Gui Nianqin had once retaliated against the Heavenly Feast Sect. She had caught a few disciples who came down to select people off guard and dragged them into the array. Those disciples were not as strong as Feng Yingbo, so she succeeded easily. But after that, the Heavenly Feast Sect no longer sent their own disciples. Instead, they used wooden puppets conjured by spell arts.
Because they were wooden puppets, their bodies had some uncarved rough patches that looked like scars. Their appearances were not very refined, and even their auras flickered in and out.
Gui Nianqin could not even vent her anger on them. This time, they had selected three people: her daughter-in-law Liu Huairou, Zhu Dazhuang, and Feng Qing. The Mistlongevity Village children who had come with them had already returned to the Heavenly Feast Sect two days ago. Tomorrow, Liu Huairou and the others would be taken away by the wooden puppets and handed over to the wedding procession.
This was also why Gui Nianqin had been angry with Fu Aoqing.
Fu Aoqing was the only child from Mistlongevity Village in all these years to have a spirit root and be able to cultivate immortals. After she joined the Imperial Serenity Sect, every household enshrined her portrait. So Gui Nianqin’s memory of her had not faded with time. She recognized Fu Aoqing the moment she saw her and knew that they came from the Imperial Serenity Sect.
At first, Gui Nianqin was angry that Fu Aoqing had hidden her identity. Thinking of the whole village’s suffering and Fu Aoqing’s stable life, she even felt a bit of jealousy. But Fu Aoqing was still a child she had truly cherished, so she could not bear to hurt her. That was why she had not lured them into the array courtyard. She had just tried to forcibly pull them in, but when the vines were about to injure Fu Aoqing, she could not help blocking for her.
Two voices warred in her heart: one urged her to kill Fu Aoqing, the other told her not to hold it against her.
Now that she knew Fu Aoqing had not hidden her identity on purpose, the voice urging her to kill vanished.
They were already doomed, trapped to die in the array. There was no need to drag Fu Aoqing down with them.
If Shen Yanting had not guessed that she was a human talisman and linked it to the Heavenly Feast Sect, Gui Nianqin had not planned to reveal the truth. She had intended to coax Fu Aoqing away and let her live out the rest of her life peacefully, but now that was impossible.
“Heavenly Feast Sect!” Fu Aoqing, who now knew the full truth, felt rage surging in her heart. Her brows furrowed tightly, and her eyes turned crimson. “Those bastards!”
Feng Yingbo and the others reacted much like Fu Aoqing after hearing Gui Nianqin’s words—some sad, some angry. Only Bo Xuenong listened carefully to everything before suddenly saying to Gui Nianqin, “Granny Gui, you were deceived.”
“?” Gui Nianqin did not understand why Bo Xuenong said that. Even Shen Yanting and the others looked at her in confusion.
Bo Xuenong earnestly shared her analysis. “The Contention Petal Talisman was not stolen by that child for you. The Heavenly Feast Sect deliberately gave it to you.”
While the others were caught up in emotions and felt grief, Bo Xuenong lacked empathy and remained the most rational. Her analysis was thorough. “The Heavenly Feast Sect is a top sect with powerhouses everywhere. If he could really steal something from such a place, he must have had some real skill. If he was that capable, why would he be content to stay trapped in the Heavenly Feast Sect? Unless he did not care about Mistlongevity Village’s hatred. But if he did not care, why would he help you? Besides, if they were so eager for power, why select people and then wait days for you to use the Contention Petal Talisman before taking them away? The most likely explanation is that the Heavenly Feast Sect arranged it all. He might even have been under their control.”
Gui Nianqin said, “No, A-Lin seemed very clear-headed. He even told me many things about the Heavenly Feast Sect. He said…”
Bo Xuenong interrupted her. “Then he betrayed the village.”
“No, impossible. A-Lin had no reason to do that. He…” Gui Nianqin’s voice grew weaker. She had probably realized many inconsistencies herself. Her defense turned into a question. “Wh… why? Why would he help the Heavenly Feast Sect do this? Why did they give me the Contention Petal Talisman?”
