With that cry of “Grand Senior Uncle has returned,” Lingzhao Peak was instantly packed with people.

She had been missing for over ten days…

Originally, everyone thought that the recruitment of new disciples at Yashan should be handled by Grand Senior Uncle Jian Chou, but unexpectedly, that night, Grand Senior Uncle vanished without a trace.

Elder Fudao and the others almost turned the entire Yashan upside down, yet they couldn’t find the slightest trace of her.

The only thing that showed Grand Senior Uncle hadn’t met with misfortune was probably just that life token.

Later, Grand Master Uncle Fudao Shanren told everyone that Grand Senior Uncle Jian Chou had suddenly gone out for cultivation training.

Unexpectedly, after not many days, Grand Senior Sister Jian Chou had returned.

At Yashan, Jian Chou was famous!

The first female cultivator, disciple of Fudao Shanren, the Grand Senior Sister of Yashan, a transcendent genius with the potential to surpass Kunwu’s Xie Buchen!

She was both the most lofty and the most approachable person.

Almost anytime you encountered her on the road and greeted her, you would receive a gentle smile in return.

Where else could you find such a kind Grand Senior Uncle?

Thinking back to when Qu Zhengfeng was the Senior Brother, everyone nearly shed bitter tears of emotion!

With such a gentle Grand Senior Uncle, they must cherish her!

Now that Grand Senior Uncle had suddenly returned, everyone could escape from that nightmare called “Qu Zhengfeng.” This was truly wonderful, truly wonderful!

So, how could everyone not be excited?

Following that earth-shaking cry from outside, everyone who heard it stopped whatever they were doing and directly flew to Lingzhao Peak, looking up!

At that moment, everyone was stunned.

Including Fudao Shanren, who had just flown out.

The Yashan Path, dozens of zhang above Lingzhao Peak, was perfectly positioned to overlook the entire Lingzhao Peak.

Grand Senior Uncle Jian Chou, who had disappeared without a reason for so long, stood right in the center of the Yashan Path. That familiar figure looked as beautiful as when she first came to Yashan.

But…

The Grand Senior Sister who returned today was covered in blood.

Her originally plain-colored robes could no longer show their original color; only dried bloodstains remained, as if telling of her glorious battle achievements over these past days.

Compared to the gentleness Grand Senior Sister had when she left, her original temperament seemed to have undergone some strange change.

She was different.

Their Grand Senior Uncle was different again.

The blood-stained robes were like battle armor draped on her body.

A small marten they had never seen before crouched on her shoulder. The marten’s pair of lively eyes were rolling around, seemingly also watching them below. Its two paws clutched a bone with two small feet, occasionally licking it, causing the bone to tremble violently as if about to cry.

In her hand, she held a ghost axe at an angle. Its fierce shape perfectly matched this blood-colored robe.

The wind passing through the Yashan Path swept past her, making her robes flutter in the wind.

The originally always gentle Grand Senior Sister stood with her spine straight, possessing a toughness emanating from her very bones, carrying a sense of power that could shatter anything, powerful.

At that instant, fluttering in the wind, she looked like a blood-colored battle banner.

The distance was too great for most people to see Jian Chou’s expression at that moment, yet coincidentally—

Countless people, long, long afterward, could recall this scene.

The first time seeing Grand Senior Uncle Jian Chou, stained with blood.

At this time, she was still just an ordinary cultivator who had become Yashan’s Grand Senior Sister at the Foundation Establishment stage, possibly questioned for being unworthy of the name.

“She came back…”

Someone in the crowd sighed first, no one knew who.

Then came a wave-like chorus of greetings: “We pay respects to Grand Senior Uncle!”

Jian Chou stood above, holding her axe.

When first seeing it, there might not have been much feeling, but at this moment, as this “We pay respects to Grand Senior Uncle” appeared, something heavy suddenly pressed down.

Like…

Her heavy, blood-stained robes.

Fudao Shanren stood watching from a distance. After shouting once, he didn’t come closer.

Jian Chou glanced over and only said to everyone, “Fellow disciples need not be overly courteous. Jian Chou has returned safely.”

After speaking, she directly leaped down. The ghost axe immediately followed her figure, floating beside her feet, carrying her to Fudao Shanren.

“Disciple pays respects to Master.”

Jian Chou performed the ritual.

Fudao Shanren glanced at the crowd below Lingzhao Peak, who had begun to disperse, waved his hand and said: “What ritual? With the time you spend on rituals, couldn’t you give this old man some peace of mind? Ah? Look at yourself now, what kind of ghostly appearance is this? You’re a young lady! Tell me, tell me, disappearing for no good reason—were you robbed of money? Or robbed of… something else?”

Actually, with Fudao Shanren’s eyesight, how could he not see Jian Chou’s current state?

