At that moment, there was wind stirring and leaves rustling, crabapple blossoms bashful, the moon hiding behind clouds.

“Wanwan,” vaguely, Qin Wanwan heard Jian Xingzhi asking her indistinctly, “Can I… can I touch you?”

Qin Wanwan nodded while holding his neck. His breathing grew heavier. The instant his hand touched her, Qin Wanwan jolted, reflexively feeling a phantom pain in her sternum.

She instinctively wanted to dodge, but felt something was wrong. While she was still hesitating, Jian Xingzhi seemed to sense something and suddenly released her. As if encountering something extremely terrifying, he rolled toward the inside of the bed, wrapped himself up, and with his back to her said: “I… I’m not forcing you. You should sleep.”

Qin Wanwan froze. She stared blankly at the person who had wrapped himself into a large cocoon with the blanket on the inner side of the bed. After a long while she finally reacted, feeling somewhat indignant: “You… you…”

She hadn’t even dodged, yet he dared to run?!

Jian Xingzhi didn’t dare speak. Curled up with his head hunched, facing away from her, he silently recited the Pure Tranquility Sutra. Qin Wanwan held it in for a long time and finally only said: “Give me back the blanket!”

Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi reacted and quickly threw the blanket over, still facing away from Qin Wanwan.

Qin Wanwan pulled the covers over herself and closed her eyes. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She turned over with her back to Jian Xingzhi, not speaking.

She somewhat wanted to kick him out, but felt that if she actually said it, he would definitely leave immediately.

This person—whatever he thought about, he couldn’t do it, but when it came to execution he was number one.

She held in her frustration, raised her eyes to stare at the magnolia flower placed beside the bed, and suddenly felt the flower wasn’t so pretty after all.

Thinking about what just happened, she couldn’t help lowering her head to glance at her own chest.

Too small? Is that why he’s so disgusted?

Wait, are his standards really that high?

The more she thought, the angrier she got. She suddenly sat up and kicked fiercely toward the side. Jian Xingzhi was startled and hurriedly turned around: “You… what are you doing?”

“What did you mean just now?!”

She stared at him demanding an answer. Jian Xingzhi’s expression was somewhat unnatural. He pulled over the blanket to cover his lower half and stammered: “No… nothing.”

“Are you disgusted by me?”

“No!” Hearing this, Jian Xingzhi was so shocked he immediately sat up and said emotionally, “I like you too much!”

The words had barely fallen when Jian Xingzhi noticed Qin Wanwan’s gaze. The blanket slid down, exposing the area he wanted to hide. Qin Wanwan stared at him blankly. Jian Xingzhi grabbed back the blanket, saying in panic: “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

Qin Wanwan was also somewhat embarrassed. Jian Xingzhi leaned against the bedside, clutching the blanket tightly, nervously explaining: “I wasn’t thinking anything improper. I really just wanted to touch a little. I really wasn’t thinking of doing anything. When we return to the immortal realm I’ll go propose marriage, I…”

Before he finished speaking, Qin Wanwan threw herself into his arms, reaching her arms around his neck, laughing softly.

Jian Xingzhi was somewhat dazed for a moment, but thinking that as long as Qin Wanwan was happy it was fine, he relaxed considerably and reached out to support her, afraid she’d fall off the bed from laughing.

Qin Wanwan leaned against Jian Xingzhi’s chest. She listened to his heartbeat for a while. After a moment, she spoke gently: “I sensed my parents’ location.”

“Mm.”

Jian Xingzhi lowered his eyes: “I also sensed it just now.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s only right.”

“Then I’ll also give you something,” Qin Wanwan thought for a moment. She released him, broke off the magnolia branch beside them, removed the flower, and kept the small stem.

The stem was enveloped in light in her hands. After a moment, it became like jade. Qin Wanwan drew out a red cord and made a small hole in the stem. She rummaged through her storage pouch to find a red string and threaded it through the small hole in the jade branch.

Jian Xingzhi watched her do all this, leaning forward curiously: “What’s this for?”

Qin Wanwan finished threading the red cord, held it up by the string and let the pendant fall naturally, dangling it before Jian Xingzhi: “For you.”

