In truth, Shen Xishan had no need to curry favor with anyone; he had his own ways of obtaining information.
Three days later, Song Xiaohe passed her monthly assessment and was finally able to pack her belongings and return to the inner sect.
She eagerly went to the Affairs Hall to bid farewell to Sun Yuzhen, only to be told that Sun Yuzhen hadn’t come in that day.
She then went to Sun Yuzhen’s residence, thinking of how every time she returned to the inner sect, Auntie Zhen would give her a lot of homemade pastries and dried meat, which would last Song Xiaohe for a long time.
Drooling at the thought, she arrived at Sun Yuzhen’s doorstep, only to find the courtyard gate tightly shut, as if no one was home.
Puzzled, she climbed over the low fence and was about to call out for Auntie Zhen when she heard the sound of shattering porcelain from inside the house, followed by an eerie silence.
Song Xiaohe immediately grew alert. She tiptoed to the window, which was slightly ajar, and bent down to peek inside.
She saw the man who had introduced himself as Shen Ce. He was sitting on the table, one foot propped on a stool, the other swinging casually. His posture was relaxed as he asked, “Who did the Immortal Alliance send this time?”
Sun Yuzhen stood opposite him, her posture stiff. “I only know the leader is Luo Ren, a Heaven-Rank Hunter.”
Strange, when did this man get to know Auntie Zhen?
Song Xiaohe found the scene increasingly bizarre. She scrutinized it more closely and suddenly realized something was off.
Auntie Zhen’s posture was too rigid.
She stood straight as a rod, her arms glued to her sides, her back as stiff as a bamboo pole, as if she were showing extreme deference.
Moreover, the man’s tone and attitude seemed less like questioning and more like interrogation.
Shen Xishan: “When are they heading to the secret realm?”
Sun Yuzhen: “In three days.”
Shen Xishan: “Do you know the route?”
Sun Yuzhen: “I’ve only heard bits and pieces, nothing detailed.”
Shen Xishan fell silent, lost in thought, while Sun Yuzhen remained motionless and quiet.
Song Xiaohe’s eyes widened as she tried to suppress her excitement.
The Immortal Alliance had organized another team to head out, which likely meant they were going to search for her junior brother!
And the “secret realm” must be the place where her junior brother had gone on his previous mission.
Just as Song Xiaohe was about to continue eavesdropping, she noticed what looked like a talisman stuck to Auntie Zhen’s shoulder.
The room was dimly lit, with only a sliver of sunlight filtering through the window and falling on Shen Xishan’s face. He turned slightly, half of his face hidden in shadow, giving him an inexplicably somber air.
He didn’t look like a good person at all.
Combined with Auntie Zhen’s state, it seemed as though she was under some kind of spell.
“You despicable scoundrel, let Auntie Zhen go!” Song Xiaohe shouted, crashing through the window.
Shen Xishan was startled, nearly falling off the table.
He hadn’t noticed Song Xiaohe’s approach at all and had no idea she had been eavesdropping by the window for some time. He was utterly baffled. “Why is it you again?”
“What are you doing to Auntie Zhen?!” Song Xiaohe was on high alert, and her words were far from polite. “From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were no good—shifty-eyed, sneaky, and morally corrupt! Instead of focusing on your cultivation, you’re always scheming to pry into the inner sect’s affairs. And now you dare to lay a hand on Auntie Zhen? Even though she’s a mortal, she’s been in the outer sect for over twenty years. With such despicable behavior, I’ll definitely report you to the elders of the Immortal Alliance and have you expelled!”
Song Xiaohe delivered this tirade fluently, without a single pause or even catching her breath.
Being able to curse someone so effortlessly was indeed a skill.
Shen Xishan got down from the table, and as he stood up straight, his towering height immediately put pressure on Song Xiaohe.
He was completely unfazed by her threats, even sneering in response. “Report me? Do you have any proof?”
Song Xiaohe turned and reached for the talisman on Sun Yuzhen’s shoulder, but Shen Xishan grabbed her wrist.
