Central Province, Silver Sand City.

“Where is Little Kui? Where is my daughter?!” Xiang Heng, at the center of the formation plate, was stunned for a moment before violently spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“Father?” As the formation flames extinguished, Xiang Tianqing outside the formation hurriedly stepped forward and knelt beside her father.

“Little Kui has disappeared…” Last time, Xiang Heng had retrieved the wrong person, so he tried again, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t sense her with his spiritual soul power. This meant she was no longer on Earth—was she dead?

Xiang Tianqing saw black energy gradually spreading in his eyes, knowing that the demonic energy suppressed within his body was surging up again. She hastily grasped his hand: “Father, please calm down first…”

In the past, whenever her father showed these symptoms, as long as she comforted him, he would gradually calm down.

“How can you expect me to calm down?!” Xiang Heng suddenly flung his hand away, and his uncontrollable power sent Xiang Tianqing flying off the formation plate, crashing to the ground.

Xiang Tianqing felt a dull pain in her chest, somewhat unable to believe what had happened.

The demonic energy in Xiang Heng’s eyes slowly dissipated. As soon as he regained clarity, he hurriedly went to help her up: “I’m sorry, Little Qing. I lost control again.”

“I’m fine, Father. Don’t worry.” Xiang Tianqing lowered her eyes, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and helped wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Perhaps you’ve been overexerting your spiritual power lately, which is why you can’t sense Little Sister Kui. Why don’t you rest for a while and try again?”

Looking at his obedient, sensible, and thoughtful daughter, the last trace of demonic energy in Xiang Heng’s eyes also dispersed. He nodded: “Mm.”

Xiang Tianqing accompanied him back to the City Lord’s mansion, where they found Jing Ran standing against the wall outside. Though positioned in a corner, his posture was perfectly straight, like a tree.

Upon learning that Xiang Haikui couldn’t be sensed, he frowned slightly: “Uncle, wouldn’t it be easier for you to send me back than to bring her here?”

Xiang Heng asked: “Young man, do you want to go back?”

Jing Ran said, “If you can’t bring Miss Xiang over in the short term, I need to return for a while. Otherwise, my disappearance might cause trouble for her.”

Xiang Heng, also originally from China, had already thought of this and had planned to discuss it with Jing Ran. But he was worried this young man, who didn’t even want to see his parents again, would not agree.

Just as he was fretting about it, unexpectedly, Jing Ran brought it up himself.

Xiang Heng couldn’t help but look at him more carefully. When he had retrieved the wrong person, this young man had been with Little Kui, and he hadn’t even been wearing pants…

“Uncle?” Jing Ran noticed his gaze suddenly contained a hint of scrutiny and faint dissatisfaction, leaving him puzzled.

“Oh?” Xiang Heng clasped his hands: “Then I truly thank you. After I recuperate for a couple of days, I’ll send you back.”

Jing Ran nodded.

As Xiang Heng returned to his room to rest, and Jing Ran was about to leave, Xiang Tianqing called out to him: “Young Master Jing.”

Jing Ran stopped: “Does the Young Lady need something from me?”

Xiang Tianqing pressed her lips tightly together, hands behind her back, anxiously pinching her fingers nearly to the point of drawing blood, before nervously asking: “Could Young Master Jing tell me what kind of girl my little sister Kui is?”

Jing Ran was silent for a moment: “Actually, I don’t have much impression of her.”

They were in different years and different majors, only in the same club. Apart from club activities, they had barely met.

When Xiang Haikui had confessed to him, she said they had been in neighboring classes in high school, and that he had helped her once, which was why she liked him. He truly had no recollection of this at all.

But that night on the mountaintop, when an anomaly suddenly appeared above their heads and he was grabbed by a ghostly claw, most people would have either been petrified with fear or run away. Her first reaction, however, had been to jump up and grab his leg.

In that brief moment, she probably hadn’t even understood what was happening—it was purely an instinctive response to danger.

Jing Ran made his assessment: “She is a very brave girl.”

He had heard that on the cultivation path, it was best to have no debts. Since he owed her a debt of “courage,” he was willing to go back to help her and repay this favor.

In Phoenix Garden, Xiang Haikui had been struck by lightning balls twenty-nine times, her entire body crackling with electric arcs.

Finally, before the thirtieth lightning ball could descend, she had knocked down all the people hunting her.

And during the fighting process, she had also found the mechanism controlling the lightning balls.

It was an artificially controlled formation array, similar to sect formations, like mountain-sealing arrays.

She wasn’t sure if it was designed to prevent thieves or to electrocute those disobedient phoenixes that tried to escape.

After turning off the array plate switch, the lightning balls in the sky immediately dispersed like clouds and smoke. Exhausted, she threw down her sword and lay spread-eagled on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” she called out while lying there.

