Chapter 25

Tang Shishi’s version of the Liuli story:

“Xue Liuli doesn’t like girls who are prettier than her, but she still has plenty of lackeys. Once, Xue Liuli invited her little sisters to a hot spring. They say that in the dense steam, someone saw a black flower design on Xue Liuli’s chest!”

A black flower?

It can’t be that coincidental…

Little Black pressed, “What kind of flower design?”

“They didn’t get a clear look.”

Little Black was disappointed. “Then there’s nothing we can do.”

“Who says there’s nothing we can do?” Liuli’s willow-leaf brows arched, radiating righteous indignation. “Is Tang Shishi the kind of person who blindly follows rumors? Am I the kind of person who casually believes gossip?”

“…You’re not.”

“That’s right, I’m not.” Liuli declared righteously. “Tang Shishi will never let a single bad person go, nor will she ever wrongly accuse a single good person! So, I went to verify it personally!”

A sudden twist in the tale. Big Black quickly asked, “What was the truth?”

Liuli touched her chin with some confusion. “She doesn’t have that black flower design on her chest, but it seems like she has one on her waist. Only a little bit was showing; I didn’t look closely. I couldn’t recall what flower it was at the moment…”

The Three Blacks looked at each other. Big Black said, “Could it be a lotus flower?”

Liuli clapped her hands as if suddenly enlightened. “Yes, yes, yes! Now that you mention it, that little bit showing really did look like a lotus flower.”

How… how is that possible?

The daughter of the Heavenly Martial Sect Leader secretly cultivates the Black Lotus Sect’s Devil Art?! There must be a conspiracy here!

Thinking of the Hierarch’s sudden strange behavior and inexplicable concern for these two people a thousand miles away, the Three Blacks couldn’t shake a feeling of… dread.

Just then, Liuli suddenly pulled out a Communication Paper Crane and spoke into it: “Reporting in, Sect Leader! Disciple Tang Shishi formally reports today with my real name that Xue Liuli…”

“Junior Sister, wait!”

Middle Black was quick-eyed and swift-handed, snatching the Paper Crane away with an awkward laugh. “Since Xue Liuli is the Sect Leader’s daughter, your report probably won’t help.”

Liuli pondered, “You’re right. And now that I think about it… that flower design might not be a lotus. Even if it is, it’s not necessarily related to a Devil Art. Sigh… Senior Brothers, do you know which Devil Sect uses a black lotus flower design?”

Little Black answered vaguely, “I’m not too clear on that either…”

“Ah, I remember now! Could it be the legendary Black Lotus Sect?” Liuli grew excited. “I heard the Black Lotus Sect was wiped out a hundred years ago. To think Xue Liuli is connected to the Black Lotus Sect—hardcore!”

“…”

Liuli’s tone shifted, a slight smile on her face. “But do you, Senior Brothers, know why I came here today?”

“Why?”

Liuli sneered coldly. “I heard Xue Liuli was coming to the Forbidden Area today to meet unknown individuals. I suspect the person she’s meeting—is her accomplice!”

Little Black blurted out, “Impossible!”

“Why is it impossible?” Liuli looked at the three, her eyes gradually changing. “Could it be that you are the ones she’s meeting?”

“How is that possible? We are disciples of the Heavenly Martial Sect. How could we be Devil Sect spies?”

Liuli remained unconvinced. “Xue Liuli has a flower design on her body. Unless you take off your clothes and let me see, I won’t believe you.”

“…” Big Black said in a deep voice, “Isn’t that going a bit too far?”

“Die before you strip?”

“Don’t even think about it!”

Liuli clapped her hands. “Good. Congratulations, you’ve passed the test.”

The Three Blacks: “???”

“To be honest,” Liuli said, “I am a member of the Black Lotus Sect.”

The Three Blacks: “…”

“What I said before wasn’t completely a lie to you. Hmph, a bunch of useless fools.” Liuli looked at the three of them with contempt. “The Hierarch saw that you hadn’t completed your mission and had to send me out to assist. Sigh… I nearly blew my cover.”

“Junior Sister, what nonsense are you spouting? I don’t understand.” Big Black’s face darkened.

Liuli smiled faintly. “You don’t understand? And you still dare claim you don’t understand with the name Tang Shishi? Must I really say the Hierarch’s name aloud?”

Big Black’s entire body trembled. Sure enough, that name was no coincidence.

The Black Lotus Sect Leader was named Tang Shikou, a name known only to the core members of the Black Lotus Sect.

At this moment, Liuli rolled up her sleeve, revealing the black lotus flower design on her arm. “Seven days ago, you used a secret method to send a message to the Hierarch saying you were trapped. Were you lying?”

She even knows about that!

The Three Blacks exchanged glances, then gave Liuli a slight cupped-hand salute. “What are the Hierarch’s orders? And won’t your meeting us here be…”

“Relax. I’ve already set up a Barrier nearby. Outsiders can’t hear us speak.”

Liuli said coldly and ruthlessly, “The Hierarch suspects one of you has betrayed her, leaking intelligence to the Heavenly Martial Sect beforehand, causing the mission to fail.”

