Chapter 25: Murder Case (I) Part 2

But in her impression, the child seemed to have slept facing the wall and hadn’t taken the initiative to come closer.

Eh? Could it be that the way they woke up this morning was because she hadn’t been able to resist and had gone over to hold her last night?

And she must have held her very tightly, making it so suffocating that even the little villain felt uncomfortable, hence the “crowded.”

Yun Jinxue toyed with the ends of the girl’s hair, the tips of her ears gradually reddening.

What on earth was this? So embarrassing.

Luckily, the little villain didn’t seem to mind. She languidly asked, “Did Senior Sister sleep well?”

Yun Jinxue nodded, replying, “Very well.”

Thanks to you, I slept extremely well. Practically caught up on all the sleep I missed over the past three months in one go.

Jiang Yanyu chuckled softly. “That’s good.”

Seeing she didn’t seem inclined to get up yet, Yun Jinxue pulled the blanket over her, and the girl cooperated by snuggling deeper.

Choosing her words carefully, Yun Jinxue spoke. “Can Senior Sister ask where you went these three months?”

All deviations from the original plot made her faintly uneasy. If she could have some clarity, she’d be able to adapt more flexibly when things happened in the future.

Jiang Yanyu was silent for a moment, then said, “I went to visit my sister’s grave.”

The hand stroking her hair paused. Yun Jinxue hadn’t expected that answer.

Following normal topic flow, she should be asking about the little villain’s family situation now.

Although the little villain probably still didn’t know that she already knew she was the youngest daughter of the Jiang Family, asking this question was harmless enough.

But Yun Jinxue herself understood that for Jiang Yanyu, this wasn’t a topic, only a scar.

No matter what, it was better to let it pass for now.

Her thoughts returned to the last conversation at the table before they parted. Yun Jinxue realized she still had something she should have said long ago but hadn’t gotten around to yet.

“Windy,” she said softly, “remember, I have never, ever been unwelcoming toward you. I don’t want to hear that kind of talk again, okay?”

Jiang Yanyu was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening slightly. Only then did she recall what she was referring to.

She turned over to lie flat on the woman’s lap, stretched lazily, and smiled. “Of course I know Senior Sister welcomes me. Alright, I won’t say it again.”

One weight off her mind, Yun Jinxue felt a little lighter.

However, a more pressing matter immediately flashed through her mind. “Windy, what is your current cultivation state? Have you formed your core?”

Time was tight. Before the Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony, both characters needed to reach this point.

If the little villain was still lacking, she would have to quickly figure out how to help her.

Jiang Yanyu said airily, “I’ve formed my core.”

Yun Jinxue had been about to say it was fine and she would help her, but realizing what she had said, she froze.

After a moment, she said, “During those three months away, did you meet someone?”

Jiang Yanyu said offhandedly, “Mm, met a roaming cultivator who helped me with this big favor.”

That easily?

But in the original book, the little villain had figured out core formation on her own anyway. Her strength and comprehension were there, so it was reasonable.

With the connection figured out, Yun Jinxue didn’t dwell on it too much. The mission was completed, and that was what mattered.

After resting a bit more in bed, the two both got up and went out.

Under the clear, warm sunlight, Yun Jinxue saw the figure practicing sword in the courtyard.

As usual, Yan Guixing had woken up early, holding the bamboo sword that Yun Jinxue had found for them, just finishing a set of basic sword forms.

As the last move concluded, she reversed her grip on the sword handle and pressed it against her back, bowing in salute. “Senior Sister.”

The girl was like a green bamboo, standing upright and neither servile nor overbearing in the courtyard. Her forehead was slightly damp with sweat, her figure neat and efficient. Her eyes, black and white, were crystal clear.

Even though two people were on the veranda, she only greeted Senior Sister, completely ignoring the little villain’s existence.

Yun Jinxue responded with a “good.”

She had thought that even if the two had conflict, they would quickly talk it out. She hadn’t expected that after so long, it would still be like this.

After all, they were both still young.

Young… ah?

Calculating carefully, they were already over fifteen. That wasn’t all that young anymore.

Yun Jinxue sighed softly, lamenting the swift passage of time twice in one morning.

After all three had washed up and gathered again in the courtyard, Yun Jinxue found two meditation cushions and had them sit. She herself sat at the stone table, holding a cup of tea.

“You should both know that the Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony is approaching, right?”

The two sat far apart, and both nodded.

