Forcing the Aloof Master to Madness - Chapter 21

Wang Xi suppressed the demonic Qi within her body. She was currently within the Xuan-Yu Sect and needed to remain here. If her possession of demonic Qi were exposed, it would likely cause trouble.

Having already experienced this once in the previous life, she was intimately familiar with controlling the demonic Qi. Wang Xi endured the pain of her meridians being shredded and concealed the demonic Qi within her body.

Wang Xi closed her eyes, withdrew her spiritual consciousness, and finally stopped looking at Shen Lezhi, entering meditation to regulate her breathing.

But Shen Lezhi’s punishment did not end. For a whole day and night, the wind and rain on Linglong Peak did not stop.

The commotion on Linglong Peak was noticed by cultivators on all the various peaks of the Xuan-Yu Sect. However, the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable’s status was noble, and her strength was unfathomable. No one dared to step onto Linglong Peak to investigate before the anomaly ceased.

Finally, after a day and a night, the sky had just broken dawn. The first ray of sunlight in the early morning shone upon Linglong Peak. People looked out and saw white mist lingering on the mountaintop. The heavy rain had finally stopped.

Inside the Peak Master’s cave residence on Talisman Peak, there was a woman wearing a light, precious red veil, with a dark waistband embroidered with gold patterns around her waist, and a slightly open collar revealing her snowy white neck.

She lay lazily on a long, soft chair, her eyes bewitching, her vermillion lips opening and closing, looking utterly languid.

“Yunsha, has the rain stopped?”

Senior Sister Yunsha stood below the woman, her eyes lowered, her posture respectful, yet with a hint of helplessness in her expression. Hearing the woman’s words, Senior Sister Yunsha immediately replied softly, “Master, it has stopped.”

“Mmm,” the woman lightly acknowledged upon hearing this.

Yunsha’s Master was the Peak Master of Talisman Peak, Feng Nianzhen.

“Then go up and see what that Glimmering Moon is doing to cause such a huge commotion?” Feng Nianzhen was one of the few people Wang Xi could count as a friend. Although their interactions were not extremely close, having fought side-by-side before, they could be called friends who had faced life and death together.

Feng Nianzhen’s tone was extremely lazy and nonchalant as she spoke. Her fingertips played with the white jade bracelet on her other wrist, and her body stretched casually.

Her clothes were already sheer and not properly secured. With this movement, the precarious collar at her shoulder completely slipped down. Yunsha happened to look up and saw that snow-white skin right in front of her eyes.

Yunsha felt even more helpless.

“Have you just returned from Youfang Academy?”

Feng Nianzhen finally opened her eyes upon hearing this, looking at Yunsha sitting below her. She reached out a fingertip to hook her loose clothing back, saying with a half-smile, “Little Yunsha, do not pry into this Venerable One’s private affairs.”

Yunsha was completely unafraid of her slightly threatening words, remaining respectful, “I will immediately use a Stone of Image Recording to record your appearance and send a letter to Dean Zhuxin of Youfang Academy.”

Feng Nianzhen immediately sat up straight. Her former nonchalance vanished instantly. Yunsha looked up again and saw that the other party’s clothes were neat, and her sitting posture was dignified.

“Such a boring little Yunsha, not at all like little Huaman (Flower Vine),” Feng Nianzhen waved her hand irritably, urging Yunsha to leave quickly.

“Disciple will go to Linglong Peak now.” Senior Sister Yunsha completely ignored Feng Nianzhen’s complaints, respectfully excused herself, and headed towards Linglong Peak.

However, Feng Nianzhen mentioned Huaman. Although Huaman was her own junior sister, Yunsha had only met her a few times.

She had only heard that Huaman came from Youfang Academy and was a disciple who, despite having poor cultivation talent, was specifically taken in by Feng Nianzhen.

The few times Yunsha had seen her, the other party was always flustered by Feng Nianzhen and hurried past her.

Thinking of this, Yunsha concluded she really didn’t want to be like Huaman.

Yunsha arrived at the halfway point of Linglong Peak via Sword Riding. She dared not rashly intrude upon the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable’s cave residence. She stopped in the air halfway up the mountain and spoke loudly and respectfully toward the peak of Linglong Peak: “Talisman Peak’s Yunsha requests an audience with the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable.”

The Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable’s spiritual consciousness was widespread, so Yunsha’s voice naturally reached her.

Yunsha waited for a long time. Although she heard no response, the withered branches before her, covered in dew, shook as if guiding her forward.

Yunsha understood naturally.

