The Female Disciple quietly pushed open the door, only to see a woman of unparalleled beauty seated in the main seat.
The woman wore a purple-black long dress, outlining her slender waist that was as supple as a water snake.
Her eyes were deep and indifferent, her aura cold and aloof, radiating a chilling presence all around her.
Besides her, another beautiful woman sat in the guest seat.
Her red dress fit perfectly, tightly clinging to her alluring curves, the exposed fair skin contrasting with the deep crimson, resembling freshly peeled lychees—tender and enticing.
Although the two were seated far apart, the Female Disciple already knew in her heart that while she waited outside, the two women had been pressed closely together.
Her Sect Master’s unclear relationship with many Female Disciples inside, and entanglements with numerous notable Female Cultivators in the Cultivation World, was already an open secret.
Sect Master Ji Yexue of the Divine Phoenix Sect was a shrewd woman—everyone in the Southern An Continent’s Cultivation World knew this.
One of her close confidantes was none other than Sect Master Hua Chuyan of the Hundred Flowers Sect, who was now sharing the room with her Sect Master.
Almost every time she came to pay respects, she would see a Female Cultivator that caught her eye.
Among them were the Sect’s top Senior Sisters, fairies and saintesses from other major sects, and even some worldly Empresses and Princesses she had never seen before, all occasionally appearing in the Sect Master’s room.
What surprised her was that these women were almost always there willingly, without a trace of reluctance.
The Female Disciple herself had once imagined how she would react if blessed by her Sect Master.
“Sect Master, Sect Master Hua.”
She respectfully greeted the two women and presented a Bamboo Tube in her hands.
Hua Chuyan stood up and took the Bamboo Tube from the Female Disciple.
“Leave now.”
She said coldly, and the Female Disciple, understanding, withdrew quietly.
Hua Chuyan did not open the Bamboo Tube but tossed it directly to Ji Yexue, who sat in the main seat.
Ji Yexue took the Bamboo Tube, retrieved the Letter inside, and quickly skimmed through it.
“Zhou Kingdom, aren’t they our errand runners? What is it this time, the Ji family needing your help again?”
Hua Chuyan asked with a mocking tone.
Ji Yexue was unbothered, replying lightly,
“Hasn’t the Hua family contacted you?”
“So what if they did? I don’t care about them. Cultivation boils down to talent and aptitude—like flower, like fruit. For so many years, the Hundred Flowers Sect kept lowering the recruitment standards for Hua family members until it became their exclusive sect. Each generation is more useless than the last. When I could no longer tolerate them and decided to stop giving them special treatment, they only blamed me, never once considering their own faults.”
“Shall I exterminate them all?”
Ji Yexue asked with a smile.
“W-wait, that’s not necessary. After all, they are our kin. Mutual slaughter is out of the question. Besides, I’ve cut all ties with the Hua family now—they can’t bother me anymore.”
Hua Chuyan hurriedly dissuaded her, certain Ji Yexue was capable of such a thing.
“What about you? Haven’t you always been in contact with the Ji family? How can you criticize me?”
Hua Chuyan pouted, showing a hint of tsundere charm.
“The Ji family wouldn’t dare make demands of me,”
Ji Yexue said calmly.
Hua Chuyan was annoyed. She stepped forward, snatched the Letter from Ji Yexue’s hand, and muttered,
“Hmph, you say they wouldn’t dare, then why do they suddenly write to you? Could it be just to wish you a happy birthday?”
Ji Yexue let the coquettish Sect Master of Hundred Flowers peer at her Letter.
She picked up a cup of tea and savored it slowly.
The Tea Leaves came from Snow Lotus grown on the millennia-old snowy mountains of the Northern Wasteland Continent.
Such tea was exceedingly precious, known to nourish qi and blood and refine the soul and body.
It was especially beneficial for cultivators with the Ice Spirit Root.
Hua Chuyan scanned the Letter’s content, her expression growing increasingly serious.
“…You’re still searching for that lost soul? I thought you gave up long ago.”
Seeing the woman in the black dress remain silent, Hua Chuyan sighed and spoke earnestly:
“You’ve been searching for five hundred years. Yunlan is probably long dead. Stop looking.”
“No. He’s still alive, but his life signs are very faint.”
“Are you so sure?”
Ji Yexue rose and walked toward the deeper part of the hall.
“Follow me.”
Hua Chuyan followed Ji Yexue to a room tucked away in the corner of the corridor.
Ji Yexue pushed the door open.
“What? Are you going to give me a magic treasure?”
“Don’t be impatient.”
Ji Yexue said softly.
She removed a famous artist’s landscape painting, revealing a square recess in the wall behind it.
Inside the recess sat a finely crafted box.
She took it out and opened it in front of Hua Chuyan.
“This is… a flute? Looks familiar.”
“Do you remember Yunlan cultivated the Path of Music?”
“I remember now. When we fought him back then, he used this very flute! And it even glows?”
Ji Yexue nodded, explaining:
“Magic treasures recognize their owners. I shattered Yunlan’s soul and sealed his soul fragments inside this flute. The flute resonates with the soul fragments, emitting light, proving the owner is still alive. Five hundred years ago, this flute glowed, so I knew Yunlan wasn’t dead. About a hundred years later, the flute stopped glowing. I thought Yunlan had finally perished. But recently, the flute started glowing again. Although the light is very faint, it’s enough to prove Yunlan is still alive.”
The flute was emitting a faint glow.
If it weren’t for the dim lighting in the room, it would be imperceptible.
Hua Chuyan looked at Ji Yexue and asked:
“You sent the Ji family to investigate Yunlan’s whereabouts. The Southern An Continent is vast—how can you be sure he’s hiding in the Zhou Kingdom?”
“Without a complete soul, even if Yunlan returned, he couldn’t regain his peak strength. If he wants revenge on us, the only way is to gather all his soul fragments. That desire for revenge causes the fragments to attract each other. I laid this flute flat on the table. Observe carefully—the brightness distribution is uneven, isn’t it?”
Hua Chuyan blinked, surprised:
“Yes, some parts are brighter, some are dimmer.”
Ji Yexue adjusted the flute on the table and explained:
“Now I’m adjusting the angle of the flute. At a certain angle, the light concentrates entirely at one end, while the other end has no light at all.”
“So, Yunlan’s current location is in the direction the light points?”
At that moment, Hua Chuyan suddenly understood.
“Wait, that’s southeast—the direction of the Zhou Kingdom!”
“That’s only a direction, not proof Yunlan is inside the Zhou Kingdom. To confirm, I flew southeast on my sword with this flute. The flute’s light stayed steady in a straight line. When I reached the skies above the Zhou Kingdom, the light distribution gradually evened out. Upon flying out of the Great Zhou Kingdom’s borders, the light shifted to the other end. The answer is clear.”
“Yunlan is inside the Great Zhou Kingdom.”
Hua Chuyan said in a low voice.
A cold glint flashed in Ji Yexue’s eyes.
“This time, Yunlan won’t escape.”