Walking out of Qingyun Hall, the faint, polite smile on Fang Xuan’s face that he had shown Lu Qingsong vanished without a trace.
Lu Qingsong’s intentions were too easy to see through.
He discovered that Sword Peak had an uncontrollable peerless genius who was clearly at odds with Shen Chen, and thus wanted to seize the opportunity to win him over.
So, he first tested Fang Xuan with the colossal flood dragon, exerting spiritual pressure. Seeing that Fang Xuan was unmoving, he immediately switched to a conciliatory approach, dangling the “sect big tree” carrot.
His assessment of Lu Qingsong was: a pure boy.
However, his methods weren’t exactly clumsy.
For ordinary talented disciples, this combination of coercion and kindness, extending an olive branch, would usually have them prostrating themselves in gratitude.
Unfortunately, Fang Xuan wasn’t here to be part of the sect’s big tree; he was here to… dig up its roots.
He only needed to leverage Lu Qingsong’s high regard to put pressure on Shen Chen, making him hesitate to act, at least overtly.
Then, he would find an opportunity to eliminate Shen Chen, and then backstab Lu Qingsong, consuming the entire Qingyun Sect.
He still wanted a complete solution; after all, if he didn’t devour these resources, his transmigration would have been in vain.
As for how to devour them, that was a matter for later.
The most pressing concern now was the impending Qingyun Secret Realm.
The secret realm was set to open in a few days.
According to Shen Chen, the spots were fixed, and Fang Xuan had one.
But Fang Xuan didn’t plan to rely solely on himself.
Secret realms, in the original novel, were basically resource packs prepared for the protagonist.
Although his Senior Sister’s cultivation had fallen, her heaven-defying luck remained.
He needed a backup plan.
His entry was fundamental, but it would be best if his senior sister could also enter and carry him.
There’s no shame in being a kept man.
The key was to accept it, and to accept it boldly; after all, a man couldn’t afford to be poor.
As for how to get Ning Xian inside.
Simple: just snatch a spot.
Anyway, a secret realm token was just an identity credential, not bound to the soul.
Find an unlucky person with a token, knock them out, and take the token.
As long as the operation was handled properly, the risk was controllable.
He was still contemplating as he walked out of the Main Peak’s restriction barrier, arriving at the spot where he had previously parted ways with Ning Xian.
...................
Emerging from the main hall.
Fang Xuan immediately saw the slender white figure.
Ning Xian stood beneath an ancient pine tree, gazing towards the Main Peak. Her side profile looked particularly delicate in the rising mountain breeze.
Hearing footsteps, she turned to look.
She then frowned and quickly walked forward, not asking anything, but first urgently grabbing his sleeve.
She then began to examine him up and down, even gently pulling open his collar to check his neck, and rolling up his sleeves to inspect his arms.
As she meticulously checked him, Fang Xuan reversed his grip, taking her cool, slender hand into his own.
Ning Xian’s body visibly stiffened.
However, she immediately became docile and quiet.
She then snapped back to her senses, trying to change the subject to hide her fluster, her voice softer and lower than usual.
“Lu Qingsong’s side…”
“We’ll talk back at the peak,” Fang Xuan said, naturally turning and leading her toward Sword Peak.
“Okay.” Ning Xian pursed her lips, letting him lead her by her side.
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Returning to the small courtyard in Sword Peak’s valley, they closed the bamboo gate.
Fang Xuan simply recounted the events of Lu Qingsong’s summons and the latter’s intention to win him over.
He also subtly hinted at his plan to leverage force against force, then usurp the host.
After listening, Ning Xian’s brows immediately furrowed, her serene face filled with seriousness: “No, this is too risky. Lu Qingsong is by no means comparable to Shen Chen.”
Fang Xuan simply smiled, intending to lighten the mood.
“There isn’t much time left, Senior Sister. I promised to take you with me.”
Hearing this, Ning Xian instinctively froze.
She suddenly felt her face flush, hastily averted her gaze, and lightly covered her mouth with a fisted hand, pretending to clear her throat.
She turned slightly away, her voice trembling slightly: “I… I’ll go make dinner.”
With that, she walked towards the kitchen.
...................
She understood her junior brother less and less.
He seemed to know everything: Shen Chen’s schemes, Lu Qingsong’s intentions.
But he was only seventeen, and had been initiated into the sect just over two months ago…
Reaching the stove, Ning Xian absentmindedly started a fire.
Her junior brother seemed to like white buns very much. She had tried making them before, but the dough never rose properly, and they always came out hard and not fluffy at all.
Drat it…
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At the same time, on the other side of Sword Peak, within Shen Chen’s private meditation room.
The atmosphere was as stagnant as ice.
A trusted subordinate was bowing, reporting news from the Main Peak.
“...The sect master summoned Fang Xuan and spoke with him alone for nearly a quarter of an hour in the Lake Pavilion behind Qingyun Hall. There seemed to be spiritual energy fluctuations during that time, but they quickly subsided.”
Shen Chen sat upright on his meditation cushion, his face hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable.
He hadn’t expected Fang Xuan’s talent and disposition to be so extraordinary.
Even Lu Qingsong, that old fox, had personally stepped in, eagerly extending an olive branch.
In this case, all his previous tactics against ordinary geniuses—framing, ostracizing, and other methods—would surely seem like a joke, like child’s play, in Lu Qingsong’s eyes.
More importantly, Ning Xian’s blood… he still hadn’t obtained it for Shen Qingqing.
Shen Qingqing’s body was showing increasingly obvious rejection of the spirit bone, urgently needing Ning Xian’s origin blood essence to appease it.
And Shen Qingqing, as the indispensable cultivation cauldron for his secret technique, was crucial to him and could not be lost.
The situation seemed to be sliding in a direction unfavorable to him.
Once Lu Qingsong truly valued and began to protect Fang Xuan, his attempts to act against Fang Xuan, or even to control Ning Xian through Fang Xuan, would become constrained.
He could not wait any longer.
He must act before Fang Xuan and Lu Qingsong’s relationship deepened…
Shen Chen looked up at his subordinate.
“Kill him.”
“No matter the cost.”
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