The Plot has Changed~ [Plot Chapter]
Leaving the Demon Palace, Xia was about to rush to Tianshu City to inquire about the news when he heard the familiar sound of the qin. He couldn’t help but turn back and stop to look.
The trembling sound of the qin fell silent with only one sound, leaving no trace to follow.
“I must have seen too many strange things lately, or else I wouldn’t be hallucinating.”
Xia muttered and hurriedly headed towards Tianshu City. He needed to obtain the intelligence of the liaison of the beast cultivator world before sunrise.
Inside the Yixiang Tower in Tianshu City.
“Jinghua said you wanted to see me?'”
Du Shuangyou flipped through the books on the desk and glanced at Liang Jingxuan, who had been standing outside for a long time. “Come in if you have anything to do, don’t block the door.”
“Venerable Du Shuang, my master said that you are the most knowledgeable about the Demon Realm. Do you recognize the origin of this bracelet? Could it be from the Jiuchong Demon Palace where the Demon Emperor resides?”
Liang Jingxuan hurriedly approached Du Shuang and placed the silver ring engraved with the Bright Bird on the table.
Du Shuang gazed at the familiar silver ring that had appeared before him. Her face registered a moment of surprise before she inquired of Liang Jingxuan, “Where did you obtain this identity jade slip?”
“Venerable, I acquired it from an old friend. My senior sister was trapped in a killing array to protect me. I believed she had perished, but yesterday I witnessed her alive and well. However, she has lost all memory of me. Master informed me that wearing such a bracelet suggests that she is imprisoned within the Demon Palace. My senior sister saved my life, and I am determined to venture into the Demon Realm to rescue her.”
Liang Jingxuan maintained a respectful demeanor, his tone devoid of arrogance despite his status as a renowned immortal. He observed Du Shuang’s slightly perturbed expression, which indicated that the venerable was privy to certain knowledge. Liang Jingxuan’s anxiety grew, and he impulsively seized Du Shuang’s hand, pleading, “Master, I implore you to assist me. My senior sister and I were originally Taoist companions, but circumstances have cruelly separated us. I am unaware of her current predicament. If she were to perish within the Demon Realm, I would be consumed by eternal regret!”
Du Shuang listened to Liang Jingxuan’s words with a hint of disapproval. He glanced at the beautiful woman in pink waiting outside the door and said to him, “You said you and that senior sister were originally in a Taoist relationship, but who is the woman waiting for you at the door? She looked at you so affectionately, it’s hard to ignore.”
Liang Jingxuan hurriedly withdrew his hand and explained, “That’s my junior sister, Xiao Lanle. Tonight is Qixi. She wants to go out for lantern shopping, so I’m accompanying her.”
Du Shuang looked at Liang Jingxuan with a disdainful expression, as if she had seen through his intentions. Indeed, all men are philandering.
She glanced at Xiao Lanle outside the door and gradually looked at her with appreciation. “That old man Xiao Shen is rigid and has a disheartened expression on his face. However, the daughter he gave birth to is quite good, with a graceful appearance and a fairy-like demeanor.”
Liang Jingxuan saw that Du Shuang had been silent for a long time and was becoming anxious. He said, “Master mother, you must help me with this favor!”
“Alright, I’ll keep the silver ring here. I’ll let you know if I have any clues.”
Du Shuang was very pleased with Liang Jingxuan’s address of “Master mother.” A smile bloomed on her face as she swiftly snatched the silver ring and slipped it into her sleeve.
Liang Jingxuan watched with slight dissatisfaction as Du Shuang took the ring he had obtained with such difficulty. However, upon hearing her response, he expressed his gratitude with several thanks.
Du Shuang’s words clearly indicated that she would keep an eye out for him. With the abundance of information available in Yixiang Tower, finding the whereabouts of his senior sister seemed like a trivial matter.
Without spending a penny, he had found a helper. Cheap masters can be quite useful at times, especially this Du Shuang. When she heard his master’s name, she would agree to anything.
