San Niang

Nine Heavens Profound Fire.

Yan Jue had heard long ago that Yun Zhen possessed a fire spiritual root, but she had never expected her flames to be so devastating.

The moment someone with ill intent landed on the rooftop, Yun Zhen sensed it.

That was the terror of an eighth-realm expert. Even when she was occupied with something else, her divine sense still covered everything.

Yan Jue flew over on her sword, jumped onto the roof, and bowed to Yun Zhen before telling her what she had seen in the room just now.

Yun Zhen sighed. “What a pity. I used a little too much force. Who knew that little demon would be so weak?”

Yan Jue paused. “Master means that person just now was...”

She suddenly glanced at Yun Zhen’s clothes and immediately averted her eyes.

Yun Zhen’s attire was disheveled, and she wasn’t even wearing shoes. Her bare feet rested lightly on the shattered beam; the tops of her feet were snow-white, with faint blue veins visible beneath the skin, and her toenails were round and a soft pink.

Yan Jue: “...”

The impact of that sight on her was anything but small.

Yun Zhen: “It was a Kui bird spirit.”

Although Yun Zhen’s Nine Heavens Profound Fire had already been extinguished, the surrounding air was still scorching hot, and a faint fire-tinged scent lingered in the air.

Yan Jue was just about to speak when, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone in the room below.

It was a very beautiful woman, her dress slightly askew, long jet-black hair falling over her shoulders, her face flushed with the same faint pink as Yun Zhen’s, a misty sheen glimmering in her narrow phoenix eyes.

She looked up, her expression filled with obvious displeasure; her gaze happened to meet Yan Jue’s.

Yan Jue paused slightly.

This was Yun Zhen’s friend?

Why did she seem so familiar? It felt as though Yan Jue had seen her somewhere before.

The woman held Yan Jue’s gaze for a moment, a mixture of shock, confusion, and a kind of life-shattering disbelief flickering across her face; then she turned and left.

A gust of wind swept by from behind.

Qi Xianqing chased after her and came onto the roof, surveying the surroundings before narrowing her eyes slightly. She walked over, crouched down, and picked up a token that had been burned by divine fire until only half remained.

The token was a faint bronze color; though half of it had been burned away, the words “Sever Malice” were still barely visible on its surface.

Qi Xianqing held the half-token up for Yun Zhen to see.

“Master, earlier in Yuxu Sea, I was once hunted by monsters from the Cliff of Severed Malice. This token is also from the Cliff of Severed Malice.”

Yun Zhen glanced at it once and said coolly, “I don’t know about the rest, but I do know you’ve definitely been targeted.”

Qi Xianqing looked at Yun Zhen and couldn’t help but freeze slightly.

As an eighth-realm expert, Master’s aura always felt domineering and powerful.

But perhaps it was only her illusion; the pressure around Yun Zhen seemed a little lighter than usual.

What was going on?

And there seemed to be an intense demonic aura on Yun Zhen as well.

Qi Xianqing couldn’t help but think too much about it.

Yun Zhen slowly stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder. “We’ve already borrowed the Soul Summoning Banner; come with me to the inn and take a proper look.”

“I had to pay a very high price to borrow it from a friend.” As Yun Zhen said this, she smiled faintly. She placed particular emphasis on the words very high price.

A loud crash of breaking objects came from below.

Qi Xianqing found it hard not to look down. “Yes.”

Although the roof had been blasted apart, for a great expert like Yun Zhen, simply forming a seal would restore it to its original state.

Yun Zhen and Qi Xianqing walked out of Springfull Pavilion together, slowly.

Yun Zhen had assumed that the matter of the Sect Master was only Qi Xianqing’s own suspicion, so to protect her, she had not let Yan Jue get involved as well.

The situation lately had been turbulent and unpredictable. In truth, it was not strange for the upper echelons of Five Dragons Sect not to be who they seemed; Yun Zhen had seen such things many times.

Still, a matter like suspecting the Sect Master’s true identity could not be acted on lightly.

The relationships among Five Dragons Sect’s higher ranks were extremely delicate; they were not as harmonious as they appeared.

No matter what, the Sect Master was still at the eighth realm. If two eighth-realm experts fought, the entire Five Dragons Sect could suffer.

If she was merely being suspicious for nothing and had mistaken the person, that would be even worse.