Jian Xingzhi stared blankly at the pendant swaying before his eyes, unable to look away for a moment.

Qin Wanwan raised her hand to pull aside Jian Xingzhi’s hair, reaching around his neck. Jian Xingzhi obediently lowered his head, letting Qin Wanwan tie a knot behind his neck with the string.

As Qin Wanwan tied the knot, she told him softly: “When we return to the immortal realm, I’ll properly select a piece of jade for you and make you another.”

“I…” Jian Xingzhi lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them. “I think this one is already very good.”

Qin Wanwan lowered her hands and adjusted the jade pendant’s position. After observing for a moment, she looked up and smiled: “It looks good.”

Being praised, Jian Xingzhi smiled somewhat bashfully. Suddenly reacting, he quickly grabbed the magnolia flower Qin Wanwan had set aside and, learning from her actions, made a magnolia pendant and happily put it on Qin Wanwan: “I’m giving you one too.”

Qin Wanwan smiled without speaking. After Jian Xingzhi finished fastening her pendant, Qin Wanwan lowered her head to look at it and said gently: “I like it very much.”

With that, she glanced at the sky and lay down on the bed: “Let’s sleep. Tomorrow we’ll discuss with them how to go find my parents.”

Jian Xingzhi responded and lay flat beside her.

The two pulled up the covers and closed their eyes. After a while, Qin Wanwan’s sleepiness grew heavy. She turned to her side with her back to Jian Xingzhi. Half-asleep and half-awake, she felt someone embrace her from behind.

“Wanwan,” Jian Xingzhi’s voice was very small, “this is the first time someone has given me something unrelated to cultivation.”

Qin Wanwan was somewhat drowsy. She responded vaguely: “I’ll give you more in the future.”

“Wanwan,” Jian Xingzhi buried his head behind her back and hugged her tightly. “I really, really like you.”

I really like you, who have given me so many firsts in my life.

The two slept until daybreak. Jian Xingzhi was the first to open his eyes. Seeing Qin Wanwan sleeping so sweetly, he was reluctant to leave. After thinking, he closed his eyes again.

As he drifted off to sleep in a daze, Qin Wanwan opened her eyes. Seeing Jian Xingzhi still sleeping behind her, she hesitated for a moment. Finding her parents required long-term planning—half an hour wouldn’t make a difference. For Jian Xingzhi to sleep this long, he must have been too severely injured last night. So she didn’t disturb him and closed her eyes to continue sleeping.

She closed her eyes for a while and fell asleep again. Jian Xingzhi woke from his sleep and opened his eyes in confusion, seeing Qin Wanwan still sleeping. He couldn’t help wondering—how could Qin Wanwan sleep so much?

But thinking that he also didn’t want to disturb Qin Wanwan’s sleep, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

After a while Qin Wanwan opened her eyes. She discovered that Jian Xingzhi beside her seemed not to have woken yet. She didn’t dare disturb him either and, with her back to Jian Xingzhi, began to space out.

The two lay in bed each waiting for the other to wake up, bored out of their minds. This standoff continued until midmorning when Cuilu couldn’t take it anymore and came to pound on the door.

“Jian Xingzhi, Jian Xingzhi!”

Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan both sat up with a start, listening to Cuilu outside shouting scandalous words: “Jian Xingzhi, don’t go too far! What time is it now and you still haven’t come out?!”

“Shut up!”

Hearing Cuilu’s shout, Jian Xingzhi’s face instantly turned red. He quickly got up, grabbed his clothes and threw them on, rushed out, pulled open the door, and lowered his voice to scold angrily: “Will it kill you to be quieter?!”

“Young man,” Cuilu lectured seriously, “important matters come first. Don’t indulge, understand?”

“I—” Jian Xingzhi’s ears turned red as he gritted his teeth. “I didn’t do anything! Last night there was business!”

“I knew you wouldn’t dare!” Cuilu wasn’t surprised. One sentence made Jian Xingzhi dizzy with anger: “You didn’t even do anything and you can still be indulging in there. You really have no experience.”

“You!”

