Chapter 46
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Chapter 46: Title
"Your wounds healed this fast?" Shen Huaiwen withdrew her fingers from the pulse point, eyebrows lifting. "Your cultivation’s improved too."
"What did you do?"
"What could I do?" Xia Shi pulled back her arm, avoiding the question. "Senior sister, explain the sword conference."
"Sect leaders decided top fifty grand competition disciples will draw lots. Whoever draws Wugui sword keeps it." Shen Huaiwen’s gaze sharpened. "Now answer me – what did you do?"
"I…" Xia Shi faltered, conflict flashing in her eyes.
She couldn’t possibly explain!
Shen Huaiwen snorted, pressing a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t resist."
Warm spiritual power flowed through meridians.
Silence hung in the medicine room’s inner chamber. Shen Huaiwen inhaled deeply, her usual warmth replaced by Ye Xiao-like severity.
"Xia Wuwei!"
The full name struck like a slap. Xia Shi couldn’t recall last hearing that tone.
"Senior sister?"
"Do you know the risks of merging consciousnesses? Letting someone into your sea?" No trace of humor remained as Shen Huaiwen snapped, "Had she wished it, you’d be drooling idiot now!"
"Not my doing!" Xia Shi protested. "She… invaded while I was unconscious. Too injured to expel."
Shen Huaiwen’s brow furrowed. "Consciousness seas don’t admit uninvited guests."
"This explains her lingering coma despite healed wounds." After thorough examination, Shen Huaiwen relaxed slightly. "How long was she inside?"
Xia Shi recalled only red-white entanglement, unaware of passing days. The struggle had churned her consciousness sea until emerging spiritual power let her eject the red mass.
"…Maybe?"
“Is it true or not? What’s that supposed to mean?” Shen Huaiwen glanced toward the inner room door upon hearing faint noises outside, casting a soundproof barrier around the chamber.
Xia Shi: “?”
Why all the secrecy in my own quarters?
Shen Huaiwen pressed, “Do you know Suiyin’s origins?”
“I first found her in Lingyang Secret Realm.” Xia Shi recalled how she’d initially thought the girl dead months ago, only to encounter her alive after burial.
“So her past remains unknown to you.” Shen Huaiwen continued, “What realm does she currently hold?”
Suiyin had been at the barrier between life and death, but the question implied change.
“…Nascent Soul?” Xia Shi gasped. “She achieved breakthrough?”
“Breakthrough indeed.” Shen Huaiwen’s voice held no warmth, edged with suspicion. “Without undergoing thunder tribulation.”
“How’s breakthrough possible without tribulation?!” Xia Shi’s face shifted repeatedly.
No tribulation meant either concealed cultivation or… body snatching.
To hide cultivation undetected by Ye Xiao, Suiyin would need Great Ascension stage mastery – yet her duel with Feng Yi revealed no such concealment.
But body snatching…
Among cultivators of the Nine Realms, this was the ultimate taboo.
“Senior sister, weigh your words carefully.”
Shen Huaiwen arched a brow. “I accused nothing. Why the panic?”
“I’m not panicking,” Xia Shi countered.
“Relax – it’s not body snatching.” Shen Huaiwen frowned. “Her meridians and spiritual root differ from normal cultivators. Even I can’t decipher them.”
“As your disciple, her background must be clarified. I’ll consult the sect leader.”
Dispelling the barrier, Shen Huaiwen paused at the doorway. “I’ll keep the divine connection and dual cultivation secret for now. Prepare your explanation about the grand competition.”
“…Understood.”
Xia Shi massaged her temples, thoughts tangled.
Suiyin’s mystery could wait – Feng Yi’s demonic energy demanded attention.
His corruption surpassed even Song Chen’s in Lingyang Secret Realm.
Could he have visited Thirteen Ghost Domains?
Footsteps interrupted her musing.
“Is Xia Shi awake?”
“Let me check.”
Wen Zhishu pushed the door open, smiling. “Awake, I see. A visitor awaits.”
“Send them in.”
Wen Zhishu withdrew.
“She’ll receive you now.”
“Thank you, girl.”
Feng Yi pushed the door open and was immediately hit by a strong medicinal bitterness.
He spotted the pale-faced figure sitting at the table, her frame frail.
Xia Shi slid a teacup across the table, palm upturned. “Please.”
Feng Yi sat down and produced a wooden box without hesitation.
“My gratitude for this.”
Inside lay a golden elixir emitting rare fragrance and pure spiritual power.
“This exceeds proper courtesy.”
She needed to secure this treasure immediately.
Only a fool would reject such high-grade meridian-nourishing medicine.
Xia Shi offered token protests before swiftly storing the elixir in her storage ring.
Feng Yi: “…”
He’d expected nothing less.
“Let’s be clear – I’m not here to reopen old wounds.” His finger tapped the table, using the noise to mask his next words.
“The Qinghu Region incident wasn’t your doing.”
Xia Shi kept her eyes lowered. “Explain.”
“Before reaching Sanqing Realm,” Feng Yi leaned closer conspiratorially, “I passed through Realm of Canghai. Guess who I encountered?”
“Who?”
His lips formed silent syllables: “Lu. Qing. Yu.”
Xia Shi’s face went rigid. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked: “Impossible…”
Everyone knew the Qinghu disaster ended with Lu Qingyu’s death and Xuanhua’s spirit-damaged coma.
“You’re certain it was her?” The tremor in Xia Shi’s voice betrayed her.
If Lu Qingyu lived, why abandon Liujin Pavilion? Why vanish for four centuries? Why resurface now…
“She approached me. I checked everything – mannerisms, spiritual patterns, even her breathing. No impostor could mimic that.” Feng Yi’s gaze darkened. “The pouch came from her.”
