Having thought this through, Xiaoxiao felt the whirlpool in Luoyi City was too deep, and she didn’t want to get involved.

While several people were sitting idly in the inn, Xiaoxiao noticed many soldiers appearing in the city, conducting house-to-house searches, with places like inns being key targets.

The inn where Xiaoxiao and her group stayed was also searched.

Those soldiers seemed to focus their interrogations on women. Since someone had seen a luxurious carriage stopped at the inn, Xiaoxiao’s group became key subjects for questioning.

During the conversation, Xiaoxiao learned they were searching for the prince’s mansion’s singing girl, Siling.

Earlier in the city outskirts, Siling had sent her carriage back to the Zuile Workshop in the city while she went to seek refuge with friends.

As for who these friends were, she hadn’t said, only telling Wei Jie not to worry about her.

It seemed she still didn’t want to become too entangled with her son, lest it affect Wei Jie.

Now it appeared Lord Can had already realized the succubus Siling had escaped his control, so he was searching for her throughout the city.

Fortunately, Xiaoxiao bore the reputation of a righteous hero who had slain demons for Luoyi’s people, so those soldiers didn’t make things too difficult for her.

Xiaoxiao wondered what purpose Lord Can had in going to such lengths to find Siling.

In her master’s secret texts, Xiaoxiao found some clues.

It turned out this Lord Can, after becoming regent, assisting his son, had maintained an ageless appearance, earning the title of “Immortal King” from the world.

This was said to be proof of achieving immortal enlightenment.

However, when her master mentioned this Immortal King in his secret texts, he held an investigative attitude.

After all, such pampered people who were still obsessed with power schemes would find it difficult to build qi and form cores without leaving worldly dust behind to cultivate in tranquility.

For Lord Can to form cores and maintain a youthful appearance before age forty made her master Tang Youshu quite amazed.

Reading this, Xiaoxiao formed a bold hypothesis: Lord Can’s reason for setting traps for Siling might be to obtain her blood tears!

With a succubus’s heart’s blood tears, even ordinary people without a foundation could maintain eternal youth.

But heart’s blood was particular – it required a succubus’s emotional tears of sorrow. Simply tormenting a succubus to make her cry from pain wouldn’t yield those precious emotional blood tears.

If her guess was true, and Lord Can in the previous life had maintained eternal youth by obtaining the succubus’s heart’s blood tears, how had he made Siling shed emotional tears?

Whatever the method, thinking about it sent chills down one’s spine.

Fortunately, Siling had already left Luoyi City, and Wei Jie wouldn’t have to bear the pain of losing his mother.

Xiaoxiao didn’t want to investigate Lord Can further. After all, he was from two hundred years ago, part of the imperial dragon bloodline with predetermined fate – not something she should interfere with.

The sound of heavenly punishment rolled in her ears. Cui Xiaoxiao reminded herself to carefully avoid these great pitfalls.

As for Lord Can’s conspiracy, the Wei family would handle it – this was also part of the previous life’s trajectory. She didn’t belong here; the more she did, the more mistakes she’d make.

Since staying here was meaningless, leaving Luoyi City immediately was the wisest choice!

When Wei Jie returned while she was packing, he saw Xiaoxiao having Tang Youshu buy lots of food for the carriage and asked about it.

Xiaoxiao didn’t mention the invitation from the prince’s mansion, only saying they were preparing to depart and asking Wei Jie to pack his things too.

Wei Jie’s gaze darkened, and he said nothing.

When they were ready to load the carriage and depart, Xiaoxiao discovered Wei Jie was nowhere to be found. Unable to find him anywhere, she asked Tang Youshu: “Young Master Tang, have you seen your master?”

Tang Youshu scratched his head in difficulty, saying quietly: “Grand-master, I… I accidentally let slip earlier and told Master about Lord Can sending guards with an invitation. He went to the banquet alone… You… you won’t blame me, will you?”

Xiaoxiao was stunned, finally sighing helplessly. Rarely had she determined to take Wei Jie’s punishment upon herself and prepare to take him away, yet she still couldn’t twist fate’s thread.

In the original trajectory, he had recognized his mother at Lord Can’s banquet, then clashed with the Four Great Sects.

She had thought that with Siling leaving the city, everything could change. Now it seemed human effort truly couldn’t alter fate – Wei Jie had still gone to Lord Can’s birthday banquet behind her back.

Of course, she guessed his reason for going – he was probably entrusted by the Wei family to investigate Lord Can’s truth.

Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, feeling she had done all she could.

Though Wei Jie was currently a good person, his fate to become a demon was set. Whether his future path was righteous or evil depended on a single thought.

She, his nominal master who had disrupted time and space and shouldn’t have had any connection with him, should part ways now.

Thinking this, she ordered: “Defying his master’s orders and acting on his own – how improper! No need to wait for him. Let’s depart!”

Tang Youshu was startled, pleading quietly: “Leaving Master alone isn’t good, is it? Grandmaster, please… please forgive Master. Otherwise, you go ahead and I’ll wait here for him, so we can look out for each other.”

Xiaoxiao looked at her young benefactor master with some reluctance. If circumstances allowed, she truly hoped to accompany her master through the journey.

But her connection with him would only truly continue two hundred years later, so she could only force a smile and pat Tang Youshu’s shoulder: “Naturally, you should wait for your master. But the city has been chaotic lately, and your master definitely wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. You can wait for him at the pavilion outside the city gate…”

If Wei Jie was destined to clash with the Four Great Sects, Tang Youshu would be safer outside the city.

Thinking this, she solemnly instructed: “Young Master Tang, after you establish your sect, please hire a cook for the mountain. Though you’re a good person, your cooking skills are truly… unworthy of a compliment. Also, your disciples are all young – try not to shortchange them on food and drink. If you should leave, at least leave the disciples some money for sustenance. Try to use curses like the Gold-Consuming Curse, such wicked spells, as little as possible…”

Her rambling instructions left Tang Youshu bewildered, unable to understand what his grandmaster’s scattered words referred to.

However, Tang Youshu was already deeply grateful that his grandmaster would kindly let him stay to wait for his master.

After Xiaoxiao hastily wrote a letter for Tang Youshu to pass to Wei Jie, she boarded the carriage with the little fox girl Yu Ling’er and left.

Watching her master’s lonely figure in the pavilion grow more distant, Xiaoxiao slowly exhaled.

Now she only had the little fox girl as a burden beside her. She decided to return to Tuyun Mountain to see if the Fox King could make his daughter change her oath and stop following her.

If Yu Ling’er truly wanted to repay kindness, she could change her oath to follow Wei Jie instead.

This way, everything would return to the right track. She would only need to find a way back to two hundred years later by herself, trying not to affect current people and events.

After traveling for a day, they were getting farther from Luoyi City.

Yu Ling’er had originally thought Wei Jie and the others might catch up to apologize to Xiaoxiao.

After all, this ambiguous master-disciple pair was always quarreling and making up. Yu Ling’er was used to it – these were just domestic squabbles. What couldn’t be forgiven?

After a day, Wei Jie and the others still hadn’t caught up.

Yu Ling’er was getting worried for them.

But Xiaoxiao said calmly: “As long as there’s no thunder or rain, they’re fine.”

Yu Ling’er didn’t understand this mystery.

Xiaoxiao sighed slowly. She could hardly explain that if Wei Jie and the others met with misfortune and changed fate, heavenly thunder would strike her!

Only Yu Ling’er’s carriage driving wasn’t very good – they kept stopping and starting along the way.

Sure enough, the carriage stopped again halfway.

She heard Yu Ling’er driving the carriage cry out in wild joy: “Young Pavilion Master Qin! Did you come looking for me?”

Xiaoxiao, who had been meditating with closed eyes, poked her head out to look – indeed! That white-robed, jade-crowned youth standing in the middle of the road was the long-unseen Qin Lingxiao!

He now wore a frosty expression, as if someone owed him vast sums of money.

The fox girl Yu Ling’er was overjoyed, abandoning the carriage to run over, so happy at seeing her benefactor that she nearly sprouted fox ears.

Qin Lingxiao hadn’t expected that even though he had replaced Wei Jie in this life as this fox girl’s savior, she was still mixed up with Wei Jie and the others. His gaze toward Yu Ling’er inevitably showed disappointment.

Yu Ling’er thought Qin Lingxiao misunderstood her character, thinking she was improperly involved with the Talismonger Sect disciples.

Without Qin Lingxiao asking, Yu Ling’er immediately and eagerly told him everything that had happened after he left – how Cui Xiaoxiao had brought the Talismonger Sect disciples to block heavenly punishment for the fox clan, and how she had been forced by her mother to make a poisonous oath to serve Cui Xiaoxiao.

