After confirming that Jian Xingzhi was unharmed, Qin Wanwan returned to her own room. She hugged her pillow and thought for a while, then proactively sat cross-legged in position and began to enter meditation.
This action terrified 38, who hurriedly said, “Master, what are you doing?”
“Cultivating.”
“You’ve cultivated long enough today, what with fighting and crossing tribulations.” Seeing her being too enthusiastic, 38 was actually frightened. “You should rest a bit. You’re working too hard—watching you makes me anxious.”
Hearing 38’s advice, Qin Wanwan thought about it and realized she was worried about her parents’ situation. She sighed, not wanting 38 to worry, so she lay down on the bed.
In her dreams, she heard the dragon’s roar again. This time she was used to it. She turned her head and saw the familiar Dengxian Gate hanging in the sky, with a Azure Dragon writhing beside it, seemingly in extreme pain.
Qin Wanwan frowned and looked around. This place was ice and snow everywhere, looking somewhat familiar. After thinking left and right, she finally recalled—wasn’t this the scene she had seen in Su Yueli’s consciousness sea? This place seemed to be…
Desolate City?
Qin Wanwan remembered. She stepped through the snow and walked forward. After walking for a short while, she heard the sound of something colliding.
Like someone knocking on a door, one strike after another, dull and powerless.
“Let me out…”
Someone was shouting, but she couldn’t tell if it was male or female. She only felt that the voice seemed to contain all the world’s despair, gripping her heart tightly in an instant.
“Let me out…”
She couldn’t help but quicken her pace, hurrying forward. From afar, she could only see a doorway. That stone door was about two zhang tall, with a giant sword relief carved on the door. Azure dragons holding door rings stood on both sides, looking as if it were an eternally unopenable door of despair.
Qin Wanwan ran toward that stone door, but before she could reach it, she heard an excited, light call: “Beicheng!”
Qin Wanwan’s eyes snapped open to see Jian Xingzhi’s face come into view. He was sitting beside her, holding a book in his hands, seemingly very happy.
Qin Wanwan stared blankly at Jian Xingzhi. Seeing her expression, Jian Xingzhi understood: “Had a nightmare?”
As he spoke, Jian Xingzhi raised his hand and pointed at her forehead. A cooling spell entered her mind, and her heart instantly calmed and settled.
She propped herself up and rubbed her somewhat confused eyes. “Master, why are you here?”
“Cuilu sent someone to call us over. I came to wake you up and earn some points along the way.” As Jian Xingzhi spoke, he took a cup, pinched Qin Wanwan’s face, and poured water into her mouth, then skillfully took a cloth and wiped her face like wiping a table, scrubbing her little face clean.
He had already become very skilled at this routine during their time in the desert. Qin Wanwan let him fuss over her as he pulled her out of the covers. He dressed her while instructing, “After we eat, I’ll take you out on the streets to shop. We’ll go buy some books, and along the way, see if there are any men you like.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
She had always known Jian Xingzhi had strong execution ability, but she never imagined it would be this strong.
Jian Xingzhi finished tidying her up, listening to the points dinging away in his head, feeling like a pleasant day had begun.
The two of them left the room together to find Xie Gutang waiting at the door. Xie Gutang, with his bright and shining 45 displayed above his head, greeted the two of them. Jian Xingzhi stepped between the two and they all went to the dining hall together.
Cuilu was already waiting there. Seeing the three enter, she first quickly glanced at Qin Wanwan. Qin Wanwan winked at her, and Cuilu understood this was a warning about yesterday’s events. She nodded and greeted everyone: “Please, everyone, sit.”
The three sat down. Qin Wanwan sat on Cuilu’s left, Xie Gutang on the right, and Jian Xingzhi in the middle between them, facing Cuilu.
Jian Xingzhi felt something was wrong with this seating arrangement, but when he thought about changing positions, it seemed wrong too.
As he couldn’t help but start thinking about what seating arrangement would be right, Cuilu spoke first: “Yesterday, I had people investigate the scene. What you said was indeed correct—there truly is a grand array for blood-sacrificing the Ghost City. This array came from Hua Rong’s hand. But this isn’t a reason for me to forgive you either. Unless it’s truly as you said,” Cuilu raised her eyes to look at Qin Wanwan, “that Mingjing Daojun died at Hua Rong’s hands. Then Hua Rong and I would be enemies, and you would be avenging Mingjing Daojun, for which I should thank you.”
