Chapter 15:

The closer the day of Xie Xuechen’s recovery drew, the more restless Mur Xuanling became. She felt as if a storm were brewing.

In the morning, another urgent report arrived, stating that an unusual fluctuation of demonic energy had occurred in the Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation, though it quickly vanished. Upon receiving the report, the various sect leaders immediately gathered in the Hall of Righteousness for an emergency meeting.

Mur Xuanling, knowing that Nan Xuyue excelled in strategy, wanted to discuss with him and learn his thoughts on the impending conflict.

“The Ten-Thousand Immortals Formation missed its sixty-year formation period, and now is when its power is weakest,” Nan Xuyue explained calmly. “The demonic clans will surely seize this opportunity to invade the human realm. If they wait until the human cultivators assemble and Xie Zongzhu fully recovers his strength, their chances of victory will be slim.” He continued, “Therefore, they must act soon.”

“With Yunxue City now heavily guarded by several powerful cultivators, if you were Sang Qi, what method would you use to disrupt this Immortal Alliance operation?” Mur Xuanling inquired.

Nan Xuyue chuckled. “That I cannot guess. After all, the demonic and beast clans possess unpredictable techniques, capable of achieving what others cannot.”

Mur Xuanling nodded in agreement.

“Then during these days, have you noticed any spies among us?” Mur Xuanling asked again.

“Hmm…” Nan Xuyue fanned himself with his folding fan and smiled. “Not that I can tell.”

Mur Xuanling glared at him.

Nan Xuyue grinned. “I was just thinking… perhaps there isn’t just one spy.”

Mur Xuanling was taken aback.

Before she could ponder Nan Xuyue’s words further, her thoughts were interrupted by hurried footsteps.

“Nan Xuyue, Miss Xuanling!” Fu Lansheng strode over excitedly. “So this is where you are! I’ve been looking for you two!”

Wherever Fu Lansheng went, even the air seemed fragrant. This richest man under heaven had changed people’s perception of wealth.

“Master Fu, I suppose you’re not here for anything important,” Nan Xuyue teased.

Fu Lansheng shot him a sidelong glance and slouched onto a chair, half-leaning on Nan Xuyue. “Master Nan, you speak as if I never have serious matters.”

Nan Xuyue smiled. “Master Fu’s serious matters usually seem trivial to others.”

“Ai, the world has turned against me…” Fu Lansheng sighed, then added, “Should I say you understand me, or that you don’t understand me at all?”

“I’d rather not understand you so well, to avoid tainting my own heart,” Nan Xuyue replied earnestly.

Fu Lansheng respectfully bowed to Nan Xuyue, his face filled with admiration. “So many people scold me, but you do it the most elegantly. Teach me the art of scolding, so next time I argue with my father, he won’t silence me.”

Nan Xuyue sighed deeply. “Brother Fu, why must you torment a cripple like me?”

“I won’t torment you if you stop calling me ‘Brother Fu.’ I prefer others to call me ‘Big Brother.'”

“Pu!” Mur Xuanling couldn’t help but laugh.

Fu Lansheng turned to Mur Xuanling, his face showing admiration. “Miss Xuanling, you look truly beautiful when you smile. I feel like I’ve smelled the spring air of Yunxue City.”

Nan Xuyue tapped Fu Lansheng’s head with his folding fan. “Stop your flirtatious habits.”

Mur Xuanling wasn’t making baseless suspicions—Fu Lansheng’s flamboyant and unrestrained nature seemed exactly the type to deceive someone like Xiu Xiu…

Yet Nan Xuyue and Fu Lansheng appeared quite familiar with each other. If Fu Lansheng were indeed Fu Cangli, surely Nan Xuyue wouldn’t hide it from Xiu Xiu.

“Appreciation of beauty is a universal human trait, and I merely don’t hesitate to express praise,” Fu Lansheng defended seriously. “Do you think Miss Xuanling isn’t beautiful?”

“Ai…” Nan Xuyue sighed heavily. “So, Master Fu, what ‘serious matter’ brought you to look for us?”

Nan Xuyue emphasized the words “serious matter,” trying to steer Fu Lansheng back to the topic, otherwise this man could chatter all day.

Fu Lansheng slapped his forehead. “Oh right, I almost forgot! It’s all because Miss Xuanling is too beautiful!”

Mur Xuanling: “…”

Nan Xuyue: “…”

“I’ve compiled a list of all three thousand disciples inside and outside Bi Xiao Palace, excluding female cultivators and children under ten years old. There are still two thousand names left. None of them are named Fu Cangli. However, you can take this list back for A Bao to check. I don’t know how old his father is or what he looks like. If there were portraits, that would be better.”

