Jiu Hui’s stab was extremely ruthless. She gripped the butcher’s knife, and Yin Ji’s blood dripped silently down the tip of the blade.
“That day in Wenxian City, did you kill that Dharma Protector of the Demon Cult?” Yin Ji stared at Jiu Hui. “Several major sects are looking for you everywhere. Why did you hide?”
“What are you talking about, I don’t understand.” Jiu Hui spun the knife with great force. “Aren’t you the Dharma Protector of the Demon Cult?”
“You know what I mean.” Yin Ji frowned. This kid was more complicated than he had imagined.
“I don’t know.” Jiu Hui suddenly raised her voice. “Yin Ji, you’ve fallen into the ways of the demon and colluded with the demon clan. You intend to kill innocent humans. As righteous disciples, we’re your sworn enemies!”
“Yin Ji!” A luxuriously dressed woman in the clouds rode a Demonic Bone Horse and galloped over. She grabbed Yin Ji’s hand and pulled him onto the horse’s back. “You’re injured. Come with me quickly.”
Jiu Hui recognized the woman as the demon princess, so she put away her butcher’s knife, opened her hands, and used her spiritual power to form a bow and arrow. She pulled the bowstring back and aimed at the shoulders of the two people. She called out in a loud voice, “Yin Ji!”
Yin Ji and the Demon Cult Princess both turned around. The spiritual arrows left its bows in an instant, and the arrows shot through the sky, piercing the shoulders of the two of them, and stringing them together.
“Let’s go!” Yin Ji grunted, putting one arm around the waist of the Demon Princess and taking a long look at the veiled girl holding the spirit bow.
Jiu Hui lifted a corner of her veil, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she mouthed five words to Yin Ji: “An eye for an eye.”
He shot an arrow at the people of Taolin City, and she returned an arrow to him. Only then was it fair.
The bad guys retreated in disgrace, and the righteous heroine emerged victorious. This was the ending that everyone loved to see. Cheers and applause erupted from both sides of the riverbank, and the drummers on the dragon boat pounded their drums, their feet moving in a sea of joy.
Jiu Hui looked down at the crowd cheering for her on the shore, pinched her fingers together, and used her spiritual energy to draw several dragon boats in the air. With a snap of her fingers, several fireworks made of spiritual energy burst open.
“Good!“carpreads.pages.dev
“Wonderful! Amazing!”
The applause was endless, and the people praised the show arranged by the City Lord’s Mansion as wonderful. Some people even said that they would perform another show like this on New Year’s Eve.
Tao Xiangyi put away his magic weapon, discreetly wiped the sweat from his palm, and found Chang He guarding an eye of the formation through the crowd. “Immortal Chang He, thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Chang He waved his hand and sat down on the ground without any grace, panting heavily. “Fortunately, Junior Sister and Junior Brother reacted quickly, or else we would have been in big trouble.”
The riverbank was packed with people. If that demonic arrow had really shot into the crowd, who knew how many people would have died? Not to mention the subsequent stampede and crush…
Thinking of this, Chang He couldn’t help but curse. He not only cursed Yin Ji from head to toe, but also didn’t spare Jiutian Sect.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and wanted to find his little junior sister and junior brother, but he saw that his junior sister and junior brother were surrounded by countless commoners, and their bodies were covered with cloth rewarded by the commoners. He quickly retracted his steps and did not join in the fun.
“Thank you all, thank you.” Jiu Hui held a dustpan filled with copper coins and silver rewarded by the people. As she expressed her gratitude, more copper coins and silver continued to fall into the dustpan.
“Fairy sister, your performance was so good. Will you come back next time?” A child put ten copper coins he had saved into the dustpan.
Jiu Hui stuffed five of them back into the child’s hand. “Keep these to buy candy with. If everyone likes watching, I’ll come back again next time.”
“I like it, I like it.” The crowd praised it repeatedly, and copper coins and silver ingots fell into the dustpan like rain.
The easiest way for everyone to express their appreciation was to give money!