Only then did Qin Lingxiao learn that Cui Xiaoxiao had taken Wei Jie’s heavenly punishment. No wonder this time it was she who was injured while Wei Jie remained unharmed.

Facing Yu Ling’er’s chattering greetings, he only said somewhat coldly: “Miss Yu, I have some private matters to discuss with Sect Leader Cui. Please excuse yourself…”

Yu Ling’er hadn’t expected that even after all her explanations, Qin Lingxiao still misunderstood her and remained cold.

But… what private matters did he have to discuss with Cui Xiaoxiao? Why exclude her?

Could this Cui Xiaoxiao be like Wei Jie – looking at one bowl while eyeing another, secretly flirting with others behind their partner’s back, trying to seduce her Young Pavilion Master Qin?

The little fox was momentarily grief-stricken, angrily wiping tears as she turned and ran away.

When only Qin Lingxiao and Cui Xiaoxiao remained, he glared coldly at the girl before him and suddenly reached out to seize the “Yu Tiandou” in her hands.

This demon-slaying divine sword containing heavenly punishment energy should be in the hands of someone worthy of it.

What virtue or ability did Cui Xiaoxiao of the third-rate Talismonger Sect have to deserve this sword?

When he first met Cui Xiaoxiao two hundred years later, the difference in their cultivation was like a vast chasm.

Qin Lingxiao had never taken Cui Xiaoxiao seriously.

Traveling back two hundred years, Qin Lingxiao’s cultivation had greatly decreased, while Cui Xiaoxiao had encountered one opportunity after another, constantly narrowing the gap between them, which was quite uncomfortable.

Fortunately, after drinking from Fox Mountain’s spiritual spring, Qin Lingxiao had returned to Lingyun Pavilion to cultivate day and night, finally recovering some cultivation.

Since these cultivation paths were ones he had walked before, with blessed opportunities, his progress was miraculous. He had condensed qi into cores, even shocking his father, who praised, “My son has heaven-sent talent!”

Now Qin Lingxiao was taking advantage of Wei Jie’s absence and Cui Xiaoxiao being alone to reclaim his sword.

This sword was no ordinary object – it only attached itself to the strong. Its successive owners were all world-shaking powers.

What virtue or ability did Cui Xiaoxiao, a girl who had luckily obtained some opportunities, have to possess this divine sword?

In Qin Lingxiao’s view, reclaiming his rightful sword was proper and justified.

Cui Xiaoxiao had no intention of returning the sword.

When his hand wrapped in true qi attacked, Xiaoxiao naturally cast a Thought Formula, extending two fingers with a light wave, making the precious sword at her waist unsheathe, spin around, and avoid Qin Lingxiao’s grab.

During these days of meditation, whenever her spiritual platform was clear, she could resonate with the sword, making it hum and ring. Controlling the sword with finger movements was becoming increasingly natural.

If it were an ordinary sword, Qin Lingxiao might have silently praised Cui Xiaoxiao’s improved skill in this qi-controlling sword technique.

But what she was now controlling was the heavenly punishment divine sword – “Yu Tiandou”!

Swords had sword souls and were most proud and unyielding. How could they be controlled by mortals?

Throughout history, top swordsmen didn’t need to cultivate the Dao. When their sword mastery reached a certain level, they automatically transcended mortal bones and entered the Dao realm.

This showed how difficult achieving unity between person and sword, and sword mastery, was.

To control a divine sword like “Yu Tiandou” required not only deep dantian cultivation but also a powerful spiritual force that could resonate with the sword.

Cultivation could be trained later in life, but spiritual force was innate and couldn’t be forced!

When Qin Lingxiao first slew Wei Jie and obtained this divine sword, he treasured it and wanted to achieve Wei Jie’s level of controlling the divine sword at will.

But he had secluded himself with this sword for ten full years, yet could never resonate with it. The sword’s soul seemed to have died with its former owner, Wei Jie, becoming silent.

Though Qin Lingxiao was unwilling to give up, he could only abandon this path and find another way, walking the path of condensing qi into swords.

Though he could later control multiple qi swords, those qi swords were never as good as this demon-subduing divine sword.

This was why he wouldn’t easily use this sword – because every time he saw it, it silently reminded him that he was ultimately inferior to Wei Jie.

If not for the Silk Farm demon being possessed by a Demon Pearl and being difficult to handle, he wouldn’t even have used Yu Tiandou to slay demons.

Because only he knew clearly that he had never become the sword’s true master.