As Fu Lansheng spoke, he pulled a thick volume from his spatial pouch, startling both Mur Xuanling and Nan Xuyue.

Mur Xuanling blinked, then came to her senses and said, “This is really too much trouble for you…”

“No trouble at all.” Fu Lansheng grinned, revealing neat, white teeth. “I just gave the order; others did the work.”

That was unexpectedly honest…

Mur Xuanling somewhat understood why Fu Lansheng could charm people everywhere. With his background, looks, and demeanor, not only women but even men would find it hard not to consider him a brother.

Take Nan Xuyue, for instance. Making Nan Xuyue scold someone was as difficult as making Xie Xuechen praise someone. The fact that Nan Xuyue would scold Fu Lansheng to his face showed how successful Fu Lansheng was.

Mur Xuanling put the register into her spatial pouch, bowed to Fu Lansheng, and smiled. “I’ll thank A Bao on your behalf, Young Master.”

“No need to be polite. As I said, Nan Xuyue’s cousin is my cousin,” Fu Lansheng said with a smile. “You still haven’t called me ‘Big Brother.'”

This person was just too shamelessly persistent…

Mur Xuanling pretended not to hear and sought refuge behind Nan Xuyue for help.

Naturally, Nan Xuyue stepped forward to rescue her.

“Brother Fu, it’s almost noon. If there’s nothing else, shall we go to the dining hall first?” Nan Xuyue smiled.

“Great! I heard they caught a roe deer today. Although Yunxue City is poor, it has abundant spiritual energy, making the meat of its beasts excellent,” Fu Lansheng chattered on his way, from the delicacies of Yunxue City to the treasures of Ling Ju Island, from the jade of Bi Xiao Palace to the medicinal herbs of Mirror Flower Valley. His knowledge was of a different kind of erudition. He was probably the most enjoyable cultivator under heaven.

Mur Xuanling curiously asked, “Master Fu, you travel the world enjoying all its pleasures, yet your cultivation hasn’t suffered at all. It’s truly amazing.”

Fu Lansheng paused mid-sentence, somewhat awkwardly touching his nose. “Well, that’s a long story… Actually, it’s not that long. Bi Xiao Palace has a unique cultivation technique called Autumn Water Cultivation. When autumn water comes, rivers flow into the sea. Autumn Water Cultivation is a technique that benefits others at the expense of oneself. Practicing this technique makes it almost impossible to form a golden core, but it can channel one’s spiritual energy into another’s divine aperture, allowing the other to quickly form a golden core.”

“How strange such a technique must be…” Mur Xuanling said tactfully. This technique wasn’t just strange—it was almost sinister, completely self-sacrificing and harmful. A normal person wouldn’t even think of practicing such a heretical technique.

Fu Lansheng said, “You must be thinking that only a madman would practice such a self-harming, other-benefiting technique.”

Mur Xuanling smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, you’re not far off. This technique was originally created by a heretical cultivator who captured low-level cultivators, forced them to practice this technique, and then forcibly absorbed their spiritual energy to enhance his own cultivation. Those whose spiritual energy was absorbed would have their divine apertures destroyed. Later, this heretical cultivator was eliminated by Bi Xiao Palace, and the technique was confiscated. However, a later ancestor improved the technique, allowing practitioners to freely transfer their cultivation. If their cultivation is completely lost, their divine apertures won’t be destroyed, and they can even relearn other techniques.”

Mur Xuanling listened attentively but still didn’t quite understand. “Although it won’t kill them, there’s no benefit either. Why would anyone practice Autumn Water Cultivation?”

Fu Lansheng shrugged. “For money.”

“What?” Mur Xuanling was taken aback.

Nan Xuyue smiled and explained. “That’s why I said it’s hard for ordinary people to understand the thoughts of the richest man under heaven. Bi Xiao Palace has many cultivators practicing Autumn Water Cultivation. When their cultivation is mature, they transfer their cultivation to the young master, thus receiving a fortune that can last them their entire lives.”

Mur Xuanling stared at Nan Xuyue, feeling as if he were telling a joke. “I not only fail to understand the thoughts of the richest man under heaven, but also those of those cultivators.”

Nan Xuyue said, “You’re now in Yunxue City, where you seem to see powerful cultivators everywhere, with even the lowest being golden core cultivators. Even I, a cripple, was once a strong cultivator with ten innate spiritual apertures. Yet among the masses, less than one in a million can cultivate, and among cultivators, how many spend their entire lives without forming a golden core. Practicing Autumn Water Cultivation merely makes forming a golden core difficult, but it can bring a fortune that ensures a family’s prosperity for three generations. For ordinary people, that’s already enough.”

