If she left now, leaving Shen Mingzheng and Xiao Yuxie alone, Lu Mingyi was still a bit worried that the two might continue fighting.
But fortunately, Ming Xuan had thought of that too. She immediately ordered Shen Mingzheng to return to Pill Peak. Though the woman looked extremely displeased, she still had to obey her master’s command.
Just before leaving, Shen Mingzheng didn’t forget to say to her, “I’m heading back to Jin Que Pavilion. Come find me once you’re done, and we’ll go back together.”
Lu Mingyi: “…”
This ancestor clearly has so many issues with me, so why is she so insistent on me going back with her?
On the other side was Xiao Yuxie, still wearing that same smile. She came over and gently took Lu Mingyi’s hand. “Don’t feel too much pressure. Once you’re done with things here, I’ll come find you.”
Lu Mingyi: “…Mm.”
She’s so nice even to a stand-in like me. I don’t even dare imagine what kind of treatment Senior Sister Xie got back then.
Returning to the matter at hand, the moment Lu Mingyi heard Ming Xuan say there was something important, a spark of anticipation rose in her heart. She thought it might be progress on the Demon Sect infiltrator issue.
But Ming Xuan told her it was a summons from the Sect Leader.
“The Sect Leader?” Lu Mingyi repeated.
“What’s wrong? You look disappointed,” Ming Xuan countered. “The Sect Leader is gravely ill but still summoning you personally. That shows how much importance she places on you!”
Lu Mingyi didn’t respond aloud, but in her heart she thought: How could the Sect Leader not value her?
After all, the Sect Leader herself was the one who had divined that Five-Colored Stone prophecy and named her the Child of Prophecy!
Seeing her lack of enthusiasm, Ming Xuan tried to change the subject. “Sigh, speaking of which, why did Shen Mingzheng suddenly start fighting with Xiao Yuxie from your peak?”
Lu Mingyi’s brow twitched. These two have no shortage of conflicts. Who knows why they actually snapped today and started really fighting? She casually made up an excuse. “The Demon Sect has been stirring up trouble lately. Everyone’s tempers are probably running high.”
Unexpectedly, Ming Xuan actually pondered this and nodded. “That could be it. I also heard you argued with your master.”
“How did you know?” Lu Mingyi asked, puzzled.
“Why wouldn’t I know about my senior sister’s affairs?” Ming Xuan replied righteously. “I’m actually pretty impressed with you. I haven’t dared to throw a tantrum at her since she entered the Soul Transformation Stage. And yet you managed to argue with the current Great Ascension Stage Long Rainbow Sword Venerable.”
Lu Mingyi grumbled inwardly. Was that even an argument? My master didn’t show a flicker of emotion from start to finish. I was just performing a one-man show there.
Moreover, Ming Xuan made it sound like Jiang Liuzhao doted on her, but in reality, everything Lu Mingyi heard from her was vague and unclear.
Jiang Liuzhao never told her anything and clearly didn’t trust her.
Her thoughts reached this point, and Lu Mingyi felt a surge of complex emotions. Though I don’t know the purpose of that voice, at least it tore away some of the illusions in my current life. If anything, that voice has helped me.
So what should I do next?
After her parents died at the hands of the Demon Sect, Lu Mingyi had been taken in by the Shen Family, which became like a second home to her. Later, she entered the Taiqing Sect and had lived here for nearly a century, making it another home.
Now that those seemingly beautiful illusions had been stripped away, where should she go from here?
In that brief daze, Ming Xuan had already flown with her on her sword to Pure Clarity Hall at the Taiqing Sect’s Main Peak.
Pure Clarity Hall was the residence of every Taiqing Sect Leader in turn.
This mansion towered higher than any pavilion in the sect and was built into the mountainside, its grandeur evident at a glance.
But as they pushed open the door to the imposing structure, they were met with the bitter scent of medicine filling the rooms, mingled with the decaying incense that carried a whiff of death.
Seeing the hall shrouded in darkness and smelling such a jarring odor, Lu Mingyi subtly furrowed her brow.
She knew the Sect Leader was gravely ill, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe.
Ming Xuan led Lu Mingyi deeper into the hall. Pure Clarity Hall was vast, and only as they drew closer did Lu Mingyi spot a faint flicker of firelight.
She realized that the dancing crimson flame was Jiang Liuzhao’s Natal Spirit Fire.
At the deepest end of Pure Clarity Hall, beside the high platform, stood Jiang Liuzhao’s tall, upright figure.
My master has been elusive lately. She must have been here in Pure Clarity Hall tending to the Sect Leader, just as Ming Xuan said.
Lu Mingyi couldn’t help thinking that over the past century, Jiang Liuzhao had rarely shared anything about herself. For instance, Lu Mingyi had only recently learned that her master and the Sect Leader had once been very close and had traveled the Nine Provinces together.