“Boss Song, you should just enjoy the show. Why are you holding a cleaver?” The diners at the distant spicy skewer stall laughed. “It’s all just an act. Did you really think it was real?”
“The fairy maiden’s performance was so good that I forgot to eat.” Another diner praised, “Especially when the villain escaped, the fairy maiden shot an arrow, which was very satisfying.”
Boss Song hung the knife back up and said with a smile, “Yes, it was very satisfying.”
She secretly let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, fortunately.
By the time Jiu Hui and Zhi You found the people from Wangshu Pavilion with a full winnowing basket of prize money, they had been squatting under the tree for half an hour.
The wind blew against their weathered faces, each one looking more disheveled than the last.
Elder Mo took Zhi You’s wrist, and Elder Xi reached out to take Jiu Hui’s wrist. After confirming that the two were not injured, the two elders waved their hands and said, “You two play by yourselves. We’re going back.”
The spirit stones they lost today would take them a long time to recover.
“Where are you going back to?” Jiu Hui poured all the reward money into her storage ring, the clinking sound of silver coins arousing the envy of her fellow disciples.
“Naturally, I’ll return to the sect. Where else could I go?” Elder Mo’s spiritual energy hadn’t recovered yet, and his face was slightly pale.
“How can we go back?!” Jiu Hui was incredulous. “Your spiritual power, and the spirit stones spent to activate the city’s grand formation, can they be wasted in vain?”
“Hmm?” Elder Mo retracted his steps. “What are you thinking, little nephew?”
“The weather is so nice, perfect for demanding compensation.” Jiu Hui handed the empty basket to Chang He, who was closest to her. “The Jiutian Sect disciple is being unreasonable, so we should demand an explanation from them.”
“That makes sense.” Elder Mo’s eyes darted around. “I’ll go with you two.”
Spiritual power couldn’t be used for free, and spirit stones couldn’t be spent for free!
-—–
On a certain mountain peak of the Jiutian Sect.
As night fell, Bu Ting gazed at the distant river. The once-tranquil waters were now ablaze with light, as if the entire river had been set aflame.
“What happened over there? Did a fire break out?” Bu Ting turned around and said to the boy behind him, “Send a message to the Deacon Hall and have them arrange for disciples to put out the fire.”
“Immortal Venerable, it shouldn’t be a fire,” the boy answered in a low voice. “Today is the Dragon Boat Festival among the common people. Every year at this time, some cities among the common people hold dragon boat races during the day, and at night they hold an activity where they ride dragon boats and cruise the river…”
He saw that Bu Ting’s expression didn’t change, so he mustered his courage and continued to explain, “In the past, the cities near our sect didn’t have these customs, but as other cities became more and more lively, the cities near us were influenced and also came to enjoy this way of celebrating.”
Bu Ting gazed at the distant river, silent for a moment. “I understand.”
“If the Immortal Venerable doesn’t like it, I’ll immediately send a message to the city lords of each city and have them cancel…”
“No need,” Bu Ting said indifferently. “Mortals have short lifespans, so it’s normal for them to indulge in a moment of excitement and joy. It’s fine as long as the disciples in the sect don’t become attached to the mortal world.”
The boy lowered his head and did not speak. He did not dare to tell the Immortal Venerable that today, some disciples of the sect had gone to a nearby city to play.
“Master!” Nan Feng flew over on his sword with an anxious and strange expression. “Elder Mo from Wangshu Pavilion has arrived with two sect disciples.”
“Wangshu Pavilion?” Bu Ting frowned. “What could be so important that they would be so rude as to visit so late at night?”
Nan Feng hesitated for a long while before saying, “It should… not be anything good.”
Seeing his disciple’s troubled expression, Bu Ting asked, “Who were the two disciples who came with Elder Mo?”
“Fellow Daoists Jiu Hui and Zhi You,”
“Let’s go and have a look.” Bu Ting flew through the air and landed in the Jiutian Sect’s conference hall. As soon as he entered, he was shocked by the sight of the three people.
Elder Mo was covered in blood. His outer robe was torn and tattered, and one of his shoes was missing. The other shoe was still on his foot, but the front half of the sole was gone, revealing a bloody foot.
