Chapter 35:

Xue Ying couldn’t figure out why Cen Wuwang had come to Yunmengze. She could easily handle the Female Marquis on her own. First, Yan Zhi left, and now Cen Wuwang showed up—today was definitely not the day to look at houses. The master and disciple sat in silence for a while before Xue Ying finally asked, “Sister Cen, why are you here?”

Cen Wuwang replied, “To join the play.”

Xue Ying: ???

She probably needed to go back and ask Du Yizhou and the others. As for Cen Wuwang, Xue Ying tentatively suggested, “Shall we go back together?”

Cen Wuwang carefully wiped her ancient sword clean, then wordlessly stepped off the stage. Xue Ying followed behind. After a few steps, Cen Wuwang stopped. Xue Ying asked, “What’s wrong?”

Cen Wuwang replied, “I don’t know the way.”

The two switched positions, with Xue Ying leading and Cen Wuwang following. In the early morning, the distant clouds were bathed in golden light, and the sky was clear. The cries of street vendors filled the air—a scene completely different from the quiet cultivation in their sect.

“Steamed buns! Sesame filling, red bean filling, barbecue filling!”

“Get your candied hawthorns here!”

“Dan dan noodles!”

Xue Ying’s gaze swept over the rising red sun in the distance before finally settling on the steaming buns in the vendor’s hands. She stopped to buy two, biting into one while handing the other to Cen Wuwang. Unexpectedly, Cen Wuwang handed her a candied hawthorn in return.

“It’s not good to eat something sour so early in the morning.”

Cen Wuwang nodded, took the meat bun from Xue Ying, and proceeded to eat the candied hawthorn herself.

Watching Cen Wuwang chew the candied hawthorn expressionlessly, Xue Ying found it oddly fascinating and couldn’t help but ask, “Is it good?”

Cen Wuwang didn’t answer. She told Xue Ying to wait where she was and turned back alone. Before long, Cen Wuwang returned carrying the entire candied hawthorn stand, followed by an elderly man in his eighties, panting and shouting, “Young lady, you paid too much!”

Ignoring the old man, Cen Wuwang stopped to answer Xue Ying’s question, “It’s delicious.”

She even added, “Enjoyment is doubled when shared.”

Xue Ying didn’t understand the latter part. She and Cen Wuwang returned to their lodgings, where Du Yizhou and the others were summoned by Cen Wuwang. They all sat down, and Cen Wuwang handed each of them a candied hawthorn. She sat by the stand and began eating her fifth one of the day.

Wen An held his candied hawthorn awkwardly. “Martial Uncle, we’re past the age for such childish treats.”

Only women eat candied hawthorns. Real men eat dirt if they must.

Cen Wuwang remained unfazed. “It doesn’t matter.”

As long as others have them.

After seeing off their elder, who was obsessed with candied hawthorns, Xue Ying turned to Wen An. “Why did Sister Cen come to Yunmengze?”

Wen An had already prepared an excuse. He wouldn’t say they were afraid she’d run off with Yan Zhi. Instead, he said, “You know Martial Uncle’s temperament. If he found out we were acting without him, we’d be in trouble later.”

He even put on a pained expression. “You might not mind, but poor Du Yizhou and I would suffer Martial Uncle’s wrath.”

Wen An thought his reasoning was flawless. Unlike Xue Ying, who could withstand Cen Wuwang’s beatings, he and Du Yizhou couldn’t. To avoid being targeted by Cen Wuwang, they had no choice but to invite her. Surely, Xue Ying would understand out of camaraderie.

Xue Ying: “If you’re so weak, what’s wrong with getting beaten a few more times? Being trained by Sister Cen is a good thing.”

“Besides, if you don’t tell and I don’t tell, how would Sister Cen know we were acting without her? Senior Brother, are you hiding something from me?”

Wen An’s eyelids twitched, but he forced a smile. “How could that be? You’re misunderstanding, Junior Sister.”

Xue Ying laughed carelessly. “Hahaha, I was just teasing you, Senior Brother. Of course, I trust you.”

Wen An: “…”

One day, he would pin Xue Ying to the ground and beat her.

Meanwhile, Du Yizhou followed Cen Wuwang respectfully. “Martial Uncle, your presence honors us. To be honest, I didn’t expect today’s events. Yunmengze is selling the Five-Colored Divine Feather, and the Dragon Clan is involved.”

Cen Wuwang already knew the general situation from the letter. “What’s there to fear from mere dragons?”

So-called “True Dragon Sons of Heaven”—the last one who claimed to be the best in the world was tricked by Cangwu into selling dan dan noodles for a living.

Du Yizhou spoke solemnly. “Martial Uncle, the Dragon Clan has ulterior motives for the Five-Colored Divine Feather. If they take it, the Taishu Valley will face disaster.”

Cen Wuwang held a bamboo skewer, puzzled by Du Yizhou’s words. “What does Taishu Valley’s trouble have to do with our two sects?”

Du Yizhou hadn’t expected this response. “But Martial Uncle and the Sect Master are close friends with the Valley Master, aren’t you?”

Otherwise, why would the “Three Taixiao Newspaper” be called “Three Tai”? Given the Taichu Sect and Taixuan Sect, it should be “Two Tai.”

Cen Wuwang revealed the harsh truth of the adult world. “Surface-level friends.”

Du Yizhou refused to give up. “Martial Uncle gets free treatment at Taishu Valley.”

Cen Wuwang said, “That’s because the First Sword Immortal was our founder. Cangwu wouldn’t dare cross him. Now that it’s me, Cangwu can’t beat me.”

Otherwise, that guy would have turned hostile long ago.

A mere healer acting so arrogant in front of a sword cultivator? Ha.

