Chapter 78: The Secret of the Spiritual Vein

In the secluded rear mountains of Azure Sun Peak, Zhuo Jin’er meticulously revealed the secrets of spiritual veins, and then candidly confessed the schemes she had devised that day. Upon hearing of Zhuo Jin’er’s formidable methods, Qi Fei could not help but feel a pang of worry, thinking to himself that this sorceress from the Path of Yin and Yang, now entangling herself with him, must surely have hidden motives.

Noticing the shift in Qi Fei’s expression, Zhuo Jin’er coldly asked, “Do you suspect I might harm you?”

Qi Fei harbored a certain fear of Zhuo Jin’er’s keen intelligence and ruthless, venomous tactics. Now, at the slightest hint of hesitation, she had already seen through his thoughts.

“To be frank, I do have some concerns,” Qi Fei replied. “The two of us met by chance atop Moon-watching Peak, and yet you have intervened on my behalf time and again, even laying bare your previous machinations. Do you truly trust me so much?” His gaze grew sharp, and quietly, he summoned his innate vital energy.

As Zhuo Jin’er recalled the moments she had shared with Qi Fei, an unaccustomed blush appeared on the face of the sorceress. Fearing he might notice, she quickly turned away.

“Now that you understand the underlying reasons,” she said, “perhaps you also know why Xuan Zhen Monastery sought to destroy your sect’s medicinal gardens?”

Seeing her evade the question, Qi Fei found it strange, but answered nonetheless: “I suppose Xuan Zhen Monastery found our gardens unworthy and wishes to build cultivation chambers here, at the heart of Azure Sun Peak’s spiritual veins.”

“That is part of it,” Zhuo Jin’er replied. “But in my investigations these past days, I uncovered that Xuan Zhen Monastery has gone to great lengths—not only to claim this site for their disciples’ cultivation, but also to search for the very source of Azure Sun Peak’s spiritual veins.” She composed herself, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and slowly turned back to face him.

Qi Fei was confused, pressing further, “Are they searching for the wellspring of the veins to forever block my sect’s path to revival?”

Zhuo Jin’er shook her head. “You must remember, in the great hall that day, Xuan Zhen’s disciple Cheng Feng borrowed the sect’s treasure, the Scarlet Sun Pearl, and transformed his spirit into a supernatural power. Does that not still linger in your memory?”

With lingering dread, Qi Fei recalled how, in a desperate struggle between life and death, he had broken through the innate barrier and slain that prodigy of Xuan Zhen Monastery. “Of course I remember. Had Cheng Feng survived, he would have become my fiercest rival. That is why I risked mutual destruction to kill him.”

“Azure Sun Peak is the foundation of your Danxia Sect. Even if Yang Zheng succeeded in becoming sect master and reduced the sect to a puppet of Xuan Zhen, that was never a lasting solution. Xuan Zhen searches these mountains for the source of the spiritual veins because they wish to use its immense power to forge a mystical treasure akin to the Scarlet Sun Pearl.”

Once, his homeland had been shattered, and now that Danxia Sect was led by his master, Qi Fei had come to regard Azure Sun Peak as his own refuge.

He felt a surge of gratitude; had he failed to reclaim the sect from Xuan Zhen’s hands, the spiritual veins of Azure Sun Peak would have been lost to those villains.

Seeing that Qi Fei was finally at ease, Zhuo Jin’er quickly warned him, “Don’t think that with the death of Daoist Cangsong and the decline of Xuan Zhen, you and Danxia Sect can rest easy. Remember, when Sima Yan forced you into that lethal duel with Cheng Feng, your prowess and talent must have already made your name resound through the nine counties of Yongzhou. Did you notice the expressions of the martial sect masters that day?”

During his life-and-death fight with Cheng Feng, Qi Fei had been too gravely wounded to observe anyone else’s reactions. “Miss Zhuo, what do you mean?”

“If you cannot be made to serve, then you must be eliminated as soon as possible,” Zhuo Jin’er said icily.

A cold sweat broke out on Qi Fei’s back. Had it not been for Zhuo Jin’er’s warning, he would never have realized the danger looming over him.

She went on, “Don’t be deceived by Chu Qingyun’s apparent generosity. He is merely using every trick to draw a martial prodigy like yourself into his fold. Yet you are grateful for his help and have promised to work for him? The rivalries of noble houses and princes are not so easily entered.”

Qi Fei replied coldly, “Rest assured, Miss Zhuo, I have no wish to become Chu Qingyun’s lackey. But you saw the situation that day. Had I refused him outright, I would have provoked his wrath. It’s not so easy to escape his grasp with mere words.”

“That is precisely why I have kept you close, to help you through these perilous times,” Zhuo Jin’er said. “If, in the future, we join hands and slay Chu Yanran, sparking a conflict between the House of the Mighty Marquis and the Path of Yin and Yang, then not only Chu Qingyun, but even the Marquis himself, Chu Huaiyuan, will be too entangled to trouble you. Only then can you be truly at peace.”

Zhuo Jin’er’s circuitous schemes now seemed to be a means of saving him as well. Qi Fei glared at her coldly. “My dealings with Chu Qingyun are mere mutual exploitation. I will handle him as I see fit. If you have the means to kill Chu Yanran, that is your affair—do not drag me into it. I cannot bear the consequences. Besides, though you returned with me to the great hall that day and forced Sima Yan to hold back, you also aroused suspicion, and may yet bring disaster upon my sect.”

“So it comes down to this: you still refuse to help me deal with Chu Yanran. Or is it that you are smitten with her beauty and cannot bring yourself to harm her?” Zhuo Jin’er pouted, her displeasure clear as she muttered under her breath.

Qi Fei’s heart stirred, and he asked in a grave voice, “Why are you so determined to kill Chu Yanran? If all you want is to provoke a clash between the House of the Mighty Marquis and the Path of Yin and Yang, why not kill Chu Qingyun instead? There must be another reason!”

Zhuo Jin’er’s expression changed, and she seemed hesitant to answer.

“You need not explain if you would rather not,” Qi Fei sighed. “I should be going. The senior brothers will be waiting for me.” He thought to himself that Zhuo Jin’er was indeed keeping secrets from him, as was only natural when their alliance was built upon mutual use.

Seeing Qi Fei turn away in irritation, Zhuo Jin’er was seized by an inexplicable ache. “If you truly wish to know, come to the rear mountains of Azure Sun Peak at midnight tonight.”

Qi Fei turned back, puzzled. “Why must it wait until tonight? What are you plotting now, Zhuo Jin’er?”

Her mood was restless. “Come or don’t, as you please. But let me warn you: if you don’t meet me tonight, I’ll come to collect all those favors you owe me, every last one.”

Before Qi Fei could reply, Zhuo Jin’er smiled triumphantly. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m not like some people, who always take advantage of others when things get tense.”

With Zhuo Jin’er’s unfathomable powers, Qi Fei knew he was no match for her in his injured state, and could not force the truth from her. He could not fathom why she insisted on meeting him alone at midnight, but sensed a hidden meaning behind it.

The two of them returned together to the resting place of Luo Dingshan and the others. Thereafter, Zhuo Jin’er seemed distracted, occasionally stealing glances at Qi Fei, drawing curious looks from the rest of the group.

Qi Fei grew quietly vexed at her continual teasing, wondering just what earth-shattering secret this sorceress would reveal at midnight.

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