Volume 3:
- Ruohuai Daoist Mountain
“I say, are you some famous person in disguise? Acting all mysterious,”
Resting by a clear spring, Yan Chuyue, watching Gong Yiling drink with her veil on, couldn’t help but mutter, “And a demonic cultivator, at that.”
Gong Yiling’s heart skipped a beat.
It made sense.
This woman had helped her repair her meridians, lived in the same courtyard, and played a crucial role in her plan. With the mercenary queen’s intuition, it would be foolish to think she hadn’t figured out she was a demonic cultivator.
So, Gong Yiling said seriously, “I’m an undercover agent.”
Yan Chuyue scoffed. “If you’re an undercover agent, then I’m your sister.”
Gong Yiling quickly waved her hands. “I wouldn’t dare. Really.”
“You dare to be my master, but not my sister?”
“Didn’t you force the title of Master on me? How did it become a matter of me daring to be your master?”
“Hey, you’re… actually right.” Yan Chuyue thought back to their previous conversation. Indeed, she had been the one to elevate Miss Lü to the status of a wandering master.
Besides, this girl was quite good at playing the part.
“I don’t care.” Yan Chuyue draped an arm over her shoulder. “We’ve known each other for over a month now, and we’ve even schemed together. You should at least tell me who you are.”
“This…”
Should she tell her? That was the question.
Two voices argued in her mind. One said they were friends, the other warned her that this woman was not to be trifled with.
Unable to decide, Gong Yiling chose a middle ground.
“I’ll tell you after you rescue the person I want to save.”
“How long will that take?” Yan Chuyue stuck out her tongue, disappointed. “You haven’t even told me who it is.”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
Gong Yiling tried to brush it off, but Yan Chuyue wasn’t convinced.
She felt the truth was just within reach, a final step away—she even suspected this woman was Gong Yiling, the Young Palace Master of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace.
A demonic cultivator, meridians severed, a maid named something like “Qiu,” and the age… it all fit.
But there was one discrepancy. Gong Yiling’s Daoist cultivation had been completely destroyed, yet this woman possessed a pure and righteous Daoist technique.
How could Gong Yiling have such a technique? And her personality was completely different. Unless… she was also a transmigrator.
But that was too much of a coincidence. Two people dying around the same time and ending up in her novel? That was unscientific.
—Although transmigration itself was quite unscientific…
But Yan Chuyue didn’t dwell on it. She was more curious about the new environment and the new academy.
After all, in the original novel, Yan Chuyue never went to Qian Yue Academy or Ruohuai Daoist Mountain. These were just settings mentioned by the male lead.
Ah, the male lead in heaven, are you dead? Where did you die? Do you need someone to burn incense for you?
—
—
The journey from Yanlie City to Ruohuai Daoist Mountain was over a thousand kilometers. Without the help of the Cloud-Treading Colts, it took them over a month, changing horses twice.
Ruohuai Daoist Mountain was a mid-tier sect in the Hundred Paths Mountain, not particularly strong, but not weak either. A good place for those with average talent.
However, in their group, one had dual spiritual apertures and two EX-rank cultivation techniques, another had a single spiritual aperture but also an EX-rank technique, one had no cultivation but unparalleled talent in talismans, one couldn’t learn any cultivation techniques but had dual spiritual apertures and peak talent in two elements, and one had contracted an ancient artifact and learned a legendary healing technique.
If these five revealed their true abilities, the top five sects would be shocked.
But that wouldn’t be as fun. They were here to play.
When they arrived at the foot of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain, they felt something was amiss.
Birds chirped, flowers bloomed, the scenery was pleasant, the trees provided shade, and the stone steps exuded a serene Daoist aura.
On the surface, it looked like a typical sect mountain, but…
“Where’s the sect’s grand formation?” Gong Yiling stepped on a stone step, then jumped off.
She felt nothing. There was no grand formation.
The relationship between the Hundred Paths Mountain and the Five Demonic Abysses was hostile. Shouldn’t they be on guard? And there were also frictions between the Daoist sects. Shouldn’t they be on guard?
Who didn’t have a grand formation?
As they were wondering whether to just walk up, a man rushed down the steps, shouting,
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t just pass by! Come and see!”
He was in such a hurry that he missed a step and tumbled down the stairs, landing face-first at their feet with a painful thud.
“Uh…” They exchanged glances. Yan Chuyue helped him up and asked, “Are you alright?”
The man looked to be in his forties or fifties. The fall hadn’t injured him, but his clothes were torn.
—Though they weren’t in good condition to begin with, a faded blue Daoist robe that had been washed countless times.
“I’m fine, I’m fine!” He quickly pulled away and said seriously, “I see that you have extraordinary potential, a bright aura, and a fortunate destiny. You are all rare cultivation prodigies. Are you interested in joining Ruohuai Daoist Mountain…?”
“Greetings, senior. I am Yan Chuyue, and these are my friends.”
Yan Chuyue ignored his strange sales pitch and took out the invitation. “Elder Su Youde invited me to become a cultivator of Ruohuai Daoist Mountain. My friends also wish to join. May I ask about the sect’s entrance exam…?”
“We don’t have the resources for an entrance exam, I mean!” The man blurted out something startling, then quickly waved his hands. “If you want to join, just join! No need for formalities!”
Well…
Gong Yiling felt this place wasn’t a serene cultivation ground, but more like a… come in and play, master kind of place.
