
“Precisely. What invaded Miss Song’s meridians is likely that sliver of Demonic Qi.”
Shen Zhuo bit his fingertip. Just as he had done in Old Master Jian’s study, he drew a counter-clockwise circle on Song Yan’s forehead.
“Retrogress.”
The wisp of Demonic Qi hidden in her meridians surged out and floated back into the jade pendant under their watchful eyes.
Song Yan’s breathing gradually steadied. Although she had not awakened, her complexion had visibly improved.
Shen Zhuo sighed in relief and wiped the blood from his finger with a handkerchief. He turned to find Xie Yuan watching him intently.
“I did not expect Fellow Daoist Shen to be able to control Demonic Qi as well.”
Shen Zhuo pressed his finger to stop the bleeding. “Great Yin blood can temporarily suppress evil things like Demonic Qi and resentment, but it is not control. It merely forces it back to its source.”
Xie Yuan thought for a moment. “Can you Retrogress the jade pendant itself?”
Shen Zhuo shook his head. “It only works temporarily on living bodies, not objects.”
Xie Yuan sighed. “So, to truly solve the issue of this pendant, we must cut off the source of the disaster.”
“Correct.” Shen Zhuo looked back at the table. “Demonic Qi reappearing in the world will inevitably bring calamity. This cannot be delayed; it must be handled as soon as possible.”
“Easier said than done. How do we handle it? We have not even identified the true culprit behind the Song family massacre.”
Shen Zhuo frowned. “Senior Brother Pei mentioned before that the killer is someone else, but he refused to speak plainly, saying the time has not come. I suspect the truth involves something so significant he cannot speak of it.”
Xie Yuan cocked an eyebrow. “In your opinion, what could make Pei Chuan keep his mouth shut?”
“Senior Brother Pei may seem cold, but he is upright to the point of being stubborn. He only cares about two things: the safety of the common people and the rules of the Xuanyun Sect,” Shen Zhuo mused. “Logically, if he knows the killer, there is no reason to hide it. His secrecy suggests two possibilities.”
“First, the matter is so widespread that revealing it would cause unpredictable chaos or endanger the world. Second,” he paused, his voice dropping an octave, “the truth itself would require him to betray his own principles or loyalty, for instance, if the truth points to someone he does not want to face.”
“Based on your deduction, the culprit’s identity must be extraordinary.”
“Highly likely,” Shen Zhuo nodded. “So, getting a direct answer from him will be difficult.”
Shen Zhuo waited for a response, but Xie Yuan remained silent, his expression unreadable.
“What are you thinking, Fellow Daoist Xie?”
Xie Yuan tapped his palm with his fan. “I am thinking, Pei Chuan values you so much as his junior brother. I wonder who is more important in his heart: you, or that hidden culprit?”
Shen Zhuo stiffened. “I would not know.”
Xie Yuan’s lips curled into a playful, mischievous smile.
Seeing that expression, Shen Zhuo immediately turned his head away, wanting no part of whatever was coming.
Sure enough, he heard Xie Yuan speak: “How about this? Why do you not go act a little spoiled with your Senior Brother? Maybe Pei Chuan’s heart will soften and he will tell you.”
Shen Zhuo was choked by the absurd suggestion. “Act spoiled? What use would that be?”
Xie Yuan’s eyes glittered with a love for chaos. “You are so handsome, Fellow Daoist Shen. If you just act a bit cute, he might not be able to resist.”
Shen Zhuo was silent for a moment. Then, he looked at Xie Yuan with a deadpan expression and asked, “If acting spoiled is truly that effective, if I act spoiled with you right now, would you let me kiss you?”
“…”
The smile froze on Xie Yuan’s face. He snapped his fan out, pointing it at Shen Zhuo.
“What nonsense are you talking about now! Do not even think about it!”
“Mhm.” Seeing the intense reaction, Shen Zhuo said flatly, “It seems your suggestion is not very practical.”
“…” Xie Yuan was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he muttered, “Those are two completely different things!”
He fanned himself irritably, trying to dispel the unnatural heat in his face.
As they stood in silence, contemplating their next move, a faint murmur came from the bed.
Song Yan slowly opened her eyes, staring at them in confusion.
“Young Master Shen? Master Xie?” Her voice was weak and raspy from the fever. “Why are you here?”
Shen Zhuo stepped forward. “Miss Song, you suddenly had a high fever and lost consciousness. How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”
Song Yan checked her condition. “I just feel weak and a bit lightheaded.”
Shen Zhuo exchanged a look with Xie Yuan before continuing, “Miss Song, did you notice anything strange about the jade pendant?”
“Hmm? What happened to it?” She instinctively felt around her. “It is gone?”
Xie Yuan pointed to the table. “The pendant acted up again. Your fever was caused by its influence.”
Worry crossed Song Yan’s brow. “It lost control again?”
Shen Zhuo said, “Yes. We were just discussing that this cannot wait. It must be resolved quickly.”
Song Yan propped herself up against the headboard. “But how? Right now, it seems we have no leads.”
“Not necessarily.”
Xie Yuan snapped his fan open, catching Shen Zhuo’s drift instantly.
“You mean Mount Fengyan?”