Chapter 4

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Chapter 4: Title

Xia Shi stretched lazily, blinking sleepily at the group. "Hmm? I’ve been napping in this tree."

Lu Ciyou stormed over, Soaring Dragon’s tip trembling near Xia Shi’s face. "Ran away fast, didn’t you coward?"

"Should I have stayed to fight Black Gold Bears I couldn’t beat?" Xia Shi bowed mockingly. "But look at you—not a scratch! Clearly you defeated them. My apologies for doubting your skills earlier."

"You—" Lu Ciyou swallowed her retort under the group’s scrutiny, cheeks burning.

"Humph! You’d better remember!"

“Xinian, the Linglong Pavilion was about to reveal itself,” Liu Sheng said, opening his folding fan to cover his face as he spoke quietly.

“So soon!?” Jiang Xinian exclaimed. Seeing Liu Sheng nod, the two immediately activated a teleportation array and vanished.

“Ran off like rabbits.” Lu Ciyou watched their fading figures, frowning slightly at their words. “Linglong Pavilion?”

Having sneaked out from home, she knew little about the Lingyang Secret Realm beyond rumors of the Hanyu Stone.

“The Linglong Pavilion was Lingyang Jun’s divine armament. Legends say it holds everything under heaven – including his personal belongings. Some claim a wisp of Lingyang Jun’s spirit remains inside,” Wen Zhishu explained with her usual gentle smile. “Finding it might grant the opportunity to inherit his legacy.”

Lu Ciyou snorted. “If legacies were that easy to obtain, people wouldn’t swarm like locusts every time the Lingyang Secret Realm opens.”

“True inheritance is rare,” Wen Zhishu conceded, “but the Pavilion still contains divine weapons and spirit herbs. Materials like Hanyu Stone for repairing armaments exist there too. The Taiyi Sect’s Fengyue Sword Immortal once fixed his broken blade with red jade from the Pavilion.”

A damaged divine armament was shameful for sword cultivators – something to be hidden. Yet here was someone casually discussing how Fengyue Sword Immortal Feng Yi, notorious for his pride, had repaired his weapon.

Lu Ciyou blurted out, “How’d you learn that?”

Everyone knew Feng Yi hated others mentioning his flaws, let alone discussing his precious sword.

“Wen Zhishu of Qingshou’s Wen clan.”

“Ah.” Lu Ciyou understood now. The Wen clan bred top informants – for the right price, they could unearth any secret across the Nine Realms.

“And you, Fellow Immortal?” Lu Ciyou turned to the disheveled girl.

“Suiyin.” The girl kept silent, still racking her memory about the thief.

Yan Li studied the disciple’s robes, finding them oddly familiar yet unplaceable. Though the Hanyu Stone theft remained unsolved, she couldn’t ignore matters involving the Sanqing Realm. Even if unrelated, she’d ensure blame stayed far from her.

“Sanqing Realm brought twelve trial disciples, all resting yonder.” Yan Li spoke impartially, never shielding wrongdoers. “Check if your thief’s among them.”

Suiyin nodded. The stone mattered less than vengeance for being buried alive. She’d catch that scoundrel!

As they entered the forest, Lu Ciyou trailed behind, eager to mock Sanqing’s head disciple if this proved true.

When the group left, Xia Shi finally relaxed.

“Your name, girl?” Wen Zhishu asked.

“Xia Shi.” She turned to leave.

“Want to find the red jade?”

“You said it’s in the Pavilion.” Xia Shi yawned without turning.

“The Pavilion’s a world within worlds. Finding red jade there’s like fishing stars from the sky.” Wen Zhishu produced a jade scroll wreathed in white mist, golden characters shimmering through. “But this makes it simple.”

Xia Shi glanced sideways, eyebrow lifting. “The Wen clan’s Book of All Knowledge. You’re their current informant? Flashing treasure so casually?”

“Find me Ziyan Lotus, and I’ll use this to locate your red jade. Fair trade.” Wen Zhishu unfurled the scroll, golden characters dancing into a glowing map of the Lingyang Secret Realm.

Wen Zhishu pointed to the southeast corner of the map. "The Linglong Pavilion will land here."

Xia Shi glanced at the marked spot, surprised. "But that’s the desert."

"The desert holds greater dangers," Wen Zhishu replied, storing the Book of All Knowledge. "Lingyang Jun likely doesn’t want his treasures falling into others’ hands."

"We should reach there before the pavilion descends."

Xia Shi’s gaze drifted toward the Sanqing Realm disciples’ resting area.

Wen Zhishu smiled faintly. "Planning to return the Hanyu Stone?"

Xia Shi stiffened. How did this girl know she possessed it?

"Don’t stare so – I can’t read minds. You don’t seem the murdering type. Suiyin’s ‘buried alive’ tale must be mistaken." Wen Zhishu tilted her head. "Am I wrong?"

"Your cleverness matches the informant title," Xia Shi admitted.

