The Sect Leader's Seat (6)

Lin Qianshuang looked down at the Tianshu City Lord, who stood half a head shorter than her. Her round face clashed with her solemn expression, creating an oddly amusing contrast.

She bent closer to meet the city lord’s gaze, hands braced on her knees, eyes crinkling into crescents as she smiled. “Are you referring to the ‘dual cultivation’ from last time, Lord Mu? I’d be more than capable of handling that. It’d be an honor to ease your burdens.”

“Jieyu,” she chuckled, patting Lin’s sleeve, “I appreciate your willingness.”

Mu Weiyin grabbed her sleeve, and with a flicker, they materialized atop the array’s glowing center on Jinshui Lake. The array’s shimmering runes cradled them softly, its feng shui layouts shifting in sequence—each movement mirroring the celestial predictions from the star chart.

Sitting across from Mu in the array’s core, Lin marveled at the swirling hexagrams. A sly thought struck her: if Mu ventured into the modern world, she’d be a feng shui savant! With her pinpoint accuracy, she could effortlessly nail stock market trends and pick spot-winning real estate investments every time.

The two clasped hands, spiritual energy swirling between their palms.

Lin Qianshuang recalled Xiao Lanle’s hidden Dual Cultivation Manual tucked inside her mental technique text. A flicker of curiosity sparked, and she asked Mu Weiyin, “Lord, do you practice dual cultivation like this with Junior Sister Xiao too?”

Seated across from her with rigid posture, Mu Weiyin replied solemnly, “This City Lord and your junior sister have yet to form a Taoist bond. This method suffices—she’s easily flustered, and I’ve never slighted her.”

“What a buzzkill”, Lin thought. “If my junior sister won’t make the first move, why can’t you?”

She glanced at Mu Weiyin, now a blockhead in her eyes. Originally, she’d wanted to pair Xiao Lanle with someone else, but these two might actually work—the lively junior sister and the stone-faced lord. Their contrasting personalities would balance out, plus their factions could leverage each other. A perfect match.

As nebula-like illusions swirled around them, Mu murmured, “After centuries of cultivation, this is the first time I’ve sought a Taoist companion. She’s kept me at arm’s length, yet I’ve treated her generously. Still… I suspect your junior sister doesn’t care for me at all.”

Lin Qianshuang’s anxiety spiked. “Junior Sister Xiao’s feelings for you, City Lord, are as heaven and earth can attest. I’ve heard her go on and on about you at Penglai Immortal Sect countless times—how could anyone not like that?”

Mu Weiyin leaned close, her lips brushing Lin’s ear. “I don’t know if Xiao Lanle cares about me, but she’s way too fixated on you. Why don’t we test her? Let’s see if her heart truly leans toward you… or me.”

Her grip twisted Lin’s face toward her own. At those words, Lin’s heart skipped a beat. Had Xiao Lanle been lurking nearby? But I cursed her myself! I even checked she was asleep before leaving…

Mu Weiyin’s gaze locked onto hers, calm as still water. “If that girl shows any concern for you, this City Lord will personally ensure your face is erased.”

A cold shiver ran down Lin’s spine. There—Xiao Lanle was approaching now. That brat had been faking sleep all along. Did she always suspect me? Or did she already know everything about my schemes, yet pretend ignorance in front of me?

Turns out, she’s been wearing a mask the whole time.

Lin Qianshuang’s spirits plummeted. She’d grown too complacent, forgetting that in this world, she was an lone wolf. No matter who they were—even those who seemed familiar or kind—she needed to keep her guard up and maintain distance. Trust was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Mu Weiyin spoke calmly, her expression unreadable but commanding respect. Her dark eyes held nothing but contempt for Lin Qianshuang. “A vain little insect,” she thought. “No more than a disposable tool.” I offer her a stepping stone to power, and she claws her way upward working for me—it’s a fair trade.

If this woman dared interfere in my relationship with my cultivation companion… I’d use Xiao Lanle’s loyalty as leverage against her in a heartbeat.

Mu Weiyin shoved Lin Qianshuang to the ground, twisting her head away in distaste. Let her keep that pretty face hidden—I’ve seen enough.

During their last encounter in Penglai Immortal Sect’s forbidden tomb hall, Mu had already noted Lin’s rare Cauldron Physique. After her Nascent Soul’s return, Mu aged several years in an instant. She wondered then if Xiao Lanle’s presence had somehow accelerated the process.

For several days straight, their dual cultivation sessions yielded no progress—Xiao Lanle still couldn’t help her advance.

Mu Weiyin bit down on the back of Lin Qianshuang’s neck, her teeth breaking skin as she drew blood. With a sharp tug, she pulled the fabric off Lin’s shoulders, exposing the Nine Spirit Sword Physique’s spiritual orifices one by one. She drained the boundless nourishing energies from Lin’s Cauldron Physique, siphoning its extraordinary vitality.

Lin winced through the pain, sweat dripping as she reflexively slammed a spiritual seal toward Mu.

“Since we agreed to let Lanle watch, what’re you doing?”

Mu seized Lin’s wrist, towering over her. Her gaze lingered on the bare expanse of Lin’s shoulder and the curves peeking through her clothing—her brow tightened with irritation.

Drip. Drip. Blood fell onto Lin’s robes.

