Such biased incidents had frequently occurred in the past. Among the six fellow disciples, all the best things were always tightly hoarded for Yíngxuě alone. Nántáng had fought over this before; all she wanted was simply fairness—fair distribution and fair experiential training. But the more she fought, the more misunderstandings piled up, ultimately exchanging her efforts for increasingly deteriorating relationships with her peers.
Third Senior Brother said she had already occupied the magpie’s nest by taking the position of Sect Leader's wife, so how could she still have the face to compete with Yíngxuě for anything else?
Fourth Senior Brother played the peacemaker, coaxing her to just be content.
Jiāng Zhǐ would only coldly ask what else she needed, and have it delivered the very next day.
Only Senior Brother Xià would occasionally speak a few words of justice for her, but it was impossible for him to clean up her messes every single time.
After fighting back and forth, even she grew tired of it. Later on, she simply started hoarding Immortal Coins to buy things herself. She came and went alone, and her attachments to her fellow disciples gradually faded.
But today, it was the goods she had spent her own money to buy that were usurped by others. It was impossible for her not to be furious, though by the time she arrived at Báiméi Peak (White Eyebrow Peak), her anger had already cooled.
Nántáng slowed her pace, pondering over the matter.
This whole situation carried a bizarre undercurrent, almost as if it were deliberately aimed at sowing discord. Recalling recent events, a clear picture gradually formed in her heart. A few days prior, due to the Níngxiá Peak disciples deducting Class Bǐng's spiritual fruits, she had reported the issue to the sect elders. Subsequent investigations revealed that not only Class Bǐng, but the other two outer classes had also had their pills and medicines deducted to varying degrees. At the sect assembly, Jiāng Zhǐ explicitly called out the Níngxiá Peak Lord, causing the man to lose face. Rumor had it that he flew into a thunderous rage upon returning, punishing all the disciples of his peak.
This was likely the root cause. Looking at today's incident again, it somewhat bore the hallmark of Cháng Zhīzhī’s handiwork.
Cháng Zhīzhī was the daughter of the Níngxiá Peak Lord. Doted upon since childhood, she had an arrogant and unruly temper. Over the past two years, she had gradually begun taking over the affairs of Níngxiá Peak, quite putting on the airs of a Peak Lord.
She and Cháng Zhīzhī had an old grudge.
Rumor had it that back in the day, Cháng Zhīzhī originally wanted to bow under her Master's tutelage. Who could have known that after going on a long journey, their Master would pick up Yú Nántáng and use that very excuse to reject Cháng Zhīzhī's apprenticeship?
How could Cháng Zhīzhī swallow that? Added to the fact that Nántáng possessed a constitution terribly unsuited for immortal cultivation, her progress stagnating for years, and yet she later bound her cultivation with Jiāng Zhǐ—marrying him with her abysmally low cultivation to become the Sect Leader's wife... This made Cháng Zhīzhī’s hatred pile upon hatred. For decades, she had treated Nántáng as her ultimate rival, endlessly comparing herself to her.
————
Qúlíng Cave was already in sight. The crisp clang of clashing metal rang out over the clear pool, as two water dragons suddenly rose from the tranquil surface. Nántáng halted, gazing into the distance. Two figures flew out from within the waterfall, stepping onto the dragon heads left and right. They crossed swords and smiled at each other, looking exactly like a pair of divine, immortal lovers.
"Yíngxuě, your sword skills have improved," Jiāng Zhǐ's voice carried over, carrying a faint trace of a smile.
"It is because Senior Brother taught me well," Yíngxuě nodded. "Shall we exchange a few more moves?"
"You just absorbed the spiritual qi of ten thousand Spiritual Marrows. Although your primal energy has recovered, you still need to recuperate. Do not rush things; let us stop here for today. If you want to practice the sword, I will come accompany you another day," Jiāng Zhǐ said.
"Thank you, Senior Brother, but I am fine." As Yíngxuě spoke, she gave a light shout, commanding the water dragon to rise, and called out crisply, "Just one more round, then I will rest."
