Qin Xun wasn’t actually consulting about relationship matters.

He was mostly asking and answering himself, seeking a bit of psychological comfort.

At the same time, he savored the sight of his usually serious Senior Brother’s bewildered expression. A faint sense of superiority welled up in his heart.

The Senior Brothers of the Guiyuan Sect were all so utterly devoted to their vows of chastity, acting like Cold Immortal Lords, pure and aloof from the mortal world. Yet in reality, they had never even held a female cultivator’s hand, while he had already held hands with three.

At this thought, he sat down cross-legged, his mind elsewhere.

“Stinking cultivator, were you talking about me just now?” A young girl lay across his back, her arms wrapped around him. She felt as light as a feather, without a trace of weight. Tilting her head, she smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth, looking quite adorable.

Qin Xun neither admitted nor denied it. “If you think it’s you, then it’s you.”

He didn’t push the girl’s spirit away. The Yu Family’s upbringing was impeccable. Miss Yu, a noblewoman from a prestigious family, never overstepped her bounds.

She might get angry or laugh, but she would never drape herself over him, boneless and fragile, like this girl.

The girl chuckled. “That’s wonderful. You’re the first person to offer to avenge me.”

Qin Xun’s encounter with her had been pure chance. The outskirts of Yunzhou City were shrouded in a thick mist, the surrounding area littered with graves.

His Senior Brother Yin Buyu had vanished without a trace, leaving only white paper flowers scattered across the ground.

Among the delicate blossoms, he had found an exquisitely crafted lamp. Lifting it to examine, he saw it was carved with meticulous detail, its entire body as crystal clear as a teardrop. Unable to identify the object, he simply used it for light.

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept through.

After the white banners drifted and swayed, a ghostly figure from a thousand years ago materialized.

The ghost’s voice was sweet and clear as she spoke: “Young cultivator, this is the Soul Refining Hall. I was a female disciple of the Liuli Sect. A thousand years ago, Jiyuan, the Demon Lord of the Sea of Endlessness, murdered my entire sect to seize their treasures. My soul has been trapped here for a millennium, unable to reincarnate or find peace. Will you… help me seek revenge?”

What the hell! He refused! He was here searching for his missing Senior Brother!

The ghost’s words, spoken before she had even fully materialized, sent a cold sweat down Qin Xun’s back.

He regretted his habit of indiscriminately picking up things. It had all started when he found a jade pendant. The old man’s residual soul within the pendant, a cultivator at the Mahayana stage, had guided him to become the Savior.

After tasting success, Qin Xun had developed a bad habit of scavenging “trash” across the Cultivation World.

The old man with the jade pendant had told him that he was the Savior chosen by the Heavenly Dao himself. For him, fortuitous encounters and opportunities in the Cultivation World were practically lying around for the taking.

Qin Xun wanted it all, and that was why he had been so careless this time.

Just as he was breaking out in a cold sweat, convinced he was about to be done for, the soul within the lamp finally took shape.

She was a beautiful young woman, her features possessing the bewitching charm of a demon, yet her smile was soft and endearing. She looked nothing like a vengeful spirit unable to rest in peace.

“Who are you?” Qin Xun asked, completely mesmerized.

The fear in his heart vanished.

The young woman said, “My name is Yin Miaomiao. I was a female cultivator of the Liuli Sect who died a thousand years ago.”

“…” Qin Xun found it impossible to harbor ill will toward a beautiful girl. Unable to hold his tongue, he sighed with admiration, “Miaomiao, thou art in my heart; I gaze upon the beauty from across the heavens. What a truly wonderful name.”

This was his advantage. Unlike his many Senior Brothers in the sect, Qin Xun was born into the royal family of the Dongling Kingdom. In the mortal realms, emperors and generals emphasized both literary and martial accomplishments. As a prince, he had been steeped in poetry and prose since childhood.

He could recite a dozen poems praising a beauty’s grace without even thinking.

Yin Miaomiao was bewildered. She had never encountered a cultivator like this.

The male cultivators she had met were either like Yin Buyu fighting her to the death while she tortured him relentlesslyor like those from the Four Great Families, who cursed her as a demoness while ultimately succumbing to her, their resistance a mere pretense for surrender.