“Granny Gui, you just said it yourself. The Heavenly Feast Sect takes villagers away under the guise of marriage to use as food. Beautiful skin always makes the food more appetizing.” Bo Xuenong spoke plain truths, though they were harsh. “They wanted to please themselves. That child might not have been able to withstand the threats. You did not help them.”
Gui Nianqin looked down at her hands and gave a bitter laugh. “Not only did I not help them, I made it even more enjoyable for those beasts… Heh… He deceived me. He actually deceived me. His parents are still enduring everything just to see him, and he…”
Gui Nianqin laughed and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
She had not expected to be played for a fool, let alone that Mistlongevity Village would produce a traitor.
Fu Aoqing and the others were startled. Shen Yanting quickly fed her another pill. “Village Chief Gui, rest and recover. I will go to the Heavenly Feast Sect.”
“Senior Sister, thank you.” Fu Aoqing understood that Shen Yanting planned to handle Mistlongevity Village’s affairs. She knew she had no ability to resolve the village’s plight herself. With Shen Yanting’s help, her heart settled a little. “Granny Gui, don’t worry. My senior sister is very powerful. She will definitely get justice for our village. She is skilled in arrays too…”
Fu Aoqing suddenly grabbed Shen Yanting. “Senior Sister, can you break the array?”
“Not now.”
?
Bo Xuenong did not understand why Shen Yanting said that. With her strength, such an array should not trouble her. After pondering the word “now,” she realized Shen Yanting must have noted that Gui Nianqin was the array eye. Forcibly breaking it would not be hard, but it would heavily injure the array eye—or worse, kill her.
To break the array without harming the eye, they had to kill the one who set it.
Another person Shen Yanting wanted to kill!
Bo Xuenong’s blood boiled, her innate bloodthirst stirring. She eagerly chimed in. “I’ll go! I’ll go to the Heavenly Feast Sect and kill the one who set the array!”
She could almost smell the faint fragrance at the tip of her nose. Bo Xuenong swallowed subconsciously. “I can definitely do it.”
Shen Yanting gave Bo Xuenong a faint glance, reached out, and pinched her wrist before continuing to speak to Gui Nianqin. “Tomorrow, we can stand in for your villagers and go to the Heavenly Feast Sect. But you may still need to arrange for one person from the village to travel with us and identify those evildoers from the Heavenly Feast Sect.”
From Shen Yanting’s words, she planned to impersonate the brides and infiltrate the Heavenly Feast Sect.
Bo Xuenong could not help protesting. “Wife, why not just storm the Heavenly Feast Sect!”
Shen Yanting replied, “The Heavenly Feast Sect’s status in the Cultivation World is second only to the Three Great Sects. It ranks among the top first-rate sects, with tens of thousands of members from top to bottom. Outer sect disciples rarely contact inner sect matters. If we storm it, the first to resist us would be outer sect people. Xuenong, have you thought about how many people you would have to kill to reach the true culprits?”
As many as it took—she would kill that many!
Bo Xuenong did not fear the Heavenly Feast Sect’s numbers, but she feared Shen Yanting’s displeasure.
She was not foolish and understood that Shen Yanting’s question meant she did not want to do it that way. “I… I will listen to you, Wife. I will stand in as Granny Gui’s daughter-in-law for the marriage.”
Bo Xuenong immediately assumed her role. Gui Nianqin glanced between Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting. “You two… couple…”
Even as substitutes, Gui Nianqin felt it was too much for a couple to both marry in. She did not know how to thank them for this kindness. Shen Yanting saw through her thoughts. Her fingers touched the bead on Bo Xuenong’s neck that disguised her identity and gently removed it. Bo Xuenong’s clothes reverted to the flowing gown. “Village Chief Gui, Xuenong is not my dao companion. She is my disciple.”
With the bead suddenly removed, Bo Xuenong uncomfortably touched her now bare neck. “Wife…”
As soon as she said it, Shen Yanting corrected her. “You should call me Master.”
Bo Xuenong had initially felt unaccustomed changing from Master to Wife, with tension and fear dominating her heart. She had finally adapted, and now she had to change back, which left her a bit dejected.
But she and Shen Yanting were master and disciple, after all.
Bo Xuenong shook her head, casting aside the inexplicable thoughts, and quickly followed Shen Yanting’s correction. “Master.”