Mur Xuanling was silent, pondering for a moment, and admitted that Nan Xuyue spoke the truth. Helping the world is a lofty aspiration reserved for a few strong cultivators. For ordinary people, being able to take care of themselves and their families is already satisfying.

“How many people must practice Autumn Water Cultivation?” Mur Xuanling asked Fu Lansheng.

Fu Lansheng thought for a moment. “About a thousand or so. Only one or two hundred of them are really good at it.”

Mur Xuanling fell silent again.

“That must cost a lot of money…”

Nan Xuyue chuckled lightly, teasingly saying, “Do you know how rich Bi Xiao Palace is?”

For cultivators, poverty is the norm because as soon as they have money, they will exchange it for higher-level cultivation techniques, rare treasures that appear once in a thousand years, or divine weapons. For cultivators above the golden core stage, it’s rare to calculate the value of an item in silver or gold. More often, they trade goods for what they need.

“The world’s wealth is one stone, and Bi Xiao Palace alone holds eight dou,” Nan Xuyue sighed. “People say Bi Xiao Palace’s wealth is eight dou.”

This meant that no matter how much he spent, it would never catch up with how fast he earned.

Mur Xuanling looked carefully at Fu Lansheng and sighed, “It feels like Master Fu looks even more handsome now.”

No wonder he could casually pull out a bunch of heavenly-grade treasures upon first meeting. It was her own shallow vision and narrow perspective that prevented her from realizing that the cultivation methods of the rich were so unique. When he said Yunxue City was poor, it was with great confidence…

Fu Lansheng laughed heartily and casually said, “Wealth is merely the most insignificant of all my virtues.”

Mur Xuanling: “Whatever you say is right!”

Mur Xuanling felt that Fu Lansheng should introduce himself like this: My surname is Fu, and the ‘fu’ refers to being the richest under heaven.

As the three were chatting and laughing, Mur Xuanling suddenly felt an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy. She abruptly stopped, her face darkening as she looked toward the southeast. Fu Lansheng and Mur Xuanling almost simultaneously sensed the anomaly. His smile vanished, and he immediately rushed toward the source of the anomaly, with Mur Xuanling closely following.

The two had comparable real strength and speed, almost reaching the source of the spiritual energy fluctuation at the same time.

“It’s a formation fluctuation,” Fu Lansheng frowned, his usually frivolous face showing rare seriousness. “Who dares to secretly activate a formation within Yunxue City?”

“This path leads to the residence of the Five Elders of the Immortal Alliance,” Mur Xuanling said.

The fluctuation from earlier had vanished in an instant, leaving no trace now.

Mur Xuanling suddenly had an idea. She patted her spatial pouch and released A Bao. Little A Bao immediately jumped onto Mur Xuanling’s shoulder, his round ears perking up.

“A Bao, can you sense the treasure aura that was here just now?”

A Bao sniffed hard with his nose, his black, round eyes focusing intently. He nodded seriously. “The treasure aura disperses quickly once it leaves its original place. It went in that direction!”

“Good A Bao!” Mur Xuanling patted his little head and ran in the direction A Bao pointed, with Fu Lansheng following.

The two figures immediately disappeared from the spot, moving swiftly between courtyards like shadows. Soon, they caught up with two suspicious figures.

“You two, stop!” Fu Lansheng shouted.

The two figures hesitated but instead of stopping, they ran even faster.

Fu Lansheng casually threw out a magical artifact. Mur Xuanling looked closely and was amazed—it was the heavenly-grade magical artifact, the Golden Binding Chain, said to be unbreakable even by a Nascent Soul cultivator and capable of restraining a Law Manifestation cultivator for three breaths. Ordinary people would only use it in life-or-death situations, yet he threw it out as casually as throwing a stone.

But being rich meant being all-powerful. As soon as the Golden Binding Chain appeared, it immediately bound one of them. However, the other was obviously faster. Taking advantage of his companion being restrained, he quickly disappeared from their sight with a flash. Mur Xuanling reasoned that she had A Bao to track, so she continued the pursuit, leaving Fu Lansheng to deal with the one behind.

Guided by A Bao, Mur Xuanling soon caught up with the front figure again. As the distance closed, she silently threw out the Judgment Demon Vine. The vine extended two zhang long, like a purple snake pouncing toward the figure. The figure seemed very wary of the vine and deftly avoided its attack, but this allowed Mur Xuanling to get close.

Mur Xuanling’s ten fingers transformed into bone blades, her movements as fast as lightning, her footwork ghostly. The figure was entangled by Mur Xuanling and couldn’t escape. But Mur Xuanling was also barely holding on. It was noon, and her hood had fallen during the chase. Now, fighting the figure accelerated the dispersion of demonic energy. Each thread of demonic energy felt like it was tearing her flesh and bones, causing her unbearable pain.