A strange light flickered in the young woman’s lovely eyes. She found Qin Xun utterly charming and, for a moment, couldn’t bring herself to kill him and seize his cultivation.

As they exchanged words, she mentioned that the Liuli Sect’s greatest treasure was the Golden Lotus of Evil, capable of purifying plagues and commanding ghosts. Qin Xun’s heart leaped. He knew instantly that this was a prize worth pursuing.

He would gladly avenge Yin Miaomiao!

But the old man with the jade pendant snapped, “What kind of lamp is that? Every cultivator here can see in the dark. What’s the point of you holding a lamp for a woman? Throw it away, now!”

Qin Xun carefully changed how he held the lamp, shifting from “carrying” it to “cradling” it, as if he were protecting some delicate treasure.

The old man with the jade pendant showed a look of disgust. He could smell an ominous bloodlust on the lamp, and the lamp oil reeked of a thousand-year-old Fierce Ghost.

He couldn’t even bear to glance at it. He didn’t know that a beautiful young female ghost resided within the lamp; otherwise, he would have started cursing him out.

“Don’t forget why you’re here. Your Senior Brothers have fallen, and Jing Qian, who is leading the team, is just a disciple from Talisman Peak with insufficient strength. This is the perfect opportunity for you to step up. When we return to the sect, your elders will surely favor you.”

Qin Xun’s heart tightened. “I haven’t forgotten.”

If his Senior Brothers survived, his efforts in saving them would be greatly rewarded. If they had unfortunately perished, his grief and help in gathering their remains would still earn him immense credit.

“You can see without a lamp, but Yu Feixue cannot. Why not give it to her?”

As he spoke, the old man with the jade pendant showed his admiration for Yu Feixue.

Yu Feixue was still a mortal, unable to see at night, yet she carried herself with the grace of an ordinary cultivator. If it weren’t for the occasional stumble as she tripped over a stone, causing her elegant figure to falter, everyone would have forgotten that her world was plunged in darkness, and she was completely blind to her surroundings.

“…” Qin Xun hesitated. There was a young woman inside the lamp, and a faint, budding affection had just begun to stir between them. The girl’s form was delicate and fragile.

He felt it was utterly improper to hand over this newly-met “Lamp Maiden” to his own fiancée.

“Junior Sister, I’m sorry. I forgot about you,” Jing Qian said, finally noticing the problem. Feeling guilty, he quickly cast several more Night Vision Talismans.

Though Yu Feixue had not yet formally joined the Immortal Sect, the Guiyuan Sect disciples had already tacitly accepted her as their Junior Sister.

“Thank you, Senior Brother.” As Yu Feixue applied the talisman, her vision instantly cleared, becoming as bright as day. Only then did she see her fiancé, Qin Xun, holding a delicate woman-shaped lamp that glowed with a faint blue light. He held it with remarkable gentleness.

A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.

I’ve been fumbling in this dark bamboo grove for so long. Why does my fiancé have a lamp, yet he won’t hold it for me?

When Ye Qing arrived, he overheard a man and a woman talking in the bamboo grove.

“Why are you holding that lamp? We don’t need light; everyone is laughing at you,” Yu Feixue said, her brow furrowing slightly. “And… this lamp gives off such a chilling, unpleasant aura.”

Qin Xun was tall and imposing. Holding such an exquisite, petite glazed lamp did indeed look out of place, detracting from his masculine presence.

Qin Xun hadn’t figured out how to answer. Should I tell her this lamp is actually a beautiful young woman? And that it’s tied to the Liuli Sect’s supreme treasure? I can’t just throw it away.

Yu Feixue’s frown deepened. “A Xun, you’re acting strange. Are you hiding something from me? We’re Dao Companions, after all…”

“Silly Feixue,” Qin Xun said, “what are you thinking? How could I possibly hide anything from you? I have my reasons for holding this lamp. If you don’t believe me, if you doubt my sincerity, I’ll swear an oath to the Heavens!”

Ye Qing had been listening, finding the voice vaguely familiar.

But the moment the word oath was uttered, he recognized it instantly. This was the same boy who kept swearing oaths in his dreams twice! His eyes widened, and he poked his small head out from behind Yu Jinghan’s back, watching the scene with intense curiosity.

