Chapter 57
When Liaowu returned to Heng Yu after receiving his soul token, all of Heng Yu’s fluctuating thoughts calmed down. Her gaze swept past Liaowu and landed on Mu Huan, who was following closely behind him. Her expression was somewhat speechless. “Why are you following us?”
Mu Huan lifted her chin slightly, her tone disdainful. “I’m not here for you. I’ll follow if I want to, can’t I?”
Heng Yu was exasperated with this woman. She already had a whole pond of fish back at the Hehuan Sect, and even though Dao Zhuo wasn’t fully hooked yet, she was now trying to add another fish, the Buddha-son Liaowu, to her collection.
“Fine, follow if you want.”
Liaowu smiled at Heng Yu, and seeing that she was no longer paying attention to Mu Huan, he handed her the soul token. The token was ordinary, a small, square wooden plaque with simple carvings on the back and a blank front.
Heng Yu took the token and played with it in her hand. “Do I just inject my divine sense into it?”
Liaowu nodded, explaining, “Just inject your divine sense and leave your soul imprint and sect token aura.”
Heng Yu injected her divine sense, leaving her mark. As her divine sense retreated, three lines of black text slowly appeared on the previously blank token: Hehuan Sect, Luo Heng Yu, Zero. These three lines corresponded to her sect, name, and points.
“How do we earn points in this Dharma Assembly?” Heng Yu asked curiously.
Mu Huan answered this question. She had arrived at the Sword Testing Grounds earlier than Heng Yu and Liaowu and had already inquired about everything. Moreover, she wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity to show off. Although she was answering Heng Yu’s question, Mu Huan kept looking directly at Liaowu. Her voice was sweet and seductive. “There are twelve types of competitions in this Dharma Assembly. The simplest is sparring, where the strong prevail. Besides that, there’s formation battles, refining competitions for tools and pills, and tests of mental fortitude and understanding of the three thousand Great Daos… In short, it encompasses everything, allowing the younger generation to compete from all aspects.”
After listening to Mu Huan’s introduction, Heng Yu raised an eyebrow. “This method of competition is quite novel.”
It was like a comprehensive assessment of the younger generation. A comprehensive assessment was indeed more objective and fair than a simple sparring competition, and the final ranking would be more authoritative.
At this point, Mu Huan finally deigned to shift her gaze from Liaowu to Heng Yu. She said, “I was already tired of the last Dharma Assembly, but since Lord Luo didn’t participate last time, it’s natural to be excited.”
Heng Yu gave a fake smile. She stepped forward and walked calmly towards Liaowu. “Of course, I’m looking forward to this Dharma Assembly. Liaowu promised to accompany me throughout the entire event.” After speaking, Heng Yu turned her head and winked at Liaowu, her wrist moving slightly as her fingertips lazily traced the back of his hand. Her expression carried a hint of charm, perfectly mimicking Mu Huan’s flirtatious gestures towards Liaowu.
Of course, Mu Huan’s charm stemmed from her cultivation technique, emanating from within, like a bewitching fox demon. Heng Yu’s charm, however, was more superficial. While Liaowu remained unmoved by Mu Huan’s seductive poses, now he involuntarily took half a step back, lowered his eyes slightly, put his hands together, and chanted, “Amitabha.”
The identification jade pendant at Heng Yu’s waist felt faintly warm. She glanced down at her waist before looking up and changing the subject, proactively suggesting to Liaowu, “Let’s go to the trading area and have a look around.”
Saying that, Heng Yu strode forward. Liaowu followed behind her. Mu Huan paused for a moment, stomped her foot in frustration, and then hurried to catch up.
A small trading area was set up in the northeast corner of the Sword Testing Grounds. It was especially lively, with not only Sword Sect disciples setting up stalls but also disciples from other sects joining in the fun. They were selling all sorts of things; Heng Yu even saw Hehuan Sect disciples selling aphrodisiacs that enhanced the effects of dual cultivation. And they were quite popular.
The three of them walked a bit deeper into the area. Heng Yu noticed a shop selling various cultivation manuals and was about to go over and take a look when she suddenly sensed a sharp sword Qi slashing towards her from the side.
Before she could raise her hand to block the sword Qi, Liaowu, who had been silently following behind her, moved forward and shielded her. Casually dissipating the sword Qi, Liaowu turned to Heng Yu, his voice gentle. “Lord Luo, are you alright?”
Heng Yu shook her head. “That sword Qi wasn’t aimed at me directly. It must have been accidental.”
Heng Yu peered past him to see who would openly fight in such a crowded marketplace. Not far from them, two groups were confronting each other. Or rather, six people wearing Sword Sect inner disciple uniforms were surrounding a woman. The woman’s face was not unfamiliar to Heng Yu; it was Wu Mei.
“Oh, what trouble has Wu Mei encountered?” Mu Huan’s schadenfreude-filled voice immediately followed, perfectly portraying the vicious villainess. Among the ten young masters of the Hehuan Sect, only the three of them were women. In the past, Heng Yu had been very low-key, staying in her courtyard to cultivate and having little interaction with the other two. However, Mu Huan and Wu Mei were of similar status, and they had clashed many times, resulting in a deep-seated conflict. Naturally, Mu Huan wouldn’t miss the chance to watch Wu Mei’s predicament.
Mu Huan didn’t control her volume, and the Sword Sect disciples surrounding Wu Mei turned to look at her. Seeing her and Heng Yu’s attire, they immediately guessed their identities. The leading male disciple cupped his hands in greeting. “Fellow Daoists, this is a private matter between us and Wu Mei. Please do not interfere.”