However, seeing the withered trees on Linglong Peak, with broken branches and leaves everywhere, a sense of dread settled in her heart. What exactly had happened on this mountain for a day and a night?

She soon found out.

Upon ascending to the peak of Linglong Peak, Yunsha saw Shen Lezhi kneeling in a puddle of water.

Her entire body was battered, and her eyes were closed powerlessly, making Yunsha wonder if she was already lifeless.

She was startled and took a few steps forward to check Shen Lezhi’s condition, but she could not get closer than three steps from Shen Lezhi.

Yunsha inhaled sharply. A formation had been placed around Shen Lezhi.

It was a high-grade confinement formation.

The technique used to lay it was not as exquisite as her Master Feng Nianzhen’s, but the spiritual energy maintaining the formation was domineering and harmful, like a confinement formation casually set down by a powerful expert who wasn’t deeply skilled in formations. Yunsha had a slight achievement in formations and might be able to break the formation for Shen Lezhi with some effort, but she dared not.

This was on Linglong Peak, right in front of the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable’s cave residence. Who else but the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable could have confined Shen Lezhi with a formation?

Yunsha sighed inwardly, lowering her eyes to look at Shen Lezhi. Had Shen Lezhi been unable to move here, tormented by the wind and rain for this entire day and night?

Yunsha knew that the wind and rain on Linglong Peak were incomparable to ordinary natural phenomena. Spells cast by cultivators, maintained by pure spiritual energy, could be injurious, especially since the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable’s spiritual energy was notoriously overbearing.

Why would the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable punish her like this?

Yunsha could not know the reason, but looking at Shen Lezhi’s appearance, her gentle brow furrowed slightly.

“Yunsha was ordered by her Master to pay her respects to the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable. A sudden anomaly occurred on Linglong Peak. Has something happened?” Yunsha asked, though she already had the answer in her heart.

Although it seemed unbelievable, it was also somewhat reasonable.

Such a huge commotion on Linglong Peak was simply the Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable punishing Shen Lezhi.

Yunsha had known Shen Lezhi for a long time and naturally knew her body was weak. The Glimmering Moon Immortal Venerable had never spoken harshly to her, and even when she refused to cultivate, the Immortal Venerable never forced her.

Her Master, Feng Nianzhen, often said: The Glimmering Moon appears cold and heartless, yet for that frail disciple, she refused to enter seclusion for decades. Even at the cost of consuming her cultivation and damaging her body, she snatched the girl back from the King of Hell. It seems she truly developed deep affection.

Yet now, the Immortal Venerable could bear to let Shen Lezhi suffer such a great punishment.

Yunsha’s spiritual consciousness scanned Shen Lezhi’s body. Her breathing was already very weak. In such cold weather, her cheeks were paler than a flake of snow on the branch.

Yunsha sighed again, finally speaking: “Immortal Venerable, Lezhi’s body has always been weak. If she is not sent to Medicinal Herb Peak for treatment soon, her meridians may suffer damage.”

After Yunsha said this, there was finally movement inside the cave residence. In less than a quarter of an hour, Wang Xi slowly walked out of the cave residence.

Her hair was casually draped down, not secured with her usual white jade hairpin, presenting a relaxed state. Yet, she was not languid like Feng Nianzhen. Her cold gaze swept over them, still possessing an unyielding authority that could not be looked at directly.

Wang Xi’s gaze finally settled on Shen Lezhi. Her eyes paused, and then she walked over.

Yunsha respectfully stepped aside. Wang Xi reached out her hand and pulled Shen Lezhi up from the ground. The dazed person was still conscious.

Shen Lezhi now had the Linglong Heart within her, so she wouldn’t become critically ill so easily from a bit of wind and rain. However, the subjective experience of pain was the most tormenting thing.

“Mmm…” Shen Lezhi’s throat was hoarse. The touch brought some awareness. She looked up and saw Wang Xi.

She breathed slowly. Seeing the person in front of her, even though she was weak all over, she still tried to break free from Wang Xi’s touch. Her swaying body, even if it meant falling down without support, refused to let Wang Xi be her pillar.

“Go to Medicinal Herb Peak,” Wang Xi said coldly.

Her voice was too cold to tell if it was concern or disdain.

But whatever it was, Shen Lezhi did not want it.

“I will go.” Her voice was fractured, her body was a mess, and her unsustainable frame looked like it was about to collapse. It was Senior Sister Yunsha who stepped forward and supported her.

“Not with you,” but the words she spoke were calm enough to send a chill down one’s spine.