Jiu Hui, who was sitting next to him, had a messy bun, dried bloodstains on her pale face, and plum blossom spots on her skirt. A closer look revealed that they were all blood.
Of the three, Zhi You was the tidiest, but the wound that pierced through his chest and out his back was shocking. One glance was enough to tell that the three of them had definitely been through a bitter battle.
When Bu Ting arrived, Elder Mo tried to speak, but before he could finish his sentence, he vomited several mouthfuls of black blood.
The Deacon Hall master was startled and quickly took out a bottle of Essence-Recovering pills and stuffed them into Elder Mo’s hands. No matter what happened, he couldn’t let anyone die here.
“Sect Uncle!” Tears the size of beans fell from Jiu Hui’s eyes as she reached out to support Elder Mo, crying in anguish, “You can’t die! If something happens to you, what will happen to our Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters? What will happen to our entire Wangshu Pavilion?”
The deacon was about to offer some words of comfort when he saw Jiu Hui vomiting blood while crying. He was so frightened that he quickly fumbled for another bottle of Essence-Recovering pills and stuffed it into Jiu Hui’s hand. After giving her the pills, he looked at Zhi You, who was the only one who was quiet. He saw that Zhi You was silently vomiting blood, and with trembling hands, he took out another bottle of pills.
The three of you can’t vomit anymore. You’re scaring him.
If the three of them were to die here today, tomorrow the rumor that “Jiutian Sect stood idly by and let three cultivators die from vomiting blood” would spread throughout the entire cultivation world.
“Many thanks.” Zhi You politely accepted the pill bottle. His hand still had warm blood on it, which dripped onto the back of the Deacon Hall master’s hand. The Deacon Hall master’s fingers trembled slightly.
At this moment, there was no need to be so polite.
“Sect Uncle, quickly give him the pill.” Jiu Hui ignored her own injuries and poured the pill into Elder Mo’s mouth. After feeding Elder Mo the pill, Jiu Hui wiped the tears from her face and turned her head to glare at Bu Ting: “Immortal Lord Bu, are you satisfied now?!”
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, what is the meaning of this?” Startled by the tears and hatred in Jiu Hui’s eyes, Nan Feng hurriedly asked, “What happened?”
“What happened, does your esteemed sect not know about this?” Jiu Hui clutched her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. “It’s my fault for being foolish and not understanding the Immortal Venerable’s deep meaning. I thought the 300,000 spirit stones were your esteemed sect’s way of supporting us smaller sects in resisting the yaos and demons. I didn’t realize it was the price of our lives.”
“What are you talking about?” Nan Feng was startled. He shook his hands and poured a few pills into Jiu Hui’s hand. “Tell me slowly. Heal your wounds first.”
“Heal what wounds? If we die, wouldn’t it be more in line with your sect’s wishes?” Jiu Hui gripped the pill and pushed Nan Feng away, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Three hundred thousand spirit stones to buy the lives of our Wangshu Pavilion, to buy the lives of all the people of Taolin City. Isn’t that a bit cheap?”
“What do you mean by the lives of the people of Taolin City?” Nan Feng turned his head to look at his silent master. “What exactly happened?”
“Your esteemed sect has produced such a fine disciple, Daoist Master Yin Ji. During the Dragon Boat Festival, he led the demons in a surprise attack on the people of Taolin City, and he demanded that we hand over a hundred young boys and girls.” Jiu Hui looked at Bu Ting, who had remained silent the entire time. “Of all the cities, Daoist Master Yin Ji chose to attack our Taolin City. How could there be such a coincidence?”
“Yin Ji was expelled from the sect long ago for letting the demon princess escape due to personal feelings. His mistakes have nothing to do with the Jiutian Sect.” Bu Ting turned his head to look at the portrait of the founding ancestor hanging above the Deacon Hall, not making eye contact with Jiu Hui.
“I sympathize that your sect has encountered such a thing, but you and I are both righteous cultivators. You shouldn’t be so unreasonable and take your anger out on others. Miss Jiu Hui is young, so I won’t hold it against you.”
