The weather at the beginning of summer was exceptionally cool. The spring clouds that had lingered around the summit of Bamboo Harvest Mountain were carried away by the cool breeze, ushering in fresh air.
Warm, pleasant sunlight streamed through the window cracks, spilling onto Wu Yan’s bedding, leaving her with no desire to get up.
After so many days away, even the stone patterns on the ceiling looked especially pleasing to the eye.
“Oh? Awake? The sun’s already burning your butt!”
Unable to stray too far from her, Wu Yan (Inner) was forced to stay inside the room even though she had woken up early.
“Hurry up and get up! I want to eat osmanthus cakes!”
“I don’t like osmanthus.”
The implication was clear: she wouldn’t go buy osmanthus cakes.
Wu Yan sat up, the blanket slipping naturally from her shoulders, revealing her fair skin.
Her bare feet touched the wooden floor, and a chill spread from her soles through her limbs, jolting her groggy mind almost fully awake.
She walked to the bronze mirror.
In the mirror, the young woman’s face was cool and composed. Her jet-black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her striking curves were fully covered by her undergarments.
Although everything in the Illusionary Realm had been fake, her memories were not.
Wu Yan didn’t know whether Xia Lingshuang still remembered what happened in the Illusionary Realm. After all, she had been the organizer; logically, she shouldn’t have had her memories wiped.
But after thinking it over, she chose not to ask. What would be the point? Besides taking credit, what else could she do?
Wu Yan took a moon-white outer robe from the rack and put it on, then retrieved Wu Nian from the sword rack.
Since the battle in the Illusionary Realm, the originally pitch-black blade of Wu Nian seemed to have changed slightly. Wu Yan wasn’t sure if it was because it had absorbed that Ouroboros or because of the new move she had comprehended in the Illusionary Realm—”Ferry of the Styx.”
Yes, Wu Yan had given a name to that final move she used against Lin Xiao in the Illusionary Realm, just like Wu Yan (Inner) had with Illusion Sword · Mirror Flower Poem.
A knock came from outside the door.
Wu Yan slipped on her shoes and quickly opened the door.
Yu Qingyao walked in carrying a tray. On the tray was a steaming bowl of white fungus soup. Today she wore a light pink ruqun, her sleeves tightly bound. Her chestnut-colored hair was tied up high with a hairpin.
“Senior Sister, I prepared this especially for you.”
She set the tray on the table. The pale white fungus was coated in thick syrup, sprinkled with bean powder—looked especially tempting.
As Wu Yan took the bowl Yu Qingyao handed her, she noticed a few small red dots on the back of Yu Qingyao’s hand.
So that’s it. Qingyao made this herself? She couldn’t let her kindness go to waste.
She scooped up a spoonful of the thick soup, blew on it, and brought it to her lips.
The sweet white fungus, the soft lotus seeds, and the faint fragrance of osmanthus…
At that taste, Wu Yan’s throat suddenly tightened, as if preventing her from swallowing.
But in the end, she swallowed it down, spoonful after spoonful, until she finished the bowl.
“Senior Sister? What’s wrong? Is it not good?”
Yu Qingyao’s voice was nervous, clearly lacking confidence in her cooking.
Wu Yan shook her head. “It’s very good, Qingyao. But next time, don’t add osmanthus.”
Yu Qingyao was stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly, picked up the tray and bowl, and rushed out the door.
“Heh heh, that little ingrate left pretty fast.”
Wu Yan (Inner) leaned her hands on Wu Yan’s shoulder, whistling lightly.
“It was pretty good, though—the osmanthus addition.”
“I don’t like it.”
“You simply don’t like osmanthus.” This was rare—Wu Yan (Inner) had never seen Wu Yan show such strong aversion to anything.
“Oh? I thought you just didn’t want me to eat osmanthus cakes. Turns out you don’t like them yourself.”
The rest of the day, Wu Yan had planned to relax properly and spend more time cultivating the Sutra of Calming the Heart. But an unexpected Communication Talisman flew into her room.
It was a message from Xia Lingshuang.
“Come to the Main Hall.”
Wu Yan changed into the familiar white disciple robe and left the room.
“Eldest Senior Sister~”
“Good afternoon, Eldest Senior Sister!”
Along the way, all the disciples she met greeted her proactively.
They had all heard about her outstanding performance in the Five Sects Tournament and knew that she had won the championship.
After all, those High-grade Spiritual Stones had already been invested into the sect’s construction.
Because of this, they had set aside their previous impressions of Wu Yan and decided to get to know their Eldest Senior Sister anew.
Wu Yan did not ignore their enthusiasm. She nodded in acknowledgment to each one.
She passed through the bamboo grove, passed the Sword Washing Pool, and finally arrived at the Main Hall.
Xia Lingshuang was seated on the high seat. Her purple elder robe had been changed back to a snow-white Daoist robe. Her silver hair was tied up with a jade hairpin.
She appeared like a sheathed blade—sharpness hidden within.
“Master.”
Wu Yan stopped before the platform and made a standard bow of respect.
Xia Lingshuang looked up at Wu Yan. Her usually sharp eyes seemed different today, but she did not speak.
An eerie silence spread between them.
“The injury on your shoulder—how is it?”
Xia Lingshuang suddenly broke the silence.
Wu Yan’s pupils contracted. She jerked her head up to look at Xia Lingshuang and met her gentle eyes.
Could it be that Master deliberately preserved her memories?
“You did very well in this tournament.”
Xia Lingshuang’s voice was unexpectedly tender—the gentlest Wu Yan had ever seen from her since she had taken control of her body.
“Both on the arena and in the Illusionary Realm.”
She charged ahead to save her fellow disciples; she acted decisively to protect the common people; she willingly risked danger to keep her junior sister safe.
From any angle, she was a perfectly fitting Eldest Senior Sister, worthy of being called the Piaomiao Sect Head Disciple.
Xia Lingshuang took a ball of light from under her desk and sent it flying into Wu Yan’s hand.
As the light faded, a white sword tassel fell into Wu Yan’s palm.
“This is your prize. I have embedded a Sword Intent into this tassel. When you are in danger, you can activate it, and I will receive the feedback no matter where I am.”
“…Thank you, Master.”
Seeing Wu Yan so moved, Wu Yan (Inner) rolled her eyes so hard they nearly flipped in front of Wu Yan.
“A little favor and you’re this touched. Where was my thanks when I took down that monkey for you?”
“As for Lin Xiao.” Xia Lingshuang changed the subject to the Demon Sect mole. “The leaders of the Five Sects have discussed it. All the Demonic Cultivators captured this time will be imprisoned in the Demon-Lock Cave built jointly by the Five Great Sects, under the strict watch of elite disciples from each sect.”
Wu Yan nodded, feeling no sympathy.
Lin Xiao had indeed acted like a good disciple while in disguise, but the moment his fists fell on innocent people, he lost any value as an object of pity.
“There is one more thing.”
Xia Lingshuang turned her wrist, and a delicate cloth pouch appeared in her palm.
“This is an extra reward from them. Inside is a Supreme Realm-Breaking Pill. It will help stabilize your foundation and make breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage easier.”
“Alright, go back and rest.”
Xia Lingshuang waved her hand, dismissing Wu Yan.
The Main Hall fell silent once more.
Xia Lingshuang opened the case file on her desk. At the top of the confidential document, four characters had been freshly written—World-Destroying Serpent.
Her fingernail tapped on the desk, the sound exceptionally clear.
Qingyao, what exactly do you know?
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