“So how do you plan to verify this?”
Xie Gutang was the first to ask. Cuilu seemed to have already made her decision: “Go to Desolate City?”
“Desolate City?”
Xie Gutang didn’t know about what Cuilu and Qin Wanwan had discussed last night, so he was somewhat puzzled: “Why go to Desolate City?”
“Because Lin Yanzhi didn’t actually die in Ghost City back then,” Jian Xingzhi picked up his tea and explained to Xie Gutang and Nanfeng, who sat nearby. “That year, he sealed the Evil God inside his body in Ghost City, then was sent to Desolate City. A year later, the Ning clan sent news to Ghost City saying he couldn’t purify the Evil God, so he committed suicide together with the Evil God.”
Xie Gutang had heard about the Evil God matter. His face showed astonishment as he murmured, “So that’s what happened…”
“The Evil God was sealed by Mingjing Daojun?”
Nanfeng had lived for five hundred years and remembered the Demonic Seed disaster vividly. He was quite excited: “Then why didn’t they publicize this?”
Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi glanced over with a sideways look: “Shut up. Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t.”
Nanfeng quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth, indicating he would be quiet.
“I plan to depart tomorrow,” Cuilu drank some tea and turned to look at them. “Those who need to heal should heal, those who need to prepare should prepare. Let’s all go together.”
As soon as the words fell, 38’s voice emerged in Qin Wanwan’s mind:
[Task Four: Great Battle at Desolate City, obtain the Exquisite Jade, points +2000. Do you accept?]
At the same time, 666’s voice appeared in Jian Xingzhi’s mind:
[Task Nine: Beauty Saves Hero. Have the female lead rescue the target person (can be romanced), deliver the target to his father’s hands, points +500. Do you accept?]
This task still had a detailed description:
“At Beauty Cliff, Jian Zhiyan and Qin Wan admire the moon together. At Jian Zhiyan’s request, Qin Wan dances under the moon, descending like an immortal, beautiful as a celestial being.
The supporting male character sees the beautiful Qin Wan from afar and falls in love at first sight. At this time, with pursuers behind him, Qin Wan sweeps away the crowd with one sword. Beauty and valor overlap, becoming a memory the supporting male character can never forget for his entire life.”
Beauty Cliff was located on the route between Ghost City and Desolate City.
Jian Xingzhi confirmed the location and exchanged a glance with Qin Wanwan. Qin Wanwan saw the affirmation in his eyes and nodded: “Alright.”
After deciding on the itinerary, Qin Wanwan remembered some questions and couldn’t help asking a few more: “Lord Cuilu, may I ask, what exactly is the relationship between you, Hua Rong, and Mingjing Daojun?”
“Hua Rong and I are both demons.”
Speaking of the past, Cuilu’s eyes carried some melancholy: “I’m a kingfisher, Hua Rong is a peach blossom. We originally cultivated in the deep mountains but were abducted and sold by demon traffickers. Later, we were rescued by Mingjing Daojun and followed him to Immaculate City. I had high talent and was quite valued by Mingjing Daojun’s side. I formed my Nascent Soul in a hundred years—I was the most outstanding among all the children he rescued at that time. Everyone guessed then that I would be the next city lord. But actually, this didn’t matter much. To me, whether I was city lord or not wasn’t important. Mingjing Daojun’s kindness to me was as heavy as a mountain. Being able to repay him and help him guard Immaculate City well—that was the most important thing.”
“What about Hua Rong?” Qin Wanwan asked curiously. Cuilu smiled slightly. “Hua Rong didn’t have much contact with Daojun back then. Daojun actually didn’t even remember this person, because after all, Golden Core in a hundred years was too ordinary. As peach blossoms are hermaphroditic, he himself had a devious mind. He once tried to seduce me into dual cultivation for his practice, but I didn’t like him. Later, I went into seclusion to cultivate. When I emerged, he had already crossed his tribulation. He said Mingjing Daojun had entrusted Immaculate City to him and hoped I would assist him. I worried about the Ghost City people and feared he would act recklessly, so I stayed and became the city lord’s manor steward, usually managing Ghost City and sharing his administrative duties. And his health seemed to have always been poor, so he stayed in seclusion cultivating.”