Seeing this, Jiāng Zhǐ shook his head and followed suit, riding his dragon upward, only saying, "Agreed, just one last time!"
The two water dragons intertwined, transforming into a towering water tornado that pierced the sky. Their figures vanished into the water, sword light flashing rapidly as the water vortex surged into the heavens before finally raining down across the sky.
Standing far away, Nántáng ended up getting a whole headful of water dumped on her.
"What are you doing here?"
A voice suddenly rang out by her ear. Nántáng turned her head, only to see that her Third Senior Brother Sòng Yì and Fourth Senior Brother Chéng Jiāyuè had walked up beside her at some unknown time. Third Senior Brother Sòng Yì was an artifact cultivator; his weapon refining skills were absolutely unparalleled. Right now, dressed in a violet robe with his long hair unbound, his brows and eyes were utterly chilling as he stared intensely at her. Fourth Senior Brother Chéng Jiāyuè cultivated the sword, yet he possessed a delicate, baby-faced appearance and loved to smile; his age was the closest to Nántáng's. In the past, Nántáng had the best relationship with Fourth Senior Brother, though that too had faded over time...
Looking at Sòng Yì's aggressively overbearing expression, Nántáng felt a wave of exhaustion and simply said, "We are all fellow disciples. If two Senior Brothers can come, why can't I?"
Sòng Yì choked on his words, while Chéng Jiāyuè hurriedly smiled to smooth things over: "You came at the perfect time. Third Senior Brother refined a top-grade piece of armor, and since everyone happens to be here today, I’ll send a message to Second Senior Brother to bring over two jugs of Zuìxiāo wine. We fellow disciples haven't gathered in ages. Why don't we get drunk and admire Third Senior Brother's treasure armor together?"
"Treasure armor?"
"Yeah, a top-grade spiritual artifact. A treasure armor forged from East Pole Wood (Dōngjí Wood) and Phoenix Kun Iron (Fèngkūn Iron), meant to give Little Junior Sister some self-defense. We’ll test its power in a bit."
Chéng Jiāyuè answered too fast; by the time Sòng Yì wanted to stop him, it was already too late.
"East Pole Wood, huh..." Nántáng looked at Sòng Yì's slightly uncomfortable eyes but didn't say anything more.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother is practicing the sword with Little Junior Sister again?" Chéng Jiāyuè had already walked past the two, looking at the water tornado over the pool and sighing. "The synergy between Sect Leader Senior Brother and Little Junior Sister in this Xíngshuǐ (Water-Walking) Sword Art is getting better and better. How long have they even been practicing it?"
As he spoke, the longsword strapped to his back unsheathed with a sharp shing. With a long whistle, it transformed into a shooting star and dove straight into the water tornado.
"I’ll play too!" Chéng Jiāyuè stood in place, controlling his sword through the air.
The clashing of metal grew increasingly fierce. The whistling of the swords sounded like swimming dragons startling flood-dragons. Azure light crisscrossed as sword qi swept horizontally and vertically, hitting the water in mid-air and refracting into rainbows.
Nántáng watched, completely dazed. The Xíngshuǐ Sword Art was a dual-wielding sword technique. Once upon a time, Jiāng Zhǐ had taught it to her too, but she could never manifest the sword qi, nor could she ever summon the water dragons.
"Envious?" Sòng Yì stood entirely motionless beside her and asked.
Nántáng nodded—of course she was envious. Envious of their innate talent, envious that the goals she couldn't reach even after exhausting everything she had were merely effortless achievements in the hands of others.
"I am envious too," Sòng Yì said faintly.
Only then did Nántáng snap out of her daze. It seemed he had misunderstood her answer, assuming she was envious of the synergy and romance between Jiāng Zhǐ and Yíngxuě? Yet earlier, she had merely felt a ripple of emotion from witnessing their sword arts.
Right, it wasn't because of Jiāng Zhǐ.
