The reaction from Yaochi was exactly as expected.
The reaction from Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, however, was completely unexpected.
When Hua Jian learned that she had been promoted to the first-in-charge of the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s Freezing City branch, she was completely dumbfounded.
What’s going on? How did I, a Saintess, get promoted? Wait, that’s not right—being a Saintess is already a pretty big deal.
I mean, how did I, a Saintess who originally couldn’t control anything, suddenly get to manage everything?
And along with the letter came a personal voice message from the Valley Master of Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, telling Hua Jian to go wild, that the valley was her strongest support.
It was just absurd. If Hua Jian didn’t know how she had ended up in the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, she might actually have been moved by that voice message.
“The preliminary promotional work has already been handled by the Valley Master and the others, so all we have to do is…” Hua Jian trailed off mid-sentence.
What was she supposed to do again?
The promotion of the valley was handled, so she didn’t need to worry about that. Then what else could she do?
“What you need to do is transform the Secret Realm into whatever you want it to be. Here, write it down.”
Qian Xue tossed a jade token with nothing on it to Hua Jian, signaling her to get to work.
Catching the token, Hua Jian instantly wore a troubled expression. She couldn’t help turning her head to Lingqing for help.
Lingqing looked away with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I have to keep my distance from you all now.”
Since Yaochi didn’t plan to intervene openly in the upcoming plan, as their Saintess, she needed to behave in a way consistent with the current situation.
For example, she couldn’t constantly be seen running off to the Qian family.
Even if she did, she had to look angry when leaving, as if some matters hadn’t been settled between her and the Qian family.
When the plan progressed to the latter half, she would even have to temporarily leave with Yaochi’s Tower Ship, creating the impression that she and the Qian family had disagreed and parted ways on the matter.
During this time, Hua Jian also needed to casually show up in front of others to verify some rumors.
For instance, that after failing to come to terms with Yaochi, the Qian family chose to cooperate with Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, and to seal the deal, the valley even sent out their Saintess.
Rumors like that.
Neither the Qian family nor Ten Thousand Flowers Valley would admit to it, but to those with keen eyes, it would undoubtedly be credible intelligence.
Under Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s provocation, the Qian family gave up their partnership with Yaochi and instead allied with the valley to turn the soon-to-be-destroyed Secret Realm into a profitable arena.
And the righteous Yaochi, unwilling to join this terrifying conspiracy, chose to part ways with the Qian family.
See? No one’s breaking character. Everyone has a bright future. Perfect, right?
“There’s no one else here, dear Linglong, please help me!” Hua Jian lunged forward and hugged Linglong’s tail, making Linglong’s cheeks flush red.
“Don’t touch my tail…” Flustered, Linglong snatched her tail back from Hua Jian’s hands, hugging it tightly as her face turned red all the way to her ears.
Her dragon horns and tail were body parts she was particularly sensitive about. Having Hua Jian sneak-attack her like that made her heart race.
For her, being touched there felt exactly the same as being touched in other sensitive places.
“Ahem, could you two save the flirting for later? Saintess of Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, how about finishing your work first? Please?”
Qian Feixue shot Hua Jian an exasperated glare.
“Stop flirting at a time like this and get to work. I’m begging you!”
“I’ve never even been to the Secret Realm. How am I supposed to know how to modify it!”
Hua Jian tossed the jade token onto the ground and retorted with a sulky expression.
“At least let me see it in person first before I decide.”
That actually made some sense, so Qian Feixue nodded.
“Alright. I’ll take you there tomorrow… Oh, and remember to put on your Saintess uniform.”
This would also help spread rumors around the city about Ten Thousand Flowers Valley dealing with the Qian family, preparing for the subsequent plan. Two birds with one stone.
“Huh? I have to wear that outfit…” Hua Jian’s expression immediately fell. After all this time, was she still unable to escape the tragedy of wearing that dress?
Qian Feixue reached out and patted Hua Jian on the shoulder, conveying with her eyes: Yes, you have to wear that dress.
“That outfit is quite beautiful, after all. It must be a masterpiece. Wearing it must feel great too, right?”
