When the flowing light completely disappeared, the deep affection and pain on Yin Ji’s face vanished. He turned to look at Jiu Hui and Zhi You, and reached out to cover the wound on his chest, as if he didn’t feel the pain. “The demons infiltrated our sect, killed Chi Quan, and intended to assassinate other sect guests, hoping to cause chaos in the world. I helped them escape because of personal feelings, and I am willing to accept punishment.”
Blood soaked through his robe, dripping onto the ground from the hem of his robe. Yin Ji’s eyes were unfathomably dark and gloomy.
“Sect Uncle…” Nan Feng stood rooted to the spot in a daze.
Yin Ji slowly turned around and walked towards the main hall of the Jiutian Sect step by step. The vast Jiutian Sect was in full bloom, and the faint fragrance of flowers covered up all the scent of blood.
The main hall doors of the Jiutian Sect slowly opened, and Bu Ting stood in the middle of the empty hall. Hearing Yin Ji’s footsteps, he said without turning his head, “Come and light an incense stick for the founding ancestor.”
Incense smoke curled up as Yin Ji inserted the incense into the incense burner. He knelt on the ground and performed the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows. Then, he took off the Elder’s Jade Token from his waist and gently placed it on the altar.
An hour later, the Jiutian Sect announced to the world that the Demon Princess had disguised herself as a Jiutian Sect disciple and infiltrated the Zhenyao Prison to assassinate Chi Quan. She then intended to assassinate a certain sect master who was visiting the Jiutian Sect, but was discovered by the Jiutian Sect’s head disciple. The Jiutian Sect Elder, Yin Ji, helped the Demon Princess escape due to personal feelings, a crime that was unforgivable. He was sentenced to have his heart pierced by a thousand arrows and expelled from the sect.
In order to prove to the world that the Jiutian Sect would enforce the law fairly, the Jiutian Sect invited all the major sects to come and witness the execution.
-—–
Jiu Hui stood in the crowd, watching Yin Ji who was locked on the high platform, and pulled Zhi You back.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui.” Behind the crowd, Jin Qingqiu was fanning himself. When he saw Jiu Hui come out, he gave her a bright smile. “We meet again.”
“Young Master Jin,” Jiu Hui glanced at the jade fan in his hand. This fan had probably saved his life. She had never seen him without it.
“Miss, do you like my fan?” Jin Qingqiu closed the fan, held it in both hands, and presented it to Jiu Hui. “A jade fan for a beautiful lady. Please accept it.”
“This fan is the young master’s favorite item, how could I take something someone likes?” Jiu Hui politely declined.
“Don’t worry, I have plenty of jade fans here.” Jin Qingqiu stuffed the jade fan into Jiu Hui’s hand and took out a new jade fan from his storage ring. “Plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, osmanthus, lotus, moon, peony, you name it, I have it.”
Jiu Hui rubbed the jade fan in her palm: “Is this fan just for me, or do I share it with my Junior Brother?”
“Your junior fellow disciple is handsome and elegant, with a face like fine jade. This orchid jade fan is a perfect match for his noble bearing.” Jin Qingqiu handed the orchid jade fan to Zhi You. “Please accept it, fellow Daoist.”
“Thank you.” Zhi You accepted the fan with an expressionless face.
“I heard that Miss Jiu Hui was present when the incident happened?” After delivering the fan, Jin Qingqiu glanced at the profusely bleeding Yin Ji on the high platform and said nonchalantly, “I wonder what kind of beauty that demon princess is, that she could make an esteemed elder of the Jiutian Sect betray his sect?”
“I didn’t get a good look.” Jiu Hui played with her jade fan, her face full of innocence and naivety. “I only saw the two of them arguing for a bit. Fellow Daoist Nan Feng wanted to capture the Demon Princess, but Daoist Master Yin Ji stopped him. Then, he took out a magic weapon and helped the Demon Princess escape.”
“Love truly blinds people.” Jin Qingqiu took out another jade fan and played with it. “What a pity for a brilliant figure like Daoist Master Yin Ji.”