She gently placed a hand over her chest. There was no sorrow or sadness, nor any resentment or unwillingness. Those painful emotions she used to harbor were entirely gone. Her state of mind seemed even clearer and brighter than the last time.
The pleasant surprise came too suddenly; she couldn't suppress the smile lifting the corners of her lips.
"What are you smiling at?" Sòng Yì misunderstood even further. "Your own Dao partner is practicing dual sword arts with another female cultivator, and you aren't sad?"
"I am not sad, the one who is sad is Third Senior Brother." Nántáng's mind was crystal clear, her smile undiminished. "Third Senior Brother likes Junior Sister Yíngxuě. Being her willing beast of burden is your own business. Do not vent your frustrations of unrequited love onto me, and do not mistake me for being the same kind of person as you. You are willing to exhaust your energy refining a treasure armor for her, but I still grudge my East Pole Wood."
"You!" Having his inner secrets punctured by her, the frost between Sòng Yì's brows deepened. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Nántáng call out in a crisp, melodious voice.
"Senior Brother Xià!"
Having received Chéng Jiāyuè's message, Xià Huái fluttered down gracefully, waving his feather fan in hand.
"What's got you so happy?" He tapped Nántáng on the head with the handle of his fan.
Nántáng smiled radiantly: "Seeing Senior Brother Xià makes me happy."
Xià Huái's eyes narrowed slightly, staring closely at her. There wasn't a trace of gloom between her brows; her beaming, joyous appearance was just like it had been decades ago, radiating a relaxed comfort he hadn't seen in a very long time.
"Don't think you can sweet-talk me into giving you more pills," Xià Huái teased her a moment later.
Over there, the swords gave a long cry and the water splashed wildly. The water tornado flying in mid-air was scattered apart, turning into falling beads of ice. With sharp eyes and quick hands, Xià Huái waved his fan, manifesting a semi-circular shield of light that enveloped the three of them. The ice beads crackled against the light shield, quickly sliding down to the ground.
"Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Brother, Fifth Senior Sister," Yíngxuě's voice rang out.
The sparring match between the three had ended. They slowly flew down from the pool to the ground, walking toward Nántáng and the group.
Jiāng Zhǐ gave Nántáng a brief nod without much other expression, but it was Xià Huái who spoke up: "Yíngxuě, your injuries have only just healed, and your primal essence hasn't recovered. Why are you practicing the Xíngshuǐ Sword Art?"
"Thank you for your concern, Second Senior Brother. I am fine. A few days ago, Eldest Senior Brother procured ten thousand Spiritual Marrows and transferred his qi to help me absorb them. My primal essence has already recovered," Yíngxuě replied, though her gaze swept across Nántáng's face.
Xià Huái waved his fan, suddenly remembering something, and frowned: "Ten thousand Spiritual Marrows? Where did Eldest Senior Brother get so many Spiritual Marrows?"
"The sect recently collected a new batch of Spiritual Marrows. After all the Peak Lords took their shares, there was still a surplus, so I had Níngxiá Peak deliver all of it to Qúlíng Cave," Jiāng Zhǐ said.
Xià Huái waved his fan again, looking toward Nántáng: "Fifth Junior Sister, then what about your one thousand Spiritual Marrows?"
Nántáng had just been fretting over how to bring it up, never expecting Xià Huái to actually speak up on her behalf. It was truly as delightful as someone handing you a pillow right when you wanted to sleep.
"You also need Spiritual Marrow?" Jiāng Zhǐ looked slightly surprised.
"Fifth Junior Sister ordered a thousand Spiritual Marrows and top-grade East Pole Wood from the sect half a year ago, preparing to use them for her secluded core formation. How come none of you knew?" Xià Huái asked him in return.
"I..." Jiāng Zhǐ lowered his eyes. "It was my oversight. I did not know of this matter, and when I asked Níngxiá Peak to send the Spiritual Marrows, they never mentioned it. Fifth Junior Sister, I am sorry."