You’re properly acting as Sect Master, and then suddenly someone jumps out to say you’re fake; the scene would be unbearably ugly.

Qi Xianqing looked back at Yan Jue, her expression softening a little. “Do you want to return to the inn with us?”

Yan Jue: “I want to wander around outside a bit more.”

Yan Jue only knew that Yun Zhen had come to Wanwu Fortress to borrow something from an old friend; she did not know exactly what she was borrowing.

What Yan Jue did know was that Qi Xianqing and Yun Zhen were busy with something important.

She vaguely felt that it might be related to the current Five Dragons Sect Sect Master, that Demon Lord.

If so, that would be excellent.

In the end, Qi Xianqing had listened to her words and paid more attention to the Five Dragons Sect Sect Master.

The reason Yan Jue still wanted to linger outside a little longer was because the appointed time in the secret letter she had received the day before had already arrived.

That day at the bookshop, she had received a secret letter telling her to meet at Nianyun Residence today at the hour of xuzheng.

There was still time for one incense stick before xuzheng, and Yan Jue needed to figure out where Nianyun Residence was.

-

Springfull Pavilion was still crowded as ever; cups clinked in the main hall, and the place was full of laughter and noise.

Yan Jue frowned deeply and slowly made her way out when three blurry characters suddenly flashed through her mind.

Just now, on the rooftop, Yun Zhen had come up from below.

It seemed she had faintly seen that the place Yun Zhen had come from was called Nianyun Residence...

A brothel with fox demons?

Yan Jue’s brow furrowed more tightly. If the secret letter she received yesterday really came from the fox clan, then why would Yun Zhen have any connection to the fox clan?

Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder.

Yan Jue turned around sharply and, to her surprise, saw the little fox demon Shi Yun and a completely baffled Zhu He.

Shi Yun was holding something in her hands. “Sister Yan, I found this on the ground just now.”

“It seems to have fallen off that big-winged monster.”

Yan Jue froze. In Shi Yun’s hands was an emerald-green jade seal shaped like a stone lion.

Yan Jue took it and looked it over; this jade seal seemed to be some kind of storage-type magical artifact.

Her eyes lit up. “Thank you.”

This time, because she hadn’t been aware of it, she had actually picked up loot from a corpse; Yan Jue could no longer suppress the corners of her mouth from lifting wildly.

“Right.” Yan Jue suddenly grabbed Shi Yun. “Can you help me with one more thing?”

After Shi Yun left, Yan Jue found a place to sit outside Springfull Pavilion and began fiddling with the storage artifact in her hand.

After a period of training, Yan Jue was now very adept at breaking formations. She took out the Seven-Glow Stone from her pocket, tapped a few different spots on the storage jade seal, and with a crisp pop, the formation on it was unlocked.

Yan Jue carefully counted the items inside.

Since this had fallen from a Cliff of Severed Malice assassin, there might be some unexpected things in it.

Yan Jue might even be able to find some clues.

The first thing Yan Jue took out of the storage artifact was a gourd.

She opened it and saw that inside were several pills as red as blood.

She didn’t know what kind of pills they were.

Yan Jue frowned, suddenly remembering that day by Yuxu Sea when she and Qi Xianqing had used Twin-Sword Fusion to kill the man in black; they had also found something similar on him.

In this world, it was truly ordinary for cultivators to carry pills on them.

It was just that later they had become too busy, and after returning to the mountain they had never gone to have them identified.

When they returned to the mountain this time, it would be better to have everything identified together.

Yan Jue infused a thread of divine sense into the storage jade seal and once again took something out.

A pill furnace.

Under the lamplight, the pill furnace was a vivid dark purple, its surface showing faint gilt patterns.

Yan Jue paused slightly.

This big-winged creature from the Cliff of Severed Malice actually had an interest in pill refinement?

But Yan Jue was not an alchemist, and she was not particularly knowledgeable about pill refinement either.

She simply put the pill furnace and the pills into her own storage bag.

Then she kept searching.

Her fingers touched something wrinkled inside the storage artifact, and with a hook of her fingertip she drew it out.

It was actually a damaged scroll; perhaps it was old, and perhaps it had been flipped through countless times, because the paper curled at the edges and had a faint yellow tinge.

No one knew what it recorded. Yan Jue turned it over.

“Dragon Shadow Sword Art.”

