Cooperative Deal

“Senior Sister Lin, what are you staring at so intently?”

Xiao Lanle was startled by Lin Qianshuang’s sudden turn and her surprised, pale face. She thought someone was approaching and, sword in hand, cautiously circled Lin Qianshuang’s line of sight, saying oddly, “There’s clearly nothing there.”

Lin Qianshuang looked at Xiao Lanle’s usual expression and rubbed her temples in frustration. Perhaps she had been under too much pressure lately.

This kind of illusion could actually happen.

She squinted slightly at Xiao Lanle and pursed her lips. Without Senior Brother Liang present, Xiao Lanle wouldn’t have this shy demeanor.

A heavy blow from Xiao Lanle’s sword landed on her left shoulder.

Lin Qianshuang was startled back to her senses. She lightly touched the spot on her left shoulder, frowning slightly. Xiao Lanle had overdone it a little, and the impact had made her bones ache.

Xiao Lanle tucked her sword back into her sleeve, her sparrow eyes sparkling like water, but her face held an impatient expression. She pursed her pale pink lips and said, “Senior Sister Lin, we should go. How much longer do you want me to wait?”

Lin Qianshuang retrieved her spirit sword from her storage jade slip and used her demonic energy to leap onto it.

Using demonic energy to control the sword seemed much faster than using sword techniques.

Lin Qianshuang saw Xiao Lanle’s anxious expression and realized they would be late if they actually rode their swords.

Thinking of this, Lin Qianshuang bent down, extended her hand towards Xiao Lanle, and smiled. “Junior Sister Xiao, my sword speed is faster. I’ve also sat on your natal magic sword a few times. How about I take you this time?”

Xiao Lanle stared at Lin Qianshuang’s smile for a few seconds, then her expression shifted dramatically. Her eyes darted away from Lin Qianshuang’s gaze in panic, and she fiercely slapped away the outstretched hand, muttering a curse about “perverts.” Then, she fled on her sword, leaving Lin Qianshuang behind.

Lin Qianshuang’s hand was slapped aside, and she was a little confused by Xiao Lanle’s sudden outburst.

She watched Xiao Lanle’s figure disappear rapidly before her eyes, her gaze deepening as she touched her chin. She pondered the words she had just said, inviting Xiao Lanle to ride with her.

She dissected each word and put it back together again. Lin Qianshuang was sure that what she said was sincere, logical, and correct. There was nothing wrong with it. She couldn’t understand why Xiao Lanle would call her a pervert.

Was her smile that obscene?

Lin Qianshuang touched her face, her eyes slightly puzzled. She sometimes smiled naturally at other people, and they didn’t react with disgust.

Confused, a wisp of demonic energy surged to her fingertips. The spirit sword beneath her feet lifted, chasing after Xiao Lanle.

On the second peak of Tianshu, the scorching sun shone through the thin, moving clouds, bathing the lush mountain peaks in warm light.

Green leaves and branches intertwined among the forest trees, and amidst the dappled spots of light, the branches swayed in the cool breeze, rustling with the subtle sound of branches and leaves rubbing together.

On an open green field between the mountains and forests, three dozen or so disciples of Tianshu Peak stood arranged in an orderly fashion, silent except for the sound of the wind and the sound of falling leaves.

Sitting on his majestic white tiger mount, Master Qingyun’s eyes swept over the thirty-odd Tianshu disciples. A trace of displeasure flashed across his face as he hummed and said, “Where is Xiao Lanle? Even if she is the daughter of the Sect Leader, she shouldn’t be late when I’m teaching.”

Among the disciples, a handsome and tall youth hesitated for a moment before stepping out from the crowd. He arched his hand, holding his sword towards Master Qingyun, and said, “Master, Fairy Jinghua’s personal disciple has recently come to live at the Tianshu Peak. It is said that she will be practicing her lessons in the Lingxu Palace with us. Senior Sister Xiao should still be entertaining that senior sister at this time, so I ask that the senior sister not be blamed for this.”

Master Qingyun cherished his talent and looked at the handsome youth, chastising him, “Shangqing, this Master knows that you love and protect your senior sister, but you cannot be so biased in her favor. If you break the rules of the sect, you will be punished. When Xiao Lanle comes, you will tell her to copy the twelfth rule of Tianshu Peak’s door rules five hundred times within three days.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Shangqing bowed his head respectfully and said, “Master, Shangqing understands.”

