Chapter 119

Shortly after Tang Miao delivered the recording stone to the cave and handed it over to Yu Yi, he immediately sensed the opportunity for Foundation Establishment.

He immediately took the Foundation Establishment Pill given by Senior Sister Song. With the help of the pill’s pure medicinal power, he successfully broke through the barrier and attracted the Ninefold Thunderclouds, advancing to the Golden Core stage in one fell swoop.

He happily went to Qingyun Hall to exchange his token, received his new salary, and was about to report his name to the elders and join the roster for the Zhiwei Small Realm. Then he saw the elders smiling and saying:

“You’ve long been on the roster.”

Tang Miao widened his eyes: “Why is that?”

“Don’t you know yet? Yu Yi and Senior Sister Song are going to the Zhiwei Small Realm, oh, Hang Xiu is going too. It seems that everyone from Daiyuan Peak is going, so it wouldn’t be right to leave you behind.”

“You, really have good luck. Nowadays, ordinary Inner Sect disciples can’t compare to you.” The elder joked.

Tang Miao scratched his ear and, upon returning to Daiyuan Peak, thought for a moment, then decided to go find Senior Sister Yu Yi.

He didn’t understand why he was assigned tasks at Daiyuan Peak. He refused to believe in fate, but the fact was that he often encountered rare opportunities, only to have them end in disaster, even endangering his life, and even his benefactors ended up in bad situations.

So when Tang Miao first arrived at Daiyuan Peak, he chose to stay far away at the foot of the mountain, avoiding too much favor from Senior Sister, and focused on his work, helping Senior Sister as much as he could.

But now Senior Sister Yu Yi had helped him again… Tang Miao was very grateful, but he was also afraid of the inexplicable twists of fate, which might harm Senior Sister. Therefore, in addition to expressing his gratitude, he said to the two Senior Sisters:

“Senior Sisters, after returning from the Zhiwei Small Realm, I want to do some external sect tasks to earn some spirit stones for cultivation. I hope both Senior Sisters will allow it.”

“Do you lack spirit stones?” Yu Yi, who was playing with the recording stone, put it on her knee, tilted her head in thought, and took out a storage bag, tossing it over. “Just tell me if you need them. Why bother with those tasks, wasting your efforts.”

As the storage bag was thrown into his arms, Tang Miao quickly caught it and said, “Well… I also want to gain some experience outside.”

“Is it not good at Daiyuan Peak? You’ve just ascended to the Golden Core stage and you want to leave.” Yu Yi said unhappily, elongating her tone, looking at Song Pianxian who hadn’t spoken.

Song Pianxian calmly peeled open the spirit fruit in her hand, carefully removing any impurities, leaving only some pure spiritual power, then handed it to Yu Yi. She wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, looked up at Tang Miao, and said:

“It’s not wrong to gain experience outside, but you’ve just advanced to the Golden Core stage, and your foundation is not stable enough. You shouldn’t be in a hurry to leave.”

“But…”

“The things you worry about won’t happen,” Song Pianxian said.

After a moment of surprise, Tang Miao immediately understood that Senior Sister Song must have heard the rumors from the Outer Sect, but she didn’t care. Her words were calm, but carried convincing power.

Tang Miao was moved and lowered his head deeply, saying, “Thank you, Senior Sister.”

After Tang Miao left, Yu Yi swallowed the spirit fruit and asked Song Pianxian while supporting her chin, “What is Tang Miao worried about? Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

“How could it be?” Song Pianxian smiled and told Yu Yi about the groundless rumors from the Outer Sect.

With so little information given for this task, and with 09 removed, Song Pianxian couldn’t help but speculate more. On the second day after He Ying and Tang Miao came to Daiyuan Peak, Song Pianxian went to the black market to buy information. Tang Miao’s “fortune” that seemed to follow him everywhere was among the information.

When she learned this, Song Pianxian didn’t feel any strange signs. It was calm, and she always trusted her intuition, so she didn’t think about avoiding Tang Miao.

