Chapter 21: Breaking the Formation Part 3

Relative ease? She’d had to use the Ye Capital Great Seal.

Lu Shiyuan’s nose stung, her full red lips nearly bitten through. Her eyes brimmed with relief and heartache.

So that was it. Everyone else collapsing without serious harm wasn’t due to any weakness in the array—it was because the full force of its killing intent had been aimed squarely at Shang Si.

The realization made Lu Shiyuan clench her fists, her gaze darkening. All she could think of now was her own weakness. How could she ever help Shang Si in a real crisis like this?

For three whole years, it had always been Shang Si carrying the load alone, helping her at every turn.

Unaware of these thoughts, Shang Si deftly changed the subject. “And you? Did you run into any trouble while we were separated?”

“I…” Lu Shiyuan faltered at the question, the scene she’d witnessed in the illusion flashing through her mind. Her eyes flickered as she shook her head lightly, brushing it off. “I passed out midway through that blood mist’s effect. When I woke up, there you were.”

She said nothing of what she’d seen—whether out of fear that it would dredge up old memories for Shang Si, or summon thoughts of that certain someone.

For three years, Lu Shiyuan had convinced herself she didn’t care about the rumors swirling outside, or Shang Si’s ties to that senior.

She had believed it, truly. But stepping into that landscape again today had stirred something subtle within her.

Their hands remained clasped, each lost in her own thoughts. Lu Shiyuan silently repeated the name “A Jin” in her heart, aching to ask outright who she was—but she had no idea where to begin.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed from the depths of the mountain range. Without a word, they both whipped their heads toward the dark source of the sound.

Logically speaking, now that the grand array had been broken, the people who had entered alongside them should still be unconscious and hadn’t woken yet. There shouldn’t be anyone else on this mountain path.

Unless…

The two women exchanged a glance and saw the same suspicion mirrored in each other’s eyes.

That bizarre old Daoist who had appeared out of nowhere and vanished just as suddenly—he had hurried away, so he shouldn’t have been inside when the array activated. And when he left, he had made off with that Ten-Thousand-Year He Shou Wu.

“Let’s go take a look.” Shang Si made up her mind at once and moved to rise.

Lu Shiyuan tugged at her sleeve. “But your injury…”

“It’s nothing. Aren’t you here with me?” Shang Si’s striking features bloomed into a smile. She bent down and picked up the Azure Frost Sword that Lu Shiyuan had casually set aside nearby. Her thick lashes fluttered faintly. “Shiyuan has all those life-saving treasures on her. You wouldn’t abandon me in a crisis, right?”

There were unknown risks ahead, yet she brushed them off so casually. It was all because that Ten-Thousand-Year He Shou Wu meant so much to her.

Lu Shiyuan lowered her eyes. The burning desire for greater power surged wildly once more in the depths of her heart, but her expression remained calm and undisturbed. She obediently took the sword hilt from Shang Si’s hand. “Then let’s go see. That old Daoist didn’t strike me as the villainous type.”

Even as she said this, halfway along the path, Lu Shiyuan began taking stock of the items in her Spirit Ring.

Shang Si might have been joking, but Lu Shiyuan took her words to heart. If anything went wrong, she would stake her life before letting Shang Si get hurt again.

The pair pressed deeper into the mountain. The spiritual energy in the air ahead grew thicker, laced with an intoxicating medicinal aroma.

Shang Si grew uneasy. Had that mad old Daoist set up a furnace on the spot and refined the He Shou Wu he’d just snatched? If so, their trip would have been for nothing.

Her suspicion was confirmed soon enough.

They rounded the final fork and entered a spacious cavern. Stalactites aglow with spiritual light studded the ceiling and walls. No one would believe a spiritual haven like this existed deep within such an unremarkable mountain range without seeing it for themselves.

Shang Si quickly spotted a pill furnace in the center of the cave. Just as they moved to inspect it, a figure darted out from the shadows—

“Hey now, it’s you two little girls again. Trailing me like persistent tails I can’t shake! What do you want, huh?”

The newcomer landed steadily before them, blocking their path.

His robes were in tatters, his face streaked with grime as if he’d been caught in a pill furnace mishap mid-refining. Yet even those ragged clothes couldn’t conceal his fair, handsome features. Clad in fine silks and topped with a jade crown, he would pass for a dashing young noble of the Mortal Realm.

The problem was, this pretty boy who had popped up out of nowhere was wearing the very same robes as the old Daoist they had encountered earlier.

Paired with that familiar tone, Lu Shiyuan was utterly baffled.

She furrowed her brow, her expression profoundly strange as she hesitantly pointed a fingertip at him. “You…”

“Well? Dazed by my stunning good looks? Forgotten your words?” The handsome youth cut her off, flicking back his tousled side locks with smug delight.

“…”

Both women fell silent.

“Senior?” A moment later, Lu Shiyuan ventured cautiously.

The man tilted his chin upward, hands clasped behind his back as he straightened proudly—a perfect “that’s me” pose.

It really was him!

With confirmation that this was the man they sought, Lu Shiyuan set aside questions of his sudden transformation. She spoke awkwardly. “Senior, that Ten-Thousand-Year He Shou Wu you took… it’s truly very important to me.”

“It’s important to me too!” The man crossed his arms, refusing to budge.