But then, what about Ji Xuyun’s investigation?
My master couldn’t really be brushing me off, could she?
“Greetings, Sect Leader Senior Sister, Senior Sister Jiang,” Ming Xuan, walking ahead, bowed first.
Lu Mingyi quickly snapped back and bowed as well.
In the process, she noticed Jiang Liuzhao merely glanced their way before looking away again. The tension from their argument in Lingxiao Pavilion a few days ago reignited in Lu Mingyi’s heart.
Cough cough, no need for formalities. Quick… cough, rise.
A frail, hoarse voice suddenly echoed through the grand hall. Only then did Lu Mingyi notice there was someone seated on the high platform.
But the woman was so weak she was practically slumped over the table, her emaciated frame unable to fill out what should have been a fitted Sect Leader’s robe. As she lifted her head, the firelight revealed a face utterly devoid of color, withered to the extreme.
Lu Mingyi had met the Sect Leader a few times before, and her impression had been of a poised and elegant woman whose beauty was radiant. To see her like this now was truly a case of illness consuming her life force.
Lu Mingyi felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to say that even if they were meeting, the Sect Leader didn’t need to force herself to sit up—lying down to rest would be fine.
But with Jiang Liuzhao and Ming Xuan present and silent, a junior like her naturally kept her mouth shut.
At this point, I have to wonder—my master is a sword cultivator obsessed with cultivation. She really doesn’t know how to take care of people.
The Sect Leader is this ill, yet Pure Clarity Hall is still decked out like a haunted house. Shouldn’t it at least be brighter and more comfortable?
“Sect Leader Senior Sister, I’ve brought Junior Nephew Lu as you requested,” Ming Xuan reported with cupped fists.
Cough, I know… Thank you, A-Xuan. The woman seemed to want to smile, but she didn’t even have the strength to lift the corner of her mouth. I originally called for Little Zhao, but she wouldn’t leave…
Lu Mingyi, listening intently below, took a moment to react to “Little Zhao” before realizing it was addressing her master.
She mulled over the nickname in her mind and sneaked a glance at her ever-impassive master standing nearby. Unbidden, an image formed: a pint-sized Jiang Liuzhao, called “Little Zhao” and flashing an obedient smile.
No way… Does my master even have an “obedient smile” expression?
In Lu Mingyi’s memories, from the first time she’d met Jiang Liuzhao, her master had always been this stern and unsmiling.
“The Sect Leader Senior Sister’s body is frail and requires regular Spirit Fire to dispel the chill. I happened to be unable to leave today, so I called Junior Sister Ming Xuan,” Jiang Liuzhao explained flatly.
Cough… Thank you, Little Zhao. The woman narrowed her eyes, seemingly smiling.
Her master, however, remained unmoved.
Master is way too serious!
Lu Mingyi couldn’t help critiquing inwardly. The Sect Leader clearly didn’t have much time left. Since her master cared so much, shouldn’t she show a bit more warmth? How could she still keep everyone at arm’s length like this?
“Th-then, you can both leave. I have a few words to say to Junior Nephew Lu…”
Suddenly, the woman’s gaze fell on Lu Mingyi.
In that moment of eye contact, Lu Mingyi noticed the Sect Leader’s eyes were a pale blue. Whether due to the eerie hue of her pupils or something else, a chill suddenly rose from the soles of her feet.
“Yes.” Ming Xuan glanced worriedly at Lu Mingyi but obeyed and withdrew.
Jiang Liuzhao, however, didn’t move.
Cough cough, Little Zhao… Do you have anything else to say? The woman covered her mouth and coughed for a while.
Jiang Liuzhao merely said calmly, “No. But for the Spirit Fire, I cannot leave Pure Clarity Hall yet.”
Seeing this, Lu Mingyi recalled how just a few days ago, she’d gone to such lengths to find Jiang Liuzhao, only to be met with cold questioning. Now, even when the Sect Leader told her to leave, she wouldn’t.
Jiang Liuzhao said she’d investigate Ji Xuyun, and it might not be a brush-off. But clearly, tending to the Sect Leader comes first.
Whether she trusts or cares about me is plain to see in an instant.
As Lu Mingyi felt a twinge of melancholy for herself, she heard the woman on the platform say, Cough… Alright then. Junior Nephew Lu, come a bit closer. I might not have much strength left later, and my voice will be weak.
Noticing the Sect Leader’s hair was now more than half white, Lu Mingyi furrowed her brow and couldn’t help half-kneeling to report, “Sect Leader, you should prioritize your health. If you’re unwell, we can speak in the inner hall.”
The Sect Leader paused, looking at her for a long moment before chuckling softly. “Hehe, you’re such a considerate and kind child… No need. Right here in the grand hall. After all… it should be a bit more formal.”