His grip was incredibly strong, instantly immobilizing her.
Just as she was about to channel her spiritual energy, he slapped a talisman on her head, and her body froze completely. She couldn’t move, nor could she summon any spiritual energy.
Song Xiaohe glared at him with her eyes. “You’ve got some nerve, daring to attack a fellow disciple. How did the Immortal Alliance ever admit someone like you? You’re a disgrace to the sect!”
Shen Xishan’s expression remained impassive. “Shut up.”
And just like that, the world fell silent.
Shen Xishan pinched her cheek, his tone curious. “How do you have so much to say? Were you mute in your past life?”
Song Xiaohe continued to glare at him furiously.
Having obtained the information he needed, Shen Xishan removed the talisman from Sun Yuzhen, who promptly collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
He then issued a command to Song Xiaohe. “Hop to the door.”
Against her will, Song Xiaohe’s body began to hop clumsily toward the door, bumping into it and stumbling outside.
Shen Xishan followed her out and saw Song Xiaohe staring daggers at him.
He walked over to her and compared the talisman in his hand to the one on her head, muttering, “Huh? These talismans are exactly the same…”
There was a deep hole by the fence, likely dug by Auntie Zhen for some purpose. Shen Xishan ordered Song Xiaohe to jump into it.
The hole reached up to her waist, and Shen Xishan crouched beside it, looking down at her with a mischievous smirk on his handsome face.
“Listen up, I’ll let you off this time. But if you ever cross my path again, I’ll do exactly this and then bury you alive.” Shen Xishan asked, “Do you understand?”
Song Xiaohe wasn’t scared at all. If she could speak, she would have undoubtedly hurled another round of curses at him.
Shen Xishan left after delivering his threat. Song Xiaohe stood in the hole for half an hour before the talisman suddenly disintegrated into ashes, freeing her.
The first thing she did was rush into the house to wake Sun Yuzhen.
When Sun Yuzhen came to, she had no memory of what had happened, thinking she had simply overslept and fallen out of bed.
Song Xiaohe frantically gestured, trying to explain that a bad guy had put a talisman on her and controlled her. But when Sun Yuzhen checked her own spiritual energy, she found no traces of foreign energy intrusion and naturally didn’t believe Song Xiaohe.
As she picked up the shattered porcelain, Sun Yuzhen chided, “Xiaohe, don’t be so reckless. You might get hurt.”
Unable to convince her, Song Xiaohe grabbed her bag and ran back to report the incident to her master.
After a month away, the inner sect looked completely different. Everything was draped in white.
White banners and lanterns hung everywhere, and paper money littered the ground. Mournful cries filled the air.
The sight instantly dampened Song Xiaohe’s mood. Silently, she carried her luggage back to Canghai Peak.
Canghai Peak was the only place not adorned with white banners. The cherry blossoms were still pink, the grass was still green, and the door to her master’s room was still cracked.
“Master—” Song Xiaohe didn’t even put down her bag before rushing to Liang Tan’s quarters.
The kitchen door opened, and Liang Tan emerged, carrying a plate of fragrant food. “You’re back? Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready. Come and eat.”
Master and disciple sat down together, the table laden with Song Xiaohe’s favorite dishes.
She washed her hands, picked up her chopsticks, and began devouring the food with gusto.
Liang Tan, on the other hand, ate with refined slowness. “Did anyone bully you in the outer sect?”
“Yes!” Even with her mouth full, Song Xiaohe was determined to denounce Shen Xishan. “There’s a disciple with a rotten heart, completely unethical. He used a talisman to control Auntie Zhen and extract information from her! When I caught him, he used a talisman on me too and threatened to bury me alive!”
“There’s such a sinister figure in the outer sect?” Liang Tan was shocked. This behavior was far from what one would expect from a disciple of a righteous sect. Who would dare do such a thing under the Immortal Alliance’s nose? Of course, it was also possible that Song Xiaohe had exaggerated out of anger.
