Chapter 2: Beichen Moon

Outside the Sect Gate of the Four Sages Academy, a contingent quietly waited at the entrance, having brought over a dozen crates filled with rare medicinal ingredients, spirit stones, and pills.

These precious items immediately drew the attention of the academy’s disciples, sparking a flurry of whispers.

“Senior Sister, I just returned from a sect mission and haven’t quite grasped the situation outside. Could you please enlighten me?”

A female disciple gazed toward the scene with a mixture of curiosity and doubt.

The group consisted of thirty-four people, thirty-two of whom were attendants—and every single one was a cultivator.

Their highest cultivation level was only at Qi Refining Stage Five, yet it was telling that cultivators willingly served as their attendants. This spoke volumes about the power of those who had arrived.

The Senior Sister was also moved and explained, “You didn’t know? These people come from the renowned Beichen Family.”

“The Beichen Family? The one that has been making waves recently in the Saint Hua Dynasty?”

The female disciple swallowed nervously, unable to hide her shock. “If that’s the case, what is the purpose of their visit?”

Not only did they bring thirty-two cultivators with power not weaker than typical Outer Sect disciples, but their cargo was also priceless.

Spirit herbs, medicinal ingredients, spirit stones, and spiritual artifacts—they had everything a cultivator could need.

Swallowing again, the female disciple showed a hint of envy. “Such generous gifts… Could it be that they’ve come to propose marriage? I wonder which Senior Brother or Sister is so fortunate.”

Their fellow Senior Sister looked at the group and said, “On the contrary, I just heard that they’ve come for a marriage annulment.”

“A marriage annulment?” The female disciple’s face filled with confusion. “Who within our sect has a marriage agreement with the Beichen Family?”

Seeing her confusion, the Senior Sister hurried to explain, “You’ve only recently joined the sect, so you might not know the full story. Actually, this dates back several years.”

“At that time, the Beichen Family was persecuted by evil cultivators and faced a dire situation. In that critical moment, our Senior Brother stepped forward, defending the entire Beichen Family with just one sword.”

“To repay his life-saving deed, the Beichen Family decided to betroth their daughter, Beichen Yue, to him.”

The Senior Sister paused before continuing, “But fate is unpredictable. Who could have expected that later, during a journey, Senior Brother would suffer severe injuries in battle, causing his cultivation to regress significantly?”

“Meanwhile, Beichen Yue, by a fortunate coincidence, became a Direct Disciple of the Sect Leader of Li Fire Sect—a position far above Senior Brother’s. Naturally, under these circumstances, she no longer wished to marry him.”

As soon as the Senior Sister finished, all eyes instinctively turned to the group coming to annul the marriage.

In the middle stood Beichen Yue, dressed in red, with delicate features, yet her expression was cold and emotionless.

Watching this, the Senior Sister couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for her Outer Sect Senior Brother.

However, she understood well that in this cultivation world filled with struggles for benefit, betrayal and scheming were common.

Though Senior Brother lost this marriage, at least he could receive some form of compensation—a small mercy in misfortune.

“I heard from a friend of my brother’s Dao Companion’s uncle’s grandson’s childhood friend that Beichen Yue even specifically petitioned Ling Immortal Palace to grant Dongfang Xiaotian the status of an Inner Sect Disciple!”

“Ling Immortal Palace? One of the Four Great Sects? An Inner Sect Disciple? Did I hear that right?”

“The Beichen Family sure spared no expense for this marriage annulment.”

“Senior Brother really has such luck—a born lucky star.”

“Beichen Yue is truly generous. No wonder she’s from the Beichen Family…”

The crowd was abuzz with surprise, but what shocked them most was the opportunity to become an Inner Sect Disciple of Ling Immortal Palace.

Such a chance was priceless, like ascending to the heavens in a single step.

Ling Immortal Palace was one of the Four Great Sects of the Saint Hua Dynasty, with lofty status and immense power.

While Four Sages Academy was also one of the Four Great Sects, it was only a branch in Southern China Prefecture—nowhere near the prestige of Ling Immortal Palace.

Even becoming an Inner Sect Disciple here at the branch was extremely difficult, let alone at Iceveil Ling Palace itself.

Yet Beichen Yue’s single word could secure such a rare opportunity—it was truly unbelievable.

