“I know you want that information on the Demon Sect and the Five-Colored Stone badly. I can give you plenty… even more than that. As long as you need it, I’ll bring it all to you.”
Xiao Yuxie spoke these words in a very soft voice, as if afraid of startling the person before her.
But the gaze she fixed on Lu Mingyi—dark and heavy, yet flecked with scattered glimmers of light—pinned her in place without wavering.
Lu Mingyi had seen many sides of Xiao Yuxie.
In her previous life, Xiao Yuxie had always been gentle and refined in her presence.
Whether handling family affairs or sect matters, she managed everything impeccably, treating others with flawless grace. She was pursued and admired by everyone in the Taiqing Sect, and even countless people across the Nine Provinces.
After her rebirth, Lu Mingyi had witnessed even more facets of her.
Cold and distant, humbly subservient, utterly wretched…
But in Lu Mingyi’s memories, she had never seen Xiao Yuxie like this—tinged with faint sorrow and fragility, wrapped in some viscous emotion that seemed intent on enveloping her completely.
What Lu Mingyi hadn’t expected was that Xiao Yuxie would say something like this.
Her brows furrowed as she responded first: “Does Xiao Family Head know what she’s saying?”
Lu Mingyi’s polite yet distant words stung Xiao Yuxie’s heart once more.
She knew she should be grateful—at least now, Lu Mingyi didn’t show such obvious rejection toward her presence.
She also knew that Lu Mingyi had sought out Jiang Liuzhao likely for serious matters like the Demon Sect.
But Xiao Yuxie felt her thoughts and emotions slipping free from her usual rationality, crystal clear.
After Jiang Liuzhao had dismissed her from Tianshu Pavilion, she hadn’t gone far. Instead, she lingered in this lush bamboo grove, gazing at the building with its distinctive Jiangnan style, her mind racing—
Why did little Yi come to see her master?
If she wants to know something, needs something… I… I can provide it too, can’t I?
She doesn’t even need to hint at it!
She knew how obsessed Lu Mingyi was with eradicating the Demon Sect and had been preparing accordingly… She was just waiting for the right moment—maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow morning—to pass on all her gathered intel without disturbing her, just like yesterday!
Xiao Yuxie had thought she could take it slow, as long as she could stay by Lu Mingyi’s side.
But Lu Mingyi’s sudden visit to Tianshu Pavilion had shattered all her plans.
Facing Lu Mingyi’s retort now, Xiao Yuxie didn’t avert her gaze. She only softened her voice further, low and husky, laced with allure: “I know. I’ve already gathered some intel… I don’t know what you need, but I’m prepared to hand it all over to you…”
Lu Mingyi’s brow twitched. She drew in a subtle breath.
She lifted her eyes to the woman before her—still that glaring white hair, her frame noticeably thin and frail.
Xiao Yuxie wasn’t wearing her ornate family head robes symbolizing her status; just a simple moon-white long robe. Yet it still highlighted the steady, elegant aura around her.
But due to her physical weakness and the strange emotions churning now, that aura was laced with vulnerability.
Lu Mingyi glanced once, then looked away. “There’s no need for this from Xiao Family Head. Given our relationship, you don’t have to do these things.”
“But I want to!” Xiao Yuxie stepped closer, letting Lu Mingyi see the thick, suppressed emotions in her eyes more clearly.
This truly furrowed Lu Mingyi’s brows. She didn’t understand why this woman, who had kept a proper distance these past two days, was suddenly so agitated.
She opened her mouth to deliver some cold retort as before, but just as the words were about to escape, she suddenly recalled that mess with the Heart’s Blood—and a century ago at the trial, Xiao Yuxie’s “defense,” late as it was, but real nonetheless.
In the end, Lu Mingyi said coldly: “Xiao Yuxie, back at Peach Blossom Source, didn’t we make everything clear? What are you doing now?”
“I know. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and I know the Heart’s Blood incident troubled you greatly.” Recalling Peach Blossom Source brought a flash of pain to Xiao Yuxie’s face, but she seized on the softening in Lu Mingyi’s attitude. “But the Demon Sect is stirring now. I know how much you care about this. I just want to help—it’s not about atonement or compensation…”
“I don’t need Xiao Family Head’s help.” Lu Mingyi’s voice remained cold, but Xiao Yuxie’s words sank into her heart.
She hadn’t expected Xiao Yuxie to care so much about the Demon Sect, even prioritizing it over her family.
