Confusion
“Lin Qianshuang, what’s with that expression? I’m inviting you to my cave, something no other Penglai Immortal Sect disciple has ever been offered.”
Xiao Lanle’s words were laced with annoyance, her gaze fixed on Lin Qianshuang. But inside, she was frustrated with her own impulsive actions.
She had intended to just take a quick glance and leave. But seeing Lin Qianshuang, a disciple of the righteous sect, not only using magic cultivation techniques but also laying that woman on the bed, had been too much for her to bear.
Liang Jingxuan, the man she loved, harbored feelings for a woman from the past. Now, this woman, who was essentially a rival for his affections, was trampling on her and Senior Brother Liang’s feelings. It felt like something precious to her was being discarded as worthless.
Zheng Yan’s life force had been getting more distant since Xiao Lanle entered, until it finally disappeared from her senses. The last direction she’d detected the faint aura was towards Xiao Lanle’s cave, one of the nine peaks of the Tianshu Mountains.
Lin Qianshuang secretly thought to herself, what a coincidence! The person she was looking for, the one who wanted to kill Senior Sister Bai Yueguang, was also at the nine peaks of Tianshu.
Then again, living with Xiao Lanle would make many things easier, especially when it came to being wary of the male lead.
She needed to improve her favorability with Xiao Lanle anyway, and being close would save her the trouble of running back and forth.
Lin Qianshuang changed her anxious demeanor, looking at Xiao Lanle with eyes so gentle they could squeeze out water. “Xiao Lanle,” she said, “since you want to share a room with me, I’ll pack up right now and leave with you.”
Xiao Lanle was astonished. Lin Qianshuang seemed like a completely different person, moving quickly to rummage through her belongings. In a flash, she was packed and standing before Xiao Lanle.
“This is too shameless,” Xiao Lanle thought. She was so stunned she couldn’t react. In her mind, Lin Qianshuang should have refused. After all, her words had been harsh and mean. How could Lin Qianshuang, who was normally so proper, be willing to live under the same roof with someone who hated her so much?
It felt so sudden.
Xiao Lanle looked at Lin Qianshuang oddly, unsure how to describe her. On the one hand, Lin Qianshuang was quite straightforward. On the other hand, if she didn’t even notice Xiao Lanle’s aversion, then her emotional intelligence was truly lacking.
Lin Qianshuang, carrying her bundle, pushed open the door and said to Xiao Lanle, who was still standing there, “Junior Sister Xiao, didn’t you say you would take me to your cave? Aren’t we leaving yet?”
Xiao Lanle watched Lin Qianshuang, her face filled with a simple, questioning expression. For no reason, a spark of anger ignited within her.
She summoned her Plain Inquiry Sword and, before Lin Qianshuang could react, took off, soaring through the air.
“Junior Sister Xiao, wait for me!”
Lin Qianshuang was stunned as she watched Xiao Lanle fly away. She quickly chased after her, bewildered.
Junior Sister Xiao had been so enthusiastic just moments ago. Why did she suddenly ignore Lin Qianshuang and leave?
Lin Qianshuang had always admired the lively, gentle, and generous Xiao Lanle from the original text. However, now that she had actually met her, she realized that the character in the book was vastly different from the real person.
From their first meeting to now, Lin Qianshuang couldn’t figure out Xiao Lanle’s thoughts or her true nature. Lin Qianshuang felt like there was a disconnect between them, as if they weren’t on the same wavelength. Xiao Lanle’s teasing always seemed to come out of nowhere, leaving Lin Qianshuang completely baffled.
The system chimed in, “Host, Xiao Lanle is a fire sign Sagittarius. Your personality is dull and cautious, which clashes with her cheerfulness and liveliness. It’s normal that you two don’t get along. If you want to gain her favor, it’s best to take a step-by-step approach, allowing her to gradually understand you and find common ground. This will make it easier for her to get close to you.”
Lin Qianshuang rolled her eyes. “You’re starting to sound like Liang Jingxuan’s ‘Son of Destiny’ system from the book. Stop with these unrealistic zodiac predictions. I don’t need this useless information.”
The system sounded a little hurt. “Host, you said you couldn’t understand Xiao Lanle. I was just trying to help.”