“Cultivating?” Qin Wanwan was surprised. “But he told me administrative affairs kept him busy…”
“Busy my ass!”
Cuilu’s temper flared at the mention: “Those little matters of his—I do almost everything for him and just have him stamp it, yet he still has the face to say he’s busy? If he dares say that to my face, I’ll knock his head clean off!”
“Calm down,” Qin Wanwan quickly poured tea for Cuilu. “So if he was in seclusion all this time, why did he suddenly start looking for male companions?”
“That only started about a year ago,” Cuilu thought about it. “He suddenly said he wanted to find male companions, and after finding them, sent them into his underground palace. I didn’t think much of it. He’s the city lord—he gives orders, I handle affairs. As long as it doesn’t endanger the entire city, a few male companions are nothing. Let him do as he pleases. After all, peach blossom demons are like that—what’s so unusual about it?”
“Didn’t you ever wonder why he was looking for male companions?”
Jian Xingzhi drank his tea. Cuilu thought about it: “He had a secret crush on Daojun?”
“A secret crush?” Jian Xingzhi scoffed. “Have you ever seen someone set up such a huge array, find substitutes, just to suppress a single soul for a secret crush?”
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Jian Xingzhi surveyed their shocked expressions and said leisurely, “What, none of you noticed? That array wasn’t for reviving someone—it was for trapping vengeful ghosts inside someone’s body to kill them. Oh,” Jian Xingzhi remembered and added, “It’s exactly the same method as how Mingjing Daojun trapped the Evil God in his body before killing it back then.”
Hearing this, Cuilu stared blankly without speaking. Jian Xingzhi stood up: “This trip to Desolate City, going to see won’t hurt. But I think, if Hua Rong’s heart held no guilt,” he smiled, “he probably couldn’t have created this array.”
With that, Jian Xingzhi turned and called to Qin Wanwan: “Beicheng, come on. Master will take you out to buy books.”
Hearing about buying books, everyone exchanged glances. Xie Gutang hurriedly tried to persuade Qin Wanwan: “Qin… Wanwan…”
Hearing this “Wanwan,” Jian Xingzhi’s ears twitched. Without waiting for Xie Gutang to finish speaking, he raised his voice and shouted to Qin Wanwan: “Gu Beicheng, let’s go!”
“I’ll go first.”
Qin Wanwan smiled apologetically at everyone and quickly followed Jian Xingzhi.
Jian Xingzhi walked very fast. To catch up with him, Qin Wanwan had to jog. Jian Xingzhi quickly walked out the main gate, glanced at her once, then slowed his pace.
Qin Wanwan sensed his displeasure and sighed: “Master, why are you unhappy again?”
“Why does he call you ‘Wanwan’?” Jian Xingzhi kept his hands tucked in his sleeves and looked at her sideways, expressing his dissatisfaction.
Qin Wanwan quickly explained: “Didn’t I fill out ‘Qin Wanwan’ on the Heavenly Sword Sect registration form before? Elder Brother Xie and we have been through life and death so many times together—wouldn’t it be distant if he kept calling me Miss Qin?”
“Why do you call him Elder Brother Xie?” Jian Xingzhi continued his interrogation.
Qin Wanwan was bewildered: “Huh?” After being confused for a moment, Qin Wanwan asked, puzzled: “Master, what exactly are you unhappy about?”
“I’m unhappy that you betrayed me!”
Jian Xingzhi found a very sufficient reason: “How can you secretly exchange forms of address with him without telling me? I’m your master—you should tell me about this kind of thing.”
“Master, let’s be reasonable,” Qin Wanwan was exhausted. Considering that this was Jian Xingzhi’s first time being a master and this elementary school-level possessiveness was something she had experienced when making friends in elementary school too, she could only explain, “These matters—even my father doesn’t interfere with them.”
