Chapter 138

Yin Bi softly drew in a breath. As the silver fox leisurely moved its paw away, revealing a faint gray paw print, Yin Bi felt her head spin even more.

Having been by Chu Feng’s side since childhood, she knew well her fastidious nature, evident from her immaculate white robes alone. She had never witnessed her intentionally step on someone like this—

Moreover, Sister Manzhi’s cultivation was undoubtedly higher than hers; mastering minor spells like Cleanse would be effortless for her. Yet, she allowed her furry paw to leave a dusty imprint. Was this deliberate? It must have been, surely!

This maneuver, infused with a hint of childish provocation and a dash of audacious silliness, left everyone momentarily speechless, including Chu Feng herself. She stood frozen, even the beads she had been steadily rotating around her fingers came to a halt.

Yin Bi pondered briefly and realized that if she were in her place, all she could do was sit there silently. What could one say? A friend’s pet stepped on you—certainly not grounds to harm it, right?

Should she perhaps crouch down for a face-to-face scolding? At the thought, Yin Bi nearly burst out laughing.

Everyone remained motionless, while Manzhi, unperturbed after her mischief, sauntered away with a swagger.

Yin Bi imagined herself crouching down to sternly lecture the silver fox and nearly burst out laughing.

Everyone remained frozen, except for Manzhi who acted as if nothing had happened. She casually strolled away, tail swishing confidently.

Only after the tip of her tail disappeared behind the door did Song Pianxian’s voice finally break the silence:

“…The silver fox can be quite mischievous; please excuse my rudeness, Sect Leader Chu.”

“It’s no concern.”

Chu Feng’s tone was its usual cool detachment. Yin Bi couldn’t tell if she genuinely meant it or not, but at least she didn’t appear angered with Manzhi, which eased her worry. After their business concluded, Yin Bi followed Chu Feng to bid farewell.

Flight by magical means was prohibited within city limits. The pair traveled by carriage back to the Lodging Courtyard rented by the Buddhist Sect disciples. As they were about to step inside, Yin Bi remembered something and cast a cleansing spell, subtly reminding Chu Feng:

“Sect Leader, perhaps you should clean up first.”

Chu Feng paused momentarily, then with a casual wave, akin to brushing aside a gentle breeze, the faint smudge quietly vanished. Seeing that Chu Feng had taken care of it, Yin Bi released the spell and happily entered after her. After greeting several Buddhist Sect senior brothers, Yin Bi suddenly felt something seemed off.

It wasn’t until dinnertime that she realized what bothered her—Sect Leader Chu valued cleanliness immensely, so why did she need a reminder this time to address the dirt?

After Chu Feng’s departure, only Song Pianxian and Yu Yi remained in the hall. Song Pianxian took a sip of tea to soothe her throat, preparing to speak with Yu Yi when she noticed the girl stand up beside her, gazing straight ahead.

“I’m going to the artificing workshop.”

Taken aback for a moment, Song Pianxian then softly chuckled and shook her head, seemingly talking to herself, “Suddenly so fond of artificing lately.”

Seeing Yu Yi remain silent, she wasn’t upset but rather understanding. “Go ahead,” she said gently, “but don’t stay too long. At noon, Lu Yi will bring your favorite meal back.”

Despite her kind tone, the young girl appeared irked. As she turned, her skirt billowed like a delicate flower, a hint of petulance on her face. However, upon meeting Song Pianxian’s smiling gaze, she found herself unable to voice any discontent.

Yu Yi pursed her lips, deciding instead to wave her hand and toss the cat towards Song Pianxian. Though casual in gesture, the kitten astutely used the momentum to leap gracefully into Song Pianxian’s arms, nuzzling against her comfortably.

“Here, keep it with you.” With that, Yu Yi truly left without looking back this time.

Song Pianxian stroked the plump little leopard cub, opened her mouth as if to say something, and then smiled helplessly. “Still throwing tantrums at me?” She lifted the cub, whispering to its animal form, “I haven’t even been angry with her, yet she acts all sulky now.”