Lin Qianshuang’s face turned serious as she mentioned Xiao Lanle’s specific information. “System, I want to check Xiao Lanle’s favorability.”
The system responded, “The data shows that the target person (Xiao Lanle) has 20% favorability and has a very shallow familiarity. Please continue to work hard as the host.”
The original negative ninety-nine had become twenty!
Lin Qianshuang suddenly sat up straight, her spirits lifted. She had thought Xiao Lanle’s dislike for her would result in a very low favorability rating, but seeing this upward trend, she felt relieved.
Xiao Lanle must be sharp-tongued but kind-hearted, probably lashing out because of her fellow senior sister’s wrongdoings.
The two of them gradually descended on their swords to the Tianshu Peaks. As they passed the fifth peak, Zheng Yan’s location appeared again in Lin Qianshuang’s sea of consciousness.
Lin Qianshuang locked onto Zheng Yan’s specific location. Glancing at Xiao Lanle, who was leading the way, she immediately turned her sword and flew towards the southwest, the direction indicated by her sea of consciousness.
Although Xiao Lanle was flying swiftly, she kept an eye on Lin Qianshuang behind her, worried she might fall behind.
Seeing Lin Qianshuang suddenly change direction and descend towards the familiar area where she usually studied, Xiao Lanle blinked in surprise.
Why is Senior Sister Lin going to the Lingxu Palace?
Today, she remembered that Master Tianshu was still teaching in the palace.
The lush green trees, stretching towards the sky, swayed in the wind, their canopies churning like waves of green. In a thicket on the grass, a splash of bright red blood stained the greenery, soaking the branches and leaves and sinking into the soil. A cold female corpse lay amongst the vibrant life.
Lin Qianshuang landed her sword, pinching her nose as she approached Zheng Yan’s body. She crouched down to examine the fatal wound. During her time as “Jieyu Gongzi” in Yixiang Tower, she had seen countless corpses and performed many killings, making her intimately familiar with various assassination techniques.
Two symmetrical, small round holes marked Zheng Yan’s neck, the surrounding area a sickly blue. She lay near the stone path leading to Lingxu Palace, indicating she was likely attacked while on her way there. The poison-tipped hidden weapon, thrown at her throat, had killed her instantly.
Lin Qianshuang keenly heard the sound of someone rushing through the forest.
She stood up and walked towards the source of the noise. A young, handsome senior brother emerged from Yuxu Palace, seemingly waiting for someone, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Could this senior brother be waiting for Zheng Yan?
Lin Qianshuang pondered, wrapping her face in demonic energy and transforming it into Zheng Yan’s likeness.
She circled back from the woods and walked back onto the stone path, heading straight towards the handsome young senior brother. As she approached him, she discreetly used a wisp of demonic energy to knock the waist token off his belt.
“Senior brother, you dropped your waist token,” she said, pretending to have noticed it on the ground. She picked it up and, as she handed it to him, quickly glanced at the name inscribed on it.
Chen Shangqing?
Her expression flickered subtly. Chen Shangqing was one of the classic tragic male characters in the original novel, a pawn who helped the male lead take the blame. He was Master Tianshu’s favored disciple, a descendant of a prestigious immortal family, and Xiao Lanle’s senior brother. He harbored a secret love for Xiao Lanle.
Liang Jingxuan had killed Sect Master Xiao Shen in order to seize the treasure of Penglai Immortal Sect, the Glazed Temple Gem, and had framed Chen Shangqing for the crime, even though he was originally the designated successor to the Sect Master.
Chen Shangqing died a tragic death, misunderstood by Xiao Lanle as his father’s killer. He was stabbed over a hundred times before finally succumbing to his wounds. After his death, his inner core was absorbed by Liang Jingxuan, boosting his cultivation for hundreds of years, allowing him to break through the late Golden Core stage and become a Nascent Soul powerhouse.
Lin Qianshuang gazed at the handsome young man, his prime years still ahead of him. Thinking about his tragic fate, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Chen Shangqing accepted the waist token from Lin Qianshuang, then grabbed her wrist and placed a delicate sachet in her palm. “Junior Sister Zheng, I cannot accept your affections. My heart belongs to someone else. Please keep this sachet and give it to someone destined for you in the future.”
