Plants grow from the dust and return to the dust.
The two are closely connected and cannot be separated.
Because of this, Su Cheng could rely on another property of the Heart of the Firm Rock Jade to find Ye Qingluan’s whereabouts.
Over the past few days, Su Cheng had been sensing the changes in the land outside, wanting to know which area’s trees were growing in an unusual manner.
If they were, it was certainly Ye Qingluan’s doing.
Of course, Su Cheng could not sense every inch of land in the world.
She used the limited intelligence gathered by Huang Doudou to make a rough deduction of Ye Qingluan’s movements.
After excluding several provinces, her hard work finally paid off.
She sensed the aura of newly grown “peculiar trees” in the land of Qiongzhou.
While the Sword Pavilion served the Imperial Family of Great Yan, their connections were certainly not severed.
As the Pavilion Master and the Sword Emperor, Ji Hongye surely had more effective means to find Ye Qingluan’s whereabouts.
So, when Ji Hongye nodded in acknowledgment, Su Cheng felt extremely pleased.
This not only proved her ability was sound but also meant her hard work would be rewarded — afterward, she could ask Master for another “reward” again.
Yay!
“The sword can be replaced. The person, however, cannot be given.”
Yu Yi, who had no time to notice Su Cheng’s internal thoughts, spoke coolly to Ji Hongye.
Wanting Ye Qingluan to transfer to the Sword Pavilion?
Impossible.
There was no room for negotiation.
Seeing Yu Yi’s firm attitude, Ji Hongye remained silent for a long moment before she stopped pushing the matter.
“Then from now on, you must keep a close eye on her,” she sighed softly, her voice heavy with meaning.
“Are you threatening this Grandmaster?”
Yu Yi narrowed her eyes slightly.
“No, I am reminding you,” Ji Hongye shook her head.
“I know best that those who covet the Everlasting Tribulation Sword are countless.”
Yu Yi originally wanted to comment on how there were so many fools who would throw away their lives for power.
But then, a thought occurred to her.
Although the Everlasting Tribulation Sword drained the lifeforce of the wielder, if the wielder was strong enough, would they end up like Ji Hongye?
Instead of dying from the drain or rotting away with age, they would do the exact opposite.
If one held the Everlasting Tribulation Sword long enough, would they eventually turn back into a fetus?
If that was the case, then those who craved the Everlasting Tribulation Sword might not be seeking power, but rather rejuvenation.
At that moment, Liu Mingyan stood up and bowed to Yu Yi.
On behalf of Ji Hongye, she explained to Yu Yi, “In recent years, more and more assassins have infiltrated the palace, and they are all targeting my Master.
Those assassins are all Demonic Cultivators, and they all bear the same mark.
However, we cannot yet determine which demonic sect they originate from.
The Emperor personally investigated this matter and exhausted much of his energy, which is why he overlooked the fact that the former State Preceptor was secretly dabbling in forbidden powers.”
Hearing this, Yu Yi thought to herself that what the Yan Emperor valued might not be the Sword Emperor herself, but the Everlasting Tribulation Sword in her hand.
If the Wuxiang Demonic Art was considered a forbidden power, why wasn’t the power of the Everlasting Tribulation Sword?
Perhaps in the Yan Emperor’s eyes, the Wuxiang Demonic Art was difficult to control, whereas the Everlasting Tribulation Sword offered room for manipulation.
She just wondered what the Yan Emperor’s attitude toward Ji Hongye would be after she gave the sword to Yu Yi.
“Not every cultivator in this world can successfully cross the threshold of birth, old age, sickness, and death like you and I. There are some who are nearing the end of their lifespan but have not achieved their goals.”
“They would rather risk having their final bit of lifeforce snatched away and dying instantly just to grasp a single chance at returning to their youth.”
Ji Hongye’s expression grew increasingly solemn.
“Therefore, although I can no longer continue to wield the Everlasting Tribulation Sword, I do not wish for it to fall into the hands of those ill-intentioned Demonic Cultivators.”