Although she returned covered in blood, her body was filled with a solid strength. It seemed like the body refinement methods of “Human Vessel” had made significant progress, and the spiritual power filling every part of her body made one feel her full spirit.

The divine light in her eyes was simply impossible to suppress.

It could be said that, wearing this blood-stained robe, the seemingly disheveled Jian Chou was actually at her peak state.

His originally worried heart settled down. Fudao Shanren silently thought that he was getting old and couldn’t withstand such turmoil.

He just pretended to be nonchalant and temporarily didn’t ask about what adventures Jian Chou had encountered in these dozen days, making a half-joking remark.

Jian Chou lifted her eyes and looked at Fudao Shanren.

Although she saw Fudao Shanren’s joking expression, the concern revealed in his eyes still fell into hers.

Jian Chou slightly lowered her head and muttered, “This time it was the disciple’s lack of consideration. I acted impulsively and went out, never thinking that Master would worry and fear here…”

“Bah! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Eyes glaring, Fudao Shanren raised his hand, and a chicken leg appeared in it, looking like he was about to throw it at Jian Chou.

Unexpectedly, halfway through raising his hand, his eyes rolled: “Using an oily chicken leg to hit Jian Chou—gone without return. Only a fool would do that!”

“…”

Why does my master always manage to destroy every atmosphere?

This question that all disciples under Fudao Shanren had floated through Jian Chou’s mind.

After a long while, she finally found her voice: “Then disciple won’t mention the disappearance matter. But after going out for cultivation training, the disciple didn’t suffer any losses. Robbed some money, barely managed to rob some… other things too…”

“Cough!”

A sudden, violent cough!

Fudao Shanren almost choked to death on the chicken leg he had just stuffed in his mouth.

Without swallowing that bite of meat, Fudao Shanren’s eyes went round: “What did you say? Robbed money and… other things?! What kind of sneaky business have you been up to lately?!”

“Master…” Jian Chou was completely powerless. “No matter what, I’m still Yashan’s Grand Senior Sister. Saying I do sneaky business is too embarrassing for Yashan. At least say I rob homes and plunder, right?”

“Makes sense.”

Fudao Shanren pointed with his chicken leg, affirming Jian Chou’s statement.

“Sneaky business is too embarrassing. Next time, remember to rob homes and plunder when you go out.”

Having such an elder and such a Grand Senior Sister at Yashan was truly the mountain gate’s misfortune! The mountain gate’s misfortune!

Nearby people who heard this unreliable master-disciple conversation nearly stumbled and fell into Guihe Well!

Unfortunately, neither Fudao Shanren nor Jian Chou had any self-awareness.

Fudao Shanren looked around and said: “So what money and… other things did you rob? Chat privately with Master?”

As he spoke, he squeezed his eyes, getting a bit frivolous again.

Jian Chou had the urge to slap him away.

Seeing there were still quite a few people around, Jian Chou really couldn’t bear to let her master’s already fallen face be trampled on by others, so she quickly said: “Well, there is money, and there are… other things too, but… Master, don’t you think we should change locations to discuss this?”

Fudao Shanren slapped his forehead—oh right, the Dharma is not transmitted to six ears!

“Good, let’s go!”

With that, he directly landed and headed toward the great hall below the cliff wall of Yashan Lingzhao Peak. Jian Chou quickly followed.

In the great hall.

After Fudao Shanren went out, the remaining disciples began privately criticizing their master.

Shen Jiu curled his lips, flicked his snow-white sleeves to fan himself, and couldn’t help but snort coldly: “Really, I can’t stand Master’s behavior the most. So hypocritical. He was the one muttering about why Grand Senior Sister’s life token wouldn’t break, and now that Grand Senior Sister is back, he runs the fastest!”

“Mm… I think maybe Master is just like us, curious about whether Grand Senior Sister broke an arm or a leg?”

Little fatty Jianghe tried to act like a little old man, stroking his chin and proposing a possibility and a hypothesis.

Kou Qianzhi was always taciturn; at this moment only holding his sword and standing to the side, nodding.

Shen Jiu glanced over and directly rolled his eyes: “I say, Senior Brother Kou, there are no outsiders here. You don’t need to put on airs. If you think Master is unreliable, just say it directly. Master isn’t here anyway.”

Kou Qianzhi still didn’t speak, maintaining a cold face and pretending he couldn’t hear anything.

“Hehe.”

Dummy Chen Weishan rubbed his head and laughed.

Everyone immediately felt a strange chill.

Chen Weishan being a dummy was true, but when this person spoke, there was an indescribable brilliance, for example, at this moment—

“Grand Senior Sister only has Foundation Establishment cultivation. The Shijiu Zhou lands are so dangerous. Even if she wasn’t abducted by other sects, who knows if she broke an arm and a leg?”

How miserable would that be!

There were human traffickers in Shijiu Zhou too…

Sigh.

