Chapter 37: Cliffside Dwellings and the Meeting Hall

Yu Province was full of mountains, and compared to other regions, the peaks here were far more precipitous and steep. Most sects in the southwest, including Tianyan Sect, shared one distinctive feature: they built their dwellings directly on these sheer cliffs.

The first time Lu Mingyi had seen this sight in her previous life, she couldn’t help but think that waking up every day to face a sheer drop of ten thousand zhang truly was a form of mind cultivation.

Though she was used to it by now, many of Taiqing Sect’s younger disciples had never witnessed such a scene before. Their faces, already pallid from the Spirit-Devouring Gu, grew even whiter as one of them nervously asked the woman leading the way ahead, “Senior Sister Yun, are we—we going to stay in those houses on the cliffs?”

The jade pendant tied to Yun Xu’s waist swayed and jingled softly with each step she took up the stairs.

She turned back with a gentle smile. “Of course not. You’re all esteemed guests. The cliffside dwellings are for our sect disciples.”

Yun Xu didn’t have the kind of face that left a deep impression at first glance, but she had a pair of utterly captivating eyes. Now, narrowed slightly in a smile, the upward curve at their outer corners became even more pronounced.

Those standing nearby were nearly entranced. Snapping out of it, they eagerly struck up conversations, hoping for her responses—and Yun Xu answered each one patiently.

With every smile, every gesture, every word, Tianyan Sect’s guide had won over quite a few admirers.

Lu Mingyi trailed at the back of the group, keeping some distance from the Taiqing Sect crowd while sizing up this Tianyan Sect disciple named Yun Xu.

The foundation of a sect was most intuitively judged by its uniforms.

Just like Lin Chang and Zhao Zhusheng she’d met in the secret realm before, Yun Xu wore a set of profound black sect robes. They appeared plain and unadorned at first glance, but a closer look revealed the subtle flows of spiritual energy woven into the fabric.

In her previous life, Tianyan Sect hadn’t yet reached the point of embedding basic protective arrays into their uniforms. It seemed the sect had developed remarkably quickly over these past one hundred and eighty years.

Lu Mingyi’s thoughts turned to Yun Xu herself. For someone to walk at the Sect Leader’s side, her status in Tianyan Sect must be far from ordinary. Yet rifling through her memories, Lu Mingyi found a match.

Thus, she sent a spiritual sense transmission to probe Guan Du beside her. “Is this Senior Sister Yun a disciple of that senior from earlier?”

“Yes. Yun Xu was personally taken in as a disciple by Tianyan Sect’s Sect Leader, the Taisu Medical Venerable, a hundred years ago. Her talent is exceptional—only a century old, and she’s already at Golden Core Early Stage. She participated in the Nine Provinces Grand Competition this time too, though as a medical cultivator, she didn’t rank very high,” Guan Du replied.

Lu Mingyi nodded to herself. So this Yun Xu is one of the genius figures who rose in the last century.

Afterward, she asked Guan Du more about Tianyan Sect and the southwest region’s developments. As expected, Tianyan Sect—which had been merely a mid-tier sect one hundred and eighty years ago—could now rightfully be called a “major sect.”

Blade cultivation demanded such high physical prowess that it consumed far more time and energy in body tempering. In the Cultivation World, where breakthroughs and ascension were the ultimate pursuits, blade cultivators faced twice the effort for half the gains. But a century ago, the Taisu Medical Venerable had finally succeeded in shifting Tianyan Sect from a focus solely on blade arts to one balancing blade techniques with medical arts.

“Hasn’t the Taisu Medical Venerable been Tianyan Sect’s Sect Leader for one or two hundred years already? How did the reform succeed so suddenly a hundred years ago?” Lu Mingyi asked softly.

Guan Du’s brows twitched slightly as she grinned wryly. “Well… probably because she had the support of the great clans?”

Now it was Lu Mingyi’s turn to raise a brow—she could easily guess that the “great clans” her second senior sister meant included the Xiao Family.

“You two, we’ve arrived at the lodgings. Time to assign rooms—please keep up.”

Suddenly, a soft voice sounded right in front of Lu Mingyi.

Her heart jolted sharply—she hadn’t sensed anyone approach at all! Keeping her composure, she smiled back. “Alright, thank you, Senior Sister Yun.”

“No need to thank me.” Yun Xu smiled at her too, then turned to Guan Du. “Senior Sister Guan, who is this radiant beauty among your juniors? I don’t recall you ever bringing her out before.”

Cough… “Her name is Jing Yao. She’s a friend of mine, not from Taiqing Sect. But she has some very important insights on this Spirit-Devouring Gu outbreak,” Guan Du said.

Yun Xu’s gaze flicked over Guan Du before settling back on Lu Mingyi, scrutinizing her carefully. A curve tugged at her lips as she lifted her right hand to rest on Lu Mingyi’s shoulder. “Oh, Jing Yao? So you’re the one connected to that… ‘Guan Second Miss’ rumor?”

Cough cough!