Hua Jian couldn’t deny that it was comfortable. High-grade Spiritual Garments were almost never uncomfortable.
The inner garment sent by Baihua Zunzhe fit snugly without any of the tightness typical of such clothes, giving a warm and cozy feeling.
And that wasn’t even mentioning the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s Saintess garment.
She didn’t dislike the outfit because it was uncomfortable, but because of the design!
No matter what she did, the part below her calf just wouldn’t be covered. There was no way around it.
“But it doesn’t even come with matching shoes or socks. I have to supplement those myself with Spiritual Garments.”
“Then do it. Does the outfit reject wearing other Spiritual Garments?”
“I’ve always supplemented the socks myself, but I really can’t find shoes that match.” Hua Jian shook her head gloomily.
These past few days, she had discussed this topic with Linglong in her free time, but Linglong couldn’t come up with a good solution either.
The previously suggested idea of painting Hua Jian’s foot had hit a wall.
Linglong had fiddled with a brush on Hua Jian’s foot for a while, causing Hua Jian nearly to cry from the pain, but still couldn’t find the best solution.
“Then there’s no helping it. If you ask me, this isn’t a big deal. Just tough it out.”
“It’s not you wearing it, so of course you can just tough it out. How infuriating!”
…
While Hua Jian was fuming over the Saintess Spiritual Garment, in the ice and snow outside Freezing Winter City, several people in white robes were huddled in a hidden cave, speaking in low voices.
Among them, Youye was prominently present.
As Hua Jian had guessed, after causing a major ruckus in Freezing Winter City, Youye had left the city directly, escaping pursuit.
Her actual goal was to create an opportunity for these white-robed individuals to gather information.
“What’s the situation in the city? Have you found out anything about that Secret Realm?”
“We couldn’t get any information at all. The Qian family has kept it tightly sealed, and Ten Thousand Flowers Valley is also searching for our trail.” One of the white-robed people shook his head.
“It seems there really is something important in that Secret Realm, otherwise they wouldn’t be acting like this… What about Yaochi? Have they made any moves?”
“No. Since arriving in Freezing Winter City, Yaochi hasn’t made a single move.”
That was strange. Could Yaochi really be in the North for sightseeing? Then why had they done nothing? Could it be that Yaochi and the Qian family had some disagreement?
“Could you say Ten Thousand Flowers Valley is causing trouble? Why does it seem like the cooperation between the Qian family and Yaochi is stalling? And why is Ten Thousand Flowers Valley making such big moves in the city? Even the long-absent Saintess has appeared in Freezing Winter City!”
There was only one answer: Ten Thousand Flowers Valley was targeting Yaochi. They were trying to snatch the food right out of Yaochi’s mouth, becoming the collaborator with the Qian family to develop the Secret Realm!
“That’s not impossible. Ten Thousand Flowers Valley is indeed capable of doing such a thing…”
Just as Youye finished saying this, another demonic cultivator, covered in snow and wind, rushed hurriedly into the cave, reporting his discovery to the group with great excitement.
“Honored ones, we saw Qian Feixue of the Qian family heading toward the northwest together with the Saintess of Ten Thousand Flowers Valley!”
The Qian family’s Qian Feixue and the Ten Thousand Flowers Valley Saintess were acting together?
This news made the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect exchange glances. Could it be that their speculation was true? Had Ten Thousand Flowers Valley really persuaded the Qian family?
“Qian Feixue is a Ling Emperor. How can you see her movements clearly?” Youye remained cautious, suspecting something was off.
The cultivators from the Heavenly Demon Sect she could mobilize were only around the Ling King level, none capable of detecting a Ling Emperor. If Qian Feixue deliberately hid herself, her people wouldn’t have discovered her at all.
But now, Qian Feixue had been spotted together with Hua Jian. Truly strange.
“Qian Feixue and the Saintess didn’t conceal themselves.”
“Keep following them. Perhaps we can take this chance to find the location of that Secret Realm.”
“Yes!”
…
“Someone was watching us just now.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted them to see, my Saintess.” Qian Feixue chuckled twice. She had also noticed the gaze peeping through the snowstorm.
