After Yin Changli finished speaking, he smiled slightly at Meng Xilou before walking around him and continuing toward Xiang Haikui.

Meng Xilou didn’t understand this term, but “ham” wasn’t a good character.

Yet the other’s demeanor made him think this might be a Buddhist expression?

After all, who would maintain such a devout appearance while cursing?

“What does ‘hamfat’ mean?” he asked the elder in his sea of consciousness.

The elder: “Uh, probably similar to the Buddhist term for ‘fool’?”

Meng Xilou discovered that this old creature, who had been so boastful in the Upper Realm, was utterly useless after descending to the mortal world: “Find out which Buddha said this. I want to know all the information about this Buddha within a quarter of an hour.”

Xiang Haikui watched as Yin Changli walked to her side, raised his arm, and grasped the handle of the oil-paper parasol floating above her head.

With his arm strength, the umbrella surface tilted slightly.

Xiang Haikui lowered her head, seeing her shadow on the ground completely covered by the parasol.

Oh.

She hadn’t moved the parasol, and as the sun rose, her arm was exposed outside the umbrella.

So, the current situation was that the boss was standing while she was sitting, the boss was holding the umbrella for her—had she reached the pinnacle of her life?!

“Miss Xiang.” Yin Changli used voice transmission.

“Hmm?” Xiang Haikui didn’t dare look up, staring at the sunflowers embroidered around his waistline.

Yin Changli said, “Your current situation is difficult, yet I cannot help.”

He could draw warmth from being by her side, yet couldn’t reciprocate with the same warmth.

This made him feel guilty.

Xiang Haikui hurriedly said, “I don’t find it difficult at all. Senior, you’ve already helped me a great deal.”

Troubles that one can handle aren’t troubles.

Inability is the root of suffering.

For her, the wielder of Tian Kuang Sword, the current situation was merely a matter of meeting challenges head-on.

And all of this was thanks to the boss’s principle of “teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish.”

She feared the boss not because of his high cultivation, wealth, intelligence, or the depth of the traps he set.

It was because in conversations with the boss, just a few sentences could directly touch her soul.

The wisdom the boss possessed wasn’t something that every veteran elder automatically acquired.

Take her master, for example—twice the age of the boss, yet with similarly pragmatic sentiments. Compared to the boss, it was as if his years had been lived in vain.

And Xiang Haikui, holding Tian Kuang, as if possessed by the spirit of a supreme lord, was confident that shortly, she could conquer the heavens and earth.

But she was very aware that in this lifetime, she would never be able to conquer the boss.

This was probably also why Tian Kuang particularly enjoyed obtaining wild intent from the boss.

While she was letting her thoughts wander, Yin Changli remained silent.

After a long time, he finally spoke: “I just asked Dao Chen, and he believes that with his reputation, he can protect you. Why not give it a try?”

Xiang Haikui returned to her senses, surprised: “Dao Chen?”

As she asked, she saw the bead string on his wrist slowly light up.

This was Tianren Sword releasing its power.

Tianren’s power truly resembled a beauty camera, instantly switching to “white lotus” and “holy father” mode. The boss was immediately enveloped in a halo of sacred radiance.

Yin Changli nodded: “I’ve kept Dao Chen in my sea of consciousness, locked away.”

Xiang Haikui frowned: “Aren’t you afraid he’ll counterattack?”

Yin Changli: “It doesn’t matter. With his soul power compared to mine, it’s like an ant trying to shake a tree.”

As he said this, there wasn’t a trace of pride on his face.

His tone was also flat and straightforward, merely stating a fact.

“He has done many bad things, but under Tianren’s influence, he has also saved many people, so his merits and demerits balance out.” But this wasn’t the reason Yin Changli spared Dao Chen. The main reason was, “When searching through his memories, I discovered that his father is a remarkable figure in this world…”

Xiang Haikui: “Who?”

Yin Changli replied: “The person mentioned by Lu Xiqiao’s father during their talisman communication—the Supreme Elder of the Sword Academy at Jin Ling Institute.”

Xiang Haikui was shocked: “One of the Three Sword Lords, Jing Wen?”

Senior Xue’s current master’s.

Xiang Tianqing’s future master.

Yin Changli: “Yes.”

Xiang Haikui was puzzled: “I heard this Sword Lord is single.”

Yin Changli shook his head: “I couldn’t search too much, just some scattered fragments. I only know that Chen deeply hates him and wants to become the strongest sword cultivator in the world, also to defeat and humiliate him. As for the reason, it remains unknown.”

So he couldn’t kill Dao Chen.

That Sword Lord might be able to sense it.

