After a while, the young man replied with a simple “Good.”
Moments later, they met by the lake.
Ji Little Dao Lord had a wind spirit root and moved freely. His figure was unseen, but the wind arrived first, stirring ripples across the water surface. The thin mist blew gently onto the girl’s face.
She looked in the direction of the wind. The young man stepped across the shallow waves, crossing the water directly before leaping into the pavilion in moments. His robes fluttered lightly, without a drop of wetness.
A smile played in his eyes and brows, his gray eyes hazy with warm mist, not cold in the slightest.
Li Yin spoke first, greeting him. “Ji Little Dao Lord, you seem very happy today. Is there some good news?”
Her eyes curved in a smile as she looked at him.
Ji Lingyao touched the corner of his mouth. “That obvious?”
He had shaken off the slave mark that had plagued him for a century and escaped being commanded as a cauldron. Now free and clear, coming to see the object of his affections—of course it was joyous.
He had no intention of laying bare the costs involved. He just smiled softly and said lightly, “Probably because I saw you, so I’m happy.”
The young man stated it so frankly and openly. He wasn’t sure if the girl before him understood his feelings, but he had no plans to spell it out for now—time would reveal true hearts.
Seeing her puzzled expression, Ji Lingyao just chuckled and took out the promised items. “Here, Little Junior Sister. See if these are of any use to you.”
“Oh, alright.” Li Yin reached out to take them, her fingers accidentally brushing his hand.
The young man showed no reaction. With the slave mark gone, he could no longer detect her identity as the young lord through touch.
The girl hugged several wooden boxes. “Isn’t this a bit too much?”
At her words, the young man didn’t let go right away. He first helped her steady them to the side, his expression unchanged. “Too much? They’re all for feeding spirit beasts anyway—they’ll be eaten up eventually.”
Perhaps he was too happy; he hadn’t paid attention to the quantity at all.
Li Yin hadn’t seen many of the things in the wooden boxes. She looked at them curiously, not rushing to put them away as she fiddled and examined them.
The young man was extremely patient, introducing them one by one. Besides some pills, there were meat jerky made from certain beast meats. “These are for your little cat to chew on. The little mouse should like them too?”
“There are also some small gadgets—leftovers from artifact forging, not worth much, but clever enough to entertain spirit beasts.”
“Take these back and see what they like. Next time, I’ll bring more.” He had sheathed his sharp edges, speaking in a warm, gentle tone.
Li Yin said, “Then thank you, Ji Little Dao Lord.”
The young man beamed.
Little Junior Sister felt a bit embarrassed and lifted the wooden box higher. “Actually… my two little cat little mouse have been eating too much lately. Their spiritual energy is backed up, and they’re still sleeping it off. It’ll probably take a while before I can tell you their preferences.”
The timing wasn’t great, but Ji Lingyao wasn’t annoyed. He chuckled lightly. “Then they’re quite carefree, without a worry in the world.”
Li Yin packed away the gifts he had brought her and casually asked, “By the way, is Azure Profound heading back to the sect today? Did it trouble Ji Little Dao Lord to make a special trip here to deliver these? Will it delay your important matters?”
“I had some free time,” Ji Lingyao said. “I was only following Master’s orders to help out at Pill Cauldron Sect. Those elders weren’t at ease, so the disciples in charge of inspections had to stagger their checks and couldn’t inspect their own sect. They arranged for disciples from Azure Profound and Hidden Sword Mountain to inspect each other.”
Li Yin knew exactly who his master was. Little Junior Sister’s expression changed, her tone filled with worry. “Won’t that be dangerous?”
“What if the demonic cultivator lurking here lashes out in a desperate struggle and ends up hurting you?”
She spoke with utmost sincerity, and Ji Lingyao had no reason to doubt her. He softened his tone. “It won’t happen.”
Little Junior Sister fell silent, only gazing at him eagerly with a look of deep concern. He couldn’t help but smile warmly. “I guarantee it. After all, I’m still waiting to bring you more things next time.”
“Good.” The girl nodded vigorously. They chatted idly for a bit longer before she put away his gifts, bid him farewell, and left.
Though it was a private meeting, there wasn’t much ambiguity between them.
Their sects were different, but his words and actions made him seem like a senior brother from the same sect. On an outing for training, he had gathered some gifts for Little Junior Sister along the way and brought them back for her.
The girl refused his offer to escort her. Once she was far away, she turned back and waved to him. He raised his hand and waved in response.
Only after her figure completely vanished from sight did Ji Lingyao stand up and leave.
A Minor Dao Lord at half-step Body Integration was already considered half an elder. Before fully breaking through to Body Integration, the sect and his master had assigned him plenty of tasks—to build prestige among the junior disciples below him and to familiarize himself with working alongside the other elders above.
He wasn’t just free at all. A pile of tedious affairs awaited his handling.
Though his temperament was a bit too gentle, it was still better than that road idiot from Hidden Sword Mountain.
They were both chief disciples, but the other one was probably just waiting to inherit his Sword Venerable master’s position. One day, he would take charge of Sword Pavilion and never go anywhere, so he wouldn’t get lost anymore.