Mur Xuanling bit her lower lip and spat a mouthful of blood onto the figure’s face, using her blood to activate a spell. However, the figure seemed prepared and dodged most of the blood. He kicked Mur Xuanling in the waist, causing her intense pain. Her vision darkened, and the figure escaped.

Mur Xuanling retracted the vine, her face turning pale. She hurriedly put on her hood, wanting to find a shady place to avoid the sun. At that moment, she encountered an unexpected visitor.

“It’s you again!” Gao Qiumin stood coldly behind Mur Xuanling. “So it’s really you with the demonic aura. Who exactly are you?”

While Mur Xuanling was fighting the mysterious figure, A Bao had already hidden himself. Therefore, Gao Qiumin didn’t see A Bao. She had only sensed a familiar demonic aura and followed it here, only to encounter the person she disliked most—Mur Xuanling.

If the first time was a coincidence, a misunderstanding, then the second time absolutely wasn’t.

Gao Qiumin firmly believed that Mur Xuanling must be hiding something unknown. Even if she wasn’t a demon, she must have something related to the demon clans.

Gao Qiumin pointed the Spring Sword at Mur Xuanling, the tip of the blade pointing at her nose. “Hand over your spatial pouch so I can investigate!”

Mur Xuanling almost couldn’t control the backlash of demonic energy. Her face darkened as she glared at Gao Qiumin, shouting fiercely, “Get out of my way!”

Her hand trembled slightly as she tightly gripped her cloak. The warm sunlight felt like a scorching fire to her.

Gao Qiumin saw Mur Xuanling’s pale face and blood-stained lips, sneering, “Xie Zongzhu isn’t here. Who are you trying to impress with your act?”

A buzzing sound filled Mur Xuanling’s ears. She could hardly hear what Gao Qiumin was saying. The violent rage in her chest was almost uncontrollable. She took a deep breath, pushed aside Gao Qiumin’s Spring Sword with one hand, and walked forward directly.

Gao Qiumin was taken aback, then became furious. She reached out to grab Mur Xuanling’s shoulder. Mur Xuanling lowered her shoulder, dodging her hand. But Gao Qiumin kept pressing forward, step by step. Mur Xuanling gathered demonic energy in her palm and struck toward Gao Qiumin’s face. However, upon seeing her face clearly, she stopped herself.

But Gao Qiumin didn’t stop. Taking advantage of Mur Xuanling’s hesitation, she struck Mur Xuanling’s chest, sending her flying to the ground, her hood falling off.

Gao Qiumin was somewhat surprised by Mur Xuanling’s martial arts skills but didn’t sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from her. She assumed Mur Xuanling was just an ordinary person with some martial arts skills. She looked down on using spiritual energy against ordinary people. Seeing Mur Xuanling fall to the ground after being struck, she sneered, “I didn’t use much strength in that strike. Why are you pretending to be so badly hurt?”

Mur Xuanling felt dizzy and couldn’t hear Gao Qiumin’s words clearly. Vaguely, she saw a tall figure appear, bringing a cool chill. Dazedly, she raised her eyes but couldn’t see the person’s face clearly.

“Xie Zongzhu,” Gao Qiumin nervously looked at the suddenly appearing Xie Xuechen and hurriedly explained, “I didn’t hit her hard just now. She fell over by herself.”

Xie Xuechen said indifferently, “I know.”

Gao Qiumin was slightly taken aback—He knows?

Su Ningzhen suddenly landed in front of Gao Qiumin, saying, “Qiumin wouldn’t attack without reason. She said she sensed a demonic aura from this young lady. What do you think, Xie Zongzhu?”

Xie Xuechen said, “The two of you are guests of Yunxue City, as is Xuanling. I won’t embarrass one person based on another’s words. If she says there’s no demonic aura, then there’s none.”

Su Ningzhen’s face turned cold, and she coldly laughed. “Fine, since Xie Zongzhu said so, we have nothing more to say. Qiumin, let’s go.”

Su Ningzhen led Gao Qiumin away in anger.

“Xie… Xuechen…”

A weak voice came from behind. Xie Xuechen kept his hands behind his back, resisting the urge to look back. The same prank, once or twice was enough, even the third time… why did she still insist on hurting herself to tease others?

He had said not to do it again, but she still didn’t listen.

Xie Xuechen slightly furrowed his brows and finally left without looking back.

Mur Xuanling lay in the snow, her pupils gradually losing focus. Her blurred vision saw Xie Xuechen’s retreating figure. Her mind ached, almost unable to think—Why did he leave? Why didn’t he look at her? Why didn’t he hold her?

A strong sense of grievance surged in her heart, almost overwhelming the pain in her chest.

She weakly opened her mouth.

—Xie Xuechen, it hurts…