The two conversed via voice transmission under the sun, and the tense, murderous atmosphere in the City Lord’s mansion eased slightly.

Facing Xiang Haikui, this “demon,” the guards had all been on edge.

But as the “Master” so casually walked in and went to her side to hold the umbrella, over time, even she didn’t seem so hateful anymore.

At this moment, Yin Changli pressed his palms together and uttered “Amitabha”: “Everyone, may this humble monk say a word?”

All eyes turned to him.

Yin Changli touched the bead string on his wrist, which was releasing the sword energy of benevolence, and spoke slowly: “Miss Xiang is not the true murderer of Young Master Ye.”

People looked at each other in confusion.

“The situation is precarious,” the elder in Meng Xilou’s sea of consciousness warned. “Dao Chen’s prestige can only be suppressed by Xiang Heng. You should quickly cut off his words. While everyone is indignant, use collective force to justifiably capture this woman, and then brutally kill her tomorrow!”

Meng Xilou: “Did you find out about the Buddha I asked you to research?”

The elder: “Young Master, trust me, the Young Miss will be fine!”

Meng Xilou questioned: “You asked me to trust you before, saying your lousy plan could capture her. What happened?”

The elder insisted: “Young Master, seeing you delay action, Huai Mie must have stepped forward for the Young Miss’s sake. If he dies under this woman’s sword… he is your shadow.”

These noble young masters from great families had many dark guards cultivated by their families.

But there was only one shadow.

Huai Mie had signed a shadow contract at Meng Xilou’s birth and received careful cultivation from the family.

Meng Xilou coldly smiled: “If the avatar is killed, at most the true body will be injured. Daring to disobey my orders and act on his own, receiving some lesson is appropriate.”

The elder: “This woman came prepared and might have a soul lock gifted by an expert.”

Once a soul lock locks onto an avatar, it can kill the true body as well!

“Huai Mie isn’t like you; he doesn’t have a protective divine artifact…”

Meng Xilou scornfully interrupted: “How do you know he will lose? You’re boosting others’ confidence and dampening our spirit.”

The elder realized that even now, his young master still leaned toward capturing this woman.

Ah, the family had sent the young master to the lower realm to protect the Young Miss, and also to temper him a bit.

The young master had ability, but he had always been arrogant and contemptuous of others.

The elder advised: “Young Master, you should abandon this plan. You cannot subdue this woman; she doesn’t like your type. Did you see? When Dao Chen entered earlier, she was flustered. She must like the gentle, saintly type like Dao Chen. You have no chance.”

Meng Xilou’s face darkened.

“Young Master, I am truly disappointed in you.”

These words weren’t from the elder but from Huai Mie.

Meng Xilou coldly said, “You still have the face to see me?”

Huai Mie sighed: “You suddenly changed the plan and became so close to this lowly mortal woman. The Young Miss is very unhappy. Now, I have already created an opportunity, a favorable situation, yet you have delayed it…”

Just as Meng Xilou was about to speak, Huai Mie continued: “Since that’s the case, let me kill her with my ability…”

Previously, Huai Mie said he wasn’t confident, only because it concerned the Young Miss. He didn’t dare to be the slightest bit negligent and wanted Meng Xilou to act.

Unexpectedly, Meng Xilou suddenly overturned the previous plan and told him to wait.

No, he couldn’t wait any longer.

Two hundred years, a full two hundred years, the Young Miss was finally about to embark on the path of merit, receiving widespread attention…

Tian Kuang trembled, and Xiang Haikui suddenly stood up. Her palm opened and closed, and the sword hilt was in her hand.

People were listening to Yin Changli’s speech and were startled, raising their spirit bows.

Xiang Haikui pointed in a random direction: “Since you’ve come and revealed your killing intent for me to sense, why hide your face!”

Huai Mie’s figure appeared faintly in midair. In the phantom image, he seemed to be admiring his beautiful hand: “Didn’t you challenge me to a duel? At the city gate? Let’s go.”

Xiang Haikui also saw his hand.

Just one glance, and that feeling of trembling came.

It must be him.

Xiang Haikui suddenly put her sword away: “Tomorrow at noon, we’ll fight. It’s good for you, and good for me.”

Tomorrow was when her father’s true qi would complete a full cycle.

Convenient for him to brutally kill her.

Also convenient for her that after the battle, her father’s crisis would be resolved.

“Tomorrow at noon, at the city gate. Don’t stand me up.” After leaving a series of strange laughs, his phantom disappeared.

Xiang Haikui threw her sword into the case, strapped it to her back, and prepared to go to the Buddha Cave.