“The Immortal Venerable has a guilty conscience, so naturally he doesn’t dare to argue with me.” Jiu Hui stood up, pointed at the portrait of the founding ancestor of the Jiutian Sect hanging above the Deacon Hall, and stared at Bu Ting.
“If the Immortal Venerable is innocent, then swear an oath to the founding ancestor of your sect. If what Yin Ji did has anything to do with the Jiutian Sect, then the Immortal Venerable will be abandoned by all, his reputation will be ruined, and he will become the shame of the righteous path!”
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui!” Nan Feng did not expect Jiu Hui to say such words. He looked at his master with concern and stepped forward to stand between Bu Ting and Jiu Hui. “Fellow Daoist, on the day that Sect Un… Yin Ji was expelled from the sect, you were also present. Our humble sect has absolutely no intention of shielding him. I also did not expect that he would actually fall so low as to mix with the demons.”
Nan Feng was filled with bitterness. He really couldn’t understand why his sect uncle, such a noble person, would become like this, not even sparing ordinary people.
“To activate the city-protecting formation to stop Yin Ji’s attack, four of our sect uncles exhausted their spiritual power, our senior brothers and sisters used up all their spirit stones, and my junior brother Zhi You even used his body as a shield to block the demonic arrow shot at the civilians.” Jiu Hui’s eyes were bloodshot. “Your Jiutian Sect is high and mighty, and your sect master and elders all have profound cultivation. So us Wangshu Pavilion and the entire Taolin City all deserve to die?!”
“Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui, there must be some misunderstanding here.” Nan Feng tried to persuade Jiu Hui, looking helpless. “You should heal your wounds first. This matter definitely has nothing to do with our Jiutian Sect.”
“Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, I know you’re a good person.” Jiu Hui stood up and looked at Bu Ting behind him. “Immortal Lord Bu, do you dare to swear an oath?”
Bu Ting looked at her quietly, as if he were looking at an unreasonable junior: “Miss Jiu Hui, our sect is willing to take responsibility for the losses of your esteemed sect.”
“Is the Immortal Venerable trying to bribe us with money?” Jiu Hui said. “The Wangshu Pavilion may be poor, but what we want more than anything is justice!”
“Although Yin Ji’s actions have nothing to do with our Jiutian Sect, your sect was willing to suffer serious injuries to protect the people, and you did not give in to the treacherous traitor Yin Ji. I admire you all very much.” Bu Ting walked up to Elder Mo and bowed to him. “Please, Elder Mo, and the two young friends, rest and recuperate in our humble sect first. Jiutian Sect is willing to compensate your sect tenfold for all your losses.”
Elder Mo covered his chest with his hand and closed his eyes without saying a word.
“Pass on my order as the Sect Master. From now on, if any disciple of the Jiutian Sect encounters the traitor Yin Ji, kill him without hesitation. Do not show mercy.” Bu Ting took off the Sect Master’s order from his waist and made a hand gesture in front of the three of them, sending a message to all the righteous sects in the world.
“The traitor Yin Ji has fallen into the demonic path. Anyone who encounters him should be careful and on guard. If you can kill him, the Jiutian Sect is willing to reward you with three top-grade magic treasures.”
“So, are you satisfied with this, little friend?” Bu Ting put away the sect master’s order and looked at Jiu Hui.
“If I had known this would happen, your esteemed sect should not have spared Yin Ji’s life. That way, we wouldn’t have wasted three top-grade magic treasures.” Jiu Hui swallowed the Essence-Recovering Pill that Nan Feng had given her, stood up with a smile, and bowed to Bu Ting as a junior would. “This junior saw that my fellow sect member was injured and acted out of concern. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me, Immortal Venerable.”
“Young friend, you care about your fellow disciples, so what’s wrong with that?” Bu Ting put his hands behind his back. “I wonder which demon clan that traitor, Yin Ji, was with when he left?”
“Naturally, he escaped with his sweetheart, the Demon Clan princess.” Jiu Hui answered with a smile.
Escaped?
Nan Feng noticed this word and looked at Jiu Hui in surprise.