Lu Mingyi obeyed and ascended a few steps to stand opposite the Sect Leader.
Up close, those pale blue eyes seemed even more hazy and enigmatic.
Lu Mingyi had recently looked into the Sect Leader’s background.
The Sect Leader was named Sheng Ye, titled Azure Moon Sword Venerable.
As the 109th Sect Leader of the Taiqing Sect, Sheng Ye hailed from an ordinary mortal family in the Mortal Realm, not the Cultivation World. She was over a thousand years old now. Reaching Cavern Void Peak with Triple Spiritual Roots of metal, water, and wood wasn’t particularly outstanding among past Taiqing Sect Leaders, but her mastery of Qimen Numerology was unrivaled under heaven.
Her eyes turning this pale blue and her weakened body were likely due to excessive divinations and peeking into heavenly secrets.
Lu Mingyi met Sheng Ye’s gaze without flinching. Her long lashes fluttered, and she saw ripples of amusement in the Sect Leader’s eyes. “You… aren’t afraid of my eyes?”
Lu Mingyi blinked too and answered honestly, “The first time, it’s a bit novel, but… they’re very beautiful.”
“Many people fear my eyes, thinking I’ll glimpse their destinies.” Perhaps from speaking too much, Sheng Ye’s voice had grown hoarse. “Junior Nephew Lu, I’ve heard that because of my divination, you’ve faced much criticism in the sect… I’m sorry.”
“You’re too serious, Sect Leader,” Lu Mingyi straightened and said earnestly. “I don’t think it has anything to do with you.”
If she’d harbored any resentment toward Sheng Ye before coming—wondering why this woman kept divining baseless prophecies—seeing her now erased every bit of it.
In fact, witnessing Sheng Ye on death’s doorstep stirred a sense of pity in Lu Mingyi’s heart.
There were myriad Dao laws in the world, yet Sheng Ye, merely practicing divination arts, had to endure such torment. It was truly unfair.
“Oh? But… I was the one who made the divination,” Sheng Ye stared unwaveringly at Lu Mingyi.
“The divination itself hasn’t affected me. The changes came from those who heard it,” Lu Mingyi said decisively.
The “Child of Prophecy” divination spreading and altering her situation could first be blamed on the Demon Sect, who deliberately twisted it to link the prophecy to themselves. Second, it was the fault of those who blindly believed hearsay. It was just a prophecy—what power could it hold? If divination were truly that potent, couldn’t the Sect Leader foresee her own impending death? And why hadn’t the righteous path eradicated the growing Demon Sect?
Hearing this, Sheng Ye let out a low chuckle. “You… are truly a good child.”
Sheng Ye’s attitude surprised Lu Mingyi a little. She’d thought someone who practiced divination would staunchly believe in her own prophecies, yet here she was praising her repeatedly.
Regardless of her inner thoughts, Lu Mingyi lowered her gaze humbly.
Silence fell over the hall for a moment. Hearing no more from Sheng Ye, Lu Mingyi wondered if she should ask why she’d been summoned—surely not just for an apology?
But as she raised her eyes, she witnessed a horrifying sight.
Sheng Ye’s eyes suddenly bulged wide, her expression twisted in ferocity as blood overflowed from her mouth, as if she’d seen something utterly terrifying!
Her trembling hand pointed shakily at Lu Mingyi, while her throat emitted harsh, rasping “Gah, gah” sounds.
Lu Mingyi was quite close to Sheng Ye. Seeing her seem about to lunge, she couldn’t help recoiling.
Jiang Liuzhao, who had been standing at the base of the dais, instantly appeared at Lu Mingyi’s side. She wrapped an arm around Lu Mingyi’s shoulders and pulled her back a step, creating distance between her and the other woman.
A strange “gasp… gasp” still rasped from Sheng Ye’s throat. Lu Mingyi saw her eyes bulge wide, nearly popping from their sockets—those lifeless blue eyes fixed on her like she was some kind of monster.
Then, Sheng Ye’s body convulsed violently once more before she collapsed to the ground and went still.
Staring at the pool of bright red blood and the withered, emaciated figure clad in ornate white robes sprawled on the floor, Lu Mingyi felt dizzy and lightheaded. Instinctively, she turned toward the one person she trusted most in that moment.
But for the first time, she saw unmistakable turmoil in Jiang Liuzhao’s usually calm, ink-black eyes.
Lu Mingyi couldn’t decipher the complex emotions swirling within them.
She only felt as if she had plummeted into an abyss.
The 109th Sect Leader of the Taiqing Sect, Sheng Ye, dropped dead suddenly in the grand hall of Pure Clarity Hall.
And that very day, rumors spread across the Nine Provinces: it was the “Child of Prophecy,” Lu Mingyi, who had killed this ill-fated Sect Leader.