“Contained a jade pendant meant for Liujin Pavilion’s master. Verified it myself before agreeing.”
“Where is she?” Urgency sharpened Xia Shi’s question.
Answers lay with Lu Qingyu.
Feng Yi shook his head. “Mentioned urgent business, nothing specific. But her path led toward Realm of Canghai.”
“Canghai…?” The name felt foreign on Xia Shi’s tongue.
Four Hundred Years Ago, Lu Qingyu had no ties to Canghai. What business would take her there?
Feng Yi leaned forward. “What do you know of Canghai’s legends?”
Xia Shi: “Tell me.”
“About a month and a half ago, two City Lords from the Thirteen Ghost Domains attacked Canghai together. One aimed to seize Canghai’s treasure, the Dragon Spine Sword. The other stormed the Sea Devouring Tower and took Jiang Yun, the elder sister of Sect Master Jiang Liu. When I first heard this, I planned to investigate Canghai myself. But after encountering that man, I forgot all about it.” Feng Yi emptied his teacup with a derisive snort. “Thinking back, his arrival was suspiciously well-timed.”
His words carried hidden meaning. Xia Shi suddenly recalled, “I heard people discussing this in Qingshou too.”
Back then, she and Suiyin had brushed it off without paying much attention.
“Canghai isn’t a small sect—it has countless disciples. Two Ghost Domain City Lords alone shouldn’t have caused such chaos.” Feng Yi’s tone shifted. “Yet at this Immortal Sect Conference, not only was Sect Master Jiang Liu absent, but the Second Leader brought disciples riddled with poor talent.”
“I suspect Canghai has fallen into crisis. Lu Qingyu is likely involved with the Thirteen Ghost Domains.”
Xia Shi’s delicate brows furrowed. While Canghai’s turmoil seemed certain, Lu Qingyu’s role—
She resolved to journey to Canghai herself.
“I came to warn you. If the Thirteen Ghost Domains dare strike Canghai, the Sanqing Realm must stay vigilant. I can’t speak of this to Sect Leader Ye myself. You’ll relay the warning.”
Xia Shi nodded. “Understood.”
“Then I’ll depart.”
Feng Yi stood to leave but paused abruptly. Turning, he demanded, “Who taught you formation spells? You never cared for such arts before.”
Confusion clouded Xia Shi’s gaze.
After the Heartless Sword’s destruction, she’d shut herself in the Sword Pavilion, avoiding blades entirely. Those days blurred into numb emptiness.
Her study of formations began with… the Tai Chi Seal.
No teacher existed. No mentor guided her.
When her thoughts cleared, the inner room stood deserted.
The door groaned open. Wen Zhishu entered carrying a medicine bowl, her smile warm. “You should rest more.”
Xia Shi took the bowl, sipping slowly before murmuring, “Zhishu. I need the Book of All Knowledge.”
“As you wish.”
——
At the training ground’s edge, Suiyin pulled Qin An away from practicing sword moves.
Qin An stared. “Your wounds healed?”
She gingerly touched Suiyin’s right arm.
“Master Huaiwen’s incredible! Healing you so quickly—”
Suiyin rotated her arm smoothly, then grabbed Qin An’s sword to slice a perfect arc through the air.
“See? Fully recovered.”
“Then you can join tomorrow’s Sword Selection Conference!” Qin An glowed with happiness.
Suiyin smiled before glancing around nervously. Certain no eyes watched them, she tugged Qin An into deeper shadows.
“Need to ask you something.”
Qin An matched her whisper. “Yes? What is it?”
Suiyin: “It’s just…”
“Hey! What are you two doing!?”
A sudden shout startled them, making their heartbeats quicken.
Suiyin took a deep breath and looked up, immediately relaxing when she recognized Lu Ciyou and Yan Li.
“What are you two doing here?” Her eyes darted between them.
Why were these two together? Had Yan Li confessed to Lu Ciyou?
But that seemed unlikely. Given the young lady’s temper, Yan Li would’ve been punched already.
Lu Ciyou approached, noticing Suiyin’s curious gaze. She shot a disdainful glance backward. “Sanqing Realm’s roads are too narrow.”
Suiyin: “…”
“What were you whispering about earlier? Like you’re up to no good,” the young lady pressed.
Seeing they were all acquaintances, Suiyin gestured for them to huddle closer.
The four nearly formed a circle, though a gap remained between Yan Li and Lu Ciyou.
“Do you know what happens when two people’s consciousnesses intertwine?”
The trio froze: “…”
Qin An’s face turned crimson, her mouth opening soundlessly.
Yan Li turned away, scanning their surroundings.
Had anyone overheard?
Finally, the young lady choked out, “Why… ask this?”
“I just learned intertwined consciousnesses boost cultivation and speed up healing!” Suiyin’s eyes crinkled with delight. “Plus it feels pleasantly thrilling.”
Another stunned silence: “…”
Who discusses such things publicly? And so bluntly!
Even the worldly young lady gaped in shock.
As Suiyin opened her mouth again, Lu Ciyou clamped a hand over it.
“Enough.”
Suiyin blinked innocently. “Why?”
“You and whose…” The young lady lowered her voice. “Was it Xia Shi?”
Somehow, she just knew.
Suiyin nodded eagerly. “You’ve experienced this too!?”
“I…” Lu Ciyou glanced sideways. Qin An resembled a steamed crab, while that infuriating Yan Li pretended to study the scenery, her sword hand trembling.
Smirking, the young lady deflected: “Ask your senior sister here.”
Suiyin turned expectantly toward Yan Li, eyes shining.
Yan Li: “…”