As the voices continued to drift over, Yu Feixue’s doubts vanished. She scolded him softly, “What’s with the oath? I believe you. The Heavenly Dao is watching, don’t swear recklessly.”

Seeing her relent, Qin Xun felt a surge of satisfaction.

This trick really works!

Just then, a young man approached. His face was lean, his eyes dark and sharp as stars in a winter night or a sword’s blade piercing through mist. A hint of coldness touched his features as he bluntly exposed Qin Xun’s lie.

The moment they recognized him, the expressions on Qin Xun and Yu Feixue’s faces soured.

Qin Xun’s perspective was that of a love rival. Yu Feixue, on the other hand, was seeing her former fiancé and the cousin she had grown up with. Recalling her own words about severing ties and having nothing to do with him in his bright future, her demeanor was far from natural.

The Guiyuan Sect disciples, led by Jing Qian, stopped their meditation and looked up in curiosity.

“Who is this?” they wondered, noticing he was still carrying the child from this morning.

Ye Qing clung to Yu Jinghan’s back, his small hand gently clutching the fabric of his clothes. His soft, silky hair was tied into a tiny topknot. The cultivators’ gazes swept over him, and they all found him incredibly adorable.

They stared at the man and child with curiosity. The human toddler had a clean, fair face and wide, dark eyes that blinked back at them, his innocent childlike wonder shining through.

As they locked eyes, the toddler believed his own gaze was the one that was piercing and formidable. But the Guiyuan Sect disciples were the first to retreat, their resolve crumbling. They had never seen such a cute little baby, never!

Yu Feixue spoke softly, “This is my cousin, Yu Jinghan.”

Yu Feixue stiffened for a moment before quickly regaining her aristocratic composure.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. She wanted to ask how Yu Jinghan had managed to pass through the bamboo grove unhindered when they had been running in circles like ghosts hitting a wall, unable to find the exit.

Yu Jinghan’s gaze was indifferent, not sparing her a single glance.

He stared fixedly at the lamp in Qin Xun’s hands. “Why are you holding a female ghost? Why is she telling you to quickly abandon this bunch of foul cultivators, help her seek revenge, and find treasure?”

His words struck like a thunderclap on a clear day, stunning the disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.

They followed Yu Jinghan’s gaze, but saw only Qin Xun and the glazed lamp in his arms. There was no woman, let alone a ghost.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, swirling the white paper flowers on the ground and filling the air with a chilling, ghostly aura. Better safe than sorry, the disciples scrambled backward in terror.

“How can you see her?” Qin Xun looked up in horror, his heart racing wildly. He instinctively shielded the lamp.

His reaction confirmed Yu Jinghan’s words. The Guiyuan Sect disciples were even more shocked, instinctively  gripping the talismans and swords at their waists, the instinctive response upon encountering a Ghost Cultivator.

Qin Xun realized things had gone south. Just as he was about to defend himself, the young woman within the glazed lamp materialized. Her figure was slender and graceful, yet she was shrouded in a dense, malevolent aura.

The young woman let out a cold huff. “How did you find me?”

I even fooled the residual soul of a Mahayana stage cultivator, she thought.

Her voice, sweet and clear, echoed through the open countryside. Though it sounded nothing like a Fierce Ghost’s, it still sent a chill down their spines.

The Guiyuan Sect disciples turned deathly pale and scrambled backward, seized by terror once more.

Junior Brother Qin Xun was indeed cradling a female ghost in his arms!

Yu Feixue was also frightened, her eyes wide with disbelief. Yu Jinghan drew his sword in one fluid motion, his gaze as deep and sharp as a pool of still water.

The old man hiding inside the jade pendant dared not emerge, his heart aching with the urge to punch Qin Xun in the gut not only had he kept a secret, but he’d even managed to keep a female ghost!

“Senior Brother, Junior Brother, Junior Sister, everyone, let me explain!” In his panic, Qin Xun stepped forward, using his cultivation to project a booming voice from his Dantian to steady the situation.

Where no one could see, his hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. His search for opportunities was a secret; he could have left the group alone. But Yu Jinghan had appeared, and with just two questions, he had exposed Yin Miaomiao’s presence to everyone.

