Chapter 61

The tender, freshly roasted spiritual deer meat and the spirit-infused ingredients brimmed with energy; each bite filled her with such abundant vitality that she could almost feel it rising from her core. She took out a flask of spirit-fruit wine, and with a single sip, much of her frustration dissipated. She resolved then and there that she would not punish herself for the folly of others.

Wei Qingtong had already heard the news from the other side, but since everything was already settled, he didn't go over. He simply waited, but as time passed and the person he was expecting failed to appear, he became puzzled. Had something happened along the way to cause her to leave?

Unable to set his mind at ease, he decided to go himself. When he arrived at the small courtyard on Sword-Hiding Peak, he found it empty. Perplexed, he sent a message to Ba Yicheng, but received no reply.

Growing increasingly worried, he sent another message to Li Mengze.

At that moment, Li Mengze was pouring herself another cup, drinking alone and quite content, when a trembling little paper crane fluttered before her. It paused as if exhausted, then delivered its message.

Wei Qingtong wanted to know where she was—hadn’t she come to see him? Tilting her head in thought, Li Mengze sent a reply.

Watching the little paper crane fly off again, Li Mengze paid it no further mind.

Wei Qingtong read the reply and couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. She claimed she’d gotten hungry midway and had gone to eat at the foot of the mountain. Though her words were calm, there was an obvious note of indignation. Wei Qingtong understood the reason. Though he felt aggrieved himself, it was only natural for her to be upset—after all, she had spoken harshly to her wife because of him.

After some thought, he teleported to the town. His wife was his own, and if she suffered, he would be the one to pay the price. With this principle in mind, Wei Qingtong resolutely persevered.

Li Mengze was not one to press her advantage relentlessly. When she saw Wei Qingtong had come after her, she was delighted and, after teasing him a bit, let the matter drop. She understood well enough that no one likes old grievances endlessly dredged up.

Meanwhile, Fairy Yun He, who had left alone, grew more resentful the more she thought, wishing she could slay Li Mengze a thousand times over and still not feel satisfied.

Her departure from Kunlun had been a moment of impulse. Her master had gone through great effort to secure her a place in the secret realm, and to waste it would be a shame. After careful consideration, she realized that given the distance between Danding Sect and Kunlun, she could return before the secret realm opened. Thus, she set out for Danding Sect.

This time, the Danding Sect was led by only a Nascent Soul cultivator, who had neither the authority nor the ability to control Yun He's insubordination or provocative behavior.

Three days later, Yun He rushed directly to the highest peak of Danding Sect. Her master, True Sovereign Liuluo, was at her wit's end with this disciple. Yun He's actions in Kunlun had already been reported to her.

True Sovereign Liuluo prided herself on her intelligence and keen judgment—otherwise, she could never have attained her current status. She had raised her youngest disciple by her side from childhood. Though the girl was willful and domineering, it was normal for disciples without powerful backgrounds to encounter such “princesses” wherever they went. Over the years, her little disciple had never encountered a problem beyond her master’s ability to resolve, so True Sovereign Liuluo always felt this child bore a reflection of her own youthful self.

Yet after hearing of her behavior in Kunlun, she realized this was not the case at all; her disciple’s looks and intelligence were sorely mismatched. She now saw that she had been blinded these many years.

When the troublesome disciple entered, aggrieved and pitiful, True Sovereign Liuluo felt a flash of anger. Still, after so many years of cultivation, she kept her composure, determined to hear her out and see if the truth matched her assumptions. If it did, she would have to reassess just how much importance to place upon this disciple.

Yun He, oblivious to her master's inner turmoil, felt instantly emboldened upon seeing her. She hurried over, threw herself at Liuluo’s feet, and poured out her grievances about the injustices she had suffered. Yet her master remained silent for a long while, unlike before, when her troubles would be swiftly resolved.

As for her disciple’s fancy for Wei Qingtong, True Sovereign Liuluo thought she had good taste—if she were a few centuries younger herself, she might have been interested too. However, she also knew her disciple was overestimating herself; in age and cultivation, they were not a match. One-sided affection, flaunted so brazenly, was simply unwise.

She wanted to know what made Yun He so confident that whomever she desired would inevitably desire her back.

So she asked directly, “You like Wei Qingtong, but has he ever shown any interest in you?” Was it perhaps because he had encouraged her that Yun He acted so boldly? Deep down, Liuluo still didn’t want to believe her centuries-old judgment was so flawed.