Lin Qianshuang held the sachet, noticing Chen Shangqing turn to leave. She stopped him. “Senior Brother Chen, is the person you like Junior Sister Xiao? But she seems to be smitten with Fairy Jinghua’s second disciple, Liang Jingxuan.”
Chen Shangqing was taken aback by Zheng Yan’s sudden question. He had expected her to be disappointed and leave after hearing his confession, not to call him back.
Lin Qianshuang smiled. “Senior Brother Chen, don’t worry. I have no ulterior motive. I simply wanted to let you know that I am acquainted with Fairy Jinghua’s eldest disciple, Senior Sister Lin. She told me that she can help you win back Xiao Lanle’s heart. If you are interested, you should seek her out. You know Liang Jingxuan’s character. If he manages to steal a march on you, then the next head of Penglai Immortal Sect might not be you.”
Chen Shangqing ignored Lin Qianshuang’s words, giving her a fleeting, unreadable glance before returning to Lingxu Palace.
Seeing Chen Shangqing depart, Lin Qianshuang shed her demonic aura and hurried back to the corpse.
Xiao Lanle was squatting beside Zheng Yan’s body, examining the wounds all over her.
Lin Qianshuang approached Xiao Lanle and placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, “Junior Sister Xiao, I’ve checked. Zheng Yan only has a fatal wound on her throat, inflicted by a poisoned hidden weapon.”
Xiao Lanle stared at the wound on Zheng Yan’s neck, her gaze lingering for a moment before she turned to Lin Qianshuang. “While meditating on the cold cliff, I saw you both leave Luoyun Pavilion. Zheng Yan tampered with your waist tag. Senior Sister Lin, did you notice Zheng Yan’s strange behavior earlier? When you were in the dormitory, were you using magic to force her to reveal the reason?”
Lin Qianshuang silently sighed at Xiao Lanle’s sharp observation and explained, “I suspect that the Canglan Beast entering the village and my being trapped in the formation were partly due to someone’s manipulation. Zheng Yan was one of those involved. Her death confirms my suspicions. I am Fairy Jinghua’s personal disciple and one of the top experts in the sect. The person hiding within Penglai Immortal Sect wants to eliminate me, likely to harm Fairy Jinghua. I don’t know the reason behind it.”
Xiao Lanle scrutinized Lin Qianshuang, a hint of mockery in her smile. “One of the top experts in the sect, with only Foundation Establishment cultivation?”
Lin Qianshuang chuckled wryly. “Don’t mention it. I’m not exactly in my prime anymore, am I? It’s like a tiger fallen into a ditch, being bullied by dogs.”
“Who are you calling a dog? Say it again!”
Xiao Lanle pinched Lin Qianshuang’s waist, her expression displeased. Lin Qianshuang cried out in pain, and Xiao Lanle only released her grip after that.
Lin Qianshuang rubbed her waist ruefully, then a soft apology reached her ears from Xiao Lanle. “Senior Sister Lin, I’m sorry. I misunderstood you and said some harsh things. Please don’t mind.”
Xiao Lanle stood before her, turning her face away awkwardly, refusing to meet Lin Qianshuang’s gaze. A blush crept onto her cheeks as she looked at Lin Qianshuang, seemingly nervous and uncomfortable with her own words.
Lin Qianshuang was taken aback, then chuckled lightly, “We’re sisters of the same sect, what’s there to argue about?”
Looking at Zheng Yan’s body, Lin Qianshuang frowned. “What should we do with Zheng Yan’s body? If someone from the sect sees it, it might cause panic. But if Zheng Yan’s body just disappears out of thin air, the people behind this will know something is wrong.”
Xiao Lanle took a transmission note from her sleeve and burned it on her fingertips. She said to Lin Qianshuang, “I’ve already informed Father Sect Leader about Zheng Yan’s poisoning. He will suppress the news and investigate this matter secretly with the elders.”
A whistling sound of sharp weapons slicing through the air echoed through the forest.
Lin Qianshuang immediately sensed the approaching danger. She grabbed Xiao Lanle’s arm and pulled her behind a tree.
Three sharp cold needles pierced deeply into the rough bark of the tree. The bark emitted a foul odor as the poison penetrated, and pieces of it peeled off the tree.
The murderer who killed Zheng Yan had not left, but was lurking in the woods.