On the high platform, several arrows of spiritual power pierced through Yin Ji’s heart. Yin Ji fell to his knees in pain, but he did not beg for mercy or cry out in pain.
“Yin Ji, do you regret it?” The Law Enforcement Elder looked at his disheveled appearance with an expressionless face.
“This disciple is willing to accept the punishment.” Yin Ji’s face was pale. He looked up at the Jiutian Sect disciples who were carrying out the punishment and spat out a mouthful of blood. “A human and a demon falling in love is against the laws of heaven. This disciple has ended up in this state today, and I have no regrets!”
“Good, very good.” The Law Enforcement Elder turned his back with a flick of his sleeve, his voice trembling as he said, “Continue the execution.”
“This Law Enforcement Elder is Yin Ji’s master, and he has always acted fairly.” Jin Qingqiu whispered to Jiu Hui, “He personally raised his disciple, but the disciple was blinded by love and refused to listen to reason. His heartache is unimaginable.”
Thousands of arrows pierced his heart, each one causing excruciating pain that reached his marrow. Even with his Body Integration cultivation, Yin Ji was reaching his limit. He collapsed to the ground, transformed into a bloody mess that was barely recognizable. Some of the onlookers began to show signs of pity.
“Continue.” The Law Enforcement Elder saw that some of the disciples carrying out the punishment had stopped, he endured the grief and said, “The righteous path cannot tolerate such a disciple who cannot distinguish right from wrong. Anyone in the sect who dares to intercede for him will be guilty of the same crime.”
Hearing this, Jin Qingqiu chuckled. He had forbidden anyone from the sect to intercede, but he hadn’t said anything about people outside the sect. He turned the fan in his hand and glanced around. Was there anyone willing to step forward and save Yin Ji’s life?
Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua had no disciples under her name. Since she rarely went out unless there was a major event, the one representing the Qinglan School to the Jiutian Sect this time was the personal disciple of the Grand Elder. What was even more wonderful was that this disciple shared the same lineage as Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua. Not only was she a personal disciple of the Qinglan School, but she was also the young city lord of Qiyue City.
Pingling Yao knew that everyone present was waiting for her to speak. She picked up her teacup and took a sip, her lips curving into a slight smile. She was just a junior, how could she overstep the many sect masters present and plead for a person from the Jiutian Sect?
It was just a matter of being pierced by ten thousand arrows. If you could survive, then survive. If you couldn’t, then go die.
Jiutian Sect was full of talented people. The death of a Yin Ji was not a big deal.
The atmosphere gradually became heavy. Pingling Yao, the representative of the Qinglan School, was reluctant to speak. The others, out of respect for Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua’s reputation as the number one cultivator in the cultivation world, were also hesitant to be the first to speak up.
Seeing that Yin Ji was breathing out more than he was breathing in, the Law Enforcement Elder felt like his heart was being cut with a knife, but he could only watch as Yin Ji suffered on the execution platform.
“Tsk.” Jin Qingqiu whispered, “It seems that the Qinglan School is not giving the Jiutian Sect any face at all.”
The Qinglan School didn’t speak, so his Yuzhen Sect didn’t want to offend anyone either.
“Please, Law Enforcement Elder, show mercy.”
Seeing that Yin Ji was about to lose his life, an inconspicuous sect master finally stood up, but he dared not look in the direction of Pingling Yao.
However, those who wanted to intercede all breathed a sigh of relief and followed this lead, one after another, asking the Law Enforcement Elder to spare Yin Ji’s life.
As the saying goes, the longer people lived, the better they could act.
If not for the inappropriate occasion, Jiu Hui really wanted to pull on Zhi You’s sleeve and whisper to him that the first unfamiliar sect master to stand out was definitely a secret agent arranged by Jiutian Sect.
This would both demonstrate the impartiality of the Jiutian Sect and save Yin Ji’s life.
The Jiutian Sect made a great show of punishing Yin Ji, half to restore the Jiutian Sect’s reputation, and half for what other reason?
