CH 6

“How do you know that I have a way?”

Qin Wanwan blurted out. Jian Xingzhi was surprised, “You really have a way?”

When the words came out, Jian Xingzhi felt that his words weren’t right, he quickly rectified, “What are you planning to do?”

Qin Wanwan didn’t reply right away. She weighed it down. She scrutinized Jian Xingzhi’s face. She initially planned to finish their “break up”, but in the end, she didn’t get the chance, and now she couldn’t say anything else. Thus, she only assured, “I have my way. Don’t worry so much about it. I will hand you the deed of sale and the money, you should go out from the tunnel……”

“You wish to dump me?” Jian Xingzhi heard it and understood her meaning. He lifted his eyebrow and Qin Wanwan shook her head reflexively, “No!”

“Then, why did you tell me to leave?”

“I……” Qin Wanwan stammered when she realized she was seen through, “I want to send you to a safe place…”

She found an excuse and quickly played it, “This place is dangerous, you are a mortal. It’s not safe for you to stay by my side.”

“I’m not afraid of danger!” Jian Xingzhi declared righteously, “I must stay with you.”

Touched.

In the face of such deep feelings, Qin Wanwan was extremely touched. 

But, the more touched she was, the guiltier she was.

Her tangled mind was visible on her face. Jian Xingzhi covered his mouth from view and observed Qin Wanwan across from him. It was evident she was reluctant to let him stay by her side. He adjusted his position and considered for a moment. He probably could speculate what Qin Wanwan’s worry was, “Is it because you think I am useless?”

“No……”

“I’m pretty useful,” Jian Xingzhi reckoned the main point of this talk and volunteered himself, “Since you plan to go down the mountain, you must have some plans ready, right? You are under observation right now and can’t get out now, but you ought to think of something during your confinement. Look at me, I am in good health and strong. I can go in and out of the Wen Xin Sect without hindrance. Just tell me where you want to go and I will dig a tunnel for you at once. If you let me stay, I won’t be a burden for you.”

Qin Wanwan was concerned by Jian Xingzhi’s words.

She contemplated it and evaluated that what he said had some fact on it.

Jian Xingzhi may be a Male Pet, but from the imposing manner when he held the sword when they first met, and his ability to dig a tunnel through Wen Xin Sect, he indeed had some value. 

She was a person who could appreciate a valuable person. She acknowledged Jian Xingzhi’s value and entertained it. She set her hands on Jian Xingzhi’s hand and vowed, “I will definitely give you more money in the future.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Jian Xingzhi’s attention was drawn to the place she was holding.

This was the first time he had skin contact with a girl outside of fighting, he had no idea why he felt a little strange over it.

He wished to pull his hand away from Qin Wanwan’s, but then he thought that he would be too mean if he did that. Hence, he only averted his gaze and faked calmness by sipping his tea. 

“What’s your plan now?”

At this point, there was no way she had no plan.

“I have some consideration,” Qin Wanwan started, “The reason why they don’t let me go is that they need me to awaken Su Yueli. There is no harm in it. We might as well take a look, see if we can wake up Su Yueli. We can use it as an exchange to make them let us go down the mountain, not so bad, right?”

“You have a point,” Jian Xingzhi nodded, “If you go down the mountain now, you will be labeled as someone who killed your fellow disciple. It’s indeed better to solve the root of the problem before you go.”

“Exactly.”

Qin Wanwan was satisfied that ‘Jian Zhiyan’ could understand her plan. Seemed like this Male Pet was more than his face.

She tilted her head and viewed the sky outside, noticing that it was late. She was about to persuade him to go to rest when the man stood up and clapped his hands, “Let’s go.”

“Ah?”

Qin Wanwan was a bit perplexed. Jian Xingzhi swept the Wen Xin Sect with his shenshi and turned to face Qin Wanwan, “Do you know where Su Yueli is?”

Qin Wanwan stared at him blankly and reacted, “Go now?”

“Otherwise?” Jian Xingzhi asked boldly, “You are going to wait until the New Year?”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t let her hesitate a moment longer and hauled her to the window and leaped out. Jian Xingzhi lead her and jumped into the tunnel. He spun back to cover up the tunnel entrance. When he was done, he noticed Qin Wanwan was still in a daze. He urged her, “Which room? Let’s move.”

Qin Wanwan snapped back to her senses. She let out a flustered “Oh” and recalled the structure of Wen Xin Sect she had observed with her shenhai these two days. She located the place, “Most likely, she is in the Exquisite Pavillion.”

Jian Xingzhi now had the direction and started digging. 

His speed was fast, almost as fast as Qin Wanwan’s walking speed. Qin Wanwan plucked out a Luminous Pearl from her Qiankun Bag. She also took a strip of cloth and attached the pearl to it, then she tied it on her head. Her hands were free, so she fished out melon seeds from her Qiankun Bag and trailed behind Jian Xingzhi. She nibbled on the melon seeds as she watched the refined and elegant Gongzi[1] who previously had the manner of a delicate beauty dug the soil with a shovel.

