In the town of Yue'an under the jurisdiction of Jiang Wei.
The night was deep, and though no lights were lit in the prison, it was not entirely dark.
The prisoners here were no ordinary folk; a shimmering barrier, like flowing water, floated between the iron bars.
As per Jing Chi's special instructions, the Harmony Union Sect cultivators guarding the prison tonight were exceptionally vigilant, their eyes and ears sharp, not missing any movement.
In the innermost cell, eight fully armed cultivators stood at the door, clearly demarcated from the two disciples sent by the Harmony Union Sect.
These two junior disciples had only been under the tutelage of Meini Peak's master for two years. When they joined, Ran Mu'er had already fled the Harmony Union Sect, so they were not well-acquainted with her affairs. However, since it was their master's order, they were fully alert.
Time passed slowly, and a sudden gust of wind blew through the prison, carrying the cold, sunless air of the cells.
The guards, who had been wide-eyed and alert, suddenly became dazed, their pupils unmoving, even the subtle movements of their lips and eyelids ceased.
They remained standing, guarding, like rows of terracotta warriors.
In Ran Mu'er's cell, the barrier vanished, and in the next moment, two figures—one in white and one in silver—appeared out of thin air.
The silver-clad man waved his hand, and a new barrier formed around the cell.
The woman in white, leaning gracefully against the wall, was none other than the master of Meini Peak, who had intervened to stop Jiang Wei from protecting Ran Mu'er at Madam Jiang's birthday banquet.
She smiled at Yin Yuan: "Junior brother, you arrived quite quickly."
Yin Yuan and Mei Ni were both disciples of the former Harmony Union Sect leader and now served as peak masters within the sect.
Yin Yuan crouched down before the unconscious, pale-faced Ran Mu'er.
He pinched her chin, his fox-like eyes filled with malice: "With my rebellious disciple here, how could I not come as her master?"
Mei Ni chuckled like a silver bell, watching the master and disciple pair with amusement: "Junior brother, in the hundreds of years I've known you, this is the first time I've seen you at a disadvantage."
Yin Yuan released Ran Mu'er's chin and pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with hibiscus flowers from his sleeve, wiping his fingers. His gaze on Ran Mu'er was as if he wished to cremate her on the spot: "Back then, I stumbled upon this rebellious disciple and saw that she had the demeanor of our Harmony Union Sect. I took her as my disciple. I told her that in this world, no one could be trusted, especially men. Use them as cauldrons for cultivation, but never let your heart be swayed. And yet—"
Yin Yuan nearly gnashed his teeth.
As a master, he naturally wished the best for his disciples. Female disciples were often too soft-hearted, so he would remind them more than the male ones.
But he never expected that Ran Mu'er, this rebellious disciple, would turn his teachings against him!
She drugged his wine, used him as a cauldron to advance to the Golden Core stage, and stole his highest-grade treasures—the Mustard Seed Pouch, the Teleportation Scroll, and the Spatial Bowl.
A daughter of the Mu family, a descendant of demons?
Truly a demoness, heartless to the core.
Yin Yuan took a deep breath, his hand reaching into Ran Mu'er's robe, resting on her dantian. His spiritual energy penetrated, and with a claw-like grip, he forcibly extracted the Mustard Seed Pouch hidden within her Golden Core.
Mei Ni laughed: "No wonder I haven't seen you use that Mustard Seed Pouch in years. So it was with this little girl."
Yin Yuan didn't respond, opening the pouch and shaking out a few items.
His Teleportation Scroll was there, but the Spatial Bowl was missing.
Yin Yuan frowned, putting the other items away and taking out Ran Mu'er's Xuantian Mirror. As he opened it to inspect, he glanced at the unconscious, weak figure and casually remarked: "Jiang Wei's methods are quite ruthless."
The injuries had affected her Golden Core; even with the best spiritual medicine, it would take months for her to wake. One misstep, and she might never wake again.
Mei Ni straightened, thinking back to the events at the banquet, her smile fading: "I found it strange too. Today, when Jiang Wei made his move, I blocked it, and I felt that... his strength was better than I expected, even somewhat concealed."