“Everyone’s waiting for you in the dining hall,” Cuilu didn’t argue with him. She just moved closer and lowered her voice: “I saw Xie Gutang steal deep-fried small yellow croaker. If you come late he might eat it all!”

With that, Cuilu turned and waved: “Hurry up.”

After Cuilu left, Jian Xingzhi fumed at the door for a moment, then finally just transmitted his voice to Qin Wanwan: “Wanwan, there’s deep-fried small yellow croaker today. Hurry to the dining hall!”

With that, he went to bathe and wash up. A moment later, he rushed out the door.

Afraid Qin Wanwan would be slow, he had to rush over first to protect the small yellow croaker!

When Qin Wanwan heard the voice transmission, she was somewhat dazed for a moment.

When had the two of them fallen so low that even deep-fried small yellow croaker was worth a private voice transmission?

But thinking of the steamed buns from the past two days, she decided—hurry!

Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan rushed into the dining hall one after the other and saw a basin of deep-fried small yellow croaker on the table. Having eaten pickled vegetables and steamed buns for several meals, their eyes lit up. Jian Xingzhi pushed aside Cuilu and Nanfeng, pulled Qin Wanwan to sit down, and began serving her fish. While serving fish he thanked Xie Gutang across from them: “Old Xie, I heard you got the fish. Not bad!”

“I originally got it for myself.”

Xie Gutang’s expression was blank as he spoke calmly: “Recently, things have been too plain.”

“But you’re willing to share with everyone,” Jian Xingzhi said while eating fish, continuing to thank him. “What noble integrity!”

“It’s not noble integrity,” Nanfeng said while eating fish, taking credit. “I saw Daoist Xie bringing back fish and quickly told Sister Cuilu, and Sister Cuilu intercepted the fish!”

“Everyone eating fish,” Cuilu said happily, “is all thanks to me!”

Hearing this, Xie Gutang raised his eyes to look at Cuilu, restraining his unspoken anger.

Cuilu proudly pulled a complete fish bone from her mouth, then turned to look at Jian Xingzhi: “What did you do last night?”

“Oh, assassinated Venerable Miaoyan.”

Hearing this, the entire place fell silent. After a moment, Cuilu began coughing urgently: “Choked on a bone…”

Xie Gutang raised his hand and struck Cuilu’s back with a palm. Blood mixed with fish bones sprayed out. Qin Wanwan, holding her fish, watched dumbfounded.

Cuilu took a handkerchief from Nanfeng, turned back around, and while wiping her mouth said: “You… you killed him?”

“No,” Jian Xingzhi gnawed on his fish. “How could I kill him? I tested him and found the location of Wanwan’s parents.”

“Where?”

Cuilu immediately pressed for details. Jian Xingzhi raised his chin toward the east: “Behind that mountain.”

Hearing this, Cuilu and Xie Gutang exchanged glances and both fell silent.

Qin Wanwan immediately realized there was a problem: “What place is behind that mountain?”

“It’s the Wuxiang Sect’s forbidden zone, Xuanshan.”

Xie Gutang began explaining. Neither Qin Wanwan nor Jian Xingzhi knew what this place was. Qin Wanwan asked: “Xuanshan?”

“Xuanshan is its name,” Cuilu explained. “Legend has it that ten thousand years ago, before the Wuxiang Sect was established, this area was flat land. One day a star fell from the sky, landing and forming a mountain. This star was not of this world, so this mountain became a place overlooked by the Heavenly Dao. Spiritual energy was abundant, ungoverned by the Heavenly Dao. Plants grew without order, spirit beasts knew neither good nor evil. But precisely because of this, many spiritual herbs and rare treasures grew on the mountain. Among them was a spirit beast called the Evil Beast. It preferred evil and despised good. It was a local tyrant on the mountain. One day, a small team went up the mountain wanting to gather spiritual herbs. Heavy snow fell from the sky and they encountered this Evil Beast. The Evil Beast promised them that if one person was willing to voluntarily stay behind, the rest could freely choose one treasure from the mountain and leave. And if one of those who left was willing to bring back a hundred taels of gold to redeem him, then the person who stayed could safely leave.”

“What if no one came back?” Jian Xingzhi pressed.

