“This Venerable doesn’t know Ling Qingxue personally. I’ve only heard of her.”
“She’s one of the great prodigies of the Central Province Realm, a young woman who stepped into the Marquis Realm at such a tender age. Her title is Venerable Lingxue. Rumor has it she’s extraordinarily beautiful, the dream girl of countless male cultivators in the Central Province Realm. But seven or eight years ago, she suddenly vanished without a trace.”
Venerable Tianhong didn’t hesitate and spoke right up.
Hearing this, Luo Yin frowned.
Could Ling Qingxue be hiding incognito in the Northern Spirit Realm to dodge unwanted suitors?
That was a classic trope in so many novels, after all.
A prodigy girl, stunningly beautiful, forced by her powerful faction into a marriage with some guy she despised.
She flees in disguise, stumbles into the protagonist—or gets rescued by him.
Sparks fly, they end up together.
Then the protagonist powers up, strikes back, and slays her unwanted fiancé.
Luo Yin’s world was a xianxia novel too, so it probably followed the same tired script.
As Luo Yin mulled this over, Venerable Tianhong continued.
“Ling Qingxue isn’t just gifted and gorgeous. The faction backing her is one that strikes fear into others’ hearts.”
Luo Yin’s eyebrow arched. Just as he’d suspected!
“What’s the name of that faction?” he asked.
“Heavenly Maiden Palace!”
“Heavenly Maiden Palace?”
Luo Yin frowned, committing the name to memory before pressing on.
“So, did Ling Qingxue disappear from the Central Province Realm because the Heavenly Maiden Palace tried to marry her off to someone she hated, forcing her to run?”
Luo Yin was sure he’d nailed it, but Venerable Tianhong let out a light chuckle.
“Heh! Kid, you can tell you’re no Central Province local. Everyone there knows the Heavenly Maiden Palace’s biggest taboo—no dao companions allowed!”
“Marriage? Those self-righteous women wouldn’t deign to pair up with any man. How could they arrange a marriage? No outsider knows the real reason.”
“But the Heavenly Maiden Palace is all female cultivators. How do they cope with the loneliness, heh heh heh? Handle it themselves?”
“Or maybe the sisters help each other out?”
By now, Venerable Tianhong’s tone had veered completely off course.
A sleazy grin spread across his face.
Luo Yin tuned out the crude remarks and pondered.
If marriage wasn’t the issue, then what had driven Ling Qingxue into hiding?
He turned to Venerable Tianhong.
“Do you know why she vanished?”
“Who could? If anyone did, it wouldn’t have been so sudden.”
Venerable Tianhong was clueless too, leaving Luo Yin frustrated.
At that moment, Venerable Tianhong tsked admiringly.
“Tsk tsk tsk. The Heavenly Maiden Palace is an Emperor Lineage Immortal Sect. Every generation’s Heavenly Maidens are peerless prodigies. Latch onto one of their thighs, and you’re set for life—straight to sainthood without a care. Such a shame they ban dao companions for their disciples.”
Emperor Lineage Immortal Sect?
The unfamiliar term piqued Luo Yin’s interest. He frowned and asked, “What’s an Emperor Lineage Immortal Sect?”
Venerable Tianhong shot him a glance and explained airily, “As the name suggests, it’s a sect once led by an Immortal Emperor. Not quite precise, though—any sect that’s produced an Immortal Emperor qualifies.”
“Keep in mind, each era births only one true Immortal Emperor. Pseudo-Immortal Emperors are common enough, but there’s just one Heavenly Mandate per era. Seize it, and you’re the real deal. Everyone else is a fake.
Even so, pseudo-Immortal Emperors’ sects wouldn’t dare claim the title. So you see the prestige behind the Heavenly Maiden Palace?”
Luo Yin’s pupils contracted sharply.
Immortal Emperor!
Heavenly Mandate!
Emperor Lineage Immortal Sect!
Ling Qingxue’s origins ran that deep?
And he’d gone and slept with her…
But her flight to the Northern Spirit Realm meant bad blood with the Heavenly Maiden Palace, ninety percent sure.
With that in mind, Luo Yin breathed a little easier.
“Anything else you know about Ling Qingxue?” he asked, eyeing Venerable Tianhong.
The venerable one grinned. “Kid, why the obsession with Ling Qingxue? You met her? Or heard the tales and fell for her?”
“I slept with her. She’s my woman now. Can’t a guy want to know more about her?!”
Luo Yin shot him a sidelong glance.
Venerable Tianhong clearly didn’t buy it and sneered in disbelief.
Luo Yin glared. “What else? Spit it out!”
“Hmph! No respect for your elders, punk! I know nothing! Absolutely zilch!”
Venerable Tianhong huffed.
“Nothing at all?” Luo Yin’s eyes narrowed.
“Nothing. What This Venerable knows about Venerable Lingxue is pure hearsay. A young thing like her holds no appeal for me.”
Venerable Tianhong wasn’t fibbing.
Luo Yin shrugged, seeing no point in dragging it out. “Fine then. You’re useless to me now. See ya~”
Venerable Tianhong’s eyes bulged in horror. “Kid! What the hell? We had a deal! Don’t welch on it!!”
“Heh heh! A deal? Must’ve slipped my mind. Got proof?”
“You!!! Calm down! I’ll guide you! Answer all your questions!! Don’t ask for much—just help me rebuild my body!”
Realizing Luo Yin wasn’t joking and meant business, Venerable Tianhong backpedaled fast.
Luo Yin smiled and shook his head. “Sorry, no thanks. I don’t deal with penniless ghosts. And I hate empty promises most of all. Bye-bye!”
Venerable Tianhong stared at Luo Yin’s disarmingly innocent smile, glimpsing the devil beneath.
A glow blossomed in Luo Yin’s hand, swelling brighter.
He pointed his fingertip straight at Venerable Tianhong’s spirit form.
The venerable one scrambled to retreat into the Storage Ring, only to find it sealed shut by Luo Yin.
Whoosh!
A piercing whistle cut the air.
The beam lanced out from Luo Yin’s hand, pulsing with cataclysmic power.
It felt like it could shatter the nine heavens and ten earths, rending the firmament asunder!
“No!!!!!”
Venerable Tianhong’s agonized scream echoed as he scattered into oblivion.
A mere remnant soul to begin with, he was fragile beyond measure. Against Luo Yin’s peerless Daoyan Demonic Canon, erasure was child’s play.
Surveying the now-empty room, Luo Yin’s lips curved in a faint smile. He shrugged.
“Sorry, I’m the villain~ My words don’t count. What’re you gonna do about it?”
He’d never intended to spare the old coot.
Learning there were no inheritances or treasures had cemented it.
What good was he?
A guide? Nice to have, but hardly essential.
A no-strings one might’ve worked, but this fool wanted a body rebuilt.
That spelled massive karma—enemies galore.
Nothing but trouble.
Were it a fetching young beauty, Luo Yin might’ve wavered.
But a decrepit geezer? Irritating to look at.
Better to cut off future threats.
Still, it wasn’t a total loss. At least he’d learned Ling Qingxue’s background.
“Yawn… ahh~~”
Luo Yin stretched lazily and headed for the door.
Stepping out, he spotted Ling Qingxue sitting there, absorbed in a storybook. He opened his mouth to speak, but a shout rang out from outside.
“Luo, kid! Get your butt out here and drink with this old man!”
Luo Yin froze for a second.
Was that… Sun Yangming?
He’d emerged from seclusion?
