The Pavilion Lord of the Shenji Pavilion was not trying to find a way to reconnect those meridians.
Nonsense!
He didn’t know what that demoness was thinking. If Yan Huirou had broken an arm or a leg, the Shenji Pavilion could have made her a mechanical one—but to reconnect broken meridians was absolutely impossible for him.
Three days later, in front of that woman, his head would probably fall to the ground.
Fa Baichuan was in despair. He could only first provide Jiang Xidai with good food and drink in the sect, and then secretly fight to the death.
He rode a celestial ship, traveling swiftly along the river, and finally arrived at the territory of the Haoran Sect.
Xie Minting and Zhan Ke received him together.
Sect Master Xie was wearing a dark blue Daoist robe today, with gold thread cloud patterns on it, looking elegant and dignified. Her every move was indeed that of a righteous person. When she stood with her sword, she had the air of a gentleman.
Zhan Ke stood by her side, her face clear and dignified, also a perfect match. She smiled faintly and asked, “Pavilion Lord Fa, why do you look so disheveled?”
Fa Baichuan fell to his knees with a thud, coming to ask for help with tears and snot streaming down his face.
Xie Minting frowned, then quickly bent down to help this fellow Daoist up. “I can’t accept this.”
“Within three days, that demoness wants me to reconnect a woman’s broken meridians. How is that possible? Not to mention whether such a method exists in the world, just three days! Three years would be more like it!”
Fa Baichuan took a deep breath. After explaining the whole story, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of sorrow: “She must be wanting to go on a killing spree, just looking for an excuse to amuse herself.”
“Sect Master Xie, Pavilion Lord Zhan, if you two don’t help my Shenji Pavilion, the Shenji Pavilion is in danger! I’m afraid it will be destroyed in my generation!”
Zhan Ke’s eyes moved, and she thought in surprise: Which woman beside Jiang Xidai?
Could it be Yan Huirou?
Zhan Ke comforted him, “You don’t have to be so anxious. The three-day deadline has not yet arrived. Maybe there’s still a chance for things to turn around?”
Xie Minting’s brow, however, furrowed even tighter, as if she were deep in thought.
Then, she nodded to Fa Baichuan. “Since we are fellow Daoists, and one of us is in trouble, we will naturally not stand by and do nothing.”
Zhan Ke, however, looked at Xie Minting in astonishment and quietly tugged on her sleeve. “Minting, this is a serious matter. Do we need to discuss it further—”
Zhan Ke only wanted to egg on Fa Baichuan to weaken Jiang Xidai’s wings, not to help herself.
What did this old man’s death have to do with her?
Ever since she had not gained any advantage in the last two battles, she did not want to get involved in this muddy water herself. She had decided to rest for a while and watch the fire from the other side of the river.
But Xie Minting, she…
Xie Minting was not as complicated as Zhan Ke thought. She had always been a straightforward person.
Jiang Xidai had committed many evils. Any one of her murders was enough to warrant death—that woman deserved to die a thousand times.
Logically speaking, if she didn’t get involved in this matter, the Shenji Pavilion would inevitably suffer countless casualties, all of them human lives.
In terms of friendship, Fa Baichuan of the Shenji Pavilion was also a fellow Daoist who had contributed to “quelling the disaster of the demoness.”
If the Haoran Sect stood by and did nothing, it would be a betrayal of the sect’s teachings of “righteousness and integrity.” Previously, due to the sudden death of the Qingxu Sect Master, the entire Immortal Alliance had been in turmoil. The Qingxu Sect had no leader, and not long after, news came that all the disciples who had sought revenge had been killed.
This matter… if they continued to stand by and do nothing, it would not cause hatred, but the morale of the entire Immortal Alliance would be shaken, and the army would be routed.
There were even rumors that the demoness was immortal and could not be harmed by ordinary people.
The Immortal Alliance had to punish them for a long time before this trend barely subsided.
Zhan Ke looked at Xie Minting, but Sect Master Xie was completely unaware that Zhan Ke was looking at her, and was thinking about Jiang Xidai.
Zhan Ke withdrew her gaze and sighed in her heart. “Alright then. But the disciples in my pavilion are still scattered in several branches of Lanyue Pavilion. It will take some time to gather them…”
She lowered her voice and said tactfully, “Minting, I have a few words to say to you in private.”
Xie Minting said strangely, “Is there something that can’t be said in the open?”
Fa Baichuan was naturally greatly relieved when Xie Minting agreed to his request. Xie Minting had always been a woman of her word, and her character was trustworthy.
He had a way out!
So this old man said with great perception, “Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. I won’t disturb you any longer.”
Xie Minting summoned a disciple and said, “Take Pavilion Lord Fa to rest and entertain him well.”
After Fa Baichuan left, Zhan Ke finally dropped the polite smile on her face.
“To be honest. Regarding Jiang Xidai, I’ve tried a few times. In the current situation, it’s very difficult for us to capture her in one go.” Zhan Ke said earnestly, “You agreed so easily. The people who die in the Shenji Pavilion are people, but are my subordinates and your disciples not?”
Xie Minting, however, said, “How can we let the younger generation be the vanguard? Besides, against Jiang Xidai, there’s no need to waste lives to wear her down. It’s like Jingwei trying to fill the sea(idiom meaning futile and pointless); it’s completely meaningless.”