Yan Jue was still thinking when she suddenly saw the little fox demon Shi Yun running over. “Sister Yan.”

Yan Jue looked up. “How was it?”

Shi Yun: “I went to the entrance of Nianyun Residence, and then... then I was discovered.”

Yan Jue: “Huh?”

She had actually been discovered.

She should have lent Shi Yun the Concealing Breath Canopy just now.

If the person living in Nianyun Residence really wasn’t benevolent, then after being discovered, wouldn’t Shi Yun be beaten with sticks?

Yan Jue frowned. “Then are you all right?”

Shi Yun froze for a moment, then shook her head desperately. “That lady told me... told me to ask you to come quickly...”

Yan Jue: “Mm?”

Shi Yun: “She revealed her aura in front of me. She really is a fox demon, and she said she’s your relative too.”

-

After thanking Shi Yun, Yan Jue took a detour outside Springfull Pavilion.

She opened the Cloudvoid Umbrella and flew up onto the roof of Springfull Pavilion.

The umbrella canopy spun with the wind; Yan Jue’s figure leaped lightly through the air, and she quickly found the location of Nianyun Residence.

Nianyun Residence was a two-story pavilion; going upstairs and turning right led to the main door.

Yan Jue tapped the ground lightly with the tip of her foot and leaped onto the second-floor windowsill.

The room was dimly lit, wrapped in a cold fragrance.

Standing by the window with the Cloudvoid Umbrella in hand, Yan Jue suddenly saw a woman in a red gauze dress lying on the bed, her affectionate eyes half-closed as she slowly fanned herself with a round silk fan, sweat dampening her body, her face faintly flushed red.

Yan Jue paused slightly.

The aura of her own kind.

Lu Yanshuang was lying on the bed, but she did not seem as calm as she looked.

Her breathing was still uneven; she was still trying hard to steady it.

Originally, when Yun Zhen had used her yang essence to make a trade with her just now, she should have shamelessly sucked that woman dry on the bed.

But the moment she walked over and took a single breath, she was overwhelmed by Yun Zhen’s bone-deep, seductive moan and nearly bled from all seven apertures.

She had originally wanted to ignore that faithless woman’s cries and keep absorbing, but after only a few more breaths, that woman had made her blush and even feel faintly flustered!

For one thing, she still had an appointment with the little princess.

For another, she really could not stand this woman anymore.

Naturally, she had to leave it unfinished.

Lu Yanshuang asked, “Why hasn’t she come yet?”

A girl’s figure suddenly walked out of the darkness. “That person left not long ago; she should be here soon.”

Yan Jue subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to see the woman on the bed more clearly.

At this point, Yan Jue was increasingly certain that she had seen this person in the Myriad Demons Pavilion.

This was the San Niang she had seen there that day.

Only back then, her clothing had been as brilliant as fire; now, she seemed to have gained a little more softness.

Yan Jue didn’t seem to have much guard against her.

She picked up the teacup by the table and set it down lightly, making a sound.

The woman’s hearing was extremely sharp; upon hearing that sound, she sat up from the bed and looked toward the window. “Juejue, since you’re here, there’s no need to hide anymore.”

The girl standing beside Lu Yanshuang froze, then immediately turned around.

She had snow-white skin, a pair of narrow phoenix eyes unique to the fox clan, and a lotus-shaped emerald ornament at the center of her brow that gave off a light, lovely lake-blue glow in the dim candlelight. She wore a crossed-collar ruqun.

A sword was wrapped around the girl’s waist; it was a soft sword like Drifting Ice, wound around her body as if it were a belt.

Yan Jue had originally thought the girl might suddenly draw her sword or something, but instead the girl simply knelt down and said in a low voice, “This servant, Hanyue, pays respects to Your Highness the Princess.”

Yan Jue slowly folded the Cloudvoid Umbrella above her head and met Lu Yanshuang’s amber eyes.

Lu Yanshuang stood up. With a sinister sweep of her gaze, she suddenly slapped a hand on the table. “Juejue, you’re now that fellow’s disciple?”

Yan Jue’s scalp prickled.

She figured that she and San Niang were probably relatives.

She could only gamble on it.

After hesitating, Yan Jue nodded. “Yes.”

“That rotten woman... that fellow! She’s always deceiving foxes. She even refused to spare you!” Lu Yanshuang cursed viciously twice, then walked over and reached out to rub Yan Jue’s face. “It’s been so long since I last saw you, and you’ve grown quite a bit. You must have suffered a lot under that woman all these years.”