Lu Mingyi nearly choked on her own breath. “No, no, that’s—that’s just a misunderstanding!”

She never imagined that Yun Xu, who seemed so poised and steady, would tease them so directly to their faces!

Guan Du started to explain too, but Yun Xu withdrew her hand after a light pat on Lu Mingyi’s shoulder, utterly unconcerned. “Come on, I was just joking. Rumors fly on the road like that.”

“Since you’re Senior Sister Guan’s friend, make yourself at home. Anything you’re curious about—Tianyan Sect or otherwise—just ask me directly.”

With that, Yun Xu’s eyes flowed gently as she winked at Lu Mingyi before gliding away gracefully.

Lu Mingyi: “…”

She absolutely takes back her earlier impression of Yun Xu as poised and steady!

Guan Du beside her was stifling laughter, patting Lu Mingyi’s back—her tone rising despite herself. “I hadn’t even told you yet. That day you showed up at the inn, so many people came asking about you, trying to make connections!”

“…Spare me!”

“Ha! Don’t tell me you’re the type who ignores romance entirely, single-mindedly pursuing the Dao?”

As Yun Xu had said, Tianyan Sect’s preparations for their guests were truly thoughtful. Though in a shared compound, each person had their own private room. Nearby were additional courtyards prepped for medical cultivators from various sects and clans, ready for them to treat those infected with the Spirit-Devouring Gu upon arrival.

Even for Lu Mingyi, a figure from one hundred and eighty years ago, these arrangements felt somewhat unbelievable.

Back then, great clans and sects had kept to their own lanes, interacting on the surface but never delving deeper.

But perhaps the ravages of the Spirit-Devouring Gu had made them realize unity and cooperation were essential.

Nestled in her room, Lu Mingyi cultivated while letting her mind fill with thoughts of the Spirit-Devouring Gu.

She couldn’t let her mind wander, or it would easily drift to that conversation en route with Guan Du—about her previous life’s death.

After another full circulation cycle, she sensed someone approaching outside. Accompanied by a few knocks, Guan Du’s voice rang out. “Jing Yao, you ready? The other sects and clans have arrived. You might need to join the discussion.”

“Got it.” She responded, stepping out to meet Guan Du. They summoned Billowing Waves and flew together to the meeting hall on Tianyan Sect’s Main Peak.

Before pushing open the doors, Guan Du reminded her, “No need to be nervous. They’ll probably just ask you some questions. Just tell them about the fox as it happened.”

Lu Mingyi smiled faintly, eyeing the meeting hall before her—which was nearly half the height of Taiqing Sect’s Pure Clarity Hall. This probably won’t be much for me.

Think about it: In the Nine Provinces, who else but her previous-life self had faced trial by the world’s super sects and great clans collectively? And she’d even argued back and forth with them!

Now it was just chatting about a fox with these people. For the moment… they were on the same side.

Lu Mingyi took a shallow breath, composing a perfectly poised smile on her lovely face, and followed Guan Du into the meeting hall.

The grand hall’s primary hue was a soothing azure, with a faint incense wafting in the air. Whether the decor or the atmosphere, it all easily calmed the mind.

Seats lined both sides of the hall, already mostly filled with only a few spots left.

The moment she entered, Lu Mingyi felt several appraising gazes land on her—one in particular burning too hot to ignore.

She didn’t need to think to know who that was.

As the only one infected with the Spirit-Devouring Gu whose cultivation hadn’t regressed—and as the Shen Family’s young mistress—Shen Mingzheng was bound to attend such an occasion.

Lu Mingyi accepted all the stares nonchalantly, following Guan Du with perfect composure to seats on the right side, not too far forward. She sat a good distance from Shen Mingzheng, who wore her young mistress robes in striking red.

“The Shen Family learned of Young Mistress Shen’s infection and brought quite a few people to look after her. She’s got her own private quarters here in Tianyan Sect now,” Guan Du noticed the gaze too and sent a spiritual transmission to reassure Lu Mingyi.

Lu Mingyi wasn’t worried about Shen Mingzheng.

This was Tianyan Sect’s turf, with so many sects and clans present. As Shen Family young mistress and Taiqing Sect Pill Peak’s direct disciple, no matter how willful she was, Shen Mingzheng had to consider her family’s reputation.

Just like in the secret realm that time.

But even after taking their seats, the attention on Lu Mingyi didn’t fade.

She truly had stunning looks. Facing such a grand scene with such calm poise—her steps graceful, her seating elegant—even in the most casual white robes, it was impossible to hide her standout presence.

Some whispered among themselves. Everyone else wore sect uniforms or brocade robes proclaiming clan status, yet hers gave no clue to her origins. Who was this unfamiliar beauty?

Lu Mingyi had been about to sip her tea when one gaze grew so scorching it nearly solidified. Her hand paused mid-air. Before, I avoided them to dodge old acquaintances and painful memories—and because they’d all lost their minds, trying to drag me off.

But now, as Guan Du’s and Tianyan Sect’s “esteemed guest,” neither Xiao Yuxie nor Shen Mingzheng could lay a hand on her easily.

