So Lin Xiaoqing and Cheng Yun—the two celebrated beauties of the inner sect—shared such a tangled history of love and resentment!
Xiang Le, another inner disciple, was stunned beyond words.
More importantly, which of the two took the lead in their relationship?
No, no, no! That was not important!
What she should be wondering was whether Cheng Yun would silence her forever now that she knew the woman’s little secret. Cheng Yun was infamous among their generation of disciples for being black-hearted, ruthless, and unwilling to leave witnesses alive.
Never mind whether Cheng Yun had failed to notice her. Xiang Le first had to consider the woman’s influence within the inner sect—and all those terrifying followers.
The mere thought made her shudder.
Then an idea suddenly occurred to Xiang Le. She considered it in silence and nodded to herself. Yes, it was an excellent plan. That settled it.
First, she used a spell to disguise herself as a burly, dark-faced man. Then she hurried to the marketplace and spread the news of Cheng Yun’s secret love for Lin Xiaoqing at lightning speed.
Afterward, she nervously knocked on the door of Xiaoqing’s cave dwelling and delivered a tale that mixed three parts truth with seven parts lies.
Xiaoqing was easy to fool. Cheng Yun was a genuine demon.
“Wait. You…” Xiaoqing needed a moment to make sense of this.
She had been taking stock of the body’s possessions. Good grief, the original owner was rich! The spiritual herbs and pills alone had to be worth tens of millions of spirit stones. Xiaoqing had been celebrating when she received a voice-transmission talisman from the story’s third important woman, who announced that she was waiting outside.
Since the visitor had already arrived, Xiaoqing could hardly refuse to open the door. She also believed that no one visited without a reason. But after listening to Xiang Le, all she could say was, “You’re telling me that Cheng Yun threatened you and ordered you to spread rumors about some shameful secret between her and me?”
What kind of nonsense was this?
“Yes, exactly. Xiaoqing, let me tell you in confidence: Cheng Yun must have a reason for doing this.” Xiang Le embroidered the story further. “She wants Eldest Senior Brother. She’s trying to ruin your reputation so she can have him. You mustn’t fall for her scheme!”
As though the situation were not heated enough, Xiang Le poured Eldest Senior Brother over it like a ladle of hot oil. She desperately hoped that Xiaoqing, supposedly one of his admirers, would rush off to confront Cheng Yun. Then Xiang Le would be safely out of the matter.
Xiaoqing said nothing.
Xiang Le blinked. Why had she not slammed the table and sworn eternal hatred against Cheng Yun?
“Wait a moment. I’m supposed to be the victim here. Why are *you* so worked up?” Xiaoqing asked.
Xiang Le froze. Her gaze darted from side to side, and her fingers twisted the corner of her robe. “X-Xiaoqing, I’m outraged on your behalf! She’s destroying your reputation. There’s no need to guess—Cheng Yun must be working with that Li Li. They’re in this together!”
Xiaoqing’s mouth twitched. “Is that so? Then thank you for coming all this way to tell me.”
*And please accept my thanks on behalf of your entire family while you’re at it.*
Was it truly wise to provoke a conflict between her, the heroine, and another major supporting woman? There were easier ways to seek death!
“I’ll gather some people right away,” Xiang Le declared. “In a few days, we’ll fight Cheng Yun to the death. Just wait for me!”
Like a gust of wind, she came and went before Xiaoqing could get a word in.
Was that girl planning a gang war over territory? Was Eldest Senior Brother the prize? Xiaoqing had no desire to compete for him at all!
She stood speechless for a moment before putting the whole absurd affair out of her mind. In the future, she simply would not open her door so carelessly. Her present goals were to avoid the main plot and cultivate with all her might.
After borrowing a reference text on spiritual herbs, Xiaoqing flew by sword to the inner sect’s mission hall.
Sect missions paid in spirit stones and contribution points. Spirit stones were not especially important for getting around Shuangji Sect, but contribution points were essential. Borrowing books or jade slips required points, as did gaining access to good cultivation sites where one could break through a bottleneck. Such privileges were rarely cheap. Even a cost of several hundred thousand points was considered low.
Xiaoqing had just spent twenty points on one ordinary jade slip. Now her balance was completely empty, and she still had countless others to read.
*Was there any hope left in life?*
She could only accept missions and earn more points.
Shuangji Sect had three classes of disciples: common disciples, outer disciples, and inner disciples. Common disciples were mortals without spiritual roots. They performed chores and served others. Outer disciples devoted their lives to cultivating hard enough to enter the inner sect within fifty years. The duty of inner disciples was apparently to work hard and win glory for the sect.
The difference in treatment was enormous. Common disciples paid full price for sect benefits, outer disciples received a twenty-percent discount, and inner disciples paid half price.
At least Xiaoqing’s status had saved her half the cost of that jade slip. Wonderful.
The mission hall covered more than an acre and held one or two hundred people. They packed themselves three layers deep around a towering jade wall at the center of the chamber. The wall itself was dozens of yards high. Shouts and excited discussions rose one after another from the crowd.
Xiaoqing looked more closely. Most of those present were common disciples, with quite a few outer disciples among them. There was hardly an inner disciple in sight.
Wearing the robes of an inner disciple, Xiaoqing stood out at once. People kept looking her way, and several whispered behind her back as though discussing her.
She paid them no attention. She merely wondered whether inner disciples usually had no need to accept missions—or whether she had come to the wrong place.
“Senior Sister Xiaoqing, these are ordinary missions from the outer list. The inner list offers the truly valuable rewards. I’ll take you there.”
The speaker was a clear-featured outer disciple with a sweet voice who served as an attendant in the hall. She warmly explained the difference. When Xiaoqing nodded without expression, the girl smiled and led her through several turns to a passageway.
A flight of stairs sloped steeply downward. Moonlight stones hung along the walls to illuminate the path, while a dark red carpet covered the steps.
The girl descended first, with Xiaoqing close behind. The passage was unusually narrow and deep. They walked for more than ten minutes without seeing an exit.
Suddenly, the girl turned around with a bright smile and formed a hand seal. Every moonlight stone went dark. Blackness swallowed the passage.
Xiaoqing sensed the girl approaching her one step at a time. She readied herself to draw her weapon and fight to the death.
*So this is murder for treasure? Come on, then! You think I’m afraid of you?*
“You heartless thing… I thought you’d forgotten me. You took so long to visit. I’ve missed you terribly.”