“Senior Brother, Miaomiao isn’t a Fierce Ghost. She’s a female cultivator from the Liuli Sect who died a thousand years ago. Anyone who’s read the ancient texts knows the Liuli Sect isn’t a demonic sect! Their entire sect consisted of women of pure and noble character. It was only because Demon Lord Jiyuan massacred them to steal their treasures that the whole sect was annihilated, leaving her to become a Ghost Cultivator, bound to a single lamp. She said that if we help her recover her sect’s ultimate treasure, she will definitely help us find Senior Brother.”

These words left everyone feeling uncertain and suspicious.

First, Ghost Cultivators were known for their cruel methods, and anyone would naturally want to drive them away.

Second, everyone knew that although the Liuli Sect had been destroyed a thousand years ago, its reputation was certainly not that of a demonic sect. The young girl’s background and plight sounded truly pitiful.

Yin Miaomiao cooperated by sobbing softly.

For a moment, everyone wavered between belief and doubt, reluctantly lowering the talismans that could have dispersed a Fierce Ghost’s soul.

Jing Qian took a book out of his storage bag. With a thought, he flipped to the page on the Liuli Sect. Sure enough, a great war between immortals and demons had broken out a thousand years ago, and the Liuli Sect had been destroyed by the Demon Lord, leaving no survivors.

His expression softened considerably. “I believe Junior Brother Qin Xun’s words.”

Only the old man with the jade pendant was furious. He knew that while it was true the Liuli Sect was pure and noble, the female ghost had only told half the story! Demon Lord Jiyuan was notoriously promiscuous, consorting with women across the Three Realms.

He had over a hundred children, with countless more of his bloodline scattered throughout the world. The female cultivators of the Liuli Sect were simply among his conquests.

“So Yin Miaomiao is Demon Lord Jiyuan’s bastard daughter. The search for the Liuli Sect’s supreme treasure was a complete fabrication!”

The crowd barely managed to suppress their hostility.

Just then, Jing Qian flipped through his book. After reading about Demon Lord Jiyuan’s life, his expression grew grim once more. “Whether the Liuli Sect’s supreme treasure is real or fake, and where it might be, is unknown. However, we all know that Demon Lord Jiyuan was a powerful Mahayana cultivator. His lair was in the Sea of Endlessness. Pei Xuan fell into demonic corruption and killed him to seize control of the Sea of Endlessness. If this place is the Soul Refining Hall of Wanyou Palace, then it all makes sense… This is where the Demon Lord fell.”

To put it bluntly:

A few years ago, the sky over Yunzhou City was covered in demonic qi. The two of them fought a battle here. The Demon Lord lost and died on this very spot.

As for why Yunzhou City was the battlefield, no one understood.

The Four Great Families had been terrified by Pei Xuan. They scrambled to offer cultivators as tributes to stave off the danger of their city being destroyed.

In the end, it seemed Pei Xuan had just come for a casual visit and a fight, leaving behind many stories that could quiet a crying child. After that, he never returned.

After hearing this anecdote, the cultivators present felt a chill run through their bodies. They shuddered seven or eight times in succession, goosebumps covering their arms.

For a moment, they couldn’t decide which was more terrifying: Pei Xuan, who was far away in the Demon Realm, or the fact that this place was actually Demon Lord Jiyuan’s grave.

The silence was deathly.

Yu Jinghan looked down and saw Ye Qing curled up, shivering as if he were freezing, trying to huddle close to him like a clumsy little shrimp. His eyes flickered. “Qingqing, are you scared?”

Ye Qing remained curled up obediently. “…I’m not scared.” As an ordinary little one in the Cultivation World, so what if a great Demon Lord was fighting in Yunzhou City, so close to him? He wasn’t scared at all.

As he spoke, he burrowed deeper into the man’s embrace, his plump little body shaking like a sieve.

Yu Jinghan fell silent. His hand rested on the human cub’s back, clearly feeling the soft flesh trembling. With his keen eyesight, he could even see the boy’s calves shaking uncontrollably.

“Don’t be afraid. Pei Xuan won’t… won’t kill you.”

He is decisive and ruthless, capable of destroying heaven and earth, but you are the treasure in his palm.

However, Pei Xuan’s treasure in his palm was completely unaware of this.

Right now, he was clinging to his older brother just to stop shaking. Ying ying ying, I think I’m still a little scared.