Chapter 35: “This is more interesting.”

Lei Shuang circled beneath the palace walls, feeling like no matter how she walked, she was always spinning in the same spot.

“Immortal Venerable Yuanqing’s array techniques are truly impressive.”

Unable to find a way out, she simply stopped looking. She found a flat stone beneath a rockery in the courtyard and sat down to rest.

Before long, Lei Shuang suddenly heard a strange sound.

She turned her head to follow the noise, sensing someone was on the other side of the wall.

Just as she hesitated about whether to investigate, the ground suddenly shook violently. The courtyard wall collapsed inward as several cultivators from unknown sects fought a giant Stone Lion, their spell clashes toppling the wall.

Lei Shuang propped her chin on her hand and thought: That works too?

The several cultivators were being chased all over the courtyard by the ten-foot-tall Stone Lion.

Spotting Lei Shuang, their eyes lit up. Without hesitation, they ran towards her, shouting from a distance, “Fellow Daoist, please lend a hand!”

Lei Shuang sat still, merely raising an eyebrow at the words. “Why should I save you?”

The cultivators were stymied. One of them, quick-witted, immediately responded: “If you have the strength to drive away the Stone Lion, Fellow Daoist, I will share the treasure I just found and split it evenly with you!”

This was a decent idea. Lei Shuang’s lips curved upwards, showing a hint of interest.

Fire spewed from the Stone Lion’s mouth, igniting the cultivators’ backsides. Immediately, the courtyard was filled with wails of misery. The cultivators were utterly miserable, placing all their hopes on Lei Shuang. They chimed in one after another, willing to offer their gains as payment.

Lei Shuang clicked her tongue.

In the next instant, Lei Shuang slapped the cultivator who first asked for help flat onto the ground.

Everyone was shocked.

Lei Shuang ran her fingers through her hair and grinned at them:

“What I hate most are trash like you, who come into someone else’s cave abode to steal things and cause massive destruction, disturbing the peace of the dead. This Stone Lion is your good karma; why not enjoy it properly?”

The cultivator running at the very back was hooked by the Stone Lion’s claw, stumbling and falling.

The Stone Lion planted a foot on him, bearing down with the weight of a thousand jin. The male cultivator spat out a huge mouthful of blood. One more hit and he would surely die.

Just then, a beam of Sword Qi flew through the air, striking the Stone Lion’s head head-on.

With a booming crash, the Stone Lion’s head exploded, scattering stones in all directions. One sharp fragment grazed Lei Shuang’s cheek, narrowly missing leaving a wound.

A white figure appeared on the other side of the ruined courtyard wall. Ling Jiancheng’s sword was drawn from its scabbard. With his sword-like brows and starry eyes, he was imposing without needing anger.

Lei Shuang recognized him. Her gaze hardened, and she snorted disdainfully.

“Lei Shuang!” Ling Jiancheng pointed his sword at her. “You Devil Sect people forced Immortal Venerable Yuanqing to her death three hundred years ago, and now you come seeking her cave abode, burning, killing, and looting without a shred of decency! Today, I will uphold justice on Heaven’s behalf!”

Devil Sect?!

The cultivators all turned back, finally noticing the bright yellow Yin-Yang Fish Symbol hanging from Lei Shuang’s right ear.

It was the Right Protector under the Devil Venerable!

“No wonder she wouldn’t help us!” The cultivators immediately huddled together, raising their swords to surround Lei Shuang.

Lei Shuang’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. Faced with Ling Jiancheng’s provocation, she found it rather amusing and raised an eyebrow mockingly: “You Immortal Sect people are as shameless as ever. Black or white, isn’t it all just a matter of flapping your lips?”

Ling Jiancheng didn’t bother arguing with Lei Shuang. He raised his sword and charged at her.

Reasoning with someone from the Devil Sect was like being bitten by a dog and then biting back—completely unnecessary.

As the Sword Qi closed in, Lei Shuang countered with a palm strike.

Her palm techniques followed a fierce and forceful path. The clash with the sword’s edge actually produced a sharp crack.