Jian Xingzhi was stumped. Qin Wanwan continued with kind words: “Master, you’re new to being a master and not used to it yet. The key with disciples is filial piety. Filial piety means being good to you, not having no privacy, right? And what are you competing with Xie… Xie Gutang about? In this world, there are thousands upon thousands of Elder Brother Xies, but I only have one master—you. You will always be the most important and most unique person in my heart, the most intimate man besides my father and my husband. You need to be magnanimous and can’t be so petty. In the future, I still need to earn points for you. If you’re always unhappy, how can I earn those points?”
“What you say also makes sense.”
Listening to her words, Jian Xingzhi’s heart eased slightly, but he still found the word “husband” particularly jarring. However, there was nothing wrong with what Qin Wanwan said. After thinking left and right, he figured his mindset was probably similar to marrying off a daughter.
He calmed down and led Qin Wanwan into a bookstore. As they walked through the bookshelves looking for books, Qin Wanwan asked curiously, “Master, what books are we buying?”
As soon as the words fell, she heard Jian Xingzhi speak: “Found it.”
With that, Jian Xingzhi raised his hand, pulled out a book, and tossed it to Qin Wanwan. Qin Wanwan saw it had “Thirty-Six Stratagems of Love” written on it.
Qin Wanwan was stunned. Jian Xingzhi had clearly found the classified bookshelf. He jumped up directly, raised his sleeves and swept them across, and books came raining down with a crackling sound. Qin Wanwan hurried to catch them. Books fell like rain from the sky, with all sorts of romance manual titles written on them:
“How to Properly View Love”
“How to Make a Sword Cultivator Fall in Love with You?”
“How to Break Through the Heartless Dao”
“No Man I Can’t Win Over”
…
Qin Wanwan instinctively caught books frantically. By the time she finished catching them, they were as tall as she was. She couldn’t see Jian Xingzhi. Her chin was forced upward by the books as she asked Jian Xingzhi vaguely: “Master, do we need this many?”
“I read fast,” Jian Xingzhi was very confident. “After I finish reading them, I’ll extract the essence and rewrite teaching materials for you. Don’t worry—with Master here, I can teach anything.”
With that, seeing Qin Wanwan struggling to hold the books, Jian Xingzhi raised his hand and moved the person-tall stack from Qin Wanwan’s hands. Holding them with one hand, he walked directly to the entrance, spread the books across the counter, and instructed: “Pack them up.”
Then he turned to look at Qin Wanwan: “Pay.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
Qin Wanwan resignedly settled the bill. The two returned to the courtyard together. Jian Xingzhi went back to read books and recuperate, while Qin Wanwan practiced her sword in the courtyard.
After resting for a day, the next day Cuilu came to call them, and everyone set out together.
Now that Cuilu had become city lord, after taking over Ghost City, she promoted a trustworthy person to temporarily manage Ghost City, then led everyone out of Ghost City together.
As the lord of a city, Cuilu traveled quite impressively. Jian Xingzhi finally got to ride a spirit beast, and Qin Wanwan also got into a carriage.
She had just boarded the carriage when Jian Xingzhi jumped in after her. Qin Wanwan was stunned and glanced at the spirit beast outside: “Master, why are you coming in?”
“I have things to teach you.”
Jian Xingzhi’s face was completely serious: “During this journey, you’ll follow me and study well.”
Qin Wanwan nodded blankly. Jian Xingzhi pulled out a book and placed it in front of Qin Wanwan: “This is the essence I summarized after studying romance secrets through the night. You have many things to learn now. Your master will teach you.”
“You can even teach me this?”
Qin Wanwan was surprised. Jian Xingzhi nodded: “That’s right. Your master wants to turn you into a female cultivator loved by all.”
“I think,” Qin Wanwan considered, “with this face transformed by Qianliu, there shouldn’t be much problem.”
“Don’t be so superficial,” Jian Xingzhi waved his hand. “People can’t just look at faces—it ultimately comes down to the soul. For example, look at me. Don’t I look good?”
“You look good.” Qin Wanwan nodded honestly. Jian Xingzhi asked again: “But would you fall in love with a soul like mine?”
Qin Wanwan shook her head frantically. She wasn’t a masochist, after all.
Jian Xingzhi was gratified: “You understand now, right? Relying only on looks will just make you fail the moment you open your mouth.”