"I recall Jiang Wei is at the fifth layer of the Nascent Soul stage..." Yin Yuan looked at the message on the Xuantian Mirror: [Money Duo has two talismans]. He tapped further, and his gaze paused.
Mei Ni: "Yes, I'm three layers below him, but that move of his had a faint pressure reminiscent of our sect leader."
And the sect leader was at the Mahayana stage.
No one had ascended to immortality in the Nine Provinces Continent for tens of thousands of years. The highest cultivation stage currently was Mahayana, held only by the Ancestor of the Gong Family, Dao Xuan of the Jade Purity Sect, the Harmony Union Sect leader, and the master of South Dust Immortal Island.
The master of Jade Purity's Gu Mountain Peak was said to have attempted the Mahayana stage over a decade ago but failed the heavenly tribulation, forever barred from reaching it. A pity, truly.
"Moreover, junior brother, what your little disciple said at the banquet was quite chilling." Mei Ni softly repeated, "Jiang Qiaoqiao is not Jiang Wei's daughter. The Jiang family has colluded with demons and stolen the Bodhi Pagoda..."
"Senior sister," Yin Yuan looked up, handing the Xuantian Mirror to Mei Ni, his brows deeply furrowed, his eyes flickering with doubt, "Take a look. Someone told Ran Mu'er that the demon forest and the dry well in the Jiang family's backyard can only be seen by demons?"
Mei Ni was equally startled after reading. She flipped through Ran Mu'er's Xuantian Mirror, exchanged a glance with Yin Yuan, and decisively said: "We must report this to the sect leader. She's been investigating the Bodhi Pagoda matter with that stingy Jade Purity Sect leader and the master of South Dust Immortal Island."
Yin Yuan nodded, glanced at Ran Mu'er, and hoisted her up with one hand, tucking her under his arm.
Mei Ni observed: "When they find Ran Mu'er missing tomorrow, the first suspect will be our Harmony Union Sect."
Yin Yuan's fox-like eyes narrowed, disdainful: "Senior sister, were we here tonight?"
Mei Ni covered her mouth, chuckling: "Of course not."
"The Spatial Bowl Ran Mu'er gave is truly useful."
In the cave, Jian Huan hid within the Spatial Bowl, which had created an alternate space following the cave's contours. Watching the demon clansmen search the mountain, she couldn't help but sigh in admiration to Shen Jizhi.
Jian Huan could also draw spatial arrays, but they required time and were not as instantaneous as the Spatial Bowl. Moreover, her arrays created smaller, more cramped spaces, unlike the Spatial Bowl, which could form a room-sized area.
Ran Mu'er had said she had two life-saving treasures: the Teleportation Scroll, which she kept for herself to escape Jiang Wei, and the Spatial Bowl, which she gave to Jian Huan.
Shen Jizhi, who was setting up Jian Huan's talisman-drawing table and chair from the Mustard Seed Pouch, didn't look back as he uttered four words: "Of dubious origin."
His expertise in artifact crafting was profound, and the Spatial Bowl clearly didn't seem like something Ran Mu'er would possess.
As for where it came from, Shen Jizhi didn't care.
Jian Huan hopped over, sitting on the chair, pulling out blank talisman paper, and picking up a talisman brush. She looked up, her dark eyes sparkling, and said gleefully: "Who cares where it came from? She said this Spatial Bowl is mine now."
Shen Jizhi leaned on the table, his gaze falling on the bright-eyed, fair-skinned girl. He brushed her nose with his finger, bent down, and his cool, soft lips lightly brushed the corner of her mouth: "Yes, it's all yours."
The boy's scent was refreshing, and the low, trailing tone inexplicably sent a shiver through Jian Huan's heart, stirring her emotions.
So this is what it feels like to be in a tender embrace?
Jian Huan parted her lips, revealing her small white teeth, and gently bit his lip, murmuring: "I need to draw a lot of thunder talismans tonight... Don't distract me."
Shen Jizhi glanced at her, stood up straight, and patted her head from above: "It's your heart that's unsettled."
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked over to a meditation cushion, sitting down to cultivate with an air of calm indifference.