This apology was directed at the dozens of people who had also fallen to the ground, crying out in pain.

Shortly after, she heard Yin Changli’s laughter: “Not bad, you finished in half the time I expected.”

A whirlwind swept down, lifting her.

When the storm subsided, she was already lying in Yin Changli’s small black-sphere palace.

Yin Changli sat at the head, his long hair piled across the floor.

A jade zither was placed on the table before him. He wasn’t playing it, but held the music score in one hand while elegantly sipping tea from a translucent cup in the other.

When the tea ran low, Tuntun Shu would bring a kettle to refill it.

He took a sip of tea and glanced at Xiang Haikui: “I suspect your brain is only the size of a cherry. You’ve been tricked by me before, yet you still have no caution.”

Xiang Haikui replied while lying down: “Because I know Senior won’t harm me.”

Yin Changli paused slightly.

Having rested enough, Xiang Haikui got up: “Senior Yin, you’ve set me up, but I know it’s for my good. No matter how disrespectful I might sound, I’m grateful to you in my heart. However, today you went too far.”

“Hmm? So I’m not excessive on other days?” Yin Changli responded with self-awareness, speaking without even lifting his eyelids.

Xiang Haikui picked up her tattered skirt and stepped forward, now separated from him only by a table.

She spoke sternly: “Hyenas will eat people without reason—we’re natural enemies, so killing them is understandable. But today, these were just garden caretakers…”

They were only doing their jobs. With this incident in the garden, how would their masters deal with them?

In modern society, they might just be fired, but in the cultivation world, people might die.

She was speaking now, hoping Yin Changli would handle the aftermath and make arrangements.

Only then did Yin Changli lift his eyelids slightly: “You can barely take care of yourself, yet you’re still so concerned about others.”

“I ignored them for my training, using them as stepping stones. It’s the same principle as those people from the Upper Realm using my father and me as stepping stones to train Xiang Tianqing.”

The weak get bullied by the strong, then go on to bully the weaker—is this the rule of the food chain?

If she accepted this rule, what was the point of her struggle? She might as well just accept her fate!

Yin Changli was raising his cup to drink tea. Hearing this, he put the cup down and chuckled lightly: “Who taught you this principle?”

Xiang Haikui: “My father!”

Her father had loved her dearly, spoiled her—though their family was desperately poor, when sharing a bowl of noodles, she would always eat the noodles while he drank the broth. But that hadn’t stopped him from spanking her when needed.

The first time she was spanked was when a customer miscalculated while buying breakfast, overpaying by fifty cents. She knew it was wrong but didn’t speak up, and even mocked the person’s stupidity to her father.

Yin Changli’s expression was playful as he used his thumb to wipe away a drop of tea from his lower lip: “This is why I became curious and decided to tell his fortune after I met him. I knew that with such an approach to life, he would never get far on the path of longevity. I was merely bored and wanted to see how he would die.”

Seeing Xiang Haikui’s darkening face about to speak, he added, “Rest assured, the owner of the Phoenix Garden is an old acquaintance of mine. I’ve already spoken to them and made substantial compensation. For them, this is not a calamity but an opportunity.”

Xiang Haikui was stunned: “Really?”

Yin Changli: “Of course it’s true. Every cause has its effect. I don’t like to be entangled in karma, so I rarely form bonds or grudges with others.”

Tuntun Shu, hugging the teapot, nodded vigorously beside him.

“Ah! You should have said so earlier.” Xiang Haikui rolled her eyes, feeling she had wasted so much breath.

She immediately relaxed, then looked at the teacup in his hand, smacking her lips.

Yin Changli smiled and got a cup for her.

She gulped down several large cups, then saw her ghostly appearance reflected in the water, making her twitch at the corners of her mouth.

Her hairstyle was beyond mention, and her face, already poisoned, was swollen like a steamed bun.

She was truly curious how Yin Changli had managed not to laugh: “Senior, do you have any magic that can help me recover?”

Yin Changli continued looking at the zither score: “You’ll return to normal in a couple of days.”

“Well, as long as you don’t find it bothersome.” She didn’t mind maintaining this appearance since only they were present.

He replied casually: “It’s all the same to me.”

Xiang Haikui:?

What did that mean?

Was he saying she was ugly even without the poison?

The big shot’s aesthetic sense was lacking. She thought she looked quite nice—when lamenting her bad luck in the past, she would often mutter the phrase “beautiful women have always had tragic fates.”

As she was internally complaining, she suddenly noticed something: “Senior, what happened to your hands?”

Both his hands had formed a thin layer of white frost on the surface. They hadn’t been like that when he had gathered his hair above the gorge.