“Your self-awareness is quite clear.”
“So I’m going to teach you to become a femme fatale. Whoever you set your sights on will like you!”
Jian Xingzhi spoke with solemn determination, then remembered: “We must complete this within five days. After five days, we’ll arrive at Beauty Cliff.”
“And then?”
“There’s a man with looks rated 90 points or above waiting for you there. This man can be romanced. If you find him acceptable, we need everything to be perfect from the moment you first meet.”
Qin Wanwan understood. She nodded and asked: “What if I don’t find him acceptable?”
“Then you’ll keep what you’ve learned in this intensive training. We’ll rescue the person, send him back to his father, and the task will be complete.”
Qin Wanwan acknowledged: “I understand.”
“The first skill of being a femme fatale we’ll learn is casting flirtatious glances.”
Jian Xingzhi opened the book, then looked at Qin Wanwan: “I researched this all night. It’s roughly like this: First, you squint your eyes. The so-called ‘flirtatious glances like silk threads’ means the eyes must be small.”
Qin Wanwan was stunned. Jian Xingzhi squinted and raised his eyebrows: “Then there’s the action of ‘casting.’ You can’t cast directly—that would seem too unsubtle. You need to build up power beforehand to have the euphemistic quality of twists and turns.”
Qin Wanwan was confused. Jian Xingzhi raised his chin toward Qin Wanwan: “Finally, ‘cast’ it out. How about that? Very seductive, right?”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
She didn’t know about seductive, but it did look kind of stupid—that was true.
“You try it.”
Jian Xingzhi instructed her.
Qin Wanwan thought for a moment: “Master, are you sure this flirtatious glance has no problems?”
“Are you questioning me?” Jian Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. “Cast one at me. I’ll verify it for you—after all, men understand men best.”
“Then…” Qin Wanwan hesitated. “Master, I’m going to be presumptuous. Let me first cast what I think is a flirtatious glance.”
“Ha, you think you can be more professional than me? I read all the books last night.”
Jian Xingzhi crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage wall, completely confident: “Come on.”
Qin Wanwan nodded. She lowered her head, then slowly raised her eyes. A pair of eyes gazed steadily at Jian Xingzhi, like autumn sky made clear, like pure water with ripples, full of tender feelings, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
Jian Xingzhi quietly looked at those eyes and felt his heartbeat quicken.
He maintained his composure on the surface. After a moment, he reminded: “Cast it.”
Qin Wanwan: “…”
Was her understanding really wrong?
She began to doubt herself.
Jian Xingzhi urged her: “Hurry up and cast the flirtatious glance.”
“I finished casting it. Let me try what Master taught then.” Qin Wanwan pondered and recalled Jian Xingzhi’s words.
First squint the eyes, then move the eyebrows, then fling it out.
Her movements were very standard. She opened her eyes and looked at Jian Xingzhi expectantly: “Master, how was that?”
“Very standard!” Jian Xingzhi praised her. “You learned very well. Just like this, everyone will like your flirtatious glances and find watching them particularly delightful.”
Qin Wanwan: “???”
Jian Xingzhi continued, turning to the second page: “Come, we’ll learn acting coquettish…”
Jian Xingzhi earnestly taught Qin Wanwan all along the way. As they happily rushed toward Desolate City, Jun Shu was supporting Shen Zhiming as they stumbled into a mountain cave.
Shen Zhiming was gasping for breath. He had been wounded by Jian Xingzhi’s flying sword, and the wound had not yet healed. Jun Shu settled Shen Zhiming on the ground and wearily stood up: “Uncle Shen, I’ll go find some water.”
Shen Zhiming didn’t speak but acknowledged with a sound.
Jun Shu turned and left to fetch water, then hunted two spirit beasts and returned.
Joyful City and Inquiry Heart Sect were hereditary allies. His father and Shen Zhiming were sworn brothers. Back then, when his father rescued Qin Wan and sent Qin Wan to Inquiry Heart Sect, he had also intended to strengthen their bond through marriage. Qin Wan was Shen Zhiming’s disciple. If he married Qin Wan, in the future Joyful City and Inquiry Heart Sect would be generational in-laws with a solid relationship—that would be a good thing.
