Chapter 19: The Gathering at Qionghua Hall

Talking with Jiang Yeqiu, adding points to the compass, being assassinated by Shen Jingze days later, and perceiving the intent of the Heavenly Book.

As late summer days grew shorter and the slanting sun dipped toward the west, the shadows of Jiang Yeqiu and Ji Ning stretched long across the winding dirt path, merging into a single cluster at their feet only upon entering the courtyard.

Before stepping into the room, a gentle yet firm voice behind her made Ji Ning stop.

"Ningning, at the end of the year, I will certainly join you for the outer sect assessment. We will become outer sect disciples together."

Ji Ning curled the corners of her eyes and smiled without turning back, her tone light. "Alright! It's a deal, Sister Jiang."

The setting sun was like molten gold, casting a layer of orange-red radiance over the small courtyard and the two girls. Jiang Yeqiu stared intently, her dark pupils reflecting a figure bathed in light.

"Creak." The sound echoed repeatedly, and the courtyard fell empty once more.

Inside, Ji Ning first released Snowball, who was nearly starved. She brought back two spirit rice cakes and a Hundred-Flower cake; to secure the latter, she had signed up for a monthly membership at the shop.

A top-grade, first-tier purslane plant was worth fifty contribution points. Senior Sister Jiang hadn't taken all of it, only twenty, leaving Ji Ning with thirty-five points.

By next month, her savings would be enough to exchange for any weapon at the Weapon Pavilion. If she found the selection lacking, she could exchange them all for spirit stones and purchase one at the market. In any case, Ji Ning needed a reliable weapon to face the outer sect assessment.

As for Senior Sister Jiang...

Seeing her at the entrance of the Medicine Valley truly made Ji Ning lose focus for a moment.

They had joined the sect together and were assigned to the same living quarters. Jiang Yeqiu, five years her senior, always looked after her like a caring big sister. She once said she had a younger sister the same age as Ji Ning, who was adorable and beloved by their family. But when their village suffered natural disasters and plagues, all her family perished, leaving her the sole survivor.

Being kind to Ji Ning was her way of mourning the departed.

In her previous life, they had both been cowardly, never fighting or competing, and after Jiang had entered the outer sect three years before her, they lost touch. Later, when Ji Ning finally entered the outer sect, she learned that Senior Sister Jiang had withdrawn from the sect and returned to the mortal world, never to be seen again.

Reliving her life, Ji Ning’s intellect had sharpened; there was definitely something fishy here. Jiang Yeqiu was all alone, her family having perished in the miseries of the world—why would she cling to the mortal realm and abandon her cultivation?

She realized that her fate was likely no different from her own in that past life.

The Profound Heart Sect was likely rotten to the core, and as for the people of Spirit Sword Peak...

Ji Ning lay fully relaxed on the reasonably soft mattress, pulling up the quilt. Her thoughts grew sluggish, her eyelids fluttered lazily in the drowsiness, and then she fell fast asleep.

On the floor, Snowball ate with incredible speed. It didn't chew carefully, swallowing the dozen delicate cakes in a few gulps until its belly became rounded. After licking its paws to clean its face, it leaped onto the bed, curled into an oval at the foot, and drifted into a sweet slumber.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the light filtering through the window shifted. A breeze swayed the treetops, and occasionally a gust swept a few leaves through the window into the room.

Spirit Cloud Peak was currently experiencing the brief calm before a storm.

Qionghua Peak was the residence of the successive sect leaders and grand elders of the Profound Heart Sect. The Qionghua Hall, silent for many years, saw a farce unfold today.

Inside the hall, the seat of honor was vacant; the sect leader had been away on a journey and had yet to return. On the first tier below, four grand elders sat in order. On the second tier, the two rows were meant for the peak masters; with the Spirit Sword Peak master in seclusion and the Spirit Talisman Peak master visiting a friendly sect, the other four peak masters were present.

The first two seats on the left were reserved for the Spirit Sword Peak master, Yu Huaizhen, while the right was occupied by the Spirit Pill Peak master, Mu Lin. When the sect leader was away, the sect was managed by these two peak masters, with the four grand elders assisting.

Qionghua Hall was meant for discussing major sect affairs. Today, however, a hall meeting had been called over the attack on a single disciple, and some were clearly dissatisfied.

Once everyone was gathered and the grand elder gave his consent, Elder Mingyang entered the hall.

"Greetings to the grand elders and the peak masters." He bowed to each, observing their expressions.

With the grand elders silent and the Spirit Sword Peak master absent, the Spirit Pill Peak master, Mu Lin, curled his lips in disdain and spoke first.

"Mingyang, calling a hall meeting over a single disciple is surely overstepping sect regulations," he said with a faint, sarcastic tone.

Once the seal was broken, others followed. "Spirit Beast Peak is busy; because of one disciple, you've left our honored guests waiting and lost business. Will your Spirit Sword Peak compensate for that?" The speaker was Min Rui, the master of Spirit Beast Peak.

Spirit Beast Peak was on good terms with Spirit Pill Peak and had long been colluding in private. Elder Mingyang ignored their words.

He took a transparent glass bottle from his storage device, held it up for everyone to see, and said, "Everyone, please look. This is what the array-setter used: a third-tier Spirit-Devouring Snake. This snake originates from the southern swamps; local sects often use its flesh for medicine and poison, and its skin for refining robes and artifacts. It is quite common there."

"What does this have to do with today's matter?" Peak Master Mu asked impatiently.

"Peak Master Mu, please do not be hasty. This item was found where my disciple was ambushed. It was dead. According to the disciple, this creature was the core of the array used to trap them. I am not well-versed in array formation, so I must trouble Peak Master Ling to explain."

Ling Simiao, the master of the Spirit Array Peak, had eyes that sparkled with intelligence. From the moment Mingyang produced the snake, she hadn't taken her eyes off it.

Suddenly addressed, she pursed her lips and smiled. "The northern lands are mostly plains with low mountains. Aside from using array plates, sects here usually use inanimate objects or spirit tools as array cores. Using a living creature as an array core is a secret technique of sects in the southern swamps, wild forests, waterways, and rugged mountains. I traveled in the south in my youth and saw it once, but the method is never passed on. I studied it for years without success and finally gave up."

"If I understand Mingyang correctly, he is suggesting that the array-setter came from the south. That is strange. Apart from the Northern Grand Competition, our sect has never interacted with southern sects, and we have never offended any in recent competitions. Why would someone travel thousands of miles to commit murder?" Peak Master Ling followed Mingyang’s lead, hitting the nail on the head.

If there was no grievance, it was a premeditated act.

Qi An was wearing civilian clothes during his mission; without an information leak, outsiders would not have been able to track and hunt him down. To call it a random attack was too far-fetched; many disciples were on missions outside the sect, some even wearing sect uniforms, yet they remained unharmed.

There was only one answer: there was a mole within the sect, and their status was not low, as the movements of inner disciples were generally not recorded.

"So what? It could be that he provoked someone himself, leading to the pursuit. We don't know for sure; perhaps that disciple of yours isn't telling the truth!" Peak Master Min said coldly.

"As Peak Master Min says, but this array was set up within the sect. The sect-protecting array is a sixth-tier formation. The three people who hunted my disciple were all below the Golden Core stage. Without a disciple token, how could they have gotten in?"

"What..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked, the grand elders included.

When Elder Mingyang reported the matter, he hadn't mentioned this, wanting to see their reactions.

Peak Master Min’s behavior proved it certainly wasn't him...