She’d had no desire to tangle with them before, yet now they kept pushing. Was she supposed to keep hiding?

With that thought, Lu Mingyi’s brow arched slightly. She took a sip from her teacup and lifted her eyes to meet Shen Mingzheng’s gaze directly.

Shen Mingzheng’s crimson robes stood out vividly amid the crowd. Her willow brows had been furrowed, staring fixedly at Lu Mingyi—but now that the gaze returned, her heart skipped a beat. The pride wounded by repeated snubs surged again, and she jerked her eyes away, stiffly turning her neck.

Yet her fingers gripping the teacup had whitened from the force.

Lu Mingyi let out the faintest huff of amusement, calmly setting down her cup. Shen Mingzheng’s temperament hasn’t changed a bit.

The more meek others were, the more arrogant she became. But push back with strength, and she’d finally give you a proper look.

Just then, Guan Du leaned in to whisper, quietly introducing some of those present. Lu Mingyi recognized most but was happy for the details, so she leaned closer.

Over there, Shen Mingzheng hadn’t kept her eyes away long before her heart itched unbearably, like being teased by a sword tassel. Pretending nonchalance, she sneaked another glance—only to see Lu Mingyi leaning attentively toward Guan Du.

This was the second time Shen Mingzheng had seen Lu Mingyi and Guan Du so amicable. Caught off guard, she crushed the teacup in her hand.

“Young Mistress!” Her guard rushed forward, fearing something had happened.

“I—I’m fine!” Shen Mingzheng breathed raggedly, as if scalded, not daring to look that way again.

If I don’t see it, then there’s no Lu Mingyi who’s cold and indifferent to me now, while close with Guan Du.

Even if it was the second time.

Meanwhile, Lu Mingyi continued scrutinizing the meeting hall.

With Guan Du’s commentary, she quickly recalled those present: nearly all the notable sects and clans from the southwest had arrived, along with some major sects from other regions trickling in.

But… one person who absolutely should be here was missing.

Thinking of her, Lu Mingyi’s lips pressed slightly as she lifted her teacup for another sip.

Just then, the meeting hall’s doors were pushed open once more. Two tall yet slender figures stepped gracefully inside.

One wore moon-white brocade robes, her delicate features touched with a faint smile; white hair added a touch of fragility, enhancing her gentle serenity. The other was gracefully tall, in white robes embroidered with gold-threaded silver clouds, a faint chill aura swirling around her—yet unable to dim her ethereal, immortal grace.

As soon as the two entered the hall, the representatives from the various sects and families—who had been huddled in small groups, whispering among themselves—immediately stood and moved toward them, eager to offer greetings or strike up conversations.

“My deepest apologies, everyone. The Long Rainbow Sword Venerable and I were delayed on the road, which is why we’re late,” Xiao Yuxie said, cupping her hands in a formal salute to the assembly.

“You’re too polite, Xiao Family Head. This matter came up so suddenly—your presence, along with the Long Rainbow Sword Venerable’s, is more than enough!”

The one who spoke these words and stepped forward to welcome them was none other than the Tianyan Sect’s Sect Leader, the Taisu Medical Venerable. Her tone made it clear just how much deference she held for the pair before her.

One hundred and eighty years ago, in the Taiqing Sect’s Pure Clarity Hall, Xiao Yuxie had offered a tactful remark, only for Guan Du’s mother—the Guan Family Head—to rebut her on the grounds of “youthful ignorance.”

Now, at this modest gathering of Nine Provinces sects and families, she was being addressed as “Xiao Family Head” with respect by the leader of an entire sect.

“Jing Yao, I’m going over to pay my respects to Master and Senior Sister Xiao,” Guan Du said, glancing that way before turning back to Lu Mingyi. “Don’t worry—with Master here, Senior Sister Xiao definitely won’t do anything rash…”

Guan Du had meant to reassure Lu Mingyi that there was no need to fear Xiao Yuxie, but before she could finish, she suddenly felt a familiar chill crawl up her spine, one that made her back prickle with cold.

She lowered her gaze and caught Lu Mingyi lifting her head slightly, a smile plastered on her intensely fierce face. “It’s fine. With so many people here, nothing will happen.”

“Mm… alright?” Guan Du nodded, then scanned the surroundings. That faint, elusive chill not only lingered but seemed to grow stronger.

After Guan Du left, Lu Mingyi held her smile for a moment longer. She picked up the teacup from the table and drained the tea inside in one gulp. But as she set it down, she noticed her fingertips trembling faintly.

The sounds around her faded away as Guan Du’s recounting of the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death in her previous life echoed in her mind.

In my past life, I died without a complete corpse. Even after my untimely demise, no one investigated the true cause of my death!

They wanted me dead? Fine. But why use such a cruel method?

And now, the culprit behind it all… is right in front of me!

Lu Mingyi sensed a new gaze coming from the direction of the meeting hall’s entrance, directed toward her.

It was just one gaze—tentative, tinged with caution, not particularly conspicuous.