“Is that really what happened? You’re not making it up, are you?” Liang Tan sought confirmation.
“Of course not!” Song Xiaohe felt wronged. While she had embellished stories in the past, this time she was telling the truth!
“What’s his name? I’ll go to the outer sect myself tomorrow.”
“He said his name is Shen Ce.” Song Xiaohe thought for a moment, then added, “But I suspect it’s a fake name.”
“Shen Ce…” Liang Tan chewed his food thoughtfully, a look of recognition crossing his face. “That name does sound familiar.”
Her master would handle everything.
Song Xiaohe quickly put Shen Ce out of her mind and began contemplating the Immortal Alliance’s team heading to the secret realm to rescue her junior brother.
She wanted to sneak in.
But when she brought up the idea to Liang Tan, he firmly refused. “No.”
“Why?” Song Xiaohe asked.
"Don’t you know the reason yourself? Last time, the team consisted of two Heaven-Rank Hunters and Shen Xishan, along with several others. Even a team of such strength was completely wiped out. To this day, the Immortal Alliance still doesn’t know what danger they encountered. With your lack of skill, if you go, you’ll be the first to die if danger arises."
"How could that be? I’m not stupid," Song Xiaohe said. "If I encounter danger, I’ll definitely run away."
"By the time you sense the danger, it’ll already be too late," Liang Tan said. "Besides, this time their mission isn’t to rescue Shen Xishan."
Song Xiaohe was stunned. "Then what is it for?"
"It’s something I overheard a few days ago," Liang Tan whispered. "Last time, when Shen Xishan and the others went out, it wasn’t to investigate the disappearance of spiritual energy among the disciples of the immortal sects, as I had guessed. Instead, they were sent to retrieve something from a perilous place."
After saying this, he paused, took a few bites of food, and deliberately built up the suspense.
This matter involved Shen Xishan, so it was like bait that Song Xiaohe couldn’t resist. She quickly poured Liang Tan a drink and massaged his shoulders. "Master, please, tell me!"
"That place is actually called the Fengdu Ghost Realm. The Immortal Alliance just calls it a 'secret realm' to keep it hidden. The Fengdu Ghost Realm has existed for over a thousand years. Ancient texts say it was once a gateway to the underworld, but after the underworld’s entrance moved elsewhere, the Fengdu Ghost Realm was abandoned," Liang Tan explained. "However, there are rumors that after the Dragon God was born, it rested and recuperated in the Ghost Realm, leaving behind traces of its divine power. Though whether that’s true or not, no one knows."
Song Xiaohe listened with one ear and let the words slip out the other. She felt her master was rambling about useless details and impatiently asked, "So why did they go to the Ghost Realm?"
Liang Tan stroked his beard and said, "Have you ever heard of the Sundial of Time?"
Of course, Song Xiaohe hadn’t. She shook her head.
"It’s an ancient artifact that controls the flow of time. I learned about it when I was young and traveled far and wide to search for records of it. According to various ancient texts, this artifact can reverse time itself."
"Master, didn’t you say that bringing the dead back to life, reversing yin and yang, or turning back time were impossible in this world?"
"Not impossible, just extremely difficult," Liang Tan said. "To defy the natural order comes with a heavy price. Very few can achieve it, which is why the Sundial of Time, capable of controlling time, has become a treasure that all six realms would fight over."
"So, they received news that the Sundial of Time was in the Ghost Realm, and that’s why the Immortal Alliance sent them to retrieve it?" Song Xiaohe followed along.
"Exactly. If the Sundial of Time were to truly appear, it would cause massive chaos. The Immortal Alliance’s duty is to maintain order in the human realm. To prevent such chaos, they must obtain the Sundial of Time before anyone else," Liang Tan said, circling back to his original point. "This journey is far too dangerous. You can’t go."
Song Xiaohe frowned, as if realizing the gravity of the situation, and immediately nodded. "I promise I won’t go. I value my life too much."
But two days later, she stole Liang Tan’s treasure and snuck off to the outer mountains.