The previous day, based on Qing Lu’s usual subtle gestures and small thoughts, Song Pianxian had surmised what Yu Yi might have done that night. She then deliberately approached her to test her reaction.

To her surprise, the young girl froze instantly upon sensing their closeness. After locking eyes for a moment, she abruptly snapped out of it, her face swiftly turning crimson as if bathed in a sunset’s glow. With a push against Song Pianxian, she darted away.

Watching the girl hastily flee, one hand lifting her skirt and the other opening the door, even Song Pianxian was momentarily taken aback—

Yu Yi actually got shy.

Wasn’t this the same flirtatious big sister from the previous world? The domineering Crown Princess who pinned her down just worlds ago? And in the world before that…

As memories of Film Queen Lin resurfaced, Song Pianxian suddenly realized something: In essence, Qing Lu in this world is akin to the actress during her childhood—a little tsundere with a strong sense of self-esteem, still bearing youthful traits.

Oh well, she wouldn’t let herself be bothered by such a young girl.

The little leopard curled its paws and mewed, interrupting Song Pianxian’s thoughts.

Song Pianxian lifted it closer, gently rubbing behind its ears. “Why do you act like a cat?”

At that moment, on the other side of the pavilion, Yu Yi had just entered the artificing workshop. Suddenly, her earlobes felt slightly itchy.

She glanced in Song Pianxian’s direction, gritting her teeth briefly before settling down amidst a pile of materials. She picked up a piece of Profound Star Iron to begin refining.

Song Pianxian assumed Yu Yi was identifying crafting materials based on the jade talisman’s contents, unaware that she had already started pre-artificing preparations using demonic qi.

Having grown up under Qiong Ling’s tutelage, Yu Yi was well-versed in the steps of artificing through observation alone. However, as Qiong Ling doted on her daughter, she never allowed Yu Yi to truly engage with the process; instead, she occasionally gave her scraps for play.

Now, after smoothing out the Profound Star Iron sufficiently, Yu Yi cut off a smaller piece. Following familiar procedures from past practice, she began honing her skills anew.

With somewhat rusty control, she channeled demonic qi to melt the Profound Star Iron within her palm, gradually shaping its form.

Bending, molding, polishing—these intricate operations demanded precise mastery of Yu Yi’s demonic qi. They swiftly helped her regain her “touch” after years without wielding her power, allowing her to reacquaint herself with her newly regained Gold Core stage. This was another reason she sought to artifice—to rebuild her proficiency.

Fortunately, she was merely “reaching” her Gold Core stage again. After practicing several times, her skills grew increasingly proficient. Now, she had regained around seventy to eighty percent of her previous control, making everyday techniques effortless.

Manzhi urged Yu Yi to achieve Primordial Infant soon, leaving no room for leisurely practice. Yu Yi pursed her lips, her thoughts fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, almost drifting back towards Song Pianxian at the other end of her mind.

Staying focused, she exhaled deeply, slowly closing her eyes and channeling a fine, unbroken thread of demonic qi into the material.

Nearly two hours passed before Yu Yi gradually opened her eyes.

She cast a Purification Spell, wiping away the sweat beading on her forehead. With soft breaths, she looked down at the palm-sized piece of Profound Star Iron now transformed in her hand.

Only then did she realize she had meticulously shaped it into a delicate butterfly form. Its wings shimmered with a mysterious, deep blue glow, captivating Yu Yi’s full attention amidst their serene elegance.

Cupping the small butterfly in both hands, she stared at it, momentarily lost in thought.

Unbeknownst to Yu Yi, the tips of her ears subtly turned red, echoing the earlier flush.

She placed the butterfly inside her storage bracelet, bowed her neck, and buried her face in her hands, her hair gently swaying behind her.

Outside the window, birds chirped jubilantly.

Ah, Song Pianxian.

“Yin Bi just left like that?”

During lunch at Jinyu Restaurant, Lu Yi’s surprise was so great that her golden tofu trembled on her bamboo chopsticks and fell back onto the plate with a plop.

After hearing Song Pianxian’s explanation, she clicked her tongue twice. “I never would have expected it. I thought…”

“What did you think?” Song Pianxian asked leisurely.