Before Nántáng could speak, Chéng Jiāyuè suddenly chimed in: "Top-grade East Pole Wood? Could it be..." He looked at Sòng Yì.
"It is the batch of East Pole Wood I took to refine the treasure armor. I did not know it was meant for Fifth Junior Sister's core formation. I thought..." Sòng Yì hesitated, stopping mid-sentence, and simply flipped his hand to reveal a thin, dark cyan armor. "This is the treasure armor I refined, intending to give it to Yíngxuě for protection."
"Senior Brother's good intentions are appreciated, but since it was refined using Senior Sister's East Pole Wood, I cannot accept this treasure armor," Yíngxuě's eyes turned slightly cool as she stated coldly.
Sòng Yì grew a bit anxious: "Yíngxuě, I admit taking Fifth Junior Sister's East Pole Wood was inappropriate, and I will find other ways to compensate her, but this treasure armor was refined specifically for you. I hope you can accept it."
"I do not want it." Yíngxuě's pretty face was already frosted over. "If I had known those ten thousand Spiritual Marrows were snatched from Fifth Senior Sister's hands, I absolutely would not have taken them either."
"Yíngxuě..." The hand Sòng Yì used to hold the treasure armor clenched into a fist.
Jiāng Zhǐ, too, fell silent.
Nántáng, the actual person involved, hadn't even said a single word, yet she watched as these three started stressing themselves out. She couldn't help but find it funny. Just as she was enjoying the show, her head was unexpectedly knocked by Xià Huái again.
Seeing her look over, Xià Huái shot her a wink and said, "There's no need for Ol' Third to compensate either. Since it was refined using Fifth Junior Sister's East Pole Wood, why not just give this treasure armor to Fifth Junior Sister?"
"Fine." Before Sòng Yì could speak, Yíngxuě had already agreed.
Sòng Yì fiercely shoved the treasure armor into Nántáng's arms, turned on his heel without a word, and walked away.
"Still with this awkward temper," Xià Huái remarked nonchalantly, then turned to Nántáng. "I still have two thousand Spiritual Marrows at my place. If you're in urgent need, I can spare them for you."
"Let me cover it. Name your price," Jiāng Zhǐ replied.
Xià Huái gave Nántáng a wink, turned his face, and quoted a price to Jiāng Zhǐ—it was a full twice as high as the sect's purchasing price. Jiāng Zhǐ didn't say much; he immediately paid the Immortal Coins in full, told Xià Huái to deliver the Spiritual Marrows to Nántáng's hall, and took his leave.
"How's that? Satisfied?" Xià Huái whispered into her ear.
"Look at what Senior Brother Xià is saying—you seized the opportunity to score plenty of benefits yourself," Nántáng replied. Securing double the price for two thousand Spiritual Marrows was no small sum of Immortal Coins.
"Venting your anger for you while making a small profit—the best of both worlds. What's wrong with that?"
"It's great! Exceptionally great! Thank you, Senior Brother." Nántáng's mood was immensely uplifted. She hadn't even planned to ask for her things back when she came to Báiméi Peak. To think she’d get the treasure armor and the Spiritual Marrows without even speaking half a sentence—it was quite an unexpected windfall.
"Then smile more. Don't go around with a bitter face like before," Xià Huái lightly tapped her head again.
Off to the side, Yíngxuě stared unblinking at Xià Huái's hand and Nántáng.
"Sect Leader Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother both left, so are we still drinking this wine or not?" Chéng Jiāyuè was still hung up on the brothers having a drink.
"Drink, I'll drink with you." Xià Huái turned around and slung an arm over Chéng Jiāyuè's shoulder.
Nántáng tucked the treasure armor away and took her leave: "I still have matters to attend to at my place, so I won't hold up my two Senior Brothers' good spirits. I'll take my leave first, farewell."
Xià Huái waved his fan, letting her leave. But the moment Nántáng's figure vanished, Yíngxuě also darted away in a flash.