Wu Mei’s face was cold. She silently unwrapped the silk ribbon around her wrist, assuming a defensive posture. She wasn’t surprised to hear Mu Huan say, “This has nothing to do with me.”
What surprised her was Heng Yu’s response. Heng Yu asked, “You are Sword Sect disciples, yet you openly fight in this crowded market. Doesn’t this violate the Sword Sect’s rules? Your sword Qi almost injured me just now. How do you intend to settle this account?”
The Sword Sect disciples exchanged glances. They had finally cornered Wu Mei, and letting her go so easily would be too lenient. They knew Heng Yu was trying to help Wu Mei, but they couldn’t find fault with her words.
Not far away, Wu Mei blew a kiss at Heng Yu. Then she stretched, her slender, white waist arching and peeking out from beneath her slightly short robe. “If you want to fight, then fight. If not, then move aside. Your Sword Sect’s Enforcement Team will be here soon. Speaking of which, they’re coming awfully slow. Could it be that you’ve already notified them in advance and asked them to delay their arrival? Tsk tsk, it’s nice to be able to cause trouble freely within your own sect.”
Their secret arrangements exposed, the leading disciple’s expression turned annoyed. He said hatefully, “Fine, we’ll let you off the hook for now. Let’s go!” They turned and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
The onlookers, seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, dispersed. Heng Yu then stepped forward and walked up to Wu Mei. “Why were they surrounding you?”
Wu Mei looked disheveled. Before Heng Yu and the others arrived, she had already exchanged a few blows with them. Their cultivation levels were similar, and being besieged by six people, she hadn’t fared well.
Hearing Heng Yu’s question, she sighed and waved her hand tiredly. “It’s a long story.”
“Then make it short,” Mu Huan urged.
Wu Mei glared at her; Mu Huan just wanted to see her in trouble. In contrast, Wu Mei felt that Lord Luo was a rare good person in the sect, having just spoken up for her.
Fortunately, Heng Yu didn’t know what Wu Mei was thinking, otherwise she would have secretly complained about this sudden “good person” card. The Hehuan Sect truly lived up to its reputation as a demonic sect; the camaraderie between fellow disciples was as fragile as paper. She had only said a few words and had become a ‘rare good person in the sect.’ This was a bit too much.
Wu Mei thought for a moment and decided not to hide anything. “I did some things to infiltrate the Sword Sect.”
“What things?” Heng Yu asked curiously.
“…I exposed an affair between a Sword Sect elder and a female disciple, and then I was captured by the enraged elder. Originally, the Sword Sect planned to let me go after learning my identity, but in order to be closer to my target, I forced my way into a Sword Sect competition. That competition was essentially to choose the ten most beautiful women of the Sword Sect…” Wu Mei spread her hands and said with a wry smile, “…Who would have thought that I would outshine everyone, stealing the limelight and overshadowing all the other female disciples. After that competition, I earned nearly ten thousand admiration points in one go. But since I stole the limelight from others, I was resented by those with poor character.”
The wry smile on her lips looked more like boasting. Thinking of her own pitiful admiration points, Heng Yu was certain: Wu Mei was showing off.
Just as Heng Yu thought the story was over, Wu Mei continued, “After that competition, the Sword Sect wanted to kick me out even more, but of course, I couldn’t leave. So then I…” Wu Mei looked up at the sky. “I fed Yu Xia the aphrodisiac my master gave me. You know, even Nascent Soul cultivators can’t resist that drug, and then I successfully… had my way with him. I have to say, the Sword Sect’s chief disciple has a great physique.”
Mu Huan: “!” This woman had made even more progress than her!
Heng Yu: “…” Sister, you’re amazing.
Even Liaowu couldn’t control his expression, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. Who was Yu Xia? He was the number one among the younger generation of the Sword Sect, the chief disciple, and the future sect leader. He was seen as a role model by the Sword Sect disciples.
And yet, within their own territory, their beacon of hope had been drugged and seduced by a demonic woman!
Heng Yu coughed lightly, breaking the silence. “I regret helping you.”
Wu Mei reached out and poked Heng Yu’s shoulder with her slender finger. “Can’t you have a little camaraderie? I think you’re just jealous that I took him by force. I’m thinking, Elder You Yun must have given you plenty of aphrodisiacs too. If you’re envious of me, why don’t you…” She turned to look at Liaowu, her chin raised and a meaningful smile on her face.
Heng Yu followed her gaze to Liaowu. Meeting Liaowu’s calm gaze, Heng Yu said obediently, “Senior Brother Liaowu, don’t worry, I won’t be led astray.”
Wu Mei curled her lip. “You must think the Buddha-son lacks technique. But it’s fine, you have enough for both of you.”
Why should she be the only one to be embarrassed? Let’s hurt each other.
At this point, Mu Huan didn’t mind joining forces with Wu Mei. “Exactly, Lord Luo. Have you been wasting your time learning the art of dual cultivation all these years?”
Heng Yu smiled. “Yes, I’ve long forgotten it. Besides, do I need to resort to forceful methods to seduce the Buddha-son?”
She took a step back and, under the cover of her wide sleeves, gently hooked Liaowu’s pinky finger.
This gesture was like asking Liaowu: Does she need to?
Does she?
He didn’t speak, his expression as calm as ever. But the slightly warm jade pendant at Heng Yu’s waist answered for him.
See, the jade pendant was more honest than he was.
Leave a Reply