Jiang Che hadn’t expected Xu Qianlan to say such a thing.
Xu Qianlan hadn’t had any wine tonight, either.
“Did something happen?”
Jiang Che asked in confusion.
He didn’t believe Xu Qianlan would give up on him.
Xu Qianlan asking if he wanted to leave the sect—this question clearly meant she intended to take him away from here.
This female cultivator, who was never bound by the rigid rules of the sect, might really one day get a sudden wild idea and whisk Jiang Che away to the ends of the earth.
“Sect Master Yun has suppressed the matter you encountered during the Trial. He’s not allowing anyone to bring it up.”
Xu Qianlan was naturally talking about what happened in the Secret Realm, when that little flag released its final ray of golden light.
To the Heads of the other peaks, they merely said there had been a small accident, brushing it off casually, as if it was truly nothing serious.
But Jiang Che didn’t know any of this.
Xu Qianlan watched Jiang Che closely.
She wondered why such a young fellow had to go through so much.
She’d just gone to speak with Yun Yan about his actions.
Others didn’t think it was strange, but she knew this was Jiang Che’s second time entering the Secret Realm.
That in itself was odd.
On top of that, the illusory Bamboo Slip that appeared at the end, shrouded in golden light, had gone straight into Jiang Che’s mind.
But Yun Yan only brushed her off as well, so Xu Qianlan had secretly slipped into the Scripture Repository on Lingxiao Peak—not Xuandan Peak’s.
There, in Lingxiao Peak’s Scripture Repository, she’d found a troubling piece of news.
That Bamboo Slip was likely the , which hadn’t been seen for thousands of years.
And Yun Yan surely knew this, yet he neither made it public nor allowed Jiang Che to leave. This left Xu Qianlan very uneasy.
This Yun Yan, though usually unreliable, would certainly be serious when it came to matters concerning the sect.
Jiang Che paused, then said,
“That’s fine—at least my identity isn’t exposed.”
“You say that, but is it because you don’t want to leave anymore? Is it because of that girl?”
Jiang Che fell silent. He truly didn’t want to leave anymore—he couldn’t just leave Hu Qiao’er here alone.
Xu Qianlan took a deep breath.
“Even so, I can’t let you just stay at Lingjian Peak. Come back to Dan Peak with me!”
Xu Qianlan stepped forward to take Jiang Che’s hand, but Jiang Che dodged away.
“Peak Head Xu, I have one question for you. Let me ask it first, then I’ll consider going back with you.”
Xu Qianlan was taken aback, but quickly nodded.
Jiang Che then spoke.
“Three years ago… why weren’t you at the sect?”
“Mm? Three years ago?”
Xu Qianlan’s mind buzzed, and she instantly remembered what happened three years ago.
Jiang Che continued,
“Three years ago, did you personally refine a Xuan Shui Dan for Zhao Zi’ang?”
…
Meanwhile.
Yun Fan was at this moment holding Little White, leaving Lingjian Peak’s main hall.
But suddenly, Little White’s eyes snapped open.
In the darkness, a faint golden glow radiated from them.
Its pupils contracted instantly.
Yun Fan wondered—had Little White sensed something?
Afterward, Yun Fan quietly hid himself in a corner, wanting to see what was going on.
Right then, a figure sneaked in through the main gate.
Dressed in dark robes, moving sneakily, glancing left and right as he walked.
Yet his face looked quite handsome, entirely at odds with his demeanor.
Though the man looked a bit different from three years ago, Yun Fan still recognized him at a glance—it was Zhao Zi’ang.
“Little White, even though I don’t like you fighting with me over Senior Brother, this guy is Senior Brother’s enemy, so go teach him a lesson! But don’t kill him—don’t bring trouble to Senior Brother!”
After putting on the Shenxiao Sect robes, Zhao Zi’ang had been going around gathering information.
Currently, Lin Yin was out and hadn’t returned.
There were only two people left at Lingjian Peak. He wanted to meet Second Senior Sister Bai Rushuang first.