If we were to make a bold guess, since Tang Miao was so special and acquainted with Yu Yi, would it have something to do with her own task?

While Song Pianxian was lost in thought, Yu Yi glanced at her thoughtfully and then took a bite of the spirit fruit.

Her teeth sank into the goose-yellow flesh, slowly exerting force, smelling the sweet fruit fragrance in her nose.

The information she obtained from He Ying’s sea of consciousness using the searching artifact coincided perfectly with Song Pianxian’s instructions.

The reason why Tang Miao came to her was because someone wanted him to be here.

His unpredictable fortune was treated as a sharp sword, aimed at Daiyuan Peak, just to see him fall from grace once again.

Yu Yi rolled her tongue, unhesitatingly biting into the ripe and sweet flesh, chewing slowly and swallowing bit by bit.

If they knew this sword would eventually stab them, I wonder if they would regret it.

They should thank their malicious intentions, which saved them the trouble of finding Tang Miao themselves.

Seeing Yu Yi holding the fruit, eating with eyes curved in happiness, made Song Pianxian’s mood improve involuntarily.

She gently tapped Yu Yi’s nose with her finger, wiping off the fruit juice that had splashed onto it.

“Do you like it so much? There are plenty of these fruits in the medicine fields. I’ll go pick some more.”

Yu Yi chewed on the fruit with her cheeks bulging, looking satisfied and joyful, and said softly:

“Sister Qu must like them too. Let Tang Miao take some to her, don’t forget about her.”

Yu Yi suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, and Jiao Xiao too.”

Song Pianxian naturally agreed.

Yu Yi’s smile became even sweeter.

Of course, even when eating a spirit fruit, she remembered her fellow Senior Sisters. In other matters, she wouldn’t forget about them either.

It’s hard to describe the taste of receiving a spirit fruit from Daiyuan Peak. When Jiao Xiao arrived at Lianyun Peak and whispered about He Ying’s fate, Qu Xirong’s expression became even more solemn, and she didn’t speak for a long time.

Jiao Xiao looked at her complexion, and her voice became quieter: “I handled this matter before. I originally wanted to wait for He Ying to wake up and let her explain it herself, so I didn’t tell you, Senior Sister…”

Qu Xirong glanced at her, suppressing her anger. How could she not know that Jiao Xiao was afraid of her blaming her for not handling things well? It was useless to pursue these matters now. Qu Xirong asked directly:

“And now?”

“Now… Elder Yu of the Punishment Hall is in charge of this matter. He used to be reasonable, but when his direct disciple was saved by Song Pianxian, he refused to compromise even half in return. I couldn’t see He Ying. By the time I went again, He Ying had been expelled from the sect, and I couldn’t find her.”

“But Elder Yu did say one thing to me, that He Ying’s sea of consciousness was broken, the path was cut off, and keeping her was useless. This also angered Song—”

“Enough!” Qu Xirong interrupted.

After all, in the cultivation world, who would bother with repaying kindness and favors? It was obvious that there was an intention to seek refuge with Daiyuan Peak, which was why they acted like this to appease Jiao Xiao and herself.

On the day when the small realm opened, Qu Xirong felt even more so that things were different from before.

Not to mention how eagerly the disciples of Lingyun Sect treated Song Pianxian, even the other three factions, Shijue Academy, Xuanyu Sect, and Liuyan Gate, were secretly probing towards Song Pianxian when confronting Lingyun Sect.

Fortunately, having been in the cultivation world for so long, she wasn’t completely forgotten by everyone. A familiar female cultivator from Liuyan Gate came over and said, “Oh, isn’t Sister Qu supposed to go to Feifeng Valley?”

Qu Xirong replied with a relaxed expression, “Isn’t it because my Little Junior Sister is coming to the small realm for fun? Both I and Senior Brother Hang are used to worrying about her, so we came together.”

“I heard that she already has a puppet, a puppet at the Crossing Tribulation stage! I heard that she displayed great power in the small realm last time. Sister Qu, can you introduce me to her?”