It couldn’t be to add a bit of poignant entanglement to the love between Yin Ji and the Demon Princess, could it?
The supplicants pleaded repeatedly, but the Law Enforcement Elder refused again and again. Finally, amidst the pleas of the crowd, the Law Enforcement Elder slapped Yin Ji with a palm, sending him flying out of the Jiutian Sect’s gate. Yin Ji tumbled down the steps in a sorry state.
The master and disciple, one stood on the steps, and the other knelt on the steps below.
“From this day forward, the bond between master and disciple between us is severed. Regardless of whether you live or die, or whether you are sick or injured, it will have nothing to do with the Jiutian Sect.” The Law Enforcement Elder looked down at Yin Ji with indifference. “However, your cultivation was given to you by the Jiutian Sect. Before you leave, I will cripple your spiritual platform and destroy all of your cultivation.”
The Law Enforcement Elder summoned his natal sword and, under the gaze of the crowd, pierced Yin Ji’s spiritual platform.
He retracted his blood-dripping sword, his voice trembling. “Leave now.”
Yin Ji crawled and got up, kowtowing to the Law Enforcement Elder. He tried to stand up, but in the end, he could only roll down the steps weakly.
The white jade steps were covered in blood, the bright red color striking and shocking.
“Today’s business is concluded. Everyone, please feel free to leave. This old man will take his leave.” The Law Enforcement Elder forced himself to bow slightly and turned to leave the place.
Everyone understood his current mood and didn’t try to persuade him to stay. Last year, they had just attended the Body Integration Ceremony of Daoist Master Yin Ji, and today, they witnessed him being stripped of his spiritual platform and expelled from the sect. Fate truly played tricks on people.
“What a pity, what a pity.” Pingling Yao looked at the bloodstains on the jade steps. “What a pity that these clean, white jade steps are stained with filthy blood. They will never be clean again.”
She was talking about the white jade steps, but she was also talking about something else. Everyone knew what she meant, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.
“You are all kind-hearted people.” Pingling Yao looked at the crowd and chuckled. “The sect still has important matters to attend to, so I dare not stay long. Everyone, I bid you farewell.”
Her gaze swept across the crowd, lingering on Jiu Hui for a moment before she cupped her hands in salute and leaped onto her flying sword, leaving Jiutian Sect.
The representatives of the other sects also found excuses to leave one after another. No one wanted to cause trouble for themselves at this time.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui and Fellow Daoist Zhi You, are you not planning to leave?” After most of the people had left, Jin Qingqiu sauntered over to Jiu Hui again. “I recently acquired a new flying magic weapon. If you two fellow Daoists do not mind, I would be happy to give you a ride back.”
“Many thanks to Young Master Jin, but we still have a few small matters to attend to.” Jiu Hui patted the purse hanging from her waist, making no secret of her purpose for coming to the Jiutian Sect: “How my humble sect will get by in the next year depends entirely on this gamble.”
“I see.” Jin Qingqiu laughed out loud. “Then I wish Miss Jiu Hui all the best. Farewell.”
“Many thanks, Young Master Jin.” Jiu Hui saw Jin Qingqiu off, then grabbed Zhi You’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, “Let’s go, let’s go back to the guest house and talk.”
She had a belly full of words, and if she didn’t say them, she was going to burst!
Returning to the guest house, Jiu Hui closed the doors and windows and whispered, “Zhi You, did you notice?”
“What did you find out?” Zhi You leaned his head closer to Jiu Hui’s as he set up a barrier around the room.
“The Jiutian Sect is using a bitter ploy.” Jiu Hui was greatly shocked. “I thought that Daoist Master Yin Ji was a freak in love, but I didn’t expect him to be even more terrifying than a freak who was in love.”
“Hmm?” Zhi You was a little confused.carpreads.pages.dev
“Everyone knows that Immortal Yin Ji had his cultivation destroyed and expelled from his sect for the Demon Princess. Will the Demon Princess be touched and heartbroken when she hears the news, and then take him to the Demon Realm?” Jiu Hui took out a plate of melon seeds from her storage ring and cracked them open, making a loud cracking sound.