Spiritual Pressure spread, and invisible waves of energy rolled outward. The rockery beside Ling Jiancheng shattered at the sound. The few rogue cultivators of meager strength nearby, merely grazed by the energy wave, felt unbearably ill.

Ling Jiancheng was forced back by the palm wind, stumbling several steps.

Lei Shuang leaped into the air, laughing as she shot out of the courtyard. Before leaving, she tossed back a remark: “Stop shouting about killing at the drop of a hat. If you want to kill me, go back and cultivate for another eight hundred or a thousand years!”

Her figure vanished in the blink of an eye. Ling Jiancheng knew he was outmatched; the disparity in their strength was indeed vast. His opponent had held back. His pride wounded, he furiously slammed his sword back into its scabbard.

Seeing the disciples from other sects trembling nearby, Ling Jiancheng regained his senses, temporarily suppressing his anger. He said to them, “This Immortal Abode is full of traps. If you have already obtained your opportunities, it’s best to know when to stop and leave early.”

Everyone echoed, “Senior Brother speaks the truth!”

Ling Jiancheng ignored the wreckage in the courtyard. After pondering for a moment, he decided to pursue Lei Shuang.

The Willow Leaf Flying Daggers shot through the thick ink. The dragon and phoenix that flew out of the painting were completely unharmed.

The dragon soared, the phoenix danced, their auras intertwined as they roared and charged at Jiang Ying.

“Mere parlor tricks!”

Jiang Ying snorted coldly. With a violent shake of her sleeve, her protective Spiritual Qi vibrated intensely, stirring up the water from the pond. It coalesced into columns of water, which then scattered and transformed into a curtain of rain, pouring down onto the ink dragon and ink phoenix.

Ink dissolves when it meets water. The dragon and phoenix dispersed into mist within the rain, merging into the lotus pond below. The spell was broken.

The water curtain pattered down, completely dispersing into the pond water. Jiang Ying prepared to strike again, but there was no longer any sign of Ren Qingyue before the corridor.

Jiang Ying was stunned. Her brow twitched slightly as sudden understanding dawned on her.

So the drunkard’s intent was not the wine. When Ren Qingyue summoned the ink dragon and phoenix, she already knew what method Jiang Ying would use to break it. The rising water curtain naturally obscured Jiang Ying’s vision, allowing Ren Qingyue to seize the chance and escape.

“What a clever woman!” Jiang Ying wasn’t angry at being outmaneuvered by Ren Qingyue; instead, she laughed. “This is more interesting.”

Yan Zhao entered the palace complex. Along the way, she hadn’t seen anything edible.

Within this cluster of palaces, the most abundant things were probably the flowers, plants, and trees, along with the stone carvings placed before each hall.

The stone and jade carvings were indeed exquisite and looked quite valuable. However, these items were large, and the Universe Pouch in Yan Zhao’s hand wasn’t of high enough grade to hold them.

Better to keep looking for something small, exquisite, and portable.

The scent of incense grew stronger in the air. After passing through the Main Hall, then traversing a courtyard brimming with flowers, and crossing an empty little pavilion, a hall appeared before Yan Zhao’s eyes.

“Another palace.”

Yan Zhao muttered softly. From the outside, it looked no different from the palaces she had already searched.

But the fragrance lingering in the air seemed to be emanating from this very hall.

Since she was here, she might as well go inside and look.

Yan Zhao didn’t hesitate, steadily ascending the steps before the hall.

There were no stone carvings placed on either side of the main entrance. Stepping through the doorway, Yan Zhao saw a table made of gold and jade in the center of the hall. On the table sat an Incense Burner, thin wisps of white smoke rising from it.

On the wall directly facing the entrance hung a landscape painting. Beneath it was a cold jade platform, the jade surface carved with exquisite patterns. Several soft cushions were placed on the platform.

Yan Zhao glanced at it, thinking that sleeping on this would probably be hard.

Doorways leading to the left and right side halls were screened by partitions to block the view. Yan Zhao walked around the screen and entered.

The room was empty inside but looked like a bedchamber.

To the left was a very large desk, big enough for a person to lie down on entirely. The desk was fully equipped with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

The wall behind the desk was covered entirely in bookshelves.