“Although our sect is weak, we have done our best to protect the people of the city,” Jiu Hui said, staring into Bu Ting’s eyes. “If we let the traitor Yin Ji come and go as he pleases, wouldn’t it make our sect look incompetent?”
Bu Ting didn’t say anything, so Nan Feng couldn’t help but ask, “Then… how is he?”
“He’ll be fine, he probably won’t die.” Jiu Hui sneered, “I gave him and the Demon Princess a Mandarin Duck Harmony Arrow. I imagine their relationship will improve.”
“What is the Mandarin Duck Harmony Arrow?”
“Stringing people together, isn’t that just ‘Mandarin Ducks in Harmony’?” Jiu Hui asked Nan Feng, “Fellow Daoist Nan Feng, what do you think of this name?”
Nan Feng: “…”
He regretted asking that question.
The three disciples from Wangshu Pavilion were severely injured, so Jiutian Sect naturally couldn’t let them leave just like that. After the Deacon Hall master arranged accommodations for the three of them, he returned to the Deacon Hall with a heavy heart. Seeing that the disciples were all discussing the matter of Yin Ji joining the Demon Clan, he sighed deeply.
Why did they have to talk about love when there were so many other things to discuss? They had lost their minds.
He sighed even louder as he flipped through the list of losses that Wangshu Pavilion had drawn up.
This was no small expense.
“Master.” Nan Feng followed Bu Ting to the Sword Practice Peak and looked at Bu Ting with concern. “Yin Ji’s actions have nothing to do with our Jiutian Sect. I believe that all the righteous sects in the world understand this and will not misunderstand our Jiutian Sect because of this matter.”
“I know.” Bu Ting was silent for a long time. “Jiu Hui is so young, but she was able to injure Yin Ji and the Demon Princess. Her talent is truly extraordinary.”
“Yin Ji’s cultivation was abolished. Even if he was lucky enough to find a way to recover, it would be impossible for him to return to his peak. Fellow Daoist Jiu Hui is at the Nascent Soul realm. If she joins forces with Fellow Daoist Zhi You, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to injure Yin Ji.”
“I understand. You may leave for now.” Bu Ting raised his hand. Once the Sword Practice Peak was empty, he took out the Cosmos Sword and slashed it fiercely at the Sword Practice Stone, which instantly split into two pieces.
“How foolish.” Putting away his sword, Bu Ting coldly snorted.
The little girl named Jiu Hui was right. There were many cities in the world. Why did Yin Ji choose to attack Taolin City, which was protected by a sect?
-—–
“You have to pick the soft persimmon, and I was the one who pointed out the Demon Princess who had infiltrated the Jiutian Sect that day. I am also a disciple of the Wangshu Pavilion, so if Yin Ji wanted to please the Demon Princess, of course he would pick on us, the weak ones.”
Jiu Hui played with the bottle of Essence-Recovering pills that the Deacon Hall master had given her. She pushed the pill bottle around on the table. “If anyone makes you unhappy, I’ll kill his whole family. What a domineering and intense way to show love. The Demon Princess would definitely be moved to tears.”
Elder Mo’s face twisted up when he heard this. “Is this how young cultivators court these days? Such madness!”
“Normal people wouldn’t do such a thing.” Jiu Hui shook her head. “But the world is so vast, and there are so many people, there are always some… lunatics.”
Elder Mo glanced at Jiu Hui, then at Zhi You. “Both of you are too handsome. If you encounter such lunatics in the future, stay away from them. Your sect uncle is old and can’t stand such madness.”
Zhi You glanced at Jiu Hui and nodded obediently.
“If I were the Demon Princess, I wouldn’t care which city’s people Yin Ji was causing trouble for. Killing unarmed civilians can hardly be considered a gesture of sincerity.” Jiu Hui snorted coldly. “Yin Ji is so familiar with the Jiutian Sect. We should have him find a way to sneak into the Jiutian Sect and stab Immortal Venerable Bu with a knife. That would truly demonstrate his sincerity in joining the Demon Clan.”