But on second thought, Lu Mingyi figured the Demon Sect had at least fanned the flames back then, indirectly leading to Peach Blossom Source’s destruction. As Xiao Family Head, Xiao Yuxie naturally wanted revenge.
Yet her casual dismissal provoked Xiao Yuxie into blurting out the words she’d buried deep: “You don’t need mine… then why is your master’s okay?!”
Silence fell between them for a moment.
An oddly charged atmosphere flowed in the air.
Lu Mingyi’s furrowed brows lifted slightly.
She wasn’t surprised Xiao Yuxie had guessed she was there for Demon Sect and Five-Colored Stone matters—Xiao Yuxie had that sharp intuition, after all.
But she thought Lu Mingyi was seeking Jiang Liuzhao’s help?
Lu Mingyi let out a mocking huff—not aimed at Xiao Yuxie: “Xiao Family Head, your imagination is too rich. I wouldn’t dare seek ‘help’ from Long Rainbow Sword Venerable. We’re just each taking what we need.”
Clearly, the point Lu Mingyi latched onto missed Xiao Yuxie’s intended meaning entirely.
Those four words—”each taking what we need”—seared another indelible scar onto Xiao Yuxie’s heart.
Jiang Liuzhao still had something of value to Lu Mingyi. But her?
She knew she wasn’t as powerful as the master, nor as worldly-wise as Jiang Liuzhao. But did she truly have nothing Lu Mingyi could want… or even use?
Even if she devoted her all to eradicating the Demon Sect now, could she not earn so much as a pause from Lu Mingyi?
Lu Mingyi noticed the woman before her tremble violently. Then, a warm body pressed against hers!
The faint, elegant orchid scent from Xiao Yuxie mingled with a bitter medicinal tang at her nose.
Though Xiao Yuxie had thrown herself into Lu Mingyi’s arms, her hands only loosely encircled Lu Mingyi’s slender waist, as if terrified of imposing any restraint.
She was the one who’d initiated, yet she restrained herself at every turn.
“Little… No, Miss Lu. Even if it’s each taking what they need, I can do that too…” Xiao Yuxie swallowed the pet name countless times in her mind. “There must be something about me you can use, right?”
In her previous life, Lu Mingyi had been taller than Xiao Yuxie by a fair bit; now, she towered over her by half a head.
As she spoke, Xiao Yuxie tilted her head up slightly, exposing her pale, slender neck. Those brown eyes, usually veiled by a mask of gentle detachment, now brimmed with raw yearning.
Lu Mingyi’s heart skipped hard. Xiao Yuxie truly kept surprising her, time and again.
Xiao Yuxie… the Xiao Family Head who schemed with power plays and exploited every connection for her clan… was actually offering herself up for use?
But more than that, Lu Mingyi hated being held like this.
After a stunned beat, she firmly pressed Xiao Yuxie’s shoulders and pushed her away.
“Xiao Yuxie!” Lu Mingyi ground out through gritted teeth. “I’m not like you—I don’t have a habit of using people!”
“I know you don’t! But… but why the master’s…?” Xiao Yuxie’s body quivered faintly.
“She’s Jiang Liuzhao! Isn’t it normal for me to go to her?!” Irritation crept obviously into Lu Mingyi’s tone. Her feelings toward Xiao Yuxie were already complicated; this persistent clinging fanned her restrained annoyance into flame. “And what I do with Jiang Liuzhao is none of your business! Does Xiao Family Head want to meddle in this ordinary cultivator’s affairs now, and even manage my own master?!”
“I’m not trying to meddle. I just…” Xiao Yuxie’s already pale lips drained of what little color they had.
Tianshu Pavilion sat in the mid-rear of Yaoguang Ravine, some distance from the main path. Their quiet argument shouldn’t have drawn notice.
Yet a blazing surge of spiritual energy—laced with near-devouring destructiveness—erupted from behind them.
“No clamor or fighting in Yaoguang Ravine. Not even guests can break this rule.”
The once clear voice was now hoarse beyond measure.
Lu Mingyi stiffened. She turned toward the sound and saw Shen Mingzheng in her crimson robes, approaching with measured steps, one by one.
But her radiant face was shadowed dark.
Those clear amber eyes seethed with an emotion poised to shatter everything, nailed to Lu Mingyi’s hand on Xiao Yuxie’s frail shoulder.