The Buddha Cave was surrounded by a desolate desert, with an open view, and protected by the power of Buddha light, evil forces couldn’t invade.

Additionally, with “Master Dao Chen” monitoring her, everyone in Silver Sand City would be at ease.

“After sunset tomorrow, I will give you all an explanation,” Xiang Haikui said to everyone.

If she could kill this person, Ye Qianzhi would find a way to come out and clear her name.

People were somewhat confused. She had invited the murderer to a decisive battle, and a demon cultivator appeared?

The City Lord’s mansion was already closed. How did this demon cultivator get in?

People looked toward Meng Xilou.

Meng Xilou did not react.

So they made way, allowing Xiang Haikui to follow the “Master” out of the City Lord’s mansion.

The elder sighed deeply: “Young Master ah!”

Meng Xilou turned and went to see his sister: “Can the shadow cultivated with such effort by the family not accept a challenge from a mere mortal woman?”

The elder: “Alas!”

…

Xiang Haikui’s journey out of the city was like a death row prisoner on parade, receiving countless hateful glares.

But because the “Master” was by her side, no one threw rotten vegetables or rotten eggs at her.

“Are you confident?” Yin Changli asked her.

“I’ll give it my all,” Xiang Haikui said.

This pervert was a demon in her heart.

Several times, she had woken up startled from dreams because of him.

Regardless of the reason, she had to use all her strength to defeat him.

Yin Changli smiled: “That’s good.”

Watching him smooth his sleeves, spreading out the folded sunflower embroidery, Xiang Haikui couldn’t help but ask: “Senior, did you embroider sunflowers because my name has the character ‘kui’ in it?”

Yin Changli was slightly embarrassed and didn’t answer.

Xiang Haikui clicked her tongue: “When you hadn’t lost your memory, you didn’t interpret my name as a flower.”

Yin Changli was curious: “Then how was it interpreted?”

Xiang Haikui vividly recounted her first practical training when he had tricked her into fighting hyenas.

“You said I could counter hyenas. I thought my Tian Kuang Sword countered hyenas, so I flew down full of confidence.”

“But what happened? I was chased, running with my head in my hands. Only then did I realize you meant that I, as a ‘sea anemone,’ a coelenterate without an anus, specifically countered hyenas that like to dig through anuses. I was so angry I nearly died on the spot.”

Now thinking back, she couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing.

And thinking about the time, it was just two months ago.

In just two short months, everything had changed drastically.

After returning to the Buddha Cave, Xiang Haikui found an empty room to adjust her breath.

Injecting the flood dragon into Xiang Tianqing was just an experiment that consumed much of her spiritual power.

Halfway through her adjustment, she remembered she needed to ask Bai Xingxian for a soul lock.

She had one, but feared it wouldn’t be enough.

It was now evening, and Bai Xingxian was sitting on the bare rock steps outside the Buddha Cave.

Xiang Haikui looked for him for a long time and only found him after asking a little monk.

“Little Bai,” she greeted him and went to sit down.

But Bai Xingxian didn’t acknowledge her.

Xiang Haikui covered her mouth and yawned, turning to see his eyes blank. Her heart skipped a beat: “What’s wrong?”

Bai Xingxian turned slightly and extended a pair of fair, slender hands toward her: “Little Sister Kui, can you cut off my fingers? I can’t bring myself to do it.”

Xiang Haikui:?

Bai Xingxian’s eyes were red-rimmed: “Uncle made me embroider again.”

Xiang Haikui widened her eyes: “Did he ask you to change plants to animals?”

From sunflowers to sea anemones?

“Miss Xiang.” Before Bai Xingxian could answer, she heard Yin Changli call from behind.

Turning around, Xiang Haikui’s two black eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.

The boss had changed into a new monk’s robe. On that moon-white monk’s robe, at intervals of one fist’s width, was embroidered a black… hyena?

Yin Changli stood at the entrance to the Buddha Cave, bathed in the evening sun, which gave him a thin layer of golden radiance.

And his smile, just like the sunset, was warm but not intense, radiant but not harsh.

This was the most perfect curve he had found after countless attempts at curving his lips in front of a bronze mirror.

“Sea anemones counter hyenas.” Yin Changli pointed at Xiang Haikui, then at himself, meaning “you counter me.” “Miss Xiang, can you forgive me for the incident at Wind Ravine?”

Xiang Haikui didn’t answer.

Ignoring Tian Kuang jumping like a grasshopper in the sword case, she twisted her neck like a zombie and turned to look at Bai Xingxian beside her.

“Little Bai, I’ll chop off your fingers if you cut out my tongue?”

Bai Xingxian, with tears in his eyes, nodded.