Another metallic tang hit Mu Weiyin’s nose as blood trickled down, but the surge through her meridians and dantian felt exquisitely smooth. She flicked her pale pink tongue over the iron-rich taste in her mouth, staring at Lin Qianshuang’s stunned face with its flicker of pain. Her gaze darkened. “You’re quite the nourishment. No wonder Xiao Lanle took a liking to you.”

“You… you’ve grown up?”

Lin Qianshuang gaped in astonishment, clutching her bodice as Mu Weiyin transformed before her—from a cherubic child into a willowy young woman. The ink-black tresses that once dragged the ground now swirled around her waist in the breeze. Her baby-round features sharpened into delicate precision, the six-petaled peach blossom spiritual seal on her brow glowing softly against porcelain skin. The child’s robe hung in tatters from her blossoming curves, clinging to ice-white limbs.

Mu’s slender fingers curled around Lin’s wrist, her crossed legs braced across her lap. Her eyes held the misty allure of a mountain lake, lashes dusted with frost-like silver. When they fluttered—half-lidded and languid—the upturn of her rosebud lips suggested laughter trapped in spring zephyrs. That half-smile, paired with her celestial beauty, left no doubt she’d stepped straight from some divine painting.

If it weren’t for the blood seeping into the kerchief as the woman covered her nose—looking unnervingly viscous—and her iron grip on Lin Qianshuang’s wrist, plus the telltale six-petaled peach blossom spiritual seal of the Love-Ending Technique, Lin would’ve sworn the unfamiliar-looking stranger wasn’t Tianshu City Lord Mu Weiyin.

Mu Weiyin stared at her reflection in the water, then turned her gaze back to Lin Qianshuang, eyes glinting like she’d discovered a priceless artifact. “Jieyu,” she purred, “your blood truly is precious.”

Lin bit down on her anger, eyeing the fresh wound on her neck. She held back a slap aimed at Mu’s face. “Lord, if you’re staging a show for Little Sister Xiao, just go through the motions. Why play hardball with your subordinate?”

Mu tightened her hold on Lin’s wrist, nails digging in. “Jieyu, know your place. Whatever your lord demands, you’ll obey without question. You’ve no right to challenge me!”

A sharp snap echoed as a hand yanked Lin free. Xiao Lanle’s fury burned bright. She glared at Lin, then pivoted to Mu Weiyin, her voice dripping with mockery. “Lord Mu, what’s this? We agreed to be dual cultivators—exclusive to me. Yet here you are, sneaking off with my senior sister at midnight, half-dressed and shamelessly exposed. Where do you think that leaves me? Or did you already use me up, now tossing me aside like trash?”

Mu Weiyin stared, stunned by Xiao Lanle’s outburst. Pressing a hand over her nose, she stood and blocked the sullen girl’s path, her voice placating. “Lanle, I’m not what you think. This situation was unforeseen—I merely discovered your senior sister could cure my physical ailment and borrowed a trace of her spiritual energy.”

Xiao Lanle snorted, jabbing a finger at Lin Qianshuang’s nose. “You knew I once asked you for her,” she spat, “and you flatly refused! So it turns out you’d already set your sights on my senior sister all along?”

Mu flinched at Xiao’s bloodshot eyes, her composure cracking. “Calm down. I made a bet with your senior sister—never did I intend to hurt you.”

Tears welled in Xiao’s eyes as she feigned pitifulness, her sidelong glance catching Lin’s collarbone—the faint bite marks there. Her tone dropped, trembling yet venomous. “Then why did you grow? You’re clearly doing those things with her! Mu Weiyin, you’re just as shameless as Liang Jingxuan! A despicable bastard through and through!”

“I’ve done nothing with her.”

Mu’s voice steadied, cold and final. “Lanle, you’re my sole Taoist companion. Since fate binds us, why doubt our bond now?”

Xiao Lanle stilled her sobbing, shot Lin Qianshuang a glance, then turned tearful eyes toward Mu Weiyin, her voice steadying. “You’re not… really? You’re not lying?”

Mu Weiyin nodded, rolling up her sleeve to expose a patch of skin. “Doubt me? Check the Chastity Seal on my wrist.”

Xiao Lanle shrugged off her coat and draped it over Mu’s shoulders, her expression softening. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I thought you’d forgotten your vow—abandoned your feelings.”

“As Tianshu City Lord, my word is ironclad. I’ve never broken faith—not even with you.”

Mu tightened the fabric around herself, looping an arm around Xiao Lanle’s shoulders and murmuring close.

A flicker of joy lit Xiao’s face. She pressed a hand to Mu’s lower back. “Don’t think I’ll let you off easy,” she teased, tugging Mu into her arms.

The two leaned close, whispering intently, before suddenly grinning and chatting animatedly, their voices rising with every passing moment. Gradually, their figures drifted off into the distance.

Whether Xiao Lanle or Mu Weiyin, both seemed to have forgotten about Lin Qianshuang, leaving her standing alone in silence without a single instruction.

Lin watched the young couple’s argument and reconciliation play out for a while, but her distrust of Xiao Lanle only deepened. The Xiao Lanle from moments ago was almost unrecognizable…

Her expressions, her words—not a trace remained of the junior sister she’d known.

Yet every twitch of her brow and curve of her lips felt unnervingly genuine, as though this facade were simply who she’d always been.

A shadow fell over her head. A young man fanned himself with a folding fan, spotting her motionless in the water-based array. He hurried toward her.

Xu Zheng quickly hauled Lin Qianshuang off the array and dragged her to the shore. Noting her grim expression, he said, “Xiao Liu¹, what’s going on? How’d you get so messed up?”