But now Qin Wan’s whereabouts were unknown, and previously he had quarreled with Shen Zhiming over Su Yueli. After his father learned of this matter, he was extremely displeased with him and told him to go to Inquiry Heart Sect to apologize and obtain Shen Zhiming’s forgiveness.
Just when he learned that Shen Zhiming was going to obtain the Exquisite Jade, he volunteered to help. He never expected that in the end, Shen Zhiming would have to protect him, causing Shen Zhiming to be injured. Jun Shu couldn’t help feeling somewhat guilty in his heart.
He quickened his pace to the cave. Afraid of disturbing Shen Zhiming’s rest, he made no sound. But just as he entered the cave entrance, he sensed a demonic aura spreading. Jun Shu immediately became alert and swiftly swept into the cave: “Uncle Shen…”
Before his words finished, someone suddenly grabbed his throat and struck his meridians with a palm, breaking them.
That person was extremely familiar with him, instantly destroying all the life-saving measures his father had given him in the first moment, then began frantically absorbing his spiritual power.
Jun Shu’s body rapidly withered. He struggled in terror, but the gap between their cultivation levels was too great. In that person’s hands, he was like a chicken with no ability to resist whatsoever.
He tried his best to remain calm and turned his head with difficulty to see Shen Zhiming’s face covered with red veins in the green light. Something inside his body seemed to be glowing green.
“Demonic Seed…”
Jun Shu trembled as he spoke: “You actually have a Demonic Seed in your body!”
Back then, the Demonic Seed ravaged the cultivation world. Anyone carrying a Demonic Seed would be killed with all efforts by every sect and faction.
Legend had it that back then, Mingjing Shenjun became demonized overnight and slaughtered Ghost City, also because of a Demonic Seed.
But after Mingjing Shenjun died, the Demonic Seed mysteriously disappeared and never appeared in the cultivation world again. Who could have thought that the dignified Inquiry Heart Sect leader actually carried a Demonic Seed!
So even though he had already reached the Tribulation Crossing stage, he still needed the Exquisite Jade and was even willing to personally rob this opportunity.
Because he had no way to naturally ascend—he had to rely on Dengxian Gate.
And if not for Shen Zhiming being injured this time, the fact that he harbored a Demonic Seed might never have been known!
But this also meant Shen Zhiming couldn’t possibly let him live.
The instant he realized this, Jun Shu’s heart turned cold.
“What’s wrong with having a Demonic Seed?” Hearing Jun Shu’s words, Shen Zhiming gasped and laughed mockingly. “Even with a Demonic Seed, haven’t I been fine all these years? What am I inferior to others in that you all want to kill me?”
“Jun Shu, I didn’t want to kill you,” Shen Zhiming looked at Jun Shu’s rapidly aging face, his cold eyes carrying a trace of sympathy. “But the blame lies in you knowing too much.”
The moment those words fell, Jun Shu’s eyes widened. His withered body no longer had any breath of life.
Shen Zhiming threw the body aside. He didn’t notice that at the instant Jun Shu’s body hit the ground, a point of light swiftly flew out and landed somewhere high up.
Shen Zhiming checked himself. After confirming his wound had healed, he flicked his hands and, after raising his hand to scatter the bones and ashes of this corpse, walked out.
After he walked out of the cave and traveled some distance away, he whistled, and a crow landed on his shoulder.
“Go clean up the scene for me. Don’t let his father discover anything.”
The crow spread its wings and flew out. Before long, the crow flew back. It cawed a few times, and Shen Zhiming’s expression changed drastically: “That was his puppet—he escaped?!”
The crow lowered its head. Shen Zhiming quickly calmed down and spoke coldly: “Search. Seal off the surrounding area and find him immediately. After I absorbed his spiritual power, he’s already a mortal. He can’t have gone far.”
“Find him,” Shen Zhiming’s voice was chilling, “and kill him immediately.”
—
**Author’s Note:**
[Mini Theater]
Jian Xingzhi: “Master will teach you to cast flirtatious glances, teach you to act coquettish, teach you about romance. I guarantee that in the whole world, except for me, no one else will dare to like you!”