“Shown interest? Does he need to? I fancy him—how could he possibly not fancy me? I’m a Golden Core cultivator, my master is a Soul Transformation cultivator. My interest is his good fortune.” Yun He held her head high, her face radiant with pride.

Normally, True Sovereign Liuluo might have found this arrogant display reminiscent of her own youth, when nothing in the world seemed worthy of her regard. But now, she only wanted to slap her awake—or perhaps simply end her, to spare herself further disgrace. Her troublesome disciple was now threatening to ruin centuries of her own reputation.

“Did you know that Wei Qingtong has already chosen his dual cultivation partner? After the centennial competition, their ceremony will be held. Invitations have gone out across the cultivation world—even I, your master, must attend to offer my congratulations.”

Yun He looked confused. “Master, so what? They can always change partners, can’t they? You’re a Soul Transformation cultivator; that woman’s master is only Nascent Soul. There’s no comparison.” This was nothing at all—her master was overthinking it. As a Soul Transformation cultivator and now a seventh-rank alchemy grandmaster, if her master agreed to a marriage alliance with Kunlun, they would be beside themselves with joy.

Her thoughts were written plainly across her face, so there was no need to ask further. True Sovereign Liuluo realized that for centuries she must have been blind to her disciple’s true nature, allowing this arrogance to fester until now, when it was beyond correction, and no one was willing to listen.

She sighed deeply. Still, this was the child she had raised with her own hands for centuries, and such bonds were not easily severed. She still hoped to make things clear, to turn her disciple’s thinking around. Otherwise, she would surely suffer losses in the future. Within the sect, others might show leniency for her sake, but outside? Who would care?

She reached out and patted her head. “Yun He, listen to me. Perhaps I never explained the circumstances of the other sects, and that’s why you take all this so lightly. Wei Qingtong’s father is the youngest Soul Transformation cultivator in Kunlun, and a sword cultivator at that, unmatched in martial prowess. His maternal grandfather is a late-stage Soul Transformation cultivator from the Cloud Mist Sect—though he’s not appeared in public for a long time, it’s rumored he has already undergone, or is about to undergo, tribulation. In short, your master would not dare offend him.”

Yun He’s heart thudded wildly. With such family background, there was no way she could give up. If she could marry into such a family, who would ever dare look down on her again, dismissing her as living only in her master’s shadow? If her dual cultivation partner came with such lineage, surely all others would have to look up to her.

Yes, she must marry Wei Qingtong. Only a man like that was worthy of her.

One glance at Yun He’s expression told her master that her words had backfired. She had hoped to warn her about the strength behind Wei Qingtong, but instead, it had only stoked her ambition. Yun He failed to grasp the true point: if she incited Wei Qingtong’s wrath, even her master could not intercede, for the sect would never risk enmity with the foremost sect over one disciple. Besides, aside from having a Soul Transformation master, Yun He had no other outstanding qualities. At this moment, her master was forced to admit that her disciple’s only advantage lay in her spiritual roots—an admission of her own failure, one that brought deep shame.

“Very well, let me tell you about Wei Qingtong’s dual cultivation partner, Li Mengze. She’s only in her twenties, at the early stage of Golden Core, the same as you. Behind her stands not only the entire Li clan, but her maternal uncle is the newly risen Demon Sovereign among the demonic cultivators, a Soul Transformation cultivator. His dual cultivation partner is also at Soul Transformation. The Li clan’s current number of Soul Transformation cultivators isn’t exactly known, but there are certainly no fewer than two. So, Li Mengze is even harder to deal with than Wei Qingtong. I’ve also heard she’s the only daughter of her generation in the Li clan. Do you understand what I’m telling you?” Her final words were heavy with authority, her tone sharp.

Yun He was not a fool. If she failed to understand after all this, her years would have been wasted—or rather, she’d have lived them for nothing. Raising her head to look at her master, she finally saw that the one she’d always thought omnipotent also had limits. Something stirred in her heart—not just disappointment, but the sense that the god she had worshiped all her life had fallen from the heavens.

A vague thought surfaced, one she knew she must conceal from her master, or all hope would be lost. With such an outstanding match and powerful family, even across the cultivation world, there were few equals. If she didn’t seize this chance, she would regret it forever. She never wanted to see anyone look at her with those eyes again.

That contemptuous, dismissive gaze—it drove her mad!