Casually, he told a horror story about demonic cultivators, seemingly trying to scare the little demonic cultivator into revealing herself.
The girl looked up at him. Her round pupils remained clear and innocent, seemingly unscathed by his words.
In truth, Li Yin’s heart was pounding wildly.
This guy was probing her again.
The girl blinked, then asked naturally, “Ji Little Dao Lord, how are you so familiar with Hidden Sword Mountain?”
Seeing her composure unchanged, Ji Lingyao looked away. “I often come here to spar with sword cultivator disciples.”
He added, “I’ll take you to the guest quarters. No need to trouble Hidden Sword Mountain’s stewards—they’re busy with the crowds lately.”
“Then we’ll trouble Ji Little Dao Lord.”
The girl smiled faintly in thanks. The youth’s steps paused imperceptibly before he led her—and the others—along.
The other Myriad Beasts Sect members were noncommittal about the youth. They had observed him the whole way; who knew what private transmissions they were exchanging.
Ji Lingyao acted oblivious and led the group to an empty courtyard to settle in. Along the way, he ran into Hidden Sword Mountain stewards who clearly knew him and greeted him.
After bidding Ji Little Dao Lord farewell, they looked around. The first thing the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples did was release their spirit beasts to run around and get some air—they didn’t want them cooped up in spirit beast boxes too long.
Suddenly, the little animals chattered noisily and scattered. The rat pup was timid and huddled in Li Yin’s palm. She stroked the little rat pup while casually looking out the window at the scenery.
Cultivators trained or meditated at night and didn’t take up much daytime space, so the courtyards were small and adjacent.
There wasn’t much scenery outside the window—just another courtyard’s room window a few meters away.
The window suddenly flew open, revealing the youth’s handsome face.
He smirked again, gray eyes curving. “Little Junior Sister Li, what a coincidence.”
This time, Ji Lingyao silently mouthed something.
Little Junior Sister paused slightly.
Li Yin thought this guy was absolutely suspecting her again.
Still, she had full confidence in her max-level charm.
“Ji Little Dao Lord, what a coincidence.” The girl’s eyes curved happily as she took the initiative, feigning mild surprise. “You’re right next door.”
The youth smiled warmly too, narrowing his eyes. “Yes, so close. Any sign of trouble, and I’ll know at a glance.”
His words carried a deeper meaning, but the little demonic cultivator disguised as a righteous disciple pretended not to notice.
The girl seemed too shy to speak up directly. Instead, she lowered her eyes and muttered softly.
“Um, with you here, I feel a bit safer…”
Her voice was faint, like a whisper tossed to the wind, carried to the wind spirit root cultivator’s ears.
A breeze delivered her murmur to the youth.
Ji Lingyao paused. The girl looked up again, her clear, bright face gazing at him. “Ji Little Dao Lord, if there’s any sign of trouble, will you protect me?”
As if afraid of refusal, the girl bent down and lifted the kitten by her feet.
“You can pet my cat,” she said.
The gold orange kitten was held up toward the youth and let out a “meow.”
Compared to their first meeting, the kitten had grown a bit under her care.
Ji Lingyao chuckled despite himself.
He gazed at her pleading expression. The girl and the little animals were all crowded at the window, staring at him together—no trace of a demonic cultivator.
After a breath, the youth softly replied, “Mm. If there’s any sign of trouble, I… of course I’ll protect you.”
His gray eyes remained fixed on her face.
In his line of sight, the girl suddenly looked annoyed. She raised a finger to her lips, lowering her voice as if to share a secret with him.
“I went to the Scripture Pavilion and looked around, but I didn’t find any cat-taming manuals… If one day I figure out some trick, I’ll definitely tell you.”
Another breath passed, and the young man replied, “Good.”
But the girl’s whisper drifted over on the wind: “I want to go out for a stroll. Ji Little Dao Lord, do you want to come with me?”
Her eyes sparkled as she stared straight at him, the brilliant light almost staining into his own eyes.
She handed the choice to him.
His heartbeat merged into the sound of the wind, but unfortunately, the girl did not possess a wind spirit root and could not hear his heartfelt words.
A gentle breeze stirred, and Li Yin saw the young man break into a smile.
“I have something to attend to. You go ahead,” he said, surprisingly declining her invitation.
Li Yin was not disappointed at all. She nodded.
She still remembered the purpose of her visit to Hidden Sword Mountain: to get a good look at her previous conquest target. If the opportunity arose, she could even take a little taste of the esteemed Sword Venerable himself.
The first step was to find out where he was.
She thought for a moment, then beat around the bush by asking her senior brothers and sisters. They suggested she try her luck at Hidden Sword Mountain’s Martial Field.
