Lu Yaoyao recalled for a moment and roughly relayed the words she heard from the old tree demon. “I just heard that he is a very formidable person, the first elder of the number one sect in the Cultivation Realm…”
Yan Zihui nodded and didn’t say anything further.
Unable to hold back, Lu Yaoyao asked Yan Zihui for his opinion, “Senior Brother Zihui, what do you think about this matter?”
Yan Zihui was silent for a moment, “The most unfathomable thing in this world is a human’s heart.”
Lu Yaoyao: “???”
Yan Zihui didn’t speak further; he patted Lu Yaoyao’s head and said, “I’ll leave first, let me know if there’s any news.”
After Lu Yaoyao and her group watched Yan Zihui leave, they were no longer in the mood to continue chatting. After a while, Chao Muxue also bid farewell, “There’s still work to be done at the main peak, I’ll go back first and come find you later.” Chao Muxue’s identity required her to attend to some matters, and she couldn’t be away for too long.
“Alright.”
Not long after, Wen Zixing also left, and Lu Yaoyao and Du Qianshan returned to their respective peaks. When Lu Yaoyao returned to the South Fifth Peak, she encountered several inner disciples quietly conversing. She overheard a bit as she passed by but didn’t approach or call them out.
Unable to stay put in her room, Lu Yaoyao decided to seek out her senior brothers. Eldest and Third Senior Brothers were still in seclusion and probably unaware of the situation while Fourth Senior Brother had sneaked down the mountain and hadn’t returned yet, so the only one Lu Yaoyao could turn to was Second Senior Brother. At this time, her Second Senior Brother should be handling affairs within the peak. When Lu Yaoyao went to find him, Ziwen was in the middle of arranging for a batch of newly refined pills to be transported down the mountain for sale.
As soon as Lu Yaoyao stepped into the Alchemy Hall, she saw neatly arranged bottles of spiritual medicines being carried out by disciples. “Second Senior Brother.” Lu Yaoyao stepped aside and quickly walked up to Ziwen.
“Yaoyao.” Ziwen was delighted to see the girl, “What brings you here today?”
Lu Yaoyao grinned, “I missed Second Senior Brother!”
Ziwen’s lips curled into a gentle smile, “Senior Brother missed Yaoyao too.”
Seeing Lu Yaoyao’s eyes fixed on the bottles of pills, Ziwen gently explained, “These are the pills refined by the disciples of the Alchemy Hall over the past two months, ready to be transported to the shop down the mountain.”
Although the Guiyuan Sect’s alchemy cultivation wasn’t as extensive as the Medicine Sect, Hall Master Mo, one of their elders, was widely known as the number one alchemist, which attracted quite a lot of talents. Disciples of South Fifth Peak were assigned a monthly quota as part of their training. They were to refine various pills using the materials provided by the sect. The pills they produced were subsequently owned by the sect. A portion of high-quality pills were set aside for internal distribution, and the rest were sold. Of course, each disciple received a share of the profit, which was why the Guiyuan Sect’s alchemy cultivators were rich.
Lu Yaoyao thought about the price she paid for pills sold in the town and realized the huge profit margin. When she could learn to refine pills? She also wanted to be a rich woman!
“Second Senior Brother, where is Master?”
“Master has gone to the main peak with other elders.”
“Oh…”
Seeing his junior sister’s expression, Ziwen knew she had something on her mind and asked, “What do you want to tell me?”
Lu Yaoyao counted on her fingers, “These past few days, hasn’t the sect been discussing the war and peace of the Three Realms? I want to know what the senior brothers think about the demon and devil races.”
Lu Yaoyao looked at Ziwen with eager eyes. She didn’t care about the thoughts of strangers, but she cared about what her senior brothers and master thought.
Ziwen, however, said, “I don’t have any particular opinion.”
“Ah?”
“My perception of demons and devils all comes from the teachings of the sect, and I don’t have a favorable impression of them…”
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes drooped, feeling a bit like crying, but then she heard Ziwen change the subject, “However—”
“When I was out to experience the world, I encountered a small demon, weak, pitiable, and timid. I intended to eliminate it, but when I saw those frightened eyes, I found that I couldn’t bring myself to do it, so I pretended not to see and left.”
“Some demons and devils are not so abhorrent.” Ziwen initially wanted to mention that this demon was a fugitive whom he encountered fleeing from an illegal auction. Such shady business did exist in the Cultivation Realm, where he saw captured demons and devils being sold and killed at will, with no power to resist.
He concealed his affiliation with Guiyuan during his travels. Still, his identity as an alchemy cultivator was enough to win him all sorts of favors, to the extent that he was almost given a demon slave. In his eyes, sometimes humans are more terrifying than demons and devils.
Lu Yaoyao’s spirits lifted, “I think so too, actually, many demons are very cute.” She thought of her friends from the Duanping and grinned.
“Why bother clinging to the thoughts of others? They don’t matter.” Ziwen patted Lu Yaoyao’s head, “As cultivators, we cultivate our body and mind, and should follow our own path. There are countless paths in cultivation, and by steadfastly walking our own path and adhering to our hearts, we won’t be easily swayed.”
Lu Yaoyao nodded seriously, “I understand, Second Senior Brother.”
…
Thousands of miles away, in a simple wooden hut, a handsome youth with a gentle demeanor stood in front of the window, seemingly deep in thought. A paper crane, glowing faintly, appeared out of nowhere, flapping its wings and flying towards the young man. When he raised his hand, the paper crane gently landed in his palm, turning into a piece of paper. After he finished reading, the paper turned into specks of light and disappeared.
“Eldest Senior Brother, what’s wrong?” A disciple, noticing the young man’s stillness after reading the message, couldn’t help but ask with concern.
They were Lu Junyang and his fellow Guiyuan Sect disciples, who had received a mission to investigate the devil’s appearance in Tiangu Valley.
“Is something happening with the sect?” The disciple asked again.
“It shouldn’t be anything serious,” Lu Junyang replied gently, “Have the others returned?”
“Replying to Eldest Senior Brother, not yet.”
“Once everyone is back, have them come here. I have something to tell you all.”
“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother.” The disciple received the order and left.
Once he was alone, Lu Junyang’s expression turned solemn. The sect must have encountered some issues. The message, however, didn’t specify any details, only leaving a sentence instructing him to return as soon as possible.
Lu Junyang had two tasks for this mission: one was to investigate the incident at Tiangu Valley, and the other was to lead his fellow disciples to enter the Jitian Secret Realm. If it weren’t an emergency, his master wouldn’t summon him back without reason. But since Master instructed him to return after handling Tiangu Valley, it implied that the incident wasn’t detrimental to the sect. Relieved that the sect wasn’t in danger, Lu Junyang felt half his worries dissipate. Still… what on earth happened?
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Considering Yan Zihui’s serious response about the human heart, I wonder if he could be a spy or just someone who has experienced the darkness of humans, so has a more profound view on things. As for Ziwen, I really like his response to Lu Yaoyao by encouraging her to stick to her path of cultivation and following her heart.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