Each sect recruited disciples in its own way and at different times.

For a sect like the Divine Zenith Sect, they generally recruited broadly once every five years, because they never lacked applicants and were never in a hurry.

Other sects commonly recruited every two to three years, with some even recruiting every year.

As cultivation concepts were gradually promoted, more and more people stepped onto this path. To attract students, many sects heavily gimmicked their advertising copy.

For example: As long as you follow the correct method, you can maximize your innate talent. Reaching the heavens in a single bound is no dream!

Another example: Want to stand out? Want to easily find a career? Want to become a court official? Come cultivate immortality! In one year your senses sharpen, in two years you step into grandmastery, in three you ascend to immortality! Full refund if you don’t ascend!

False advertising, of course. Ascension was impossible.

Amid all that dazzling information, only the Divine Zenith Sect simply put “Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony” with a date, and no other superfluous content.

That must be the cold aloofness of a major sect.

Yun Jinxue inexplicably thought of the recruitment scenes at certain famous universities.

However, the Divine Zenith Sect was an old, established sect after all. Its great fame naturally attracted trouble.

Every year so many new sects were founded, all so arrogant they couldn’t stand that the Divine Zenith Sect nearly monopolized everything, and they wanted to cause some trouble.

Kicking down the door for a challenge was impossible, but they were very skilled at spreading rumors in the towns.

For instance, whispers that the Divine Zenith Sect was on its last legs, too old and decayed to keep up with the new era and new cultivation, and that applying there would lead nowhere—this kind of poisonous talk. But it didn’t affect the massive flood of disciples who stomped through the sect’s gate from all across the Four Seas each recruitment.

They were willing to come not only for the title of Number One Immortal Sect, but also to witness the spectacle of Thousand Birds Peak Forest and to catch a glimpse of the immortal demeanor of the Devil Exterminating Ancestor, Yun Shouhong.

So whenever this time came, the sect was especially bustling inside and out.

Yun Jinxue said, “Although there will be many people and fierce competition at that time, I have great confidence in both of your capabilities. So, I’ll just briefly introduce you to the information about the several Elders.”

Generally, during the apprentice-making ceremony, according to the final results of performance, disciples would automatically be assigned into servant disciple, inner sect, outer sect, or Elder’s disciple slots.

Since these two were major characters with already determined fates, there was no need to introduce the other disciples.

Currently, there were five Elders active in the Divine Zenith Sect.

The Great Elder, Qiu Yuanxing, was considered the Elder with the second-most appearances in the original book. The other few barely appeared, and their disciples only showed up in passing.

The one with the most appearances was naturally the Fourth Elder, Yan He, who led the female lead into the door of cultivation.

She was probably going to be in a deep sleep for a long time now. She didn’t know who would step in to take the position of the female lead’s master.

Mi Ba appeared just in time: “Unless something unexpected happens, it should be the Great Elder.”

Yun Jinxue thought to herself: I see. That’s good.

Mi Ba said, “Once the little female lead takes her master, you’ll have a long stretch to rest, only needing to look after the little villain. Happy?”

Yun Jinxue looked at the little female lead listening attentively and thought to herself: Consider it… happy. After all, then she wouldn’t have to act behind anyone’s back anymore. Favoring one over the other was too torturous.

Mi Ba said, “You don’t have to be reluctant to part with her. Anyway, you’ll still have to support her in becoming Sect Leader later. It’s not like you won’t see each other again.”

Yun Jinxue lowered her eyes and smiled lightly, rubbing the center of her brow. Where am I reluctant?

Mi Ba said, “I live in your heart. You think I don’t know what you’re thinking? Don’t pretend with me.”

Yun Jinxue: …

Sighing inwardly, Yun Jinxue had always been someone who hated parting. Even if she knew there would be a return, it was still the same.

Forget it, better not to think about it for now. Things like this would probably happen many more times in the future!

Just go with the flow.

After she had introduced the Elders’ information to them and was about to further explain the flow of the Grand Apprentice-Making Ceremony, she suddenly saw a red flash rapidly approaching.

Yun Jinxue reached out and caught it. A ball of flame appeared in her palm—this was one of the methods used for short-distance message transmission.

And the color red signified that the information was urgent.

Yun Jinxue frowned and infused spiritual power into the flame to verify the sender’s identity.

The next moment, an exceptionally frantic voice burst forth.

“Senior Sister, come quickly upon hearing this message! An inner sect disciple has died a violent death!”