Normally, she would have directly grabbed the peeper and dragged him out. But today, she wanted those people to see her standing together with Hua Jian.
“The Secret Realm is just ahead. Ready?”
The Secret Realm, set up as a trap, wasn’t far from Freezing Winter City. The two flew for less than half an hour before reaching the entrance.
That distance was about as far as taking a walk around the block. Hua Jian had originally thought the Secret Realm would be far away from the city.
“I didn’t expect the Secret Realm to be this close…”
“This Secret Realm was originally provided by your Ten Thousand Flowers Valley. Placing it close to Freezing Winter City makes management easier.” Qian Feixue indicated there was nothing surprising about it. Secret Realms weren’t impossible to move.
As long as you had control over their core, moving the entrance and exit was a piece of cake.
“So it’s this close, and the Heavenly Demon Sect still couldn’t find it?”
“Don’t underestimate the foundation of our Qian family. If I don’t tell you its exact location, you can try to find it yourself.” Qian Feixue pointed at the endless snow and wind ahead.
“Sure. If I can find it, should you give me some reward?”
This made Qian Feixue laugh out loud. Hua Jian’s “no profit, no action” nature really suited Ten Thousand Flowers Valley perfectly.
As expected of their Saintess. Even though she always refused to admit her identity, her actions were pretty much in line with people’s impression of the Saintess.
“If you can find it, I’ll have Feixu serve you as a slave.”
“Who needs her as a slave? Give me something else.”
If Qian Feixu knew that her sister was using her as a tool again, and that Hua Jian despised her for it, that girl would probably cry in anger.
Fortunately, she would never find out.
“No can do. The only reward I can decide is that one.”
“I feel like you’re not respecting your sister very much…”
“It’s fine. She won’t mind.”
Having such a wonderful sister, Qian Feixu must have had it made in this life. Hua Jian snickered inwardly, then focused on finding any anomalies in the snowstorm.
At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. But upon closer inspection, Hua Jian realized that everywhere in this area was an anomaly.
This was simply not a normal snowstorm zone. The moment her Divine Sense extended, a wave of bone-chilling cold pressed in, forcing her sensing tendrils back into her body.
Here, Divine Sense was completely useless. The only means of detection left were the ordinary five senses.
But even those were rendered almost useless in this blizzard. Visibility was lower than in thick fog.
The constant howling of wind drowned out any faint sounds, making hearing useless.
The other senses were the same. Standing in this storm, even someone with Hua Jian’s extraordinary perception felt at a loss.
“Without using special methods, I really can’t find that place.”
“Oh? What special methods do you have?”
“I could go down to the ground, root myself in the soil, and search this area inch by inch. That way, I’m sure to find something off.”
That was a stupid method, crude and brute-force. But Qian Feixue had to admit it would work.
No matter how ingenious an Array of Bewilderment was, it would appear weak against overwhelming power. Brute-force breaking was always the biggest problem for any confusion array.
The array here could affect cultivators up to the Ling Emperor level. If a Spirit Lord descended, this array would be useless.
As for Hua Jian’s method, Qian Feixue could only say it was usable, but that was about it. She couldn’t guarantee how long it would take.
“Don’t bother trying to break the array. By the time you break it, the guards will already have weapons at your face.”
“Follow me. Don’t get lost.” Qian Feixue took a square token out of her Storage Pouch and raised it high.
A pale-blue Spirit Light shot out from the token. Then, the snowstorm in front of them gradually calmed, revealing a path wide enough for five people to walk side by side.
Hua Jian quickly followed Qian Feixue’s steps, walking along the path opened by the token. Watching the raging blizzard outside was a very peculiar experience.
It was like watching a polar blizzard up close through a glass tunnel…
After advancing along the snow path for about two minutes, Hua Jian saw a distorted piece of space. That was the entrance to the Secret Realm.
At the gate of the Secret Realm, Hua Jian saw Hua Xinyou, the Emperor of Ten Thousand Flowers Valley, whom she hadn’t seen for a few days.
From the expression on her face, she must have also received the transmission from the valley, knowing that Hua Jian had turned things around and was now in charge.
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