Liang Jingxuan pushed open the door and thought happily that he would soon know where his senior sister was in the demon cultivation world.
Du Shuang sat at the desk, playing with the Demon Realm identity jade slip in her hand for a moment.
From the moment Liang Jingxuan presented her with the silver ring, she had known it was worn by Han Shengyao’s treasured disciple.
Du Shuang had long been intrigued by Lin Qianshuang’s extraordinary physique, ideal for swordsmanship. Liang Jingxuan’s tale, while far-fetched, held some merit. Perhaps Lin Qianshuang had once been a human cultivator who, upon renouncing her path, had reincarnated to pursue cultivation anew, only to lose her past memories in the process.
That impudent Liang Jingxuan used to ogle Jinghua, but a few stern reprimands had taught him some manners.
And now, he sought Lin Qianshuang’s whereabouts relentlessly…
Du Shuang doubted Liang Jingxuan’s supposedly noble objectives; more likely, he had been smitten by the other party’s beauty.
Moreover, one should not covet a friend’s wife.
Du Shuang clicked her tongue in disapproval. After waiting a few months for Liang Jingxuan to inquire again, she would inform him that this person had vanished and likely perished in the Demon Palace, thus putting an end to any further inquiries.
Her gaze returned to the silver ring in her hand. As for the identity jade ring, she would hold onto it until Han Shengyao’s young apprentice sought her out and then return it.
At Tianxiang Inn, Xiao Lanle removed her coat and hung it on the screen. She unbuttoned her collar to prepare for a shower when a knock echoed from outside her door.
“Junior Sister, hear me out. The reason I inquired about Senior Sister Lin’s whereabouts is because I owe her my life. If I were aware that she was still alive and yet failed to rescue her, I would bear that guilt for the rest of my days!”
“I’ve already asked Master Jinghua everything about you. You have a history with her, so why do you need to make excuses and hide it?”
Xiao Lanle saw Liang Jingxuan standing outside the door without speaking. She sneered a few times and said sourly, “I’ve never met Lin Qianshuang, Master Jinghua’s personal disciple, and I don’t know what kind of extraordinary person she is. She’s made you stare at a lifeless silver ring for so long. I heard everything you said to Master Du. I’m just one of Senior Brother Xiao’s many junior sisters. Why are you so afraid that I’ll misunderstand and come to please me?”
Liang Jingxuan stood outside the door with a hint of regret on his face. Xiao Lanle was in a bad mood, and this girl obviously couldn’t be used to warm the bed tonight.
He thought of the Oceanic Shark Pearl he had obtained. He had tried it, but it wasn’t a magic weapon, just a night pearl with a unique appearance.
In any case, this Oceanic Shark Pearl has no practical value. Since Xiao Lanle is unhappy now, why not give this pearl to her to enjoy? Maybe it can also win her favor.
Liang Jingxuan thought this way, and the night pearl with a shimmering blue luster disappeared from his hand, floating through the air and entering the room.
Under the candlelight, the plain white screen was elongated. Xiao Lanle gently removed the hairpin from her hair, her long locks cascading over her shoulders like flowing water.
As she scooped up water to wash her jet-black hair, a strange, ethereal blue light flickered above. Lifting her head, she saw the Oceanic Shark Pearl bouncing in mid-air around her bathtub. Numerous water droplets swirled around it, forming a watery vortex that engulfed the pearl’s shimmering aura.
Xiao Lanle recognized the extraordinary origin of this Shark Pearl at a glance. It possessed the ability to control water and exuded an astonishing spiritual energy. Such a spiritual pearl with the water attribute would be an invaluable cultivation treasure for any cultivator with a water spiritual root.
Although she herself possessed a Fire Spiritual Root, this Shark Pearl could also help her suppress the occasional coldness that had plagued her since childhood.
A hint of excitement surged in Xiao Lanle’s eyes as she extended her hand slightly forward. The Oceanic Shark Pearl seemed to take a liking to her, quickly landing in her palm from the air. She made a small cut at her fingertips, and the pearl automatically recognized her as its master.