Seeing their dogged persistence, he waved them off with obvious impatience. “I’ve already refined it. No point wasting your time.”

“Refined it?” Shang Si let out a soft snort, puncturing his lie without ceremony. “From what I know, the Youth Restoration Pill doesn’t call for a heavenly treasure like Ten-Thousand-Year He Shou Wu among its spiritual medicines. Besides, a spiritual herb that’s gained sentience isn’t something you can just toss into the furnace on a whim.”

Caught out so swiftly by Shang Si, the man grew flustered. “I don’t care—I say it’s refined, so it is. Stop eyeing it…”

Halfway through his rogueish bluster, the youth’s face twisted in dismay. “Damn it, these troublemakers are here…” He abandoned the argument entirely, panic flashing in his eyes as he bolted for another path.

But Lu Shiyuan and Shang Si moved in tandem from left and right, as if they’d anticipated it, cutting off his escape. The three were forced to clash once more.

In no time at all, voices and footsteps drew closer from another mountain path leading into the cavern.

This was Kunlun territory, right at their front door. Naturally, the disturbance had roused a crowd of disciples and elders to come investigate.

For some reason, Shang Si could clearly sense that the man’s attacks had grown even more frantic after the Kunlun Sect members arrived.

“Senior Brother Sect Leader, this person’s technique looks like our Kunlun Sect’s Pure Yang Technique—one that only inner sect disciples are taught.” The Kunlun Sect group stood to one side watching the clash. Before long, an elder spotted the telltale sign.

They murmured among themselves. Moments later, a middle-aged man dressed in sect leader robes stepped forward from the front of the crowd. He called out to the youth locked in combat with Shang Si. “Who exactly are you, sir? What is your purpose in hiding here? And why do you know our Kunlun Sect’s secret Pure Yang Technique?”

“Aiya, Little Yun Daozi, are you annoying or what? Asking this, asking that—after all these years, you’re still so nagging!” Now that he had been recognized, the youth abruptly pulled back his strikes, calling out Sect Leader Yun Qing’s nickname in clear irritation.

“Ancestor! Is that you, Ancestor?!” The secretive title hit Yun Qing like a thunderbolt, shaking him to his core.

Chaos erupted on the spot.

The young and handsome youth found himself surrounded by a throng of Kunlun Sect elders, all crying out “Ancestor!” Some even dropped to their knees right then and there, clutching his legs as tears streamed down their wrinkled faces. The scene was utter pandemonium.

Shang Si and Lu Shiyuan saw that the old Daoist was not going anywhere for the moment. They waited patiently off to the side for the family reunion to play out.

When the time was right, Shang Si would reveal her identity and propose the trade to Yun Qing.

Even so, witnessing such an absurd yet utterly real spectacle firsthand, Lu Shiyuan couldn’t resist leaning in to whisper some gossip to Shang Si.

She lowered her voice and asked quietly, “A Si, is this senior really the Kunlun Ancestor—the one who’s supposed to have passed away ages ago?”

“Most likely. That boom earlier was probably the sound of the pill finishing its refinement. The old Daoist must have been brewing a Youth Restoration Pill.” Even for someone as worldly as Shang Si, this was a first.

It was no mystery now why the man’s appearance had changed so dramatically before and after. He must have gobbled the pill straight out of the furnace.

Kunlun Ancestor Lin Xiao… Shang Si had heard snippets about him back when Eldest Sister took the throne. He was just the sort whose eccentric antics matched this madness.

Lu Shiyuan, however, was still at a loss.

Why were the ancestors and grandmasters of other sects all dignified, otherworldly figures with immortal airs? But at Kunlun Sect, they were all like this. Ignoring their disciples and descendants for centuries was bad enough, but sneaking underground to refine bizarre pills?

As these thoughts swirled in her mind, a startled and uncertain voice suddenly rang out from the crowd—

“Junior Sister Lu?”

The abrupt call cut short Lu Shiyuan and Shang Si’s private chat. She froze for a beat, then turned toward the sound.

The Kunlun Sect’s younger disciples hurriedly parted to clear a path. From the rear of the group emerged a gentle youth in green robes, his face as refined as jade, sword in hand. Beaming with joy, he stopped in front of Lu Shiyuan, his voice thick with barely contained delight. “Junior Sister Lu, it really is you! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming up to Kunlun?”

“Three years ago, when I heard you’d been captured by Yedu’s Female Lord, I’ve been worried sick about you ever since. These past few years, the rumors flying around say that ghost-masked woman only snatched you for your beauty and charms, that you…” Midway through the handsome Kunlun youth’s words, Lu Shiyuan suddenly broke into a fit of violent coughing.

The boy in front of her had no idea what was going on and assumed she must be injured somewhere. He hurried forward with concern.

Shang Si, standing to the side, watched with half-lidded eyes, her smile cold and insincere. She let Lu Shiyuan put on her little performance right in front of her, merely curving her lips as she spoke in a chill tone. “Shiyuan, if your throat is truly bothering you that much, I can take a look.”

“Or perhaps you’d prefer your senior brother to check it out?”

The first part had Lu Shiyuan feeling fine, but the second hit like thunder from a clear sky, sending a shiver straight to her scalp.

Lu Shiyuan shot straight upright and stopped coughing in an instant. “No need, A Si. I suddenly feel all better.”