“This isn’t some love oddity, it’s a love scam.” Jiu Hui finally understood why her elders had insisted she experience the mortal realm, despite teaching her countless things about the human world.
Because the human heart was more elusive, more changeable, and more terrifying than a story.
“Aunt Jiao said that feeling sorry for a man is the beginning of a woman’s misfortune.” Jiu Hui cracked melon seeds, “If all encounters and love are just a play, tsk!”
Men’s hearts were terrifying!
Zhi You pondered for a moment, “So Yin Ji wants to become the demon clan’s prince consort?”
“What demon clan’s prince consort?” Jiu Hui reached out and flicked Zhi You’s forehead. “He planned to lurk in the demon realm and wait for the right moment to join forces with the Jiutian Sect from within and deal a fatal blow to the demon clan.”
“But these are all my speculations. On the bright side, what if he really is a freak in love?” Jiu Hui shivered and rubbed her arms. “Forget it, forget it. Let’s just take the spirit stones and go.”
The people of the Jiutian Sect were too shrewd. Even a white lotus spirit would feel inferior and ashamed in front of them.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, Fellow Daoist Zhi You, are you in the house?” Nan Feng’s voice rang out from outside the door.
Zhi You removed the barrier, stood up, opened the door, and said to Nan Feng, “Fellow Daoist Nan Feng?”
“My master has prepared a banquet. Please do us the honor of joining us.” Nan Feng glanced into the house. This was Daoist Friend Jiu Hui’s room. Why was Daoist Friend Zhi You in Daoist Friend Jiu Hui’s room again?
Zhi You said, “Just now, I witnessed Daoist Master Yin Ji being pierced by ten thousand arrows. It was too bloody. I have never seen such a cruel thing before. I was terrified, so I asked Jiu Hui to accompany me.”
Nan Feng looked at the tall and handsome Zhi You, and fell silent.
Sometimes, it was quite helpless to talk to someone so straightforward and blunt.
He really didn’t know how to continue this conversation.
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, please wait a moment. I’ll be right there.” Jiu Hui took out the hairpin that Immortal Venerable Qiu Hua had given her and inserted it into her hair before turning and walking out of the courtyard. “I apologize for keeping Fellow Daoist Nan Feng waiting.”
Nan Feng glanced at the hairpin by her temple.
“As a junior, I shouldn’t be so shabby when attending Immortal Venerable Bu’s banquet. But I’ve already sold all my jewelry a few days ago, and all I have left is this good hairpin.” Jiu Hui touched the hairpin and said with trepidation, “Is it a bit disrespectful?”
“Fellow Daoist, you needn’t worry. Master doesn’t care about such worldly customs.” Nan Feng really wanted to say, even if you stuck in a chopstick, it would be better than using the jade hairpin given by Immortal Lord Qiu Hua, but these words were really hard to say.
Miss Jiu Hui was still young and didn’t know much about those old grudges. His master shouldn’t hold it against her.
Nan Feng’s guess was correct. After he brought the two fellow Daoists to the hall where his master lived, his master seemed not to have noticed the hairpin on Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui’s temple.
At the banquet, only Jiu Hui, Zhi You, Bu Ting, and Nan Feng were present. Jiu Hui noticed that there was a dish of steamed fathead fish and a dish of tofu fish head soup on the table.
Zhi You put some food in Jiu Hui’s bowl. “Please forgive me, Immortal Venerable Bu. Recently, our sect has been fishing and selling fish every day. The younger generations find it a bit… hard to swallow fish.”
Nan Feng’s chopsticks paused over the steamed fish. He turned his head to look at Zhi You secretly. Fellow Daoist, could you be a little more tactful at this time?
These two dishes were added at the special request of the master, and even the fish was raised by the master himself.
“Yes, yes, yes.” Jiu Hui nodded with a wry smile. “Please forgive this humble sect, Immortal Venerable. We’ve tried every possible way to save money.”