The worried Shen Jiu sighed deeply: “You people… sigh, the world is declining! Ten spirit stones—I bet Grand Senior Sister broke one arm!”

“Grand Senior Sister mainly uses her legs. I bet Grand Senior Sister broke one leg!”

Little fatty Jianghe’s eyes immediately lit up, directly pulling out spirit stones to place his bet!

Shen Jiu quickly organized: “Hurry, hurry, hurry! Bets closed, bets closed! Dummy Old Six, Senior Brother Kou, what about you two! Kou— Hey, Master, you’re back. Quick, tell us, we’ve already set up the betting pool. How many arms and legs did Grand Senior Sister break?”

Fudao Shanren’s figure had appeared at the entrance of the great hall at some unknown time.

When Shen Jiu looked over, he immediately asked excitedly.

Everyone also grew expectant, all looking over in unison.

“Right, right, missing for several days, must be pretty bad. How many arms and legs?”

“Broke five hundred sixty-nine arms and five hundred sixty-nine legs.”

The clear voice carried peaceful amusement, yet strangely had a chilling quality.

Shen Jiu, dressed in white robes with one leg propped on a stool, heard this and couldn’t help stroking his chin: “Five hundred sixty-nine arms… what are the odds again?”

He instinctively looked toward little fatty Jianghe across from him, who had been very enthusiastic just moments ago.

However, at this moment, when he looked over, he only received a disdainful look.

Jianghe said disdainfully, “Grand Senior Sister only has two arms and two legs total. Where would five hundred sixty-nine come from? Are you stupid?”

The word “stupid” just hit the ground when Jianghe’s voice suddenly went mute, as if someone had gripped his throat tightly.

No…

Something wasn’t right…

The voice that just answered wasn’t from the Master who appeared at the door!

At that instant, little fatty Jianghe felt all his hair standing on end!

So familiar, such a familiar voice!

Crack crack crack…

The others who also just realized this simultaneously turned their necks to look behind them.

Similarly, voices stiff enough to nearly break.

At the entrance of the great hall, a strip of white light spread.

These past days, this place had been occupied by the master-disciple pair Fudao Shanren, with no one else coming, so it carried a strange, cold, and desolate atmosphere.

Fudao Shanren’s figure stood backlit, still slovenly, emanating an indescribable sleaziness.

However, this wasn’t the most important thing…

Most important was the figure that had somehow slowly emerged from behind Fudao Shanren.

At that instant, everyone felt their vision had been dyed red.

The morning sun’s rays slanted in, lighting up all the red around her. The originally dim, brownish color from dried blood became transparent and striking, as if even the light passing by her carried a warm, bloody tint.

For a moment, all mundane qi was washed away, carrying the distinctive battle-hardened spirit unique to Yashan cultivators.

Battle.

This was the Yashan soul.

When had their Grand Senior Sister begun to look so much like a Grand Senior Sister?

The Grand Senior Sister, who had just said “five hundred sixty-nine arms, five hundred sixty-nine legs,” wore a smile on her face as she walked in from outside, step by step.

No one could speak.

In just over ten days, what was this change that emanated from her very bones?

It was the disappeared Liwai Mirror and the ghost axe suddenly gripped in her hand, this blood staining of unknown origin, the silent heroic spirit between her brows and eyes, carrying an indescribable toughness.

Yet her eyes and brows were all gentle.

“Greetings, junior brothers.”

Jian Chou’s voice was the same as before, spoken calmly with complete peace.

It had been so long since seeing this group of black-hearted and unreliable guys.

Not used to it.

Everyone was a bit unused to it.

Most unused to it was little fatty Jianghe. His cultivation was the lowest, only at the Golden Core stage. The moment he saw Jian Chou walk in, he swallowed hard and began desperately pinching his fingers, constantly calculating.

After pinching for a long time, as if he had concluded.

Little fatty Jianghe’s voice already carried a crying tone as he stammered: “G-Grand Senior Sister, you… your cultivation…”

Cultivation?

Jian Chou understood.

She held the ghost axe in her right hand, grabbed the small marten from her shoulder with her left hand, directly placed it on the central table, sat at the table’s edge, and casually pulled out the Dijiang Guyu that had been held hostage by the small marten, saying: “Had some fortunate encounters, but still inferior to you junior brothers. Currently just late-stage Foundation Establishment.”

The small marten angrily protested with “Awoo woo woo woo” sounds, while Dijiang Guyu seemed to finally encounter a savior. Its two legs curled up, hooked onto Jian Chou’s little finger, and wouldn’t let go, even whimpering pitifully.

“Woo woo woo woo…”

For a moment, in this great hall, apart from these two little creatures’ sounds, no other voice could be heard.

Shen Jiu and the others didn’t even have the strength to exchange glances…

Jianghe covered his heart, really wanting to say to Grand Senior Sister: Keep pretending! If you keep pretending, we’ll beat you to death!