To put it plainly, he’d already regarded this stunning Second Senior Sister as his own.
Back then, he’d gone through quite a lot to snatch everything from Jiang Che.
Having finally returned, he had to go meet this senior sister.
“Hululu~”
“What’s that sound?”
Moonlight poured down on the silent courtyard. A massive ball of white fur curled up in a corner, emitting a soft glow.
Zhao Zi’ang recognized it at once—it was that terrifying spirit beast from the Secret Realm.
He’d later learned that this creature was a Heiwen Lion, originally picked up by Jiang Che, but taken by the sect because it showed signs of reverting to its ancestral bloodline.
And it was even a descendant of the Divine Beast Suanni.
Zhao Zi’ang’s heart burned—Jiang Che had already been driven out by him; by all rights, everything of Jiang Che’s should belong to him now!
If he could tame this beast, his prestige in the Shenxiao Sect would skyrocket.
Thinking this, he braced himself and carefully edged closer, reaching out a hand to pet it.
Little White suddenly lifted its head. Its amber eyes locked onto him coldly in the moonlight.
Zhao Zi’ang swallowed, forcing himself to stay put.
Little White sniffed him, drawing near, its warm breath washing over him.
Zhao Zi’ang was instantly overjoyed.
It’s working!
But the next instant, Little White raised a paw and gave him a light pat.
“Bang!” A surge of tremendous force exploded forth—Zhao Zi’ang shot backward like a sack of rags, tracing a sorry arc through the air.
Yun Fan leapt out from the shadows, clapping and laughing, “Well done, Little White! That guy always used to set up Senior Brother—he totally deserved that beating!”
He squinted, peering in the direction Zhao Zi’ang had flown.
“But… it seems like he crashed into Second Senior Sister’s Cave Residence? He’s doomed. We better get out of here—if they find Zhao Zi’ang’s corpse tomorrow, we won’t be able to explain ourselves!”
Yun Fan mourned Zhao Zi’ang for two seconds. Suddenly his arms felt heavy; Little White had shrunk to the size of a kitten, purring and nestling into his embrace.
Yun Fan thought this way because Second Senior Sister Bai Rushuang had changed completely.
She’d once said that if she ever saw Zhao Zi’ang again, she’d cut him down with her own hands!
“Pah! Pah! Pah!”
Zhao Zi’ang scrambled up from the grass, mouth full of leaves.
“Damn Jiang Che! The man’s already dead, yet even his beast is against me!”
He spat and cursed.
But as he looked up and recognized the surroundings, he hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
This was a garden, with a stone door before him. He knew this place.
It was exactly where Second Senior Sister Bai Rushuang was in seclusion.
He was afraid someone might have overheard his earlier outburst.
Just then, the stone door opened and a woman stepped out.
She wore a snow-white, fitted Daoist robe, her figure tall and cold, her features beautiful yet shrouded in frosty distance.
Beneath her willow-shaped brows, her gaze was sharp and aloof, brimming with unmistakable resolve.
Moonlight draped over her, adding an extra chill to her presence.
She looked at Zhao Zi’ang, her brows furrowing slightly. Her voice revealed not the slightest emotion.
“Junior Brother Zhao? You’ve returned?”
Zhao Zi’ang froze.
It was nothing but the simplest greeting.
“Yes, Senior Sister, I’m back.”
But as soon as he raised his head, he instantly felt a wave of icy sword intent flash before his eyes.
His eyes went dry and stung at once.
“Senior Sister, what are you doing? I’m Zhao Zi’ang!”
Bai Rushuang’s slender hand gently brushed the long sword that had appeared in her grip.
Her expression remained indifferent.
“It’s nothing—just testing the effect of my seclusion.”
At this moment, Bai Rushuang had reached mid-stage Golden Core.
Because of a problem with her state of mind, her cultivation had been stuck for nearly two years.
Zhao Zi’ang clutched at his eyes, feeling that if he’d been a hair closer, his eyes would’ve been ruined.
“Junior Brother Zhao, since you’re back, tell me—why did you leave without a word back then?”