Strangely, the two of them didn’t notice anything wrong with this scene.

He dug the tunnel all the way to Exquisite Pavillion. Jian Xingzhi twisted around and informed Qin Wanwan, “I will go up and take a look first. If there is no problem, I will call you.”

Qin Wanwan nodded, “Okay, I will wait for you here.”

They finished their words and the surrounding fell into silence. The two Systems sighed at the same time. 

666: “Da Lao. I have said this, but you worked too hard ah.”

38: “Host, you already know what to do, don’t you?”

“How about… I go up first?”

Qin Wanwan proposed. Jian Xingzhi gave a nod. He held the shovel in hand and gave way to her. 

Qin Wanwan stepped to the entrance of the tunnel, the entrance was vertically upward. Qin Wanwan stared at it for a while and began to climb up. 

Jian Xingzhi held the shovel and observed Qin Wanwan climb up slowly step by step. His expression turned sorrowful.

“You say, she climbs like this, when will she arrive outside?”

“Da Lao,” 666 cided, “This is the normal person’s speed. You demanded too much. Her speed can be considered fast.”

For someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm, climbing out of a tunnel was not hard. 

This included Qin Wanwan.

She climbed to the entrance smoothly. She looked left and right and ensured there were no guards around with her shenshi. Only by then did she leap out. She searched for some haystacks to obscure the entrance and crept into the Exquisite Pavillion. 

Qin Wanwan finally left and Jian Xingzhi immediately verified some things with 666, “As long as I don’t disturb the plot and don’t let her realize that my ability is beyond the scope of ‘Jian Zhiyan’, there is  no problem, right?”

“Correct,” 666 nodded quickly, “It will be perfect if you played the role of weak beauty, though!”

Jian Xingzhi ignored it. He pointed his toes and jumped out of the tunnel, following Qin Wanwan. 

Qin Wanwan tiptoed to the door. She arrived at the door. She used her shenshi to examine the door and detected a barrier on it. 

She remained unperturbed. She recollected some arrays her mother had taught her. She lifted her hand and painted an array on the palm of her hand. Then, she pasted it on the barrier.

Soon afterward, the barrier vanished. Jian Xingzhi watched it all from a distance and raised his eyebrow.

Qin Wanwan stepped into the Exquisite Pavillion and caught sight of an ice coffin in the center of the hexagonal hall. There was six Sword Intent around the ice coffin, which were Shen Zhiming’s. There was an array below the ice coffin, which was Jun Shu’s. Lastly, there was a barrier on the outermost of the ice coffin, which was Song Xinian’s. This picture demonstrated the myriad of favors that Su Yueli owned. Layer upon layer of protection exclusively for her. 

Qin Wanwan plainly noticed this protection with her shenshi. She ceased right a step away from Song Xinian’s barrier. Jian Xingzhi quietly peeked at her from the beam. He utilized his shenshi to scan the Exquisite Pavillion from top to bottom. 

At her distance, Qin Wanwan could see Su Yueli in the ice coffin. 

Su Yueli’s eyes were closed and her hands were put on her belly, as if she was only asleep. Her breath was even.

Her face was as pretty as a peach blossom. 

Qin Wanwan stared at her from a distance. 

She was a contrast to Qin Wan. Qin Wan had phoenix eyes and thin lips. Her facial features were muted. She looked arrogant and stern, which made her appear to be tough to approach. 

Su Yueli, on the other hand, had the delicate appearance that most people love. She had peach-blossom eyes, melon seed face, thick eyelashes, and plump lips. She was the epitome of the next-door Meimei[2] who you couldn’t help but adore.

“She is not injured ah.”

Qin Wanwan inspected Su Yueli’s condition with her shenshi and noticed the oddity. Save for her fluctuating shihai, there was nothing wrong with Su Yueli’s condition. 

She traced back the plot.

The Plot she got was Qin Wan’s previous life memories. That meant, there were many plots unbeknownst to her. For example, this time, Su Yueli was in a coma. In Qin Wan’s memory, Su Yueli was innocent. Because she was in a coma, the blame lay on Qin Wan and she was put on trial. On that trial, she confessed that she killed a Qinglong and had a Longdan in her body. Shen Zhiming learned that Qin Wan was innocent but still dug up the Longdan for Su Yueli. Su Yueli got the Longdan and woke up soon after. Her cultivation base was boosted greatly and she broke through directly to Nascent Soul from Foundation Establishment. 

However, in her memory, she didn’t know the reason why Su Yueli was in a coma. Later, many asked Su Yueli about it, but she expressed that she also didn’t know the reason. Time passed and the blame still fell on Qin Wan. 

But, what if Su Yueli knew?

Qin Wanwan mulled it over, according to the Mary Sue’s consistent plot device, there was no way Su Yueli didn’t encounter anything when she fell down the cliff and got into a coma. If Su Yueli lied and she indeed met something below the cliff but she didn’t want to say it, what would it be?

