Chapter 591 - 600: Playing Dumb

A hazy cyan color bloomed on the horizon. In the distance, a vast expanse of mist shrouded the mountain peaks.

Zhang Xiaoyun tilted her head back to look at the pale sky and chuckled to herself. "I never thought it would be you. Seeing you has put my mind at ease... somewhat. But what kind of Sect is this Wuyou Palace, really?"

In truth, Zhang Xiaoyun hadn’t recognized the figure at first. But as they talked, recognition slowly dawned. After all, in an environment like Taiyi Pavilion, how could she not have matured? Her only option was to feign ignorance.

Since she wasn’t clever enough, the only way to protect herself was to play dumb.

She couldn’t let anyone know about her relationship with Wen Qingye. Her only recourse was to never speak of the past, to act as if she had forgotten everything, burying all her emotions deep within her heart.

’You all want to use me as a pawn. A pity... I don’t trust anyone but my husband.’ A smile touched the corners of Zhang Xiaoyun’s lips. She tilted her exquisitely beautiful face upward, gazing at the cyan sky.

In that moment, she was at her most captivating.

She seemed to merge as one with the distant mountains. A graceful figure walking through the woods, leaving behind only faint traces—a masterpiece painted by time.

Fine threads of misty rain finally began to fall.

...

The short, black-robed figure slowly descended the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, someone appeared to be waiting for her.

The person stood at the edge of the mountain, shrouded in what seemed to be a clear mist, their face completely obscured from view.

"Is it done?"

A young, childish voice emerged from within the black robes. "Reporting to the Palace Master, everything has been arranged."

"Mm."

The person gazed toward the mountains. The black-robed figure beside her didn’t dare disturb her, simply waiting quietly at her side.

Suddenly, the person spoke, her voice low. "Yunshan, do you think she believed you?"

The black hood was slowly pushed back, revealing the face of a child. This was none other than the Little Yunshan from years ago. Her hair was in two pigtails, and her large eyes stared at the person before her. With rosy cheeks, she looked only slightly older than she had back then.

Little Yunshan said proudly, "Sister Xiaoyun? She definitely believed me. I know her very well."

"Is that really so?" The person chuckled and shook her head. "All right, let’s go. If we linger any longer, some of Taiyi Pavilion’s reclusive old monsters might discover us."

"Okay." Yunshan nodded.

With a wave of her sleeve, the two of them transformed into a single black thread, vanishing above the Taiyi Cloud Sea in an instant. Their speed was simply horrifying to behold.

...

Meanwhile, news of Wen Qingye killing Lim Tian began to spread throughout the Eastern Profound Domain at an astonishing speed.

The entire Eastern Profound Domain was in an uproar.

When people learned that Wen Qingye had done it without using a Secret Technique, their shock only intensified.

Everyone trembled inwardly. Wen Qingye’s rate of growth was too fast—so fast that it had caught them all completely off guard and unprepared.

A single sword-strike sent a chill through the land, and the very skies above the Eastern Profound Domain seemed to shift and change.

「Within Jingchan Hall, Baoling Temple.」

As the sun set, a single, captivating ray of light illuminated the entrance to the main hall.

TOK! TOK!

An old monk, his face etched with endless worldly weariness, sat cross-legged with his eyes lightly closed, rhythmically tapping a wooden fish.

In the tranquil hall, there was only the crisp, rhythmic tapping, and nothing more.

"Senior Brother."

Suddenly, a monk in a red kasaya appeared at the entrance. He walked slowly to the side of the monk tapping the wooden fish and spoke with great respect.

This was the current abbot of Baoling Temple, Master Linghui.

The monk tapping the wooden fish was his senior brother, Master Lingzhi. To the outside world, however, Master Lingzhi was a dead man. No one knew that he was living in seclusion here in Shocking Hall.

Linghui looked at Lingzhi and said slowly, "Master Huayang of the Daoist School of Non-action came to discuss something with me. I’m uncertain how to proceed, so I’ve come to seek your counsel, Senior Brother."

Master Lingzhi seemed not to hear him. His eyes remained closed as he continued to tap the wooden fish.

Linghui continued, "When Master Huayang came, he wasn’t alone. He brought people from the Qinghuo Clan with him."

The tapping of the wooden fish in Master Lingzhi’s hands paused for a fraction of a second before resuming. "The Qinghuo Clan," he said. "They’ve come out of seclusion?"

"They have. It’s said that the object they were guarding has vanished, and with it, their clan’s generational duty is no more. So..." Linghui trailed off, looking at Master Lingzhi.

Master Lingzhi said slowly, "So desire has taken root, and now they want to claim a piece of the pie in this tangled, treacherous Eastern Profound Domain?"

"Exactly," Linghui said with a nod.

Master Lingzhi asked, "And what is it they want?"

Linghui lowered his voice. "They want our Baoling Temple to join forces with the Daoist School of Non-action and the Qinghuo Clan..."

Master Lingzhi’s eyes snapped open. His murky gaze fixed on the setting sun outside, his eyes seeming to shine with a light that rivaled the sun’s fading rays. "Linghui," he said, "what are your thoughts on this?"

Linghui glanced at Master Lingzhi and hesitated for a moment before replying, "It is the way the winds are blowing, the tide of popular opinion. We cannot avoid being swept up in this torrent of rebellion."

"Is that what you believe?" Master Lingzhi smiled and shook his head. "The green mountains seem ageless, but their peaks are capped with white snow. The clear water seems carefree, but its face is wrinkled by the wind. Do you remember the lesson our master once taught? The parable of the three fish in the Three Rivers Pool? They each chose a different path and met three different fates. They didn’t realize that sometimes, staying put is the best and surest way to survive. Contentment is the most important thing for a person. One must not be swayed by the desires of the heart."

Master Lingzhi paused, then continued, "Besides, have you seen any movement from the north, or the south? I believe it is best not to rush to conclusions. We of Baoling Temple are men who have left the worldly world behind. It is best we remember our duties and keep to them."

Hearing Master Lingzhi’s words, Linghui fell silent.

The hall fell silent. Neither of them spoke. After a long moment, Linghui nodded sharply. "I understand."

Having said this, Linghui turned and walked out of the hall.

After watching Linghui depart, Master Lingzhi closed his eyes and resumed tapping the wooden fish. Once again, the crisp, clear sound echoed through the hall.

...

「The Northwest Border, in the Wanxi Small Country near the Desert North.」

A few hundred miles from here, beyond Sanjing Pass, lay the vast expanse of the Desert North, a sea of yellow sand that stretched for tens of thousands of miles.

The Desert North was home not only to countless Evil Lands, bizarre tombs, and spectacular vistas, but also to innumerable powerful Sects that held sway over the land.

However, most of these Sects preferred to keep to themselves, so the outside world knew very little about them.

At a tea stall in the Wanxi Small Country, near Sanjing Pass, every table was packed. The patrons all had sinister expressions and a cold glint in their eyes; they were desperadoes, coming and going, all of them ready to risk everything on a single gamble.

Of course, there was no shortage of experts from various Sects in the area, but they wouldn’t be found in a humble tea stall like this.