“How could that be? The three of us are absolutely loyal to the Hierarch!”

Hearing the word “betrayal,” the three were like ants on a hot pan, panicking. Understandably so—it was precisely because the Hierarch suspected their betrayal that she’d thrown them this vanguard mission.

“Calm down, calm down.” Liuli soothed. “I know two of you are innocent. Now, we are going to flush out the spy!”

“How do we catch them?”

“Strip!”

Liuli touched her chin, a mysterious smile on her face. “The spy’s flower design is said to be fake, unable to be activated. If you strip and demonstrate activating the Black Lotus to me, we can catch the spy.”

“This…” Hearing they had to move the flower design, the Three Blacks all hesitated. “But the Black Lotus can only be activated once a day.”

“So what?” Liuli asked, puzzled.

Little Black said distressfully, “Once activated, it cannot be activated again. If we’re attacked, we’ll be finished!”

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you. Besides, it’s been so long—has anyone attacked you?” Liuli said flatly.

Right now, she was that mysterious senior hidden in the shadows of a glamorous great sect. Noble, enigmatic, with an otherworldly aura… imitating Feng Xiwu.

The Three Blacks were awed by Liuli’s presence. Thinking again, though this senior appeared to have low cultivation, she knew everything. Perhaps she was deliberately suppressing her cultivation to disguise herself.

So they obediently stripped off their clothes, remaining only in their trousers, and moved their black lotus flower designs before Liuli.

“No spy.” Liuli was shocked. She casually pointed at Little Black. “You tell me: what other way is there to find the spy?”

Little Black said respectfully, “Our memories are hidden within the flower design. Senior just needs to examine them.”

“How do I examine them?”

The Three Blacks: “…You don’t know?”

Liuli maintained a faint smile as she took a step back. “Should I?”

“…”

Big Black suddenly lashed out, his five fingers forming a claw as he grabbed for Liuli! In return, Liuli shot a Water Arrow straight at the center of his Black Lotus!

While her opponent dodged, Liuli retreated swiftly and shouted, “How dare you ambush me!”

“Speak! Who exactly are you?!”

“I am from the Black Lotus Sect!”

“Ridiculous. You don’t even know how to examine a disciple’s mark, yet you dare impersonate someone from the Black Lotus Sect? How bold!”

Liuli held her face pitifully. “I’m external personnel, been away from the sect for ages. It’s normal not to know, right? What makes you say I’m an imposter?”

Little Black sneered, “You have the Black Lotus Mark on you, so how could you not know how to examine it? I say that mark of yours is a fake!”

The words barely fell when Little Black drew a sword and, along with his two companions, attacked Liuli.

The charade couldn’t continue. Liuli changed her expression faster than flipping a book. “So what if it’s fake? Who can prove yours are all real?”

A formation existed in the Forbidden Area that suppressed cultivation. The higher one’s cultivation, the deeper the restriction. The Three Blacks had infiltrated secretly and been trapped there for a long time, with no one appearing. But now, deep within righteous territory, they dared not cause too much commotion.

Liuli pulled out a thick stack of Talismans with the extravagance of a tycoon. “Come catch me if you can!”

The Three Blacks: “…Damn!”

Liuli laughed wildly. “Hahaha, if you can’t, don’t act like big shots.”

“Insolent brat! Courting death!” A fierce light flared in Middle Black’s eyes as a strand of Black Qi shot out like a snake.

Liuli’s feet slipped, and she ran, replaying the original book’s plot in her mind as she fled. “Aiya, don’t be so fierce. If you won’t tell, you won’t tell. I can just guess myself!”

“I guess your leaders can examine memories, but those on the same level can’t.” Liuli grinned cheekily. “Judging by your expressions, I guessed right. Who’d have thought the Devil Sect’s hierarchy is so strict?”

Big Black was so furious smoke nearly came out of his nostrils. He said to his companions, “Stop holding back! Whoever this is, we can’t let her live!”

“But what if we attract Heavenly Martial Sect experts?”

“Idiot.” Big Black lamented his companion’s intelligence. “Can’t you see? This woman is definitely sent by the Heavenly Martial Sect to probe us! Capture her quickly and keep her as a hostage—there might still be a chance!”

“Didn’t realize you had some brains.” Liuli clenched her sweaty fist. Despite her relaxed and cheerful act, the pressure these three put on her far exceeded the Inner Sect Grand Tournament.

Liuli seemed to speak to the air, murmuring, “Wait a little longer.”

Looking up, she put on that punchable smile again. “I heard you Black Lotus Sect folks are pretty wicked, with an undying body. The key lies in this Black Lotus, right? If so, it probably also relies on the Black Lotus to form a hierarchical suppression. Oh—I guessed right again!”

Big Black roared, and a surge of Black Qi rushed out, forming a large net that came crashing down towards Liuli!

“So, someone with a Black Lotus Mark knows how to examine it. I get it now—catching someone higher-ranked than you lets you see your memories. Good boy, you’re actually the spy, hahaha!”

Little Black cried out in grief and indignation, “I am not!”