Ji Lingyao’s break came to an end. He went back to assist the elders with sect affairs, coordinating and arranging the routes and matters for the disciples returning to their sects.
Myriad Beasts Sect left after them and stayed behind for the inspection. Suddenly, an elder spoke up and asked him to lend a hand. The young man didn’t refuse.
It was a chance to see Little Junior Sister, so of course he wouldn’t decline.
He borrowed the registration roster from the Pill Cauldron Sect affairs elder and went to the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples’ lodgings. He didn’t see Little Junior Sister, only some familiar faces.
It was Xia Erruo and the others.
According to the roster, they had invitations from Pill Cauldron Sect disciples. For some reason, Ji Lingyao recalled that on Hidden Sword Mountain that day, Little Junior Sister seemed to have been traveling with a female Pill Cauldron Sect cultivator.
He was perceptive and thought deeply. Since he cared, he went up to greet them.
Xia Erruo and the other two responded, “Ji Little Dao Lord.”
The young man smiled, subtly probing without making it obvious. In just a few words, he learned the origin of those invitations. Sure enough, they were connected to Little Junior Sister.
Forming good ties with Pill Cauldron Sect cultivators was a good thing. His expression softened slightly for a moment. Then he heard Fat Senior Brother among the three casually say,
“We’re the ones who benefited from Little Junior Sister’s connections. Otherwise, how could we occupy a top-grade earth-character room at Pill Cauldron Sect? It’s just a pity for Little Junior Sister. She came out to have fun, but Master dragged her off to test her studies. In the blink of an eye, the Pill Assembly is about to end.”
“Master?” Ji Lingyao’s gaze sharpened. “Which elder took Little Junior Sister as a personal disciple?”
Xia Erruo was too lazy to correct his terminology. She simply said, “Elder Yaoguang.”
But… didn’t Ji Little Dao Lord have a good relationship with Elder Yaoguang? How could he not even know about the disciple acceptance?
A flash of doubt crossed her mind, but Xia Erruo didn’t think too much about it. She had no idea about the twists and turns involved.
However, the Ji Little Dao Lord before her had just been warm and gentle a moment ago, but upon hearing this, his expression suddenly changed.
“You’re saying Elder Yaoguang took her as a disciple?” The young man’s gray eyes turned icy cold, his face exceptionally stern.
–
Not long ago, thousands of miles away, a group of people lurked in the clouds high in the sky.
They were a band of demonic cultivators, not low in cultivation. There were two or three Demon Lords at Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Using disturbances at the border to lure the tigers away, they had slipped into the Cultivation World.
“Wasn’t the plan to only stir up Northern Delusion City and a few border cities into conflict? What’s the deal with Pill Cauldron Sect? If there’s no clear word on how to proceed, I’ll just act on my own.” One demonic cultivator grinned.
Rumors about Pill Cauldron Sect had reached the demonic cultivators’ ears. For this group that had infiltrated the Cultivation World, it had nearly disrupted their plans.
“Easy now, easy now.” Another shook his feather fan. “Even those Dao cultivators haven’t figured out who did it. It might not be our group at all—just a coincidence.”
“Could be a smokescreen from the Dao cultivators. A bunch of cowards using it as an excuse to hunker down in their sect arrays…”
As they spoke, though these demonic cultivators had high cultivation, they weren’t the ones in charge. Their gazes—some subtle, some blatant—frequently flicked to the side.
The man sat in a relaxed posture, but his face was grim. He wore a sea-green robe accented with blood jade, the clashing tones giving off a wild, unrestrained vibe.
One hand rested casually on his knee, fingers pinching a wine cup.
Strangely, this was his left hand. Unlike his exposed right hand, his left hand alone wore a dark glove.
His fingers and the back of his hand were completely hidden in the fabric, concealing the flower seal that had been beaten into it and subjected to supplementation.
Hearing the others’ words, Li Chengfeng sneered coldly. His fingers tightened, crushing the jade wine cup into powder that scattered with the wind.
“Where are the people from Jade Ecstasy Palace?” he asked.
Someone nearby answered, “Protector Qi Nan from Jade Ecstasy Palace only showed up at the start. She left word that… we’ll call her when it’s time to act.”
“Call her when it’s time to act? Why not say I should go invite her personally?” His expression grew even colder, clearly extremely displeased with Jade Ecstasy Palace’s people.
The others fell silent. Li Chengfeng’s face remained cold as he ordered, “Proceed with the original plan.”
“I’ll handle Pill Cauldron Sect personally.”
–
Li Yin shivered twice in a row, her face full of bewilderment.
The private meeting at the lakeside pavilion had ended, and she returned smoothly without any incidents.
Even right before leaving, nothing had gone wrong. The only thing that surprised her was that Ji Little Dao Lord hadn’t left yet. He had even invited her to meet at the lakeside pavilion.
By rights, Azure Profound should have been scouting ahead like Hidden Sword Mountain. There was no reason for him to stay behind alone.
The little demonic cultivator grew alert, suspecting that Ji Little Dao Lord’s suspicions had flared up.
But judging from the young man’s spirit message, it seemed to be something else.
【There’s something very important. I couldn’t say it yesterday. I want to meet you today and talk about it.】