Qu Xirong’s smile froze.

Puppets, puppets, always puppets.

“Sister Qu?”

Hang Yunhe stood by with a smile, elegant and refined, and seeing the situation, he said, “Xirong has been busy with refining tools these days, so please forgive her.”

Hang Yunhe was quite popular among the female cultivators. A few coaxing words made the female cultivator leave without any grievances. Qu Xirong looked at Hang Yunhe, feeling a bit relieved.

Yu Yi used to always follow behind Hang Yunhe, asking him for advice on various matters. Now, instead of standing by her, this Senior Brother defended her everywhere.

Qu Xirong used to have no special feelings towards Hang Yunhe, just valuing his talent. Now, she felt a slight emotional movement. She was about to speak with a smile when she saw Hang Yunhe turn his head slightly, his words carrying a hint of admonishment:

“Why didn’t you guide her just now? Don’t treat Song Pianxian as an outsider. Her relationship with Yu Yi is there, and in the future, she will also be from Daiyuan Peak. You should be magnanimous.”

“Magnanimous?”

Hang Yunhe naturally continued, “Yes, Junior Sister has always relied on me since childhood, and it’s no different now.”

“Even though you and I are Dao companions now, Junior Sister is still my Junior Sister. Her puppet is our mutual assistance…”

As Hang Yunhe spoke, Qu Xirong’s smile vanished into thin air.

When the small realm opens, elders from each sect will lead the teams.

With elder leaders for Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators, Song Pianxian didn’t need to worry about them. She and Yu Yi stood together, just waiting for the small realm to open.

Anyone who noticed Song Pianxian couldn’t miss the petite girl wrapped in a crane cloak beside her. It should be said that apart from this girl, no one else could stand beside Song Pianxian, this formidable figure.

And such a girl, unexpectedly had no cultivation at all, not even Qi Refinement. How could it not astonish people?

Other sect cultivators who didn’t know Yu Yi’s true identity whispered among themselves, and with a few hints from those in the know, even more rumors spread.

Song Pianxian frowned slightly and glanced at Yu Yi, only to see Yu Yi gazing in another direction. Following her gaze, Yu Yi was looking at Tang Miao.

Tang Miao was standing among a group of Core Formation cultivators, waiting for the elders to assign teams. Other than that, there was nothing special about him.

Before Song Pianxian could ask, Yu Yi spoke eagerly, “Back then, I was also standing obediently like this, waiting for the elders’ arrangements.”

She sighed, “Although there were some conflicts within our team because of the demon beast incident, looking back now, the journey was quite lively.”

Song Pianxian remained noncommittal.

The treasures commonly found in the small realms were trivial, and everyone was relaxed. Compared to the dangers outside, it was like the difference between a school outing and a wilderness adventure.

What Yu Yi longed for was naturally not those trivial treasures, but the youthful vigor and carefree past.

Song Pianxian gently stroked her head, gathering her soft long hair behind her shoulders.

“Do you want to act with them?” she asked.

Yu Yi rested her index finger on her chin, pondering for a moment before replying, “The small realm lasts for seven days. Let’s not rush. We’ll play for two or three days first, then go find Tang Miao. How about that?”

“Okay,” Song Pianxian responded without hesitation.

Yu Yi immediately hugged her arm, with a sense of reliance and fondness, looking up at her face and saying, “As long as I have you with me, I can go anywhere.”

She glanced around and saw many curious glances, intentionally remarking, “Others don’t know how envious they are.”

Song Pianxian chuckled, a hint of indulgence in her eyes, her voice gentle, “With you here, I can’t be bothered with others.”

Song Pianxian’s speech was always like a gentle breeze, gently blowing, making people’s ears lazy. This time, as Yu Yi looked up into her clear lake-like eyes, for the first time, there was an itch in her heart.

She murmured softly, half truth and half jest, “It’s best like this.”

Possessiveness was still so strong. Song Pianxian was accustomed to it, about to tease the young Qinglu like a kitten, when Qu Xirong and Hang Yunhe approached.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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