Liuli wiped a cold sweat away and giggled. “Friends from the Black Lotus Sect, don’t be hasty. Practice reveals truth. We’ll test it out ourselves soon enough!”

She spun around and, like a fledgling swallow returning to the forest, crashed into the embrace of a tall, slender woman who had suddenly appeared.

“Shizun—” Liuli’s cry was heart-wrenching. “They bullied me!!!”

Feng Xiwu patted her head and said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”

Feng Xiwu made her move; one was worth three. Before the Three Blacks could even touch a finger on Liuli’s hand, they were neatly dealt with—all frozen into blocks of human ice, only their heads left exposed, glaring angrily at Liuli.

As for that large black mist net, it had completely vanished.

Liuli let out a sigh of relief and turned back to look at Big Black with disgust. “What are you doing? The PM2.5 just skyrocketed. Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility. So uncivilized!”

Turning back, she looked up at Feng Xiwu and immediately began praising, “My Shizun is the best.”

Middle Black, bound tightly, stared fixedly at Liuli. “How do you know the Hierarch’s taboo name?!”

Liuli said coldly, “Because we have a spy in your sect.”

“No, that’s impossible!”

“Why impossible? At this point, there’s no harm in exposing it. Little Black, you don’t have to pretend anymore. Rest assured, the Heavenly Martial Sect won’t treat you poorly!”

Liuli pointed her finger at the shortest one, Little Black.

Little Black: “You’re framing me!!!”

Liuli was beside herself with glee at the Three Blacks’ shocked and angry expressions. A spy? It was just something she made up on the spot to trick them.

When Liuli first encountered the Three Blacks, she had seen the black lotus design peeking from Big Black’s collar. Although the three had disguised it with techniques, Liuli, unluckily lost, had used a Barrier-breaking Talisman.

She had come to the Forbidden Area precisely because the Black Lotus Sect was attacking the Heavenly Martial Sect. She immediately recognized these people’s identities. Though something felt off—the Black Lotus Sect had appeared too early—

that didn’t stop her from bluffing.

As she bluffed, a voice entered her ear—it was Feng Xiwu. It turned out she had arrived at some point and was hiding nearby.

Under Feng Xiwu’s guidance, Liuli “gathered intel,” tricking the Three Blacks into exposing the Black Lotus Sect disciples’ weaknesses.

At this moment, Xue Meiniang and several other guards also appeared. They had all been hiding in the shadows earlier, watching Liuli’s performance.

This act hadn’t been in the original plan; it was just Liuli’s bad luck to stumble upon them, spurring a scripted improv.

Xue Meiniang smiled. “We originally wanted to keep them to lure out the Black Lotus Sect’s higher-ups. Now we have new intelligence, which is also a good thing.”

Feng Xiwu’s hand had already moved away from Liuli. She said, “You’ve rendered a merit. Trespassing into the Forbidden Area will be offset by this achievement.”

Liuli twisted her toes and asked tentatively, “But how did the Black Lotus Sect disciples get here?”

“Unknown.”

“How did they get in?”

Feng Xiwu answered, “There was a flaw in the Forbidden Area’s defenses. Don’t worry, it’s already fixed.” She spoke the last few words while looking at Liuli, as if comforting her hidden worries.

Already fixed?

Liuli felt dazed, starting to wonder just how powerful the flutter of her own little butterfly wings truly was.

Xue Meiniang suddenly asked, “How did Liuli know the Black Lotus Sect Leader’s name?”

Liuli’s fur instantly bristled, every muscle in her body tensing. “Uh, ah, um—Little Black told me.”

It was certainly not Little Black. The one who told her that name was Feng Xiwu. But Liuli had spoken the name Tang Shishi before Feng Xiwu’s voice transmission told her.

Liuli laughed it off. “And I’m just lucky, you know. Coincidence, all coincidence.”

Don’t ask. If asked, say you don’t know. If asked, say it’s coincidence.

“Coincidence?” Xue Meiniang looked at his daughter, his narrowed eyes smiling like an old fox. He didn’t press further, surprisingly letting Liuli off.

Xue Meiniang said, “Alright, hurry on out. There’s nothing fun here.”

Xue Meiniang strolled over to Little Black and patted his shoulder. “Good work.”

Little Black: “?? I’m not… Mmph!”

He didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Xue Meiniang cruelly and efficiently silenced him.

The Three Blacks were taken away by Xue Meiniang and the others. Liuli followed behind Feng Xiwu, matching her steps closely.

As they walked, their surroundings grew empty of other people, with only small wild butterflies fluttering among the wildflowers. Liuli couldn’t help but ask, “How did Shizun know about Tang Shikou?”

Feng Xiwu, walking ahead, slowly turned her head to glance at her.

“Just coincidence.”

Coincidence???

Only a ghost would believe that!

Liuli was about to get angry!

Liuli casually plucked a wildflower and reached up to put it in Feng Xiwu’s hair. Her hand was midway when Feng Xiwu suddenly tilted her head slightly, glancing at her.

“…”

Liuli pulled her hand back as if nothing happened and placed the flower by her own temple instead.