Master Qingyun stroked his beard, the more he looked at Chen Shangqing, the more he felt good. This child not only possessed outstanding qualifications but also worked hard. In less than a few years, he would become a great talent. He thought of Xiao Lanle, his head aching a little.

Although the Sect Leader’s daughter was not without talent, she always hung around with Fairy Jinghua’s disciple. This Liang disciple was cynical and disrespectful, playing around with female cultivators in the sect all day long, which was unseemly.

Master Qingyun sighed and looked at Chen Shangqing, who stood there with an air of noble bearing. If only Xiao Lanle could take notice of Chen Shangqing, the Sect Leader wouldn’t be so worried.

Whoosh…

Two sword lights descended from the sky, and two figures jumped off the swords, walking towards the crowd.

Lin Qianshuang followed behind Xiao Lanle, and the disciples all parted to make way for them.

More than thirty eyes lingered on them, and one of them, probing, looked unabashedly at her side.

Lin Qianshuang glanced slightly to the side and recognized the young man standing in the crowd who cast a special gaze at her. It was Chen Shangqing, who had parted ways with her in the Lingxu Palace last time.

Her gaze turned again towards the front of the crowd, and a green-clothed old Taoist sat on a black and white striped spirit tiger, looking at them with an extraordinary aura.

Xiao Lanle walked up to Master Qingyun, bowed, and knelt with her sword, saying, “Disciple is late, please punish me.”

Lin Qianshuang saw Xiao Lanle kneeling and followed suit, bowing her head silently.

Master Qingyun snorted, ignoring Xiao Lanle’s apology and leaving her kneeling. He then produced a storage pouch in front of the disciples, and with a flick of his wrist, released a burst of spiritual light. More than thirty strong, wild spirit leopards materialized on the ground, pacing restlessly.

The leopards snarled, baring their fangs and threatening the disciples. Some even flicked their tails and drooled, their hungry eyes fixed on the crowd, as if ready to pounce at any moment.

The disciples, encircled by the beasts, took a step back, clutching their swords.

Master Qingyun observed their reactions, then announced, “These are untamed spirit leopards I captured from Tianfu Mountain. They are ferocious and dangerous. Your task is to subdue them using the Spirit Control Technique, ride them around Tianshu Peak, and return safely. The first disciple to complete this task will be rewarded.”

The disciples exchanged nervous glances. Tianfu Mountain was notorious for its spirits and monsters, and these leopards were clearly untamed. A single mistake could mean being devoured. However, failing the task meant punishment and a deduction of their rations.

With Master Qingyun’s protective barrier lifted, the disciples bravely approached the leopards. Some, with exceptional talent, managed to tame the leopards after several attempts, riding them with confidence. Others struggled, fumbling with the Spirit Control Technique and dodging the leopards’ attacks, finally subduing them after a long and arduous battle.

Lin Qianshuang watched the disciples around her struggling to tame the spirit leopards. She turned to Xiao Lanle and asked, “Xiao Lanle, shouldn’t we also catch a spirit leopard to complete our task?”

Xiao Lanle looked up at Master Qingyun, feeling uncomfortable when he ignored her. She knew he wasn’t optimistic about her, but he’d never shown it so openly before. It was all Lin Qianshuang’s fault; if she hadn’t been late, Xiao Lanle wouldn’t be in this situation.

She glared at Lin Qianshuang resentfully, then turned her attention to the roaring beasts. Among them, a particularly large and beautiful leopard stood out. Its fur was black and shiny, soft and clean, and it had a clear spiritual seal on its forehead, making it seem like the king of the pack.

Xiao Lanle stared at the leopard king, thinking that if she could tame him with the Spirit Control Technique, Master Qingyun would surely be impressed. With that thought, she quietly approached the leopard king and activated the Spirit Control Technique.

Lin Qianshuang received a resentful glare from Xiao Lanle, leaving her puzzled. She couldn’t understand what she had done to upset her.

She watched as Xiao Lanle focused on her target and used the Spirit Control Technique, while Lin Qianshuang casually chose a spirit leopard from the pack to tame.

Lin Qianshuang stared at the spirit leopard, unsure of how to subdue it. She didn’t know any Spirit Control Techniques.

The spirit leopard rolled on the ground, roaring at the crowd. But when it saw Lin Qianshuang approaching, its raised tail instantly lowered.

Before Lin Qianshuang could get closer, the spirit leopard jumped in front of her. Its furry paws dug into the ground, and its furry head rubbed affectionately against her wrist. It even stretched out its wide tongue to lick the back of her hand.