“The reason I wanted to bring your third disciple into the Sword Pavilion was so that I could personally look after her. After all, you are currently the Demoness whom everyone desires to kill. I worry — “
“You worry that this Grandmaster will have no time to look after her, leading to the sword falling into someone else’s hands, is that it?”
Yu Yi interrupted calmly.
Ji Hongye nodded.
“I have brought more threats upon you. If I do not contribute something, I cannot be at peace.”
“I appreciate your concern.”
The corners of Yu Yi’s mouth curled up, radiating a domineering aura.
“It seems everyone believes that the once-mighty Demoness has fallen ill and her abilities are not what they used to be. But those who took action and came to crusade against me have never met a good end. The rumors have painted me as a true Demoness, and they will also lead those who believe in them to their deaths, one by one.”
Since Yu Yi had put it that way, Ji Hongye said no more.
Yu Yi was always quite capable when dealing with the outside world.
As for her internal affairs… that was a long story.
Yu Yi currently felt her strength failing her heart; she always felt like she couldn’t outplay Su Cheng.
Meanwhile, as soon as Blue Ling’er acted cute, she couldn’t hold out.
Not to mention there was now Yun Qianxue, who might drop an intense confession at any moment to shatter her composure.
It was too difficult.
After a long silence, Ji Hongye smiled faintly and said to Yu Yi, “You are still the same as back then, still so confident when facing enemies.”
Yu Yi’s mood became a bit complicated.
She had not yet recalled more memories of her past with Ji Hongye, but from the current situation, Ji Hongye was not an enemy.
To see the expression of an elderly person reminiscing about the past on the youthful face of the Sword Emperor was truly a sight to behold.
The relationship between the Original Host and her must have been quite deep.
Could they have fought common enemies together, played the zither, composed poetry, admired flowers, and shared wine in the past?
“I haven’t visited the mountain forests of Among the Colorful Clouds in a long time. They seem even more beautiful than they were years ago.”
Now that their business was finished, the attitude Ji Hongye displayed changed.
She took the initiative to reach out to Yu Yi and invited her.
“Sister Yu, are you willing to accompany me for a walk?”
Yu Yi realized this might be one of the few opportunities Ji Hongye had to step out of the imperial palace.
Although she had intended to set out to find Ye Qingluan immediately, since her old friend had made the request, how could she refuse?
If it was just a walk, it wouldn’t waste much time.
As long as she increased the speed of the Fengshen Litter, she could still find Ye Qingluan within the expected timeframe.
Thus, Yu Yi chuckled and said, “Why not?”
She rose from her seat and walked out of the main pavilion with Ji Hongye.
The two figures, one tall and one short, looked like a scroll capturing the essence of the past.
Once the Masters departed, the disciples naturally did not stay idle.
“Liu Mingyan, it’s rare for us to meet again. Won’t you consider having a formal spar?”
Hearing Blue Ling’er’s voice from behind, Liu Mingyan turned around and replied with great interest, “Heh, this opportunity really is rare. Then — “
Before Liu Mingyan could finish her sentence, she noticed that the looks in the eyes of these disciples of the Demoness were a bit off.
Aside from Yun Qianxue, who had led her here, everyone else gave her an extremely dangerous feeling.
“You… do you all truly want to spar, and have no other intentions?”
Liu Mingyan asked, swallowing hard.
“You are a guest. How could we have any other terrible intentions for a guest?”
Blue Ling’er smiled with a “kind” expression.
The sight of the Sword Emperor and Yu Yi together had made them more or less “unhappy.”
Since they couldn’t target the Sword Emperor herself, they would just “operate” on her disciple instead.
After sensing something was wrong, Liu Mingyan realized that she couldn’t seem to run away.
“Wait, wait a minute, I’m not ready yet! What do you want to do? Aren’t we supposed to go one-on-one?? Don’t come any closer!!!”