Lu Yi watched as Song Pianxian placed sweet-and-sour spareribs onto Yu Yi’s plate before adding another saucy piece herself. “Nothing, really. It’s just that I used to see her as quite pitiable.”

“The Buddhist Sect may not rank among the top sects, but it’s still comparable to the Celestial Sect,” Yu Yi remarked mildly after finishing her bite of sparerib. With a moment’s hesitation, she moved her bamboo chopsticks to add some stir-fried water chestnuts to Song Pianxian’s plate.

Chewing her rice, Lu Yi nodded and then extended her bowl towards Yu Yi.

Huh? “What do you want?”

Lu Yi replied matter-of-factly, “Give me some water chestnuts too.”

“Do it yourself.”

Confused and feeling slightly aggrieved, Lu Yi asked, “We’re all sisters here; why treat us differently?”

Yu Yi gritted her teeth, unable to counter this time.

A soft chuckle reached Yu Yi’s ears, tickling them playfully. She quickly glanced sideways, meeting Song Pianxian’s smiling gaze head-on.

“Dependence on others is unreliable; I’ll just do it myself.” Lu Yi dramatically sighed, only to see both girls suddenly “come alive” before her as if startled awake—giving her quite a fright.

Why were these sisters acting so peculiar today? Lu Yi felt they must be harboring some secret, one that excluded her entirely. At this moment, she dearly missed Yin Bi and Manzhi.

Speaking of which, she remembered something. “Didn’t only Yin Bi leave? Where’s Manzhi?”

“She went outside,” Song Pianxian replied.

“Huh?” Lu Yi grew serious, frowning. “Quickly call her back—it’s not safe in Tianfeng City today.”

“What happened?”

“When I visited Thirteenth Street, there were demon cultivators—a group of six or seven disguised as a team of cultivators, likely intending to infiltrate the Tianfeng Pavilion. Fortunately, during a skirmish, their true nature was revealed, and they were captured by the city lord’s guards.”

Lu Yi set down her bowl. Upon returning earlier, she had already instructed the Lodging Courtyard staff to stay put until the situation became clearer. She initially planned to discuss this with Song Pianxian and Yu Yi after finishing their meal, sparing her frail little sister from worrying about demon cultivators and losing her appetite. But since the topic had arisen, she decided to explain fully:

“Single demon cultivators aren’t uncommon, but they’ve always been solitary creatures. This group is the first we’ve seen in millennia. And all were at Primordial Infant or Nascent Spirit stages—now there’s talk that the barrier separating Buye and Tianfeng Provinces has developed a flaw, allowing these demons to slip through.”

“I imagine the city master will send someone to inspect the barrier soon. It’s stood for thousands of years, such a vast maze-like array—it’s hard to fathom where one would even begin investigating. Let’s hope it gets resolved swiftly.”

“Oh, right, the ones who clashed with the demon cultivators were disciples from your Lingyun Sect.” Lu Yi’s expression flickered subtly. “I heard the most severely injured was the sect leader’s daughter, Qu Xirong.”

Song Pianxian raised her eyebrows. “It was her?”

Lu Yi wasn’t naive; she had long suspected who spread the assassination plot against Yu Yi in the black market. Mentioning Qu Xirong now felt somewhat awkward—not quite schadenfreude, but certainly devoid of concern. Instead, a hint of excitement akin to gossiping about juicy news lingered on her face.

“Yes, indeed! A significant portion of her face suffered burns from demonic energy. Oh, and a female cultivator closely accompanying her was also affected.”

Lu Yi shared her “good news,” but neither of the others echoed her enthusiasm. Yu Yi seemed deep in thought, while Song Pianxian’s expression momentarily froze.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Yi blinked. “Are you worried about Lingyun Sect’s team? Or perhaps the great array?”

Song Pianxian didn’t respond immediately. To her, Lu Yi’s voice sounded distant and hazy.

She had no time to ponder how to answer Lu Yi’s question, as she had just received a long-awaited mission:

“Starting from Tianfeng Pavilion, gradually gain control over Lingyun Sect.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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