Yet this girl before him, who looked delicate and frail like a willow in the wind, actually had such powerful spiritual force! In such a short time, she had tamed “Yu Tiandou” and easily resonated with it!

How could the always proud and self-admiring Qin Lingxiao bear this?

He cried out, “What clever method did you use? How could you possibly control this sword?”

Xiaoxiao didn’t quite understand Qin Lingxiao’s shock. She blinked and replied lightly: “What? Is this very difficult?”

Young Pavilion Master Qin, who had always been praised as heaven-sent genius, felt tremendous and sharp humiliation at this moment!

He had spent ten full years trying to control this divine sword with no results. Now he was being counter-questioned by a girl he looked down upon, asking if it was difficult!

He was too lazy to listen to Xiaoxiao’s boasting and single-mindedly focused on seizing the sword first.

Unfortunately, Xiaoxiao’s mouth was also like a sharpened precious sword – having started, there was no reason to easily turn back: “You were once the dignified founding sect master of a sword sect, yet now you’re grabbing like a bandit?”

Qin Lingxiao said angrily: “Don’t you know in your heart whether this sword is mine? Haven’t you seen me use it?”

Xiaoxiao blinked her large eyes: “But that was two hundred years later! If we’re arguing this way, this sword should currently belong to Wei Jie! Moreover, for this sword, my arm suffered heavenly punishment wounds! So it’s now mine, indisputably! If you insist it’s yours, call to it once and see if it responds!”

Qin Lingxiao was so angry his hands were shaking, but Xiaoxiao was right – this sword indeed wasn’t currently his, but it shouldn’t be this female fraud’s either!

Pride prevented him from grabbing it by force after being mocked as a bandit. He just said coldly, “Cui Xiaoxiao, don’t go too far! Do you want to call the shots two hundred years ago? Have you thought about the consequences of acting so recklessly? Don’t you want to go back anymore?”

Xiaoxiao waved her finger, making “Yu Tiandou” return to its sheath: “You know how to go back?”

Qin Lingxiao took a deep breath, suppressing the anger Xiaoxiao had provoked, trying to reason with the little girl emotionally and logically: “As long as we have Zhu Jiuyin’s divine statue, we can return. But that statue was won by Wei Jie in a bet at Zhangwei Mountain. That should be three years from now. If you want it, you must wait patiently. I see you’ve already left Wei Jie – this is good, and avoids interfering with his trajectory.”

Xiaoxiao’s brow furrowed slightly. Zhangwei Mountain? Wasn’t that the divine mountain where the mountain god Zhu Jiuyin resided according to the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”?

It was northwest of the sea, north of the Red Water! It was said that the mountain was neither on land, nor in sea, nor sky – it was an illusory mountain. Without opportunity, even if you found the location, you couldn’t see the mountain.

If Wei Jie was the fated person, she could only wait until three years later, when Wei Jie obtained the statue, before she could leave.

She also knew she shouldn’t interfere with Wei Jie’s trajectory, but where should she go during these three years?

Qin Lingxiao seemed to see Xiaoxiao’s hesitation and softened his voice: “As long as you stop causing trouble, I’ll naturally take care of your daily needs. You can temporarily go to Lingyun Pavilion. When the time is right, I… will return two hundred years later with you.”

Unfortunately, Xiaoxiao now completely distrusted him. She just snorted: “You keep saying not to let me interfere with heavenly secrets and change others’ fate lines, but you’re not very honorable either. Tell me, why did the Four Great Sects enter the city early?”

Qin Lingxiao was stumped by Xiaoxiao’s question and said angrily: “Since I know he’ll go on a killing spree, what’s wrong with trying to prevent tragedy?”

How could Xiaoxiao not know Qin Lingxiao’s thoughts? Besides the blood feud with Wei Jie, he seemed to have some “if Yu exists, why must Liang exist” complex.

He was a righteous master of the human world, while Wei Jie was a great demon head who would stink for ten thousand years, so Sect Master Qin considered himself just!

If she changed Wei Jie’s fate line, she deserved divine punishment, but when he privately altered Wei Jie’s fate line, it was upholding justice!

Xiaoxiao was too lazy to argue with such a stubborn person. She just raised her chin: “I’ve already separated from Wei Jie, so you needn’t worry. As for these three years, I’ll find some uninhabited place to retreat and hide. After three years, I hope you’ll keep your promise and help me return to two hundred years later.”

Hearing her meaning, she again rejected his kind offer of shelter for three years.

It was rare for him to show goodwill toward women, and when he occasionally did, he repeatedly hit walls like this.