Zhi You! Well done, Zhi You!
You finally figured out the trick to pretending to be poor and pitiful. You’ve made progress and matured!
Jiu Hui glanced at Zhi You with admiration and continued to Bu Ting, “I apologize for making you laugh, Immortal Venerable.”
“It’s nothing.” Bu Ting raised his hand to have the fish removed from the table. He picked up his tea. “This time, the Demon Princess snuck into the guest house and frightened the two of you. I heard from Nan Feng that if it weren’t for Miss Jiu Hui’s warning, he wouldn’t have been able to stop the Demon Princess from doing evil in time. I’ll use tea instead of wine to thank Miss Jiu Hui on behalf of the entire Jiutian Sect.”
“Immortal Venerable, you are too serious.” Jiu Hui raised her teacup. “This junior merely asked a question out of curiosity. I did not expect her to be a princess of the Demon Clan.”
Who would have guessed that the princess of the Demon Cult would infiltrate the Jiutian Sect in such a way?
“Even if it was unintentional, you still helped my humble sect greatly.” Bu Ting finished the clear tea in his cup. “Please, young friends.”
Jiu Hui took a sip of tea and set the cup aside. Bu Ting picked up the teapot, but a hand had already taken the cup before him and poured Jiu Hui a new cup of tea.
He met Zhi You’s gaze and put down the teapot. “Fellow Daoist Zhi You, please.”
Zhi You nodded with an air of entitlement, as if Bu Ting’s politeness was something he deserved.
“Young friends, you two are exceptionally talented. At such a young age, you’ve already reached the Nascent Soul realm. May I ask what Daos you specialize in?” Bu Ting’s tone remained calm.
“We study everything, learning swordsmanship and beast control from our master, and alchemy, spell casting, escape techniques, and weapon refining from our uncles,” Jiu Hui continued. “Master says that we are still young and our temperaments are not stable enough, so it won’t hurt to learn more.”
Nan Feng glanced at Jiu Hui in surprise.
Cultivation most feared distraction and absent-mindedness. As the saying goes, “If you try to do too much, you won’t do anything well.” How could Wangshu Pavilion teach its disciples this way?
He turned his head to look at his master, thinking that his master would advise her with a few words, but unexpectedly, his master only nodded slightly and said nothing.
“The continuous thunder last night must have startled the two young friends.” Bu Ting put down his chopsticks, which he had barely touched. “Did anything strange happen in your courtyard that night?”
“Something strange?” Jiu Hui pondered. “The fact that the lightning seems to strike only us, does that count as something strange?”
“It’s not surprising that a 15,000-year-old great yao like Chi Quan died suddenly, and the heavens sent down thunder as a warning.” Bu Ting looked at Jiu Hui: “Don’t be afraid, little friends. The thunderbolts aren’t meant for you.”
“Fifteen thousand years old?!” Jiu Hui’s eyes were bright and beautiful, and when they widened, she seemed even more innocent and naive. “I thought it was already amazing that it was ten thousand years old, but I didn’t expect it to be fifteen thousand years old.”
“Who is the person that the lightning wanted to strike?” She ate a few more bites of food, unable to contain her curiosity, and asked, “Could it be the demon princess who killed Chi Quan?”
Bu Ting took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth, saying indifferently, “Perhaps.”
He stood up. “I have something I need to take care of. Nan Feng, take good care of our two young friends.”
“Yes, Master.” Nan Feng put down his chopsticks and bowed.
“Enjoy your meal, young friends. Excuse me.” Bu Ting nodded slightly at Jiu Hui and turned to leave the inner hall. Passing through the outer hall, he saw the steamed fish and tofu fish head soup that had been moved to the corner by the young servant. He paused. “Why are these two dishes here? Take them away and throw them out.”
The young boy saw that Bu Ting was displeased and quickly said, “Please forgive me, Sect Master. I will take it away immediately.”
Bu Ting remained silent and raised his hand to have the young boy take the things away.