Elder Mo nodded. “That’s right. It’s more sincere to trouble the Jiutian Sect than anyone else. This Demon Clan princess is still easier to coax.”
Jiu Hui muttered softly, “Love makes people stupid.”
“You understand this principle, which is very good.” Elder Mo smiled in relief. “Love and vows are all illusions. Only cultivation is truly yours.”
Zhi You scratched at the edge of the table, his head lowered as he remained silent.
-—–
The next morning, the Jiutian Sect sent clean clothes to Jiu Hui and the other two. The Deacon Hall Master also sent 1.5 million spirit stones.
Jiu Hui looked at the brocade pouch containing spirit stones on the tray and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, “Hall Master, these spirit stones aren’t the price of our lives, are they?”
“Fellow Daoist, you jest. My humble sect is a righteous one and would never associate with traitors.” The Deacon Hall master quickly explained, “In addition to these spirit stones, my humble sect has also prepared some magic weapons, elixirs, and talismans for your esteemed sect. Please accept them as a token of our goodwill.”
“Many thanks to the Hall Master. I was indeed joking just now.” Jiu Hui took the tray, covered her chest, and coughed lightly twice. “Last night, this junior was too anxious. If there were any offenses in my words, please forgive me, Hall Master.”
“Fellow Daoist, you are too kind.” The Deacon Hall master was frightened when he saw Jiu Hui coughing. He asked his disciple to bring up the prepared magic weapon, elixirs, and talismans. “I still have some miscellaneous matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first.”
“Take care, Hall Master.” Jiu Hui handed the tray to Zhi You and bowed to see the Deacon Hall master out.
“Fellow Daoist, please stay.”
“Master, please.”
After exchanging polite remarks, Jiu Hui escorted the hall master to the entrance of the guest house, but did not insist on seeing him off any further. As she watched the hall master’s departing figure, Jiu Hui played with the pouch at her waist, her eyelids slightly lowered.
Perhaps it was only when people felt guilty that they would be particularly easy to talk to.
“Jiu Hui.” Zhi You walked up to her. “Sect Uncle Mo said that we will set off to return to the sect in an hour.”
“Alright.” Jiu Hui nodded. She had already obtained the items, so there was no point in staying at Jiutian Sect any longer.
“Miss Jiu Hui.” Jin Qingqiu, dressed to the nines, hurried over. He was in such a rush that he didn’t even bring his usual jade fan.
“Young Master Jin?” Jiu Hui looked at the newcomer in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Today, my humble sect has business to discuss with the Jiutian Sect. I heard that you were injured, so I came to check on you.” Jin Qingqiu took out a gift box from his storage ring. “Please accept this gift as a token of my concern.”
Jiu Hui had just reached out her hand when Zhi You took the gift box. “Thank you, young master.”
“You’re welcome.” Jin Qingqiu looked at Jiu Hui. “I heard that when that traitor Yin Ji attacked Taolin City, you stabbed him with a knife?”
“Where did this rumor come from?” Jiu Hui’s expression was one of bewilderment. “The situation was urgent at the time. Zhi You and I had limited cultivation, so we could only use a spirit sword formation to deceive Yin Ji. It was only because Yin Ji was distracted that we were able to barely block his attack.”
“I thought you would be like the girl from Wenxian City, who stabbed the traitor Yin Ji with a butcher’s knife.” Jin Qingqiu sighed. “I wonder if that girl will be able to see our sincerity.”
“Young Master is graceful and elegant, and has such profound cultivation. Why bother with a woman who likes to use a butcher’s knife?” Jiu Hui said, “If you had been there that day to help, perhaps Zhi You and I wouldn’t have been so badly injured.”
Jin Qingqiu raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly, “Oh, in your eyes, am I really that formidable?”
“Of course.” Jiu Hui asked in return, “Could any of the major sects have a young master who is more outstanding than Young Master Jin?”
Zhi You nodded beside her, “No.”
Jin Qingqiu coughed dryly and put his hands behind his back. “Fellow Daoists, you flatter me.”
The two fellow Daoists were good in every way, but their words were too sincere, making him blush.