This experience of being shooed away by women like a stinking bug – Qin Lingxiao had experienced it all with Xiaoxiao alone in his two-hundred-plus years of life.

His good intentions were again wasted on sewage.

The youth’s face became even colder: “No, you have no credibility with me anymore. To prevent you from taking wrong steps, you can only come back to Lingyun Pavilion with me…”

Having said this, he casually clapped his hands. Immediately, many white-robed Lingyun Pavilion disciples surged up from all around.

It seemed Qin Lingxiao was determined to take Cui Xiaoxiao away today.

Cui Xiaoxiao knew that if it were just Qin Lingxiao alone, she could barely handle it – at worst, if she couldn’t win, she’d flee.

But now surrounded by so many Lingyun Pavilion disciples, she had no chance of victory or escape. Even with a divine sword in hand, she couldn’t defeat so many top Lingyun Pavilion disciples.

A wise person doesn’t fight hopeless battles, so Xiaoxiao efficiently sheathed her sword, then cupped her fists toward Qin Lingxiao: “Since Young Pavilion Master Qin is so hospitably welcoming, please lead the way!”

Yu Ling’er, who had returned from crying, was somewhat secretly pleased to hear Qin Lingxiao wanted to invite them to Lingyun Pavilion as guests.

She had always hoped to get close to her benefactor soon. She hadn’t expected heaven to hear her secret prayers and make her dream come true.

Now she and Cui Xiaoxiao were both sitting in the carriage, driven by Lingyun Pavilion disciples, with wheels rolling along.

This inefficient travel method was somewhat unbearable for the Lingyun Pavilion disciples.

After all, with their cultivation, using lightness skills to travel a thousand li daily was trivial.

But Cui Xiaoxiao claimed her injuries hadn’t healed, and if carried for rapid travel, she would vomit uncontrollably, so they could only take the carriage slowly.

When she said this, Qin Lingxiao was too lazy to waste words with the stubborn girl and immediately had disciples carry Xiaoxiao for rapid travel.

Xiaoxiao wasn’t polite either – she secretly stuck her finger down her throat and gave that disciple a warm necklace.

Qin Lingxiao was nearly driven to spiritual separation by Cui Xiaoxiao’s antics. He simply went ahead alone to scout the path, staying far from her, while letting other Lingyun Pavilion disciples “escort” Xiaoxiao’s carriage.

Yu Ling’er was puzzled, asking Xiaoxiao in the carriage why she didn’t have this motion sickness problem when Wei Jie carried her, jumping around before.

Xiaoxiao sat with her legs crossed, lying in the carriage with closed eyes, completely ignoring Yu Ling’er.

Nonsense! If she went to Lingyun Pavilion’s territory, she’d be like a bird with clipped wings! Of course, the slower the travel, the better, so she could find a chance to escape.

Thinking this, she suddenly stuck her head out of the carriage and shouted toward the distant white figure: “Hey! I’m hungry! What are we eating for lunch? It’s hot now – a bowl of cold noodles with sour and spicy toppings would be great!”

Qin Lingxiao hadn’t inherited his master Wei Jie’s enthusiasm for food and drink. He did not react to Xiaoxiao’s suggestion, continuing forward cold and rigid like a ruler.

Xiaoxiao looked at the Lingyun Pavilion disciples’ otherworldly demeanor and estimated the lunch selection would be quite bland.

At noon, watching those white-robed disciples picking flowers and drinking dew, eating only flower petals and sweet springs, she could only look back at Yu Ling’er speechlessly.

Yu Ling’er was also staring at her wide-eyed; clearly, this bland diet didn’t appeal to the little fox either.

Qin Lingxiao was now sitting cross-legged on a large stone with closed eyes, cultivating his qi.

Cui Xiaoxiao jumped down from the carriage to Qin Lingxiao and asked quite rudely: “…Are you afraid of creating sin by killing, so you plan to starve us to death?”

Qin Lingxiao half-opened his eyes, coldly looking at Cui Xiaoxiao’s pretty face, reluctantly explaining: “As cultivators, we aim to transcend mortal bodies. Early grain-abstaining, or drinking dew and eating flowers, can make one’s dantian more pure and spiritual. Doesn’t your Talismonger Sect cultivate immortality this way?”

Xiaoxiao honestly shook her head: “Unless there’s no food available, we need three meals a day – missing one won’t do. You want me to stay at Lingyun Pavilion for three years with this kind of food?”