This was not a bad idea at all.
Li Yin stowed away her spirit beast. Along the way, disciples of Hidden Sword Mountain pointed out the path for her, and she followed the mountain trail.
Although she could have used a flying magic artifact, the Player wanted to take in the familiar sights. Revisiting old haunts held its own charm.
The terrain of Hidden Sword Mountain differed from that of Myriad Beasts Sect. Layer upon layer of mountains were dyed in autumn colors. This area near the sect gates featured bluestone steps lining the mountain paths, making it convenient for visiting cultivators to enjoy the scenery.
Scattered among the trees were stones of various sizes, etched with sword marks left by disciples during practice and sparring.
The girl did not walk properly. Like a drifting leaf, she often veered off the bluestone path onto the branches, twirling through the woods.
Her steps were neither light nor heavy. She deliberately crunched the fallen leaves and twigs underfoot, then crouched or circled beside the practice stones, inspecting the sword marks. She touched them and patted them with her hands.
A breeze kept brushing gently around her, silent and serene.
A wisp of wind caught her hair tips, lifting them into the sky and twining around Ji Lingyao’s fingertip.
He lowered his gaze to watch. The girl in ink-green robes fluttered about on the ground like a leaf, dancing freely and gracefully.
The young man couldn’t help but want to laugh.
In fact, the corners of his mouth did hold a smile.
Perhaps… he had been mistaken.
She was not a demonic cultivator, nor the Young Lord, nor under any demonic spell. She truly had a pure heart and extraordinary talent.
But suddenly, his gaze froze, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.
On the ground, the girl halted her steps.
Li Yin suddenly noticed a somewhat familiar figure standing under a tree not far away.
It was a persimmon tree, its fruits hanging red and ripe. The man stood beneath it, head tilted up, staring motionlessly.
He still wore black robes, with a sword at his waist and no sword tassel for decoration.
A faded hair ribbon bound his hair into a low ponytail at the back of his head. His straight black hair lay neatly, draping down his neck to just above his knees—lacking the dashing flair of the other Dao Lord.
The Player immediately saw a better path forward.
Instead of trying her luck, why not ask a Hidden Sword Mountain disciple directly? The chief disciple would surely know where the Sword Venerable was.
She glanced around and picked up a small stone from the roadside.
The Player had previously unlocked skills from Hidden Sword Mountain, so her aim was spot on.
The pebble flew from her fingertips and struck a branch on the fruit tree with a sharp crack. A small section of the branch snapped off, and the fruit hanging from it plummeted down.
The fruit fell straight toward him. The young man, somewhat dazed, reached out to catch it. The orange-red persimmon landed squarely in his palm with a smack.
The sound jolted him awake. After catching the fruit, he finally thought to look for who had thrown it.
The girl had already strolled up behind him and hopped to his side in one leap. She tilted her head and beamed at him.
“Here, have one.”
Li Yin did not notice the gentle wisps of wind brushing her face, tugging at her hair, and wrapping around her body.
The black-clothed sword cultivator before her blanked out for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”
Ying Zhuochen gazed at the somewhat unfamiliar face in front of him, puzzled. “Have we met somewhere before?”
His intuition had always been sharp—a gift from his innate sword heart. This girl before him should be someone he knew.
“Really?” Li Yin feigned confusion. “Where might we have met?”
The young man actually fell into thought, his brows furrowing slightly as he seriously tried to recall.
The girl couldn’t hold back and smiled brightly again. “Let’s say it’s the day you came to visit and give thanks.”
Ying Zhuochen instantly understood. “So it’s you, fellow Daoist. Long time no see.”
He added, “Sorry for not welcoming you from afar.”
And then again, “Right, I forgot to ask your name.”
He looked so gentle and bewildered that Li Yin’s smile bubbled over uncontrollably.
“Come here.” She beckoned him closer. “I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else.”
The young man nodded and leaned in to listen.
“Li Yin,” she whispered.
“Li Yin,” he repeated.
“Yeah, keep it down. I’m afraid that demonic head will come looking for revenge, so I’m out here using a disguise art under an alias,” she said.
He nodded, keeping his voice low. “Miss Li.”
The girl gave a light nod. “Mm.”
She leaned in to whisper to him as well.
The breeze unintentionally overheard, but it was very much invested.
“By the way.” The Player got to the point. “Do you know where Sword Venerable Yun Jian is? I’ve heard so much about the Sword Venerable. I’m really curious and want to go pay my respects.”
The wind stirred silently again, and Ying Zhuochen turned to look at her.
His dark eyes reflected the girl’s smiling face. The young man parted his lips and said, “My master is none other than Sword Venerable Yun Jian.”