It must be something that Su Yueli didn’t want others to know about. And in Su Yueli’s life, more than 90% of things were related to men. The man who she least wanted to mention seemed to be……

The Shaozhu of Huangcheng, Ning Buxiu.

In Qin Wan’s memory, that man once declared that he had an engagement with Su Yueli, proclaiming that he and Su Yueli had worshipped Heaven and Earth from long ago. He said they found the Bequeathed Manual of Ning Family and they had interwoven their shenshi. 

However, at that time, Su Yueli’s suitor was like a carp crossing the river, too many to count. How could she be a wife of a certain man, hence, she denied it vehemently until Ning Buxiu died for her. After he died, his Treasure fell into Su Yueli’s hands and Su Yueli could open it with her shenshi. At that moment, everyone admitted that Su Yueli and Ning Buxiu had indeed interwoven their shenshi. 

But, the question was, when did Su Yueli meet Ning Buxiu?

Moreover, the Ning Family had a peculiar way of cultivating. It was said that by interweaving your shenshi with a person from the Ning Family, you could obtain half of that person’s cultivation base. The process could be as short as ten days or half a month, or as long as a few years. So, when did Su Yueli have the time to be with Ning Buxiu alone for that long?

Qin Wanwan pondered over it. Her gaze unconsciously moved to Su Yueli’s head.

A person’s shihai was their most private place. In the Cultivation World, unless the cruel method of Spirit Searching was used, a person’s shihai couldn’t be entered at will by outsiders.

The root cause of why “Spirit Searching” was considered cruel was because after the use, most of the people that got cast with Spirit Searching would have their shihai damaged and they would go insane.

Whether it was Shen Zhiming or Jun Shu, they couldn’t bear to use it at Su Yueli. 

However… What if the reason Su Yueli didn’t wake up was not that her spirit was trapped, but because she didn’t want to?

If so, then Su Yueli would not only be aware of the outside matters, but also know that Shen Zhiming, Jun Shu, Song Xinian and others were nearly driven crazy because of her matter, that they wanted to dig Qin Wan’s Longdan, and that they were worried about her. 

When all of this happened, she was most likely in her shihai, watching all of it unfold with Ning Buxiu. 

When she thought of that, Qin Wanwan was sickened.

She didn’t want to guess anymore. She hesitated and raised her hand to set up a sound barrier.

Jian Xingzhi was a bit puzzled by her move. He watched Qin Wanwan take out a flute from her Qiankun Bag after she set up the barrier,

Invading a person’s shihai was hard, that’s true. 

But, if media was used, such as incense or sound, especially if one’s shenshi was stronger than the other, they could enter the other party’s shihai. 

It’s just… that method was only plausible in the Immortal Realm. Was there a method like that in the Mortal Realm?

Jian Xingzhi stood straight and stared intently as Qin Wanwan played the flute. 

The moment the flute sounded, Qin Wanwan closed her eyes and felt her surroundings change and she was standing in front of a gate. The gate was grand and heavy. Qin Wanwan pushed the gate hard. At the same time, on the outside, her flute’s sound became more urgent.

Jian Xingzhi listened to the sound of the flute, trying to hear the distinct sound of it and discern the origin of that craft, but before he could discern it, he heard another burst of sharp flute sound from the outside of Exquisite Pavilion moving towards Qin Wanwan with surging Spiritual Power!

Jian Xingzhi descended from the beam, gathered his Qi with one hand, and held Qin Wanwan in his arms with the other hand. He pressed Qin Wanwan’s back close to him and painted some array on it. 

Spiritual Power flowed from Qin Wanwan’s body. He gathered Qin Wanwan’s Spiritual Power until it was equal to that of the Golden Core, and then, he directed the Spiritual Power to the soundwave.

Inside the shihai, Qin Wanwan saw the gate in front of her cracked. 

Outside the shihai, the soundwave met the Spiritual Aura head-on. With a loud bang, the surrounding area was trashed, as if a storm just passed. 

The sound of the flute abruptly stopped.

During the process, Qin Wanwan witnessed the scene in front of her vanishing, getting further and further away. She seemed to look at a canvas. On the canvas was a city of ice and snow. A girl in a pink dress ran past with her skirt. She looked back and seemed to be talking to someone else.

“Buxiu,” She shouted happily, “Come and catch me ah. Catch me, and I will be yours.”

The author has something to say:

Me: I know you will ask why haven’t Jian Xingzi been electrocuted now. He will be in the next chapter, so, don’t ask!

Reader: Where does your confidence come from? Aren’t you just embarrassing yourself? 

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Footnotes

公子 – gōngzi. Sir. Young Master. Noble son. An honorific. Usually used to address someone younger or a similar age as you. Has the connotation of youth and aristocracy associated with it.↵

妹妹 – mèimei. Younger Sister. Little Sister. A way to address someone (F) younger than you. Not restricted by blood. You can call a stranger in this way as long as she is younger than you.↵