Xie Gutang answered in a low voice: “At that time the mountain was covered in heavy snow. The Evil Beast gave this person one year. If no one returned, he would freeze to death on the mountain.”

“And someone really stayed behind?” Jian Xingzhi raised an eyebrow.

Cuilu nodded.

“At that time there was a scholar. He was kind-natured and from a poor family. To obtain a spiritual herb for his mother, he followed the team up the mountain. When everyone hesitated, he chose to stay behind, then asked one of the brothers to choose the herb that could save his mother and take it down the mountain, and asked one of the merchants to bring back a hundred taels of gold to redeem him. Everyone agreed and left him behind. But in reality, the herb for his mother wasn’t valuable. No one was willing to use their only chance to choose a cheap spiritual herb.”

“So his mother died.”

Qin Wanwan understood. Cuilu sighed and continued: “That’s right. They didn’t save his mother. First, they feared he would resent them. Second, they weren’t willing to use a hundred taels of gold to save someone they’d just met. Third, their behavior of pushing responsibility onto each other and begging for mercy on the mountain had been too ugly. After selling their treasures, those people all became important figures. They didn’t want anyone to know about this past incident. The scholar had no relatives or friends. Even if he died on the mountain, no one would pursue it. So not one of that group returned. They just left the scholar alone on the mountain to wait for death.”

“What does this have to do with Xuanshan?”

“After the scholar died, Xuanshan had a heavy snowfall,” Cuilu turned to look toward Xuanshan. “The snow was black. When it touched the ground it became evil energy. From then on, Xuanshan was surrounded by evil energy that invaded people’s minds. This place was not governed by the Heavenly Dao. All living beings’ evil thoughts gathered there. Many years later, the Evil God was born here. The founder of the Wuxiang Sect received a heavenly mandate to come here, sealed Xuanshan, and established the Wuxiang Sect. From then on, except for the Wuxiang Sect’s leader, no one knew how to enter Xuanshan.”

“So the Evil God was sealed in Xuanshan back then?” Jian Xingzhi was curious. “Then how is he running around freely outside now?”

“He escaped.” Xie Gutang answered. “A thousand years ago, a human monarch was excessively brutal, causing widespread suffering and evil thoughts to run rampant in the mortal realm. After the Evil God’s power grew, he learned to plant demon seeds. After he planted a demon seed in and controlled a sect leader who had been to Xuanshan, he was released. From then on he brought chaos to the cultivation world until he disappeared after being sealed by True Lord Mingjing a hundred years ago.”

“So…” Qin Wanwan understood. “The Evil God’s matter actually arose from one person’s resentment, yet it toppled all living beings.”

Everyone fell silent. Jian Xingzhi drank a mouthful of tea and chuckled lightly: “Where is there any one person’s resentment toppling all living beings? It was just that he happened to be the straw that broke the tofu tower.”

“Discussing these past events is pointless,” Cuilu said, seeing them becoming contemplative. Her tone became lighter again: “Right now the most important thing is how to get in.”

“How about…” Jian Xingzhi considered. “We kidnap Yuehu?”

“I think this idea is feasible.”

Cuilu clapped her hands: “I’ve found him displeasing for a long time.”

“Indeed,” Xie Gutang nodded. “For a sect leader to be this stingy, kidnapping him couldn’t be more appropriate.”

Qin Wanwan listened to their decision, feeling somewhat panicked: “Are you sure kidnapping someone’s sect leader won’t be a problem?”

“No problem,” Cuilu was already tugging at her Immortal-Binding Rope. Xie Gutang and Jian Xingzhi were both examining their swords to see if they needed sharpening. Cuilu turned her head, quite seriously: “My Immortal-Binding Rope is specially made. It can bind him!”

“I’m not asking about that…”

Qin Wanwan steeled herself: “I mean…”

“Um,” Nanfeng, having listened for a long time, couldn’t help but speak up weakly: “The Xuanshan you’re talking about…”

As he spoke, he unfolded a notice and placed it on the table: “Are you referring to this Xuanshan, the final venue for the alliance leader selection competition?”

Hearing this, everyone froze.