The woman had an excellent figure; one long leg faintly showed through the hem of her skirt, revealing a body with perfectly proportioned flesh and bone.

Behind her were six long, fluffy tails. For a moment, Yan Jue couldn’t quite react.

Frowning, Yan Jue hesitantly called out, “San Niang?”

Lu Yanshuang: “You little heartless thing. You stayed outside for so long that you don’t even remember me? You used to call me Auntie. Why are you being so distant?”

Though Lu Yanshuang was angry, it was obvious that she was very fond of her; warmth and indulgence were hidden in her tone.

Yan Jue gave an awkward laugh, then suddenly noticed the girl still kneeling beside her.

She didn’t dare ask too much. If the fox clan thought she had been possessed, that would cause a great deal of trouble.

Lu Yanshuang: “Hanyue, go out. If the Princess sees you later, she’ll only get angry again.”

Hanyue’s whole body tightened. “Yes.”

Then she withdrew.

Only then did Lu Yanshuang languidly pull Yan Jue down to sit with her on the beauty couch. “My little princess, it’s been so long since I last saw you; San Niang missed you to death.”

“You’ve had enough fun outside; when are you coming home?”

Yan Jue blinked, her thoughts turning rapidly.

The original owner had been spoiled rotten over in Ghost Mansion, probably the rebellious sort, or she wouldn’t have run off with Chu Fu.

The original owner had left Ghost Mansion Mountain for nearly four years; her temperament could have changed in any number of ways during that time. So for now, Yan Jue would do her best to play the original owner’s personality; a slight deviation here and there should be fine.

Yan Jue stepped back, avoiding Lu San-niang’s hand, and smiled. “I’m having a wonderful time outside; I don’t want to come back for now.”

San Niang rolled her eyes at her. “What’s so good about staying in those filthy immortal sects? Don’t tell me that woman has been stuffing you full of all that talk of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith.”

Yan Jue suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

San Niang... could she have had some kind of history with Master Yun Zhen?

Didn’t Master Yun Zhen just come here to borrow something?

...

Leaning lazily against the couch, Lu Yanshuang said coolly, “Recently the Demonic Cult has returned in force, and a great many demon clans have already rebelled. The human race simply strikes everyone with one blow and insists that the entire demon race has rebelled.”

“The demon race’s days are very difficult.”

“The cultivators are sending people to attack the snake clan, and the snake clan’s territory is right next to my Ghost Mansion Mountain. If the snake clan is defeated, where will my Ghost Mansion fox clan have a place to stand?”

Yan Jue froze slightly and frowned. “Then why not ask Father to send troops to help?”

As soon as Lu Yanshuang heard that, a faint anger appeared on her face. “The demon race hasn’t fought a war in a thousand years. What’s more, the fox clan is not united now; even if the King wanted to, he has no power to gather everyone together and face the enemy as one.”

After she finished, the room fell into a brief silence.

Yan Jue frowned slightly.

Lu Yanshuang continued, “Those cultivators aren’t really trying to wipe out the demonic race. If they truly were targeting the demonic race, why not go after the whereabouts of the two Demon Lords from Soul-severing Mountain and Valley of Death? They’re attacking the demon race first; their purpose is obvious enough.”

“They clearly want our demon clan’s demon cores and demon bones.”

The more Lu Yanshuang spoke, the angrier she grew.

Yan Jue listened, chilled to the bone.

The current situation was even more troublesome than she had imagined.

“More than that, there’s something else that surprises me.” Lu Yanshuang looked at her for a long moment, then suddenly changed the subject. “We haven’t seen each other in four years, and Juejue, you really have grown a lot.”

Yan Jue hadn’t expected her to switch topics so quickly. “Mm?”

Lu Yanshuang: “When I used to tell you these things, you never had the patience to listen. Yet now you’re listening so seriously.”

“Are you just giving me face, or do you really care about the fox clan?” Lu Yanshuang’s eyes rippled like autumn water, perfectly embodying what it meant to have bright eyes and a charming expression.

Yan Jue choked for a moment, just about to speak.

Lu Yanshuang looked at her with a smile, like an elder doting on a younger generation. “Your heat period has already arrived, hasn’t it?!”