Cang Dongqing clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. She took a deep breath, suppressing her surging anger. Just as she was about to take a walk around the sect to assert her presence, she suddenly realized that the disciples around her were looking at her with strange expressions.
She frowned slightly, finally remembering to take out her communication jade slip to check. She had only been in seclusion for two months to recover from her injuries—how had everyone's gaze toward her become so unfamiliar?
The moment she opened the jade slip, countless messages flooded her vision. It turned out that people from the Wuji Sect and the Hehuan Sect had come to her door multiple times, specifically asking to see her, seemingly regarding the matter of the talismans. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly calmed down.
"Mu Zeting and I were merely nodding acquaintances. Whatever he did was of his own volition; what does it have to do with me?" she muttered to herself. But with rumors flying all over the sect, appearing in person to explain would make her seem guilty. It was better to lie low for a while.
With that thought, she turned and headed toward the immortal cave of Ling Xiao.
"Master," she greeted respectfully, her voice gentle and carrying a hint of a disciple's filial affection for her teacher. This was a tone she had practiced countless times; Ling Xiao had always been susceptible to this act in the past.
Immortal Ling Xiao was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. Hearing her, he opened them. Seeing it was Cang Dongqing, his cold expression softened slightly. "What is it?"
"This disciple has returned to the Qi Condensation Great Perfection. I have come to ask Master when I may go to the Forest of Demonic Beasts for training?" Cang Dongqing kept her head low and eyes down, though her voice held a hidden trace of urgency.
Ling Xiao frowned slightly, a flash of dissatisfaction in his eyes. While this disciple's talent was top-tier, her temperament was far too flighty and her actions too reckless. He had only learned about the events in Qingyun City two days ago.
Cang Dongqing had hidden it well. If the Wuji Sect hadn't discovered that the talismans Mu Zeting was supposed to give Rong Yuying never arrived—and only after questioning did they learn they had ended up in Cang Dongqing's hands—Ling Xiao wouldn't have known. It was only when they, along with the Hehuan Sect, demanded an explanation that he realized how much trouble his young disciple had been stirring up outside.
"Do you have nothing else you wish to tell me?"
Cang Dongqing's face stiffened upon hearing this. She guessed that Ling Xiao likely already knew about the Qingyun City incident, but she didn't want to admit it just like that. It was better to pretend she knew nothing and continue maintaining her innocent persona.
"This disciple only wishes to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage as soon as possible, to bring fame to the Sword Heart Sect and to Master." As she spoke, she gave another respectful bow.
She intentionally mentioned the Sword Heart Sect first, knowing that for Ling Xiao, the sect's interests outweighed everything. If she framed it as acting for the sake of the sect, Ling Xiao wouldn't say much more. And just as she expected, Ling Xiao's expression softened slightly.
Ling Xiao had originally expected Cang Dongqing to explain herself after coming out of seclusion so he could deal with the other two sects. Especially since he had just gone to the Wuji Sect to demand an explanation regarding the matter with Li Nanyi, which had already caused some unpleasantness. Now that this had come out, the Sword Heart Sect had become the party in the wrong.
He had planned to question his young disciple thoroughly, but she said nothing, thinking only of going out to avoid the trouble. She must have heard the rumors. Though he felt some displeasure, hearing that she wanted to improve the sect's reputation kept him from further reprimand.
"You have just recovered from your injuries, and your foundation is not yet stable. There is no need to rush."
Cang Dongqing bit her lip. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with determination. "Master, I have been feeling restless lately, as if I have hit a bottleneck. I heard that the outer regions of the Forest of Demonic Beasts have Cleansing Lotuses, which can help a cultivator stabilize their state of mind. I wish to..."
Ling Xiao pondered for a moment. He thought of the aggressive attitudes of the other two sects, which were indeed a headache. But those items had been given to his young disciple; how could there be any reason to return them? In the end, she was his youngest disciple, just a young girl, and Ling Xiao's heart softened.
Fine. As for her temperament, it could be slowly molded later. She was just a young girl who had recently had her coming-of-age ceremony; it wasn't a major problem. Letting her go out for training to avoid the storm for a while was also good. Thinking this, he finally nodded in agreement.
"Very well. In five days, I will have your Third Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Brother accompany you. Remember, stay in the outer regions. Do not go deep."
A flash of joy appeared in Cang Dongqing's eyes as she respectfully replied, "Yes, I shall obey Master's command."
...
Five days later, Li Nanzhu finished packing, a storage bag filled with talismans hanging at her waist. She set off for the Forest of Demonic Beasts with her two senior brothers.
Over the past few days, to be fully prepared for her encounter with Cang Dongqing, she had been drawing talismans day and night. She had even consumed an entire bottle of spirit-nurturing pills. Not only had she drawn a thick stack of tier 1 talismans, but she had also crafted nearly twenty tier 2 talismans.
With these talismans, Li Nanzhu felt much more at ease.
The Forest of Demonic Beasts was located at the border between the Eastern Continent and the Northern Wilderness, stretching for thousands of miles. The outer regions were mostly populated by low-level demonic beasts, suitable for cultivators in the Qi Condensation stage. The deeper parts were occupied by fierce beasts at the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul stages, where even elders of great sects dared not tread lightly.
To Zhu Yinxi's surprise, Duan Xianxing spent the entire journey reading his cultivation technique manual. Usually, this junior brother was the most impatient when it came to reading, let alone focusing on study while flying on a sword. Meanwhile, his little junior sister was also practicing on her flying sword.
Seeing both his junior brother and sister being so diligent, he simply took out his music scores and began to study them carefully.
Another day passed before they arrived at the cultivators' market on the outskirts of the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
Although this place was not as prosperous as the immortal cities near the sects, it was bustling with activity. Stalls lined both sides of the streets, and the sound of hawking was incessant.
The prices of goods were just as Zhu Yinxi had said—several times more expensive than in other cities. Even the wealthy Li Nanzhu couldn't help but click her tongue in surprise. However, the benefits were obvious: if one sold something here, the profit was guaranteed.
Fortunately, the three of them were just browsing and had no intention of buying anything. It was mostly to let Li Nanzhu, who was here for the first time, broaden her horizons.
Li Nanzhu wasn't just looking at prices; she was also observing whether anyone from the Sword Heart Sect was present. If she encountered them, it meant Cang Dongqing had arrived early, following the plot.
After circling the entire market, she didn't run into anyone from the Sword Heart Sect. She did, however, see a few people wearing the robes of Shenmu Sect disciples. They seemed to be communicating with a mercenary group, but Li Nanzhu didn't pay much attention to them.
As evening approached, the three decided to find an inn to rest for the night and set out into the Forest of Demonic Beasts the next morning.
They found an inn at random and booked three rooms. Not long after they sat down to rest, they heard a commotion outside.
Just as Li Nanzhu stepped out of her room, she saw Duan Xianxing poking his head out from the next room. Clearly, he was also there to watch the fun. The two shared a knowing glance and tacitly ran to the corner of the stairs. Below, they saw a youth dressed in red still shouting loudly.
"I want a heaven-grade room! Is double the price not enough? Hurry up and vacate a room for me!"
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