“Mind your own business.” Yin Changli did not explain, turning a page of the score. “Do you know why, even though you were already exhausted, I still insisted on taking you to practice?”

Xiang Haikui thought to herself, isn’t it obvious? All bosses are this underhanded.

He was her life-saving benefactor, but also her employer, buying her life to fulfill his purpose.

Yin Changli: “Your hundred-day training will be reduced to eighty days.”

Xiang Haikui was surprised: “Why?”

Fifty days had already passed, which meant only thirty days remained.

“Because in thirty days, I need to go on a long journey, and you must leave.”

Xiang Haikui finally understood. Although according to destiny, she would die half a year later, he had only given her a hundred days.

So it was because he only had a hundred days to spare.

Xiang Haikui wasn’t a fool. Looking at the frost on his hands, she understood he must have some kind of ailment that needed treatment.

…

With time compressed, Xiang Haikui, who originally could sleep for over two hours each day, now relied entirely on spirit pills spat out by Tuntun Shu to stay energized.

Qi Yin’s lectures were all practical combat experience.

After the lectures, Yin Changli would take her to various places to challenge opponents of equivalent levels.

Moreover, he never told her who her opponents were, setting traps at any time and place.

Having become accustomed to being set up, Xiang Haikui now faced sudden situations with complete emotional detachment—a wooden expression on her face as she drew her sword to strike.

“Master, this disciple will miss you.”

On the day she left Ten Thousand Bones Cavern, Xiang Haikui knelt to bid farewell to Qi Yin.

As she prepared to kowtow, she heard Qi Yin say: “In the future, when you’re outside, don’t mention that you are my disciple.”

Xiang Haikui agreed immediately.

Though curious, she had never asked about her master’s identity, because she knew there wasn’t a true master-disciple relationship between them.

Master was merely fulfilling someone else’s request, giving her some guidance.

Xiang Haikui wasn’t upset. She didn’t cling to the concept that “one who has been your teacher for a day is your father for life.” She had had many teachers.

Qi Yin’s voice carried some emotion: “Few in this world know my name now, but I fear that if anyone does, it would bring disaster to you. Except for one who betrayed me, none of my disciples have met good ends.”

Xiang Haikui’s breath caught—she had thought she wasn’t worthy…

Only at this moment did she feel as if she had established some genuine connection with her master. Her eyes grew slightly moist: “Master, will we have a chance to meet again?”

She couldn’t even find Ten Thousand Bones Cavern on any map.

Qi Yin pulled at the iron chains binding him: “I will always be here. As long as you can stay alive, we master and disciple will naturally meet again.”

Xiang Haikui nodded firmly.

“Alright, go now.” Yin Changli stood with his hands behind his back, smiling. “I told you before, I would only help you this far. However, I have found an assistant for you. He is also a wielder of one of the Twelve Divine Swords, holding the Tianbao Sword. His cultivation is slightly higher than yours, and his brain doesn’t work much better than yours, but it’s still better than you being alone and helpless.”

Oh, he was even providing a teammate?

Through their interactions over these days, some feelings had developed between them, even if they were formed through being set up. Suddenly receiving this gesture, Xiang Haikui abruptly had the thought that this boss wasn’t so bad after all.

“When you exit through the passageway, there’s a formation plate that will take you out of Ten Thousand Bones Cavern. The Tianbao Sword wielder will be waiting for you there. He will take you to Silver Sand City, back to your father.” Yin Changli handed her the demon-dispelling medicine, dusted his sleeves, and said, “Go now.”

After walking about a dozen steps toward the exit, Xiang Haikui suddenly turned around, knelt, and with reddened eyes, wordlessly kowtowed three times.

Then she rose and walked away quickly.

Carrying a heavy carved wooden sword box containing the Tian Kuang Sword, her thin and weak body gradually disappeared at the end of the passageway.

Yin Changli turned his face to find Qi Yin’s eyes had reddened, and teased: “It was only a few dozen days of acquaintance. You might be the most sentimental Qiongqi in this world.”

“A master-disciple relationship, even if just for a day, is still a bond of fate.” After this sentiment, Qi Yin turned back to glare at him fiercely. “Keep running your mouth! It’s not like you’ll be able to do so for much longer anyway!”

“You can tell I’m going into hibernation?”

“From the moment you brought her here, calling me ‘Master Qi’ instead of ‘Qi Mad Dog,’ I knew. You’re not just going into hibernation—you want to hibernate in my Ten Thousand Bones Cavern.”

Yin Changli immediately switched to a respectful demeanor, bowing with cupped hands: “In that case, I thank you in advance for taking care of Changli.”

Yin Changli’s true form was a snake with a special bloodline.

Born naturally powerful, he needed to hibernate for a period every few hundred years, similar to winter hibernation.

