The smile on Hua Qianying’s face deepened. She drifted a step closer, her figure swaying gracefully, her breath soft as orchid fragrance as she said, “If Fellow Daoist Lu truly likes it, I can give it to you. Consider it a small token of my goodwill.”
Lu Qingxuan remained expressionless and moved to put away the delicate sachet.
“Ah—”
Hua Qianying let out a soft cry and leaned in close, her slender jade fingers lightly pressing against the back of Lu Qingxuan’s hand. She smiled faintly, “Fellow Daoist Lu, surely you can tell I was speaking in jest?”
She stood extremely close. Her unique body fragrance, mixed with the scent of peach blossoms, drifted continuously into his senses.
“Still, I must thank you for personally returning it.”
Lu Qingxuan suddenly flicked his wrist. Hua Qianying felt an overwhelming force surge toward her. She let out a muffled grunt and had no choice but to release her grip and step back to steady herself.
Pressing her slightly numb wrist, the smile on her face stiffened for a brief moment.
“You can have the sachet back,” Lu Qingxuan said, withdrawing his hand, his expression as cold as ever. “But I have one condition.”
Hua Qianying’s brows knit slightly, but that fleeting stiffness vanished instantly, replaced by an even more alluring smile. She placed a hand over her chest, as if startled, and said, “Fellow Daoist Lu, why go this far? Between us, speaking of conditions hurts harmony. Besides, how can I be sure you’re not just saying this casually to deceive me?”
“Deceive you?” Lu Qingxuan smiled faintly. “If Gui You and Ancestor Xuehai were to learn that the thing they’ve been desperately searching for is in your hands, and they both came out of seclusion at once… do you think your Joyous Harmony Sect would still remain as peaceful as it is now?”
Gui You.
Ancestor Xuehai.
“Hua Qianying.”
Her voice turned icy in an instant, devoid of all charm. “What exactly are you trying to say?”
Lu Qingxuan didn’t look at her. Instead, he pointed toward the disciples below and asked calmly, “This concerns the survival of your Joyous Harmony Sect. Are you certain you want me to say it here, in front of all your disciples?”
Hua Qianying’s chest rose and fell violently as she stared at him for a long moment.
Then she turned abruptly, transforming into a streak of pink light as she flew toward the depths of the sect.
“Follow me!”
Lu Qingxuan rode his sword after her. In the blink of an eye, the two landed one after the other before the most central Main Hall of the Joyous Harmony Sect.
With a wave of her hand, a pink barrier shot into the sky, enveloping the entire hall and cutting off all sound and prying eyes from the outside.
Only after completing this did she turn sharply.
“Now you can speak. What exactly do you want, after going to such lengths?”
Yet Lu Qingxuan simply looked at her in silence.
Just as Hua Qianying was about to lose her patience, he raised his hand.
The sachet—the one she thought would be her most important bargaining chip—was casually tossed toward her.
The moment it landed in her hand, that familiar sensation, deeply connected to her very soul, surged through her. She froze on the spot.
He… just returned it like that?
Then what was the point of everything he said just now? That imposing posture… what was it for?
For a brief moment, the Joyous Harmony Sect Master—who had manipulated hearts and schemes for a thousand years—found her mind completely blank.
“The sachet is just an appetizer.”
“What I’m truly curious about is this: if Gui You and Ancestor Xuehai were to discover that the flaw in their jointly cultivated technique isn’t due to the technique itself, but because you secretly hid away its most crucial volume, the ‘Universal Joyous Canon’…”
“…when that time comes, I wonder if you’ll still remain this calm?”
The Universal Joyous Canon!
All color drained from Hua Qianying’s face in an instant.
This was a secret known to absolutely no one else!
How did he know?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in a split second. Yet as the sect master who had dominated the demonic path for a thousand years, even with her mind in turmoil, she forcibly suppressed the surging chaos within a single breath.
She took a deep breath, perfectly concealing the panic that had surfaced.
“Fellow Daoist Lu, I don’t understand a word you’re saying,” she said with a forced smile. “What Universal Joyous Canon? I’ve never heard of it. We have no grievances between us. Why would you fabricate such lies to tarnish my reputation?”
Lu Qingxuan watched her clumsy act and smiled faintly. “No need to rush to deny it.”
“It won’t be long anyway. When the full moon arrives, their techniques will backfire, and they will come for you themselves. Today, I can stand here and calmly listen to your excuses…”
“…do you think they will?”
Hua Qianying’s body trembled uncontrollably.
Gui You’s myriad ghosts devouring the heart. Ancestor Xuehai’s endless sea of blood…
Those two old demons did not possess the patience of the man before her.
Once they realized they had been deceived, they wouldn’t give her any chance to explain. They would use the most brutal methods to erase both her and the entire Joyous Harmony Sect from existence!
“…What do you want?”
“Cultivation techniques? Spiritual treasures? Or… the secret vault of my Joyous Harmony Sect? As long as I can give it, as long as you keep this matter secret, you… can take everything.”
At this point, she was nothing more than a lamb awaiting slaughter, with no room left to bargain.
Lu Qingxuan looked at her, his gaze completely unmoved.
“Your disciple, Yao Ling’er.”
“Yao Ling’er?”
Hua Qianying froze, clearly not expecting this answer.
She looked Lu Qingxuan up and down, as if seeing him for the first time.
So… that’s how it is.
She had thought Lu Qingxuan was some detached, righteous pillar, unmoved by worldly desires or beauty.
Yet after all this maneuvering, all this elaborate setup, his true goal was nothing more than indulgence in beauty and desire.
Realizing this, the massive weight pressing on her heart suddenly lifted.
What she feared wasn’t desire—but the absence of it.
As long as he wanted something, everything could be negotiated.
Compared to her own life, what was a mere disciple worth?
Especially Yao Ling’er. Though one of her most outstanding disciples, she was still just a tool.
Trading a tool for the survival of the entire sect—and her own life—was an incredibly worthwhile deal.
Hua Qianying’s smile bloomed once more, even more enchanting and sincere than before.
“Hehe… I thought it was something serious.”
“I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Lu to be a man of passion. You should’ve said so earlier—why go through such a roundabout way? That girl Ling’er, to be favored by you, is her fortune.”
This time, her words were completely genuine.
In her eyes, a man like Lu Qingxuan—whether in strength, appearance, or cunning—far surpassed ordinary men.
If Yao Ling’er could follow him, it wouldn’t be a disgrace.
“Easy, easy.” Hua Qianying’s eyes turned seductive as she cast him a charming glance. “Please wait a moment, I’ll call her over right away.”
With a flick of her finger, a strand of divine sense pierced through the hall’s barrier and spread outward.
After doing this, she still couldn’t suppress her curiosity. Taking a few graceful steps closer, she leaned in slightly, her breath soft and fragrant.
“Fellow Daoist Lu… there is something I don’t understand.”
“Mm?”
“The secret of the Universal Joyous Canon is a closely guarded secret of my Joyous Harmony Sect. I am the only one who knows it.”
Her gaze locked tightly onto Lu Qingxuan’s eyes, trying to discern something from them.
“How… did you find out?”
She paused, her voice dropping even lower, laced with probing intent.
“And besides this… what else do you know?”