Du Yizhou grew anxious. “But I heard that when Martial Uncle was comprehending the Sword Dao, the Sect Master and the Valley Master once teamed up…”

Cen Wuwang said, “Your Sect Master also cultivates the Emotionless Path.”

Du Yizhou fell silent for a moment, then made a last-ditch effort. “I don’t understand, Martial Uncle.”

Cen Wuwang delivered the final blow. “Cangwu gave her a green hat too.”

As Cangwu put it, this was fairness, justice, and transparency—everyone took turns wearing green hats, and they could still be friends afterward. Naturally, after the Sect Master added Cen Wuwang to her blacklist, Cangwu also made it onto hers.

Sect Master: “Grudges, deep grudges, blood feuds—no man is a good thing!”

Since Du Yizhou was the next Sect Master, Cen Wuwang added a few more words. “Stay out of Taishu Valley’s affairs.”

The demon realm has many customs different from the Daoist world. If you help, those demons will just call you crazy.

Du Yizhou was deeply shaken. As a child, he had relied heavily on the Sect Master. Her sudden departure had become his obsession. Over the years, only a faint image of her remained in his mind, now further blurred by her scandals.

She gave Cen Wuwang a green hat, only to be used as a tool by him, then got a green hat from Cangwu in return. Combined with her years of absence, Du Yizhou wondered if the Sect Master was too ashamed to return.

“Then… why did Martial Uncle come to Yunmengze…?”

Cen Wuwang was practical. “To temper my heart.”

There’s a play here—why wouldn’t I join?

Du Yizhou: “…”

He truly couldn’t predict Cen Wuwang’s actions. Considering her enthusiasm for acting, Du Yizhou tentatively asked, “Martial Uncle likes this script?”

Cen Wuwang motioned for Du Yizhou to sit and flipped through the script. “Xue Ying betrays her sect and flees to the East Sea with the Five-Colored Divine Feather?”

She had just met Yan Zhi—a refined young man. Rumor had it that during the East Sea uprising, Yan Zhi suppressed it with an iron fist. Though Cen Wuwang had no interest in politics, Yan Zhi’s achievements at such a young age were impressive.

Cangwu had once told her that Yan Zhi was an interesting person.

Du Yizhou didn’t know how to respond. He and Wen An had planned to manipulate Cen Wuwang into stealing Xue Ying away. But now, it seemed Martial Uncle was genuinely interested in acting—would she agree?

After reading for a while, Cen Wuwang said, “My role is useless.”

“It’s not!” Du Yizhou hurriedly said. “You add depth to the story.”

“Look, Junior Sister suddenly becoming infatuated with Yan Zhi isn’t believable. But with you here, it adds emotional conflict. It could be that Xue Ying confessed to you, was rejected, and then took the Five-Colored Divine Feather out of spite.”

After tearing Wen An’s script to shreds, Du Yizhou rewrote it. In his version, Xue Ying had admired Cen Wuwang since childhood but dared not confess due to their master-disciple relationship. Cen Wuwang felt the same but also kept silent. Then Yan Zhi appeared, showering Xue Ying with attention. To provoke Cen Wuwang’s jealousy, Xue Ying flirted with Yan Zhi in front of her. Cen Wuwang reacted but refused to admit it…

After hearing Du Yizhou’s script, Cen Wuwang said, “If it’s just about fleeing to the East Sea with the Five-Colored Divine Feather, there’s no need for all this.”

Du Yizhou: “Huh?”

“I can just take Xue Ying’s Bailu.”

A sword cultivator’s lifeblood is their sword. Stealing Xue Ying’s Bailu would force her to break ties with Cen Wuwang. Then they could just add a scene for Yan Zhi.

When it came to serious matters, Cen Wuwang was pragmatic. She reluctantly gave up her role for the sake of peace across the four realms. “Capturing the Female Marquis is no joke. Delays are risky. Wait here—I’ll go break Xue Ying’s legs and take Bailu, forcing her to defect.”

Du Yizhou: “!!!”

“Wait, Martial Uncle!”

Seeing no way out, Du Yizhou had to confess. “To be honest, Junior Sister Xue Ying is quite infatuated with Yan Zhi. Wen An and I were worried they might take the act too far, so we asked you to intervene and bring her back to her senses.”

Cen Wuwang said, “Are you afraid the Taixuan Sect will lose its next Sword Immortal? Or that the Taichu Sect will lose a key ally? Or are you just stingy about paying the bride price?”

Du Yizhou answered without hesitation. “Of course, it’s for the sect’s greater good.”

He’d rather Xue Ying stay single forever—no need to pay wedding gifts.

Cen Wuwang sighed at Du Yizhou’s dedication. “Very much like the Sect Master.”

Du Yizhou was flustered. “I dare not compare.”

Cen Wuwang said coldly, “I wasn’t complimenting you. I was insulting you.”

Cangwu isn’t human, and neither is she a good person.

Du Yizhou: “…”

With the truth laid bare, Du Yizhou no longer felt guilty. He asked Cen Wuwang directly, “Martial Uncle, how should we handle Xue Ying and Yan Zhi?”

Cen Wuwang stuck the bamboo skewer back into the stand and stood up. “We’ll settle it face to face.”

Du Yizhou didn’t understand but followed. He thought Cen Wuwang would cleanse the sect by beating Xue Ying senseless to snap her out of it. He even tried to mediate. “Martial Uncle, Junior Sister only cares about sword practice and doesn’t know the dangers of the world. This isn’t her fault.”

But then…

“Du Yizhou and Wen An said you’re into women. Is that true?”

Cen Wuwang looked down at her pink dress and asked Xue Ying, “By the way, you’re not into me, are you?”

Xue Ying: “Huh?”