Jian Xingzhi was the first to rush over. After examining it carefully for a moment, he spoke happily: “That’s right! Wanwan!” He turned excitedly to look at Qin Wanwan. “I told you, you’re destined to become the woman who leads the Immortal Alliance!”

“Register.”

Cuilu put down her rope and immediately spoke: “Register right now!”

As Jian Xingzhi’s group rushed toward the Immortal Alliance leader registration point, in the hall of the Wuxiang Sect’s floating mountain island, Venerable Miaoyan sat on high while Yuehu knelt on the ground, reporting last night’s results: “This disciple tracked the teleportation array and arrived at Jian Xingzhi’s residence. Jian Xingzhi’s cultivation is too high. If this disciple were to act, I fear the losses would be too severe. I implore the Ancestor to personally act and establish the Wuxiang Sect’s authority!”

Venerable Miaoyan didn’t speak. He propped up his forehead, listening to Yuehu chattering below.

After talking for a long time, the summary was:

Can’t win, need help, please big brother take action.

Venerable Miaoyan clenched his fist, restraining his emotions behind the gauze veil: “What about the other sects? Tell them he assassinated me. Won’t they help?”

“Without evidence, the other sects probably won’t act,” Yuehu barely maintained his composure. “Besides, our relationship isn’t that good…”

Hearing this, Venerable Miaoyan’s head ached.

He didn’t speak, and Yuehu didn’t dare speak either. After a long time, Venerable Miaoyan finally spoke: “How are the alliance leader selection preparations?”

“Everything is ready. As you instructed, the finals are arranged at Xuanshan. When does the Ancestor plan to act and capture Jian Xingzhi to establish authority?”

“Can you register this venerable one?” Venerable Miaoyan dodged the question about capturing Jian Xingzhi, constantly trying to change the topic.

“This disciple has already registered the Venerable One. When does the Venerable plan to capture Jian Xingzhi?”

Venerable Miaoyan fell silent. After a moment, he finally spoke.

“Jian Xingzhi will definitely participate in the Immortal Alliance leader selection. On Xuanshan, this venerable one has his own plans.”

Hearing Venerable Miaoyan agree to capture Jian Xingzhi, Yuehu breathed a sigh of relief. He bowed deeply and shouted: “The Ancestor is mighty! The Ancestor is wise!”

“Go.” Venerable Miaoyan’s voice was very cold. “Remember to also take away their pickled vegetables.”

“Yes!”

When it came to withholding food from Jian Xingzhi’s group, Yuehu handled it with great ease.

Yuehu respectfully saluted and left. Venerable Miaoyan suddenly began coughing violently. After he coughed up blood, a puppet-like attendant beside him respectfully handed him a handkerchief.

“Besides that idiot,” Venerable Miaoyan gasped, asking the puppet beside him viciously, “doesn’t the Wuxiang Sect have anyone else who can be sect leader?!”

“Replying to Master,” the puppet’s voice was mechanical, “they’re all killed. This is the last one.”

The last one…

Venerable Miaoyan closed his eyes, his lips trembling.

Then wait until the Immortal Alliance assembly… after the Immortal Alliance assembly…

He suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a fierce expression.

He would kill him first!

—

**Author’s Note:**

**[Mini Theater]**

Venerable Miaoyan: “Jian Xingzhi hit me. Go capture him.”

Yuehu goes to capture him, gets beaten back by Jian Xingzhi.

Yuehu: “Ancestor, Jian Xingzhi hit me. You must help me get revenge!”

Venerable Miaoyan: “Have you organized the Immortal Alliance leader competition properly?”

Yuehu: “It’s organized. When will you help me get revenge?”

Venerable Miaoyan: “Did you register me?”

Yuehu: “I registered you. How do you plan to get revenge?”

Venerable Miaoyan erupts: “The Jian Xingzhi I need to deal with now—do I still need you?!! Right now all we can do is withhold their meal allowance, understand, you idiot?!”

Yuehu: “Then we’re done for. We can’t even withhold their meal allowance anymore. They went and stole deep-fried small yellow croaker themselves.”

Venerable Miaoyan: “…Author, when can I get my box lunch and go offline? The villain team is too hard to lead. I don’t want to do this anymore.”