To the right, against the wall, was a bed. At the foot of the bed stood a wardrobe. In front of the wardrobe were a low table, a dressing table, and various knick-knacks.

Yan Zhao walked towards the side with more cabinets. Everything she picked up, she first put in her mouth to bite.

There were quite a few things in this room that Yan Zhao could take. For instance, the inkstone on the desk had a base made of a single piece of purple jade.

On the cabinets behind the desk were some small boxes containing various medicinal herbs.

Yan Zhao didn’t recognize any of these herbs, but since she had found them, they were her things now. She could learn about them later.

Yan Zhao walked and stuffed things away as she went. After sweeping through the desk area, she moved to the bedchamber on the right.

The wardrobe was completely full of clothes. The colors were plain and elegant, the quality excellent. She didn’t know what material they were made of, but they felt smooth, soft, and very comfortable to the touch.

Even though she had never cared about clothing, at this moment, Yan Zhao instinctively felt that these clothes would definitely be better on her body than what she was currently wearing.

Her storage pouch was nearly full. Yan Zhao took out another one.

Of the several Universe Pouches she had picked up this morning, Wu Ren’s held the most. Yan Zhao opened the Universe Pouch and stuffed all the clothes from the wardrobe inside.

Just by packing up everything portable in this room, her internal Dharma Power was completely drained.

Yan Zhao sighed. For the first time, she felt dissatisfaction with her body’s inability to cultivate.

Tired, she sat down on the cushion before the dressing table. As she raised her arm, she bumped into the mirror on the table.

With a clatter, the mirror fell over.

Yan Zhao casually righted it, turning the mirror surface towards herself.

The Bronze Mirror reflected her face. Delicate and refined features, large eyes. A hint of radiance seemed to shine from within her pupils. Compared to the reflection she used to see in the water’s surface, she now looked a bit more unfamiliar, with a dazzling, bright charm.

Simply combing up her hair had made such a big difference.

Just as she was about to put the mirror down, unexpectedly, the mirror’s surface began to ripple, like water, wave after wave spreading outward.

Yan Zhao was drawn by the suddenly fluctuating mirror surface. She brought the mirror closer and examined it carefully.

But the ripples vanished at that moment.

Yan Zhao flipped the mirror over and back again, examining it for a long time but seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

How strange.

Her interest in the mirror faded, and she casually set it aside.

She still needed to find the fox.

With that thought, Yan Zhao stood up and walked towards the door.

Just as she reached the doorway, the sound of a zither suddenly arose in the courtyard. The music was like water, gently flowing between heaven and earth.

Yan Zhao didn’t understand music, but she found it pleasant to hear.

She stepped out of the room, wanting to see who was playing the zither in the courtyard.

The pavilion that had been empty when she arrived was now draped with beaded curtains on all sides. Inside sat two people, side by side.

Their silhouettes were reflected on the beaded curtains, faintly visible.

Just then, a light breeze blew, gently lifting the beaded curtains.

Inside the pavilion, a woman in Red Robes was playing the zither.

The other person…

Yan Zhao couldn’t describe her appearance. She only felt that she was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.

The woman wore plain white clothes, as clean as if freshly washed, with an otherworldly aura. Yet she sat slouched, with no proper posture. One hand propped up her cheek, while the other reached over to cause trouble on the zither.

Not content with just disrupting the music, her hand grew unruly, gradually straying to the back of the red-robed woman’s hand.

The red-robed woman frowned slightly, a little annoyed, but her expression showed more helplessness. “You were the one who said you wanted to hear the zither. Why are you restless again?”

“I don’t feel like listening to the zither anymore. You spend more time looking at the zither than looking at me.”

The red-robed woman had no way to deal with her, shaking her head with a sigh. “What kind of talk is that?”

“Human talk.” The white-robed woman picked up a small Spirit Fruit from the dish on the table and brought it to the red-robed woman’s lips. “Well played. A reward for you.”

The red-robed woman’s face flushed faintly, hesitant yet receptive.

But before she could half-heartedly accept the white-robed woman’s gesture, an unfamiliar little head suddenly leaned in from the side.

Yan Zhao opened her mouth.

Om nom.

And ate the Fruit right from the white-robed woman’s hand.