“Junior Sister, do you like this luminous pearl?”
“Are you still angry with me?”
Liang Jingxuan’s voice wafted through the door.
“Senior Brother, you should return. I’m retiring for the night.”
The person outside lingered for a while longer. Seeing that Xiao Lanle had not extinguished the candle but also did not emerge, he gave up and departed.
Xiao Lanle gripped the Oceanic Shark Pearl tightly. Her nerves were on edge as she addressed the demonic spirit within the bead, “You claimed to be able to glimpse fragments of the fate inscribed by the Heavenly Dao. Can you perceive any such fragments for that person?”
The Oceanic Shark Pearl circled Xiao Lanle and spoke, “It was precisely because I discovered your destiny that I chose you as my master. The mysteries of it cannot be revealed, but I can tell you that within a year, the person of your destiny will come to your side.”
Xiao Lanle was taken aback. “The person of my destiny, isn’t it Senior Brother Liang?”
“That is the person you like now, but what I see is the person who is crucial to your destiny.”
The Oceanic Shark Pearl added, “My Lord, pinch the bead that I have parasitized, and you will see that person. It is the picture of destiny presented by the only Heavenly Chance that I have preserved.”
Xiao Lanle pinched the Oceanic Shark Pearl, and a white light flashed before her eyes. When she regained her senses, she found herself on a towering peak.
Vultures circled overhead, and the ground was strewn with the white bones and severed remains of the dead, buried in the sand. War flags planted haphazardly in the earth fluttered faintly in the wind.
This was the ancient battlefield, where she stood at the summit of Zhumo Peak, countless righteous cultivators following behind her.
Before her stood a female demon cultivator. Her face was veiled in a white mist, yet her bearing and demeanor hinted at her unparalleled beauty and power.
“Kill me. Once I perish, you will become the uncontested leader of the Immortal Alliance.”
Xiao Lanle felt cold tears dripping down her face, her hands were so cold, and her sword was stained red by the blood from piercing through the strange female demon cultivator’s chest in front of her.
As the demon cultivator clutched the zither-type magic weapon and fell into the abyss, her heart tore into half. She couldn’t help but jump down, being pulled back by the people behind her.
The Oceanic Shark Pearl also appeared at this time, emitting a violent bright light that swallowed everything.
Xiao Lanle soaked in the tub, her exquisite features mirrored in the water, tears already welling in her eyes. She looked up and inquired of the Oceanic Shark Pearl, “What kind of scene is this in the end? Why can I also experience the original owner’s emotions so strongly in that illusion?”
“Celestial secrets are forbidden to be uttered. If too much is spoken, the Heavenly Dao will seek retribution. My lord, rest well, for it is not too early tonight.”
The Oceanic Shark Pearl smiled and submerged itself into Xiao Lanle’s dantian, vanishing.
Lord of the Immortal Alliance?
Xiao Lanle had been reading the classics of the Penglai Immortal Sect since she was a child, but she had never encountered this unfamiliar title.
The five major sects of righteous cultivation are the Penglai Immortal Sect, followed by the Lingxiao Sword Sect. She had never heard of any Immortal Alliance.
Shark Pearls were naturally adept at creating illusions, so perhaps this Oceanic Shark Pearl had conjured this scene specifically to entertain her.
After her bath, Xiao Lanle lay down on her bed, her mind still racing. As soon as she thought of that Senior Sister Lin, whom Liang Jingxuan could not forget, she felt a twinge of unease in her heart.
Lin Qianshuang’s name exudes a gentle and tranquil quality. I wonder what she looks like. Is she truly so much more beautiful than me?
Xiao Lanle stared at the dark canopy above her bed, her eyes shut, the corners of her mouth lifted in self-assurance. One day, she would have a proper encounter with this Senior Sister Lin and make Liang Jingxuan realize, once and for all, that she surpassed that woman by a thousandfold!