"Why did everyone leave?" Chéng Jiāyuè scratched his head, utterly bewildered. "Speaking of which, we still haven't asked what Fifth Junior Sister came to Qúlíng Cave for, have we? Why did she leave without saying anything?"
"Alright, just drink your wine, you blockhead!" Xià Huái pushed Chéng Jiāyuè away.
————
Nántáng didn't return to Yúnchuān immediately. Instead, she rushed to the stone stele outside Qúlíng Cave and halted. Her eyes darted left and right before she suddenly struck out, firing a beam of cyan light into a patch of waist-high weeds beside the stele.
The cyan light carried no attack power; it merely transformed into icy water and splashed down. In an instant, a young cultivator jumped out from inside—it was remarkably the very same person who had delivered the Spiritual Marrows and items to her earlier.
"Go back and tell Cháng Zhīzhī that she's going to be disappointed, there is no good show for her to watch," Nántáng said coldly.
The young cultivator, shivering from being drenched in icy water, could only nod repeatedly. The moment she let him go, he immediately fled for his life.
Nántáng withdrew her gaze and sighed. Just as she was about to return to Yúnchuān, she heard a crisp "Senior Sister" from behind.
At some unknown time, Yíngxuě had followed her here.
Her vivid, pretty appearance was still capable of stunning all living beings, but her brows and eyes carried no smile as she stared fixedly at Nántáng.
"Does Sixth Junior Sister have a matter?" Nántáng asked.
"Senior Sister, I did not know about the Spiritual Marrow and the East Pole Wood."
Nántáng's brows furrowed slightly—did she chase after her just to explain this?
"I don't blame you," Nántáng replied.
Nántáng believed Yíngxuě was unaware, because many times, Yíngxuě didn't even need to open her mouth before someone would offer her the world's ultimate treasures with both hands. She never cared about the process.
"Senior Sister is magnanimous," Yíngxuě nodded, no longer harping on the issue, and then said, "Senior Sister, I know of a treasure that can undo the Love-Locking Gu on your body. Are you willing to give it a try?"
Nántáng fell silent.
Yíngxuě had never spoken these words to her before. Why bring it up suddenly now? Could it be for Jiāng Zhǐ's sake?
Once the Love-Locking Gu was undone, she and Jiāng Zhǐ could dissolve their Dao partnership at any time, and they could finally be together justifiably?
"Senior Sister!" Seeing Nántáng remain silent, Yíngxuě took two steps forward, pressing the question: "Are you willing to undo the Gu?"
"I couldn't ask for more," Nántáng said.
The corners of Yíngxuě's lips suddenly hooked up, revealing a faint smile. The frost and snow in her face vanished instantly as she left Nántáng with a single sentence.
"Whatever Senior Sister desires, Yíngxuě will surely achieve."
————
Only after frantically fleeing for several miles did the young disciple from Níngxiá Peak gradually slow his pace, sighing and groaning as he wondered how to report back. Eldest Senior Sister would probably throw a temper tantrum and curse people out again.
A streak of red light struck soundlessly from behind him. In the blink of an eye, it wrapped around his neck. The little cultivator's eyes widened drastically as he struggled, being dragged deep into the dense forest by the red light.
A slender, snow-white hand gently grabbed his neck and squeezed. Blue veins bulged on the back of the hand as the young cultivator was choked and lifted off the ground by the hand's owner.
"Trying to sow discord between me and Senior Sister... you deserve to die."
Accompanied by the woman's low, hoarse voice, the terror in the young cultivator's pupils flashed briefly. In the very next moment, his neck was snapped by that person, and he died.
Translator's Anecdote: WAIT A MINUTE. HOLD THE SPIRITUAL PHONE. Is Yíngxuě actually a yandere obsessive sis-con who snaps necks in the woods for Nántáng?! 😱 Nántáng over here eating popcorn while the love triangle collapses, completely unaware her 'rival' is secretly her most lethal bodyguard! We love a good plot twist! 🍿🔪🩸 ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
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