“Then…”
“I will go and meet her myself.”
“You can’t!” Zhan Ke was shocked.
“Why not?”
Xie Minting’s furrowed brow relaxed slightly. She looked at Zhan Ke and quickly made a decision. “Not to mention capturing Jiang Xidai, the Immortal Alliance has already lost half its members. At the very least, we must do our best to protect the lives of the Shenji Pavilion’s disciples. Besides…”
“Last time Lanyue Pavilion was set on fire, Jiang Xidai did not harm the lives of your disciples.”
“I don’t know if she wasn’t interested, or if she suddenly felt a sense of compassion, but there’s still some hope.”
“With Jiang Xidai’s cultivation, if she wanted to declare war on the Shenji Pavilion, she wouldn’t need to find such an excuse and waste three days.”
Xie Minting reiterated, “So I think there’s still some hope after all.”
Zhan Ke said nothing on the surface, but she gritted her teeth in her heart—she would rather Jiang Xidai had chopped up those useless outer sect disciples than burn those treasures.
Outer sect disciples were like leeks; you could cut one batch and another would grow. But gold, silver, treasures, magic artifacts, and divine weapons, as well as her treasure pavilion, were extremely difficult to accumulate.
Against Jiang Xidai, one wrong move would be a fierce battle, and there might even be a risk to her life.
Zhan Ke’s tone was inexplicably anxious. “I know you have the great righteousness of the world in your heart. But it’s too risky. Jiang Xidai might still be a little soft on me, but she has no connection with you—”
“Saving one is one. What else can we do if we don’t agree?” Xie Minting supported her forehead, looking tired. She poured herself a cup of tea. “This world is chaotic. It’s not easy for anyone to live. Should I let you go instead?”
Zhan Ke paused.
Xie Minting held the tea and gave her a reassuring smile. “I promised Pavilion Lord Zhan before that with the Haoran Sect here, we will definitely protect you. This is a promise, and I, Xie, have never broken my word to anyone.”
“With one more person, there’s one more source of strength. Although Jiang Xidai’s cultivation is the best in the land, this time it’s a direct confrontation. She won’t gain any advantage, and she was injured before…”
Zhan Ke’s tone was faint. “She probably has to weigh things a little.”
Xie Minting looked at Zhan Ke a couple of times. Her expression seemed to be serious.
She also fell into deep thought and felt that what she said did make some sense.
And so, this matter was temporarily settled.
Speaking of these few days, Fa Baichuan and his group had been living in a state of anxiety.
Jiang Xidai, however, was comfortable.
She had just moved to a different large hall to laze around in, and every day she would order the junior disciples of another sect to bring her some fruits and pastries to try. After trying them all, she found that they were far from being as good as those from the Shasheng Sect, so she didn’t have much interest anymore.
But there were still some new things.
For example, the wooden and stone butterflies of the Shenji Pavilion. Although they were not flesh and blood, they could fly gracefully.
Jiang Xidai pinched the clever little gadget and tossed it up, watching the little insect flutter its wings, fly in a circle, and then land joyfully on her outstretched palm.
Sometimes Jiang Xidai would deliberately avoid the little insect, but the butterfly would still stick to her, gently landing on her shoulder or fingertip.
Yan Huirou sat beside her—on the elder’s seat, watching as Jiang Xidai leaned back loosely, tossing and catching it for a long time. The corners of the woman’s lips were slightly raised, as if she were very interested in this sensible butterfly. She had three in her hand, each a different color.
Yan Huirou tilted her head. “Sect Master Jiang, can I have a look?”
The woman glanced at her.
“This was just given to me by a disciple of the pavilion to relieve my boredom. He said I was young…”
But in the end, they were all snatched away by the willful master of the Shasheng Sect.
Not a single one was left for Yan Huirou.
Jiang Xidai picked through them in her palm for a long time and finally chose a plainer one, which didn’t look so cute. She stingily tossed it to Yan Huirou and said faintly, “I don’t know how that person is doing. He’s really taking his time.”
“Speaking of which, thank you very much for your trouble, Sect Master.” Yan Huirou held the butterfly loosely and looked up at Jiang Xidai. “Although I don’t understand why the Sect Master is so insistent on me cultivating, I know you are doing it for my own good.”
Jiang Xidai said, “You’re really overthinking it.”
Yan Huirou: “Oh.”
Just then, three unexpected people appeared at the entrance of the Shenji Pavilion’s hall.
Jiang Xidai looked up.
To be precise, there were two unexpected people.
One was Zhan Ke, one was Xie Minting, and behind them was a meek and submissive Fa Baichuan.
Xie Minting was in the lead, with a crimson-gold heavy sword on her back.
Zhan Ke stood a little behind her and naturally held Sect Master Xie’s arm. But when her gaze met Jiang Xidai’s, her hand fell.
Jiang Xidai’s lips curved, and her smile became more obvious, but the eyes that had just had a hint of a sincere smile in them had now completely turned cold.
She did not look at the two of them again, but turned her gaze to Fa Baichuan and said with a melodious sarcasm, “Pavilion Lord Fa, your connections are so wide. It’s quite a surprise to me?”
The woman just smiled and looked at Fa Baichuan with a gloomy gaze. Her gaze was as heavy as a thousand pounds, and it forcefully bent the already not-so-straight old man even further.