Lin Qianshuang’s eyes widened in surprise. How could she forget that she carried the blood of ancient divine beasts within her?

Ancient divine beasts were deities above all other beasts. While the magical pressure in her body could deceive human cultivators, it couldn’t fool these clever creatures of the same kind.

This assignment would be incredibly easy for her.

Lin Qianshuang let out a sigh of relief and whispered something in beast language into the spirit leopard’s ear. The spirit leopard immediately understood, bending its front paws and lowering its massive body in compliance with her wishes.

“Senior Sister Lin is truly a worthy disciple of Fairy Jinghua. To subdue this fierce beast so quickly with the Spirit Control Technique, I am truly impressed,” Chen Shangqing said, approaching her with a spirit leopard on a chain.

He stroked the leopard’s head, ignoring its fierce glare, and made a gesture of seeking advice. “My spirit leopard is obedient under the Spirit Control Technique, but not as intimate as yours. Could you offer some advice?”

Lin Qianshuang watched Chen Shangqing, her expression shifting slightly. Although the spirit leopard cooperated by lowering its head, the beast language it transmitted was a stream of insults.

“What are you looking at? Don’t think that just because you’ve taken human form, these cultivators won’t know your true identity. When they do, they’ll be sure to strip you of your beast skin,” the leopard hissed.

“Traitor! You’re fraternizing with human cultivators! You’re a disgrace to our kind!”

“As soon as I break free from these chains, I’m going to kill every single one of these human cultivators. None will be spared.”

Lin Qianshuang walked over to Chen Shangqing’s spirit leopard and squatted down, pulling on its whiskers. She gently spoke in beast language, “Stop calling us monsters. Take a good sniff, I’m nothing like you. You’re a prisoner now. If you don’t behave, you’ll lose your life. Behave yourself if you want to live. I’ll let you go once this human cultivator leaves.”

Chen Shangqing’s dark eyes watched the interaction between Lin Qianshuang and the spirit leopard. The fierce aura in the spirit leopard’s eyes, which he had subdued, weakened, and it even took a step back in fear.

He looked at Lin Qianshuang with a strange, inscrutable expression, as if he was trying to decipher something.

“Don’t run, I told you not to run, do you hear me!”

Xiao Lanle’s urgent voice came from the side.

Lin Qianshuang and Chen Shangqing turned their heads in unison.

Xiao Lanle was struggling to keep the beast chain attached to the Spirit Leopard King’s head. Her body swayed precariously as the leopard thrashed angrily.

She desperately grabbed the leopard’s fur, chanting the Spirit Control Technique to trap its spirit sense.

The Spirit Leopard King, completely enraged by the person relentlessly clinging to its back, roared towards the sky and bolted forward on all fours, desperate to throw off its irritating burden.

Master Qingyun, along with his Spirit Tiger mount, was at the foot of the mountain, drinking from the spiritual spring, unable to help.

All the disciples watched in horror as Xiao Lanle was flung from the Spirit Leopard King’s back, spitting out a mouthful of blood. The Leopard King then vanished into the forest, disappearing among the trees.

“Junior Sister Xiao!”

Seeing this, Lin Qianshuang frantically tried to use her magic-infused sword to pursue the leopard, but Chen Shangqing stopped her.

Sitting on the Spirit Leopard, Chen Shangqing calmly extended his hand towards Lin Qianshuang. “Senior Sister, the primordial winds on Tianshu Peak are incredibly strong. You would surely die if you tried to fly on your sword. Come, sit here. We can use our combined spiritual techniques to control the Spirit Leopard and catch up with Junior Sister Xiao.”

Taken aback, Lin Qianshuang decisively grabbed Chen Shangqing’s hand and leaped onto the Spirit Leopard’s back.

Once she was settled, Chen Shangqing poured his spiritual energy into the Spirit Leopard’s acupoints. The beast, now brimming with power and tingling with pain, raced forward. He turned to Lin Qianshuang and said flatly, “Senior Sister Lin, I saw your strength. You were the one who sent Zheng Yan to me. This is a deal. There’s one more thing I want to emphasize. I know you admire Liang Jingxuan. Please keep him away from Junior Sister Xiao.”

Lin Qianshuang patted her chest confidently, assuring Chen Shangqing, “Don’t worry, Junior Brother Chen. I’ll do everything I said. I’m close to Xiao Lanle, and I’ll put in a good word for you. I’ll do my best to help you get closer to her. Even the most stubborn stone will eventually soften. I’ll make Xiao Lanle completely forget about Liang Jingxuan. You can rest assured.”