Wen Zhishu’s smile dimmed. "I’m not the true informant. Seven days ago, Thirteen Ghost Domains slaughtered my clan. I survived only because I was away. The Book chose me because… I’m the last Wen." Her voice broke.

Xia Shi’s eyes wavered at "Thirteen Ghost Domains." Their current dominance in the Nine Realms… she bore partial responsibility.

"They’ll keep hunting the Book," Xia Shi said quietly. This frail girl carrying such a treasure was walking disaster.

"I gambled my life entering this secret realm. The Ziyan Lotus could cure my heart condition – let me use spiritual power again." Wen Zhishu’s eyes glistened. "Thank you. I’d never get it alone."

Xia Shi stayed silent. Her past arrogance had doomed the Wen clan.

"I’ll protect you here," she vowed. Her only possible atonement.

Wen Zhishu bowed deeply. "My thanks."

"Never mention Qingshou’s Wen clan again. Others besides Thirteen Ghost Domains might covet the Book." The massacre being recent explained Lu Ciyou’s normal demeanor earlier.

Wen Zhishu blanched. "Understood."

They found Yan Li scowling at trembling junior disciples.

"Check them, Miss Suiyin," Yan Li ordered.

Suiyin scanned each face, then shook her head. The thief’s voice had been older, weathered – some shameless old man. Let her catch him, she’d grind his bones!

Watching hidden, Wen Zhishu whispered, "How will you return it?"

Xia Shi transformed the Hanyu Stone into an icy hairpin. Suiyin’s stormy expression promised violence.

Wen Zhishu nodded comprehension.

Xia Shi moved her fingers and set up a small formation on the hairpin.

The moment the pale golden formation activated, the hairpin disappeared. When Wen Zhishu looked up again, it had materialized on Suiyin’s head.

“Run.”

They had to escape before Suiyin noticed the formation’s failure.

After fleeing over ten miles with Wen Zhishu, Xia Shi glanced back to see Suiyin clutching the hairpin with gritted teeth.

Old hag!

“Why would they return the Hanyu Stone after stealing it?” Lu Ciyou leaned against a tree, puzzled.

They’d even buried her alive – what sense did returning the stone make?

As the hairpin reverted to its true form, Suiyin caught a wisp of lingering spiritual power – shimmering gold threads pointing southeast.

She sealed the energy into her Shadow Stone before turning to Yan Li and Lu Ciyou. “Farewell. Our paths may cross again.”

Lu Ciyou’s pout deepened when no fight ensued. Her eyes chilled as they glimpsed Yan Li’s silver Long Sword.

“Senior Sister!”

Yan Li tilted her head to dodge the spear thrust, deflecting the next strike with her sword sheath.

“I’ve no interest in sparring with you,” she said coldly, though her tone remained civil.

Lu Ciyou snorted. “This isn’t practice. I just despise you.”

“Draw your blade!”

The Linglong Pavilion’s descent drew crowds to the desert’s edge.

Choking yellow sand swirled through parched air.

Wen Zhishu coughed violently, her face flushed crimson. Her heart condition forbade spiritual exertion, leaving her defenseless against the scorching heat.

Xia Shi’s hand settled on her shoulder, cooling energy flowing through her. “Better?”

“Thank you.”

Meanwhile, Suiyin pursued the golden energy trail atop a crystalline Long Sword. Frost patterns bloomed along its length, snowflakes trailing from tip to hilt.

Descending through sandstorms, she found Xia Shi and Wen Zhishu amidst the gathering.

Her sword dissolved into mist as she landed. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Wen Zhishu brightened while splitting Ziyan Lotus seeds with Xia Shi. The cold-pool plant’s seeds countered desert heat.

“Haha! S-surprise!” Xia Shi choked on a seed, coughing.

Suiyin eyed their snacks. “What’s that?”

The plump white kernels glistened invitingly.

“Lotus seeds, would you like to try some?” Wen Zhishu generously offered a few to her.

She was confident Suiyin wouldn’t recognize these as Ziyan Lotus seeds.

Suiyin accepted them with thanks and put the seeds in her mouth. They instantly melted into cool streams of spiritual power flowing inside her body, leaving a faint sweetness on her tongue.

Xia Shi stared at her and asked, “Were they good?”

“Delicious,” Suiyin nodded.

Wen Zhishu blinked at Xia Shi meaningfully.

Amidst the surrounding clamor, Suiyin finally asked, “Why’s this place so crowded?”

“Everyone’s here for Linglong Pavilion. Aren’t you too, Miss Sui?” Wen Zhishu’s gentle voice carried natural warmth, making her questions hard to deflect.

“No. I’m chasing a thief,” Suiyin produced a wisp of captured spiritual power.

Xia Shi’s mind blanked at the familiar energy glowing in Suiyin’s palm.

Wen Zhishu glanced at Xia Shi before pressing, “Do you know the thief’s identity now?”

Suiyin angrily kneaded the spiritual strand between her fingers. “Not yet. Only that it’s some old-timer.”

“Shameless fossil.”

Xia Shi: “……”