“Why has it come early?” Qi Yin glanced at the frost on his hands. “Is it because of your earlier confrontation with Luo Yunxiu?”

Yin Changli: “As the current Blissful Palace Master, she isn’t so easily dealt with.”

With his hibernation period approaching, his power was nearly depleted. If he hadn’t feared that the woman’s ruthlessness would lead her to kill Xiang Haikui, he wouldn’t have revealed himself.

That kick had used up a tenth of his power, only to intimidate her and prevent her from taking action again.

Otherwise, he couldn’t have taken Xiang Haikui away.

Xiang Haikui was very important to him.

By calculating Xiang Tianqing’s fate, Yin Changli had seen himself.

In this hibernation, there was a high chance of an accident.

He would temporarily lose his memory, becoming a small snake, and be accidentally discovered by Xiang Tianqing, who would rescue him.

During his amnesia, Xiang Tianqing would attentively care for him.

Then, he would become a loving couple with Xiang Tianqing, helping her along the way.

Yin Changli could calculate others’ fates but not his own.

Therefore, he didn’t know exactly what mishap would occur during this hibernation that would lead to such an unprecedented accident. Besides, how could he fall in love so easily? There must be something strange afoot.

He had considered simply killing Xiang Tianqing, but typically, the more one tries to change something, the more likely it is to happen.

So, he decided to use Xiang Haikui as his chess piece, letting her stir up these waters.

Qi Yin advised him: “Actually, you’re not getting any younger. What’s so bad about having a relationship?”

“Even for a relationship, I deserve someone better. I would only be interested in someone like Xiang Tianqing if I had lost my memory.”

“Tell me, who would you consider worthy?”

Yin Changli smiled without answering, suddenly reverting to his original form—a black snake with a patch of dark red scales on its head.

He slowly coiled around the chains imprisoning Qi Yin: “You don’t understand.”

Years ago, when Yin Changli rebelled against Bi’an City, it was indeed out of anger, but it was only temporary anger—he would have returned after a while.

However, among the treasures he had stolen, he discovered a secret.

This secret was something he remembered even after forgetting his identity, even mistaking it for his background. When Xiang Tianqing accompanied him in finding his “true self,” she too learned this secret.

Fate contains variables, and the divination brush cannot see too far ahead. Yin Changli didn’t know what would happen later.

But this secret could not be known by others, especially those in the Upper Realm.

“Old Qi, if something unexpected happens during my hibernation…”

“I’m here. Can’t I protect you during your hibernation? Unless I die, then we’ll die together.”

“I mean if, truly, something unexpected happens, you must kill me first, destroy my sea of consciousness, and don’t let me fall into the hands of the Heavenly Race.”

Qi Yin was stunned: “Changli, what exactly have you been doing all these years?”

Yin Changli didn’t answer. His snake body coiled around the chains, already covered by a thick layer of ice.

“To think you’re this weakened now? One wouldn’t guess you’re from the Zhujiuyin clan.”

“Shh, be quiet now. Let me rest.”

Xiang Haikui arrived at the foot of a mountain from the formation plate in Ten Thousand Bones Cavern.

Green mountains encircled the area, with winding streams flowing through.

Her mind was still pondering—carrying a divine sword, taught by a god-level master, and with powerful assistance.

A group of experts carrying a bronze-level player like her. This excellent hand of cards must not be wasted.

After clenching her fist to boost her confidence, Xiang Haikui looked around and spotted someone standing by the water ahead.

Dressed in white robes with white hair, immaculate and spotless, he appeared to be a transcendent immortal.

She walked quickly toward him: “Excuse me, young master…”

Before she could finish asking, the man turned around, and Xiang Haikui’s pupils contracted.

This appearance was exactly like a beautiful youth who had stepped out of a manga.

She had the illusion that if she moved any closer, she would be pulled into a comic world. Her footsteps involuntarily slowed, and her tone became much gentler: “May I ask, are you the wielder of the Tianbao Sword?”

The white-haired, graceful young man was silent for a moment, then suddenly grinned widely, revealing Tuntun Shu’s signature two large gold teeth.

That manga-like face instantly broke character.

Xiang Haikui: …

She knew Yin Changli’s operations were always the breathtaking kind.

“Little Bai, are you the wielder of the Tianbao Sword?”

“Yes.”

“You can speak?”

“I can, but Uncle Yin said I shouldn’t speak when not in human form.”

“Then where is your sword?”

Next, she watched in disillusionment as this graceful young man touched one gold tooth and then, “pop, pop,” pulled them out. The two front teeth transformed into two swords, one long and one short.

Then she heard him say through his now gap-toothed mouth…

“The Tianbao Twin Swords, genuine without a doubt. Pleased to meet you, my name is Bai Xingxian.”