Even if he had personally raised the fish, if it became something that was despised by others, then it had no reason to exist.
He looked back at the inner hall. It seemed that these two disciples of Wangshu Pavilion really didn’t know anything.
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, Fellow Daoist Zhi You, your esteemed master has been in seclusion for many years and rarely eats meals,” Nan Feng explained, fearing that the two might overthink the situation. “Recently, the sect has been very busy, and Master has been very busy. What other dishes would you like to eat? I’ll have the boy go down and prepare them.”
“This is great.” Jiu Hui dug into her meal. “Immortal Lord Bu is such a thoughtful elder. He must have left the room so we could eat in peace.”
“Ah… right!” Nan Feng nodded. “Master was indeed afraid that the two fellow Daoists would be uncomfortable, so he specially asked me to accompany the two fellow Daoists for dinner.”
Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui lived so happily for a reason. It turned out that she would always think in a way that was favorable to herself.
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, there are no outsiders here. Can you tell us about the past grievances between Daoist Master Yin Ji and the Demon Princess?” Jiu Hui dragged her stool and moved closer to Nan Feng.
Nan Feng glanced at the several young boys guarding the house, then at Zhi You and Jiu Hui, and coughed dryly several times.
Who else could the outsiders here be, if not the two of you?
Seeing that Nan Feng was unwilling to say more, Jiu Hui moved her chair back to its original position in disgust.
After the meal, Nan Feng took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Jiu Hui. “Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, this contains three hundred thousand spirit stones. The extra hundred thousand is compensation for my sect’s lax security, which caused you two to be frightened.”
“Oh my, your esteemed sect is far too kind. How can this be?” Jiu Hui clutched the brocade pouch and tucked it into her bosom. “Jiutian Sect is truly the number one sect in the world. Your conduct inspires the utmost admiration from us all.”
Nan Feng glanced at the brocade pouch she was holding tightly and said with a wry smile, “Fellow Daoist, you jest. The Qinglan School is the one that truly deserves to be called the number one sect.”
“That’s not how you should put it.” Jiu Hui put the brocade pouch into her storage ring and smiled with curved eyebrows. “Although Qinglan School has the number one immortal in the world, Immortal Venerable Qiu, your sect cares for the world and is concerned about the life and death of small sects. This kind of courage and mind can be ranked first with Qinglan School.”
That was three hundred thousand spirit stones. To praise any less would be disrespectful to those three hundred thousand spirit stones.
“Righteous sects are connected with the same spirit and supposed to support each other,” Nan Feng explained earnestly. “Although you two are disciples of a minor sect, your actions in guarding the Zhenhe Cauldron and subduing the leech yao are admirable.”
Jiu Hui sighed to herself. She shouldn’t have said that the Jiutian Sect had more scheming minds than a white lotus root, because there really was an honest person here.
They had eaten, drunk, and gotten their spirit stones.
Jiu Hui happily bid farewell to Nan Feng: “My humble sect still has a lot of dried fish that hasn’t been hung out to dry. Zhi You and I need to go back and help, so we won’t bother your esteemed sect any longer.”
Nan Feng: “…”
Two days ago, you said that the fish had been fished out, and I believed you. Now you’re saying that there’s a pile of dried fish that needs to be hung out to dry.
It could be perfunctory, but not so perfunctory.
With a long sigh, he stood up and said, “Since your sect has other matters to attend to, I won’t keep you two fellow Daoists any longer. I’ll see you out.”
“Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Nan Feng. You are truly a good person,” Jiu Hui praised sincerely.
Nan Feng: “…”
Hurry up and leave, don’t look back!
The trio walked to the main entrance of the Jiutian Sect. Jiu Hui glanced at the white jade steps. The bloodstains on the steps had been cleaned up, leaving no trace behind.
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, farewell. Next time…”
“Caw, caw, caw!” A black crow flew by, and Jiu Hui stopped talking, her gaze falling on the crow.
The crow looked down at her, and she guiltily averted her gaze.