Lin Qianshuang shivered, a chill running down her spine as she realized she had been watched in the dark by the murderer without knowing it.
For the next few seconds, they hid behind the tree, but heard no movement.
“It’s a diversion!” Lin Qianshuang realized, just as she was about to unleash her demonic energy. An acupuncture point on her back was struck, leaving her frozen in place. Xiao Lanle beside her was similarly immobilised.
Strong hands grabbed them, pulling them deeper into the woods. Ignoring the risk of revealing her cultivation, Lin Qianshuang broke free from the hold, condensing her qi into a sword. She slashed at the hands, severing them.
The man in the grotesque iron mask screamed, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
Lin Qianshuang turned to check on Xiao Lanle, who had already regained control of her body. As Lin Qianshuang turned back, Xiao Lanle suddenly tackled her to the ground, her face slick with sweat, and whispered, “Be careful.”
The man in the iron mask, holding silver needles under his tongue, channeled his qi and lunged at Lin Qianshuang’s back. Seeing that Lin Qianshuang had dodged the needles with Xiao Lanle’s help, he realized his attack had failed. In a desperate act, he detonated his dantian, aiming to take them both down with him.
A deafening explosion ripped through the air, blinding them both with its intense, incandescent light. However, a soft, blue light enveloped them, shielding them from the full force of the blast.
The Canghai Shark Pearl, floating in the air, spun in a circle around Xiao Lanle before gently settling into her palm.
Lin Qianshuang couldn’t believe her eyes. This was the very pearl Liang Jingxuan needed to initiate the Tianshu City plot, and now it was in Xiao Lanle’s possession. Her heart was a whirlwind of confusion and excitement.
Xiao Lanle obtaining the Shark Pearl is equivalent to gaining the support of the Lord of Tianshu City, which is a positive development.
The original plot revolves around a central theme. Legend has it that when four specific treasures are gathered—the Shark Pearl from Tianshu City, the Tourmaline from the Demon Realm, the Glazed Temple Gem from the Penglai Immortal Sect Buddhist Temple, and the Red Tear Ring from the Beast Cultivator Realm—a treasure map will appear, revealing the location of ancient relics from the cultivation world. These relics include an elixir that grants immortality and the remains of ancient mythical beasts from the prehistoric era.
Descendants with the bloodlines of ancient mythical beasts are highly sought after as Cauldrons, while the remains of these beasts are even more valuable. If incorporated into a sword, they can create a unique, god-level sword soul for sword cultivators, enabling them to withstand the additional heavenly thunderbolts that sword cultivators must endure during ascension, compared to other cultivators.
The protagonist, Liang Jingxuan, ultimately obtains the treasure map, unifies the four realms, and cultivates a god-level sword soul. However, despite forging the sword soul, it remains dormant. Only the bloodline of the four realms can awaken it.
Faced with impending tribulation, Liang Jingxuan is forced to kill the four women he loves and sacrifice them to the sword Cauldron, ultimately allowing him to ascend to the upper world.
Currently, Liang Jingxuan is unaware of the Shark Pearl’s true significance.
Lin Qianshuang surmised that Liang Jingxuan’s Son of Destiny mission line was likely still in its initial stages. Like her, his tasks would need to be unlocked step by step, following a specific process.
The pressure on her chest suddenly vanished, and her body felt lighter as a heavy weight left her.
Dusting off her clothes, Lin Qianshuang stood up, only to find Xiao Lanle standing a distance away, looking like a startled rabbit.
Xiao Lanle’s expression seemed as if she had been bullied, her hands unnaturally placed at her sides. Her eyes met Lin Qianshuang’s, but she quickly looked away, her cheeks flushed.
She recalled the soft, yielding sensation she had encountered during their attack. In her fear, she had instinctively grabbed it several times. Surely Senior Sister Lin hadn’t noticed, it would be too embarrassing to mention.
The thought of her own curiosity, of wondering what could be so soft and touching it several times, filled Xiao Lanle with shame. She wished she could disappear.
Unable to decipher Xiao Lanle’s odd behavior, Lin Qianshuang’s stomach rumbled. “Junior Sister Xiao,” she suggested, “why don’t we go have lunch first? But… where do you find the food around here?”