Inner Sect Disciples of Ling Immortal Palace enjoyed abundant resources and special treatment, possibly even a way to heal Dongfang Xiaotian’s hidden ailment and enable him to cultivate again.

For a cultivator deemed a waste, this was the greatest temptation.

The crowd’s admiration and jealousy toward Dongfang Xiaotian grew.

After all, he had gained this kind of reward with just one move at the Foundation Establishment stage, a prize far exceeding what one move at that stage should fetch!

***

Suddenly, no one pitied Dongfang Xiaotian anymore; instead, their eyes were filled with envy and resentment.

Amid the discussions, a maid whose attire was slightly more elegant than the other attendants couldn’t help but raise her chin a little proudly.

She thought to herself that her young lady was still too kind-hearted.

To get the qualification of Ling Immortal Palace Inner Sect Disciple in the whole Shenghua region was something not even spirit stones could easily buy.

Dongfang Xiaotian casually wielded his sword once during his Foundation Establishment stage and gained such a huge reward—hardly unfair to him—but she hoped he wasn’t ungrateful or planning to exploit the favor.

Just thinking of Dongfang Xiaotian made Chun’er’s heart restless as the sun rose high, and she realized her young lady was still being exposed under the scorching sun.

“Miss, we’ve been waiting inside the carriage for half an hour. Should I go and urge him?” Chun’er suggested anxiously.

“If we wait any longer, it might affect your reputation. Perhaps I should ask him to come out?”

The proud daughter of the Beichen Family, a Direct Disciple of an elder from Ling Immortal Palace, was left standing outside by a so-called “waste.” Gossip would surely follow.

How could the pride of the Beichen Family be so neglected?

“Young Master Dongfang has done the Beichen Family a great favor,” Beichen Yue said calmly.

“Besides annulling the marriage, we are here to retrieve the key to our family treasury. So don’t be too conspicuous.”

Her words were soft yet devoid of any emotion.

“…Miss,” the maid spoke cautiously, “the family wants me to be more conspicuous, but you want me to keep it low-profile. So, what should I do?”

“Do as I say,” Beichen Yue replied flatly.

“Give him some spirit stones as a bribe. Handle the annulment quietly. We must annul the marriage, retrieve the Beichen Family treasury key, but without damaging Dongfang Xiaotian’s face.”

Chun’er pouted.

“If it weren’t for Miss’s low reputation a few years ago and her retreat into seclusion, that waste wouldn’t have taken advantage of her. Why bother? Just force him to hand over the marriage contract. No one cares about a Foundation Establishment Stage Seven cultivator who can no longer cultivate.”

Chun’er’s words weren’t baseless—she knew well how ruthless those poor cultivators could be when squeezing the wealthy.

Although it was true that years ago, Dongfang Xiaotian single-handedly defended the Beichen Family’s foundation, why did their sequestered young lady’s marriage have to be the repayment?

Why didn’t any other family members volunteer to marry him?

Also, one of the family treasury keys—was the Beichen Family head at the time old or blind?

How could they hand over such an important item and then have their young lady clean up the mess?

“The account can’t be settled that way,” Beichen Yue spoke up again, “And don’t let outsiders hear you say that. Go.”

Chun’er reluctantly got down from the carriage.

She looked around for a suitable Four Sages Academy disciple to help deliver a message.

Her eyes immediately caught sight of a tall man descending on a celestial boat from the sky.

He was fairly good-looking, with refined features, neat hair tied at the back, and a distinctive patch of white hair on his forehead—looking like a scholarly youth with a recognizable appearance.

He even arrived on a celestial boat. Was he trying to make connections? Whatever, he would do.

Chun’er approached, “Esteemed Dao Companion…”

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry to visit the Lingdan Ruins. I can’t accompany you.” Dongfang Xiaotian cut her off and bypassed Chun’er.

Seeing the carriage, Dongfang Xiaotian immediately knew it was for the marriage annulment, but now was not the time to entangle with them.

A protagonist’s favor… cough, cough, the protagonist’s life was more important.

If not for the Protective Sect Array that forbade flying through the sect except via the Sect Gate, he wouldn’t have wanted to pass through this awkward place.

So he quickened his pace and bypassed Chun’er altogether.

Passing the carriage, Dongfang Xiaotian glanced inside. The Beichen Family’s distinctive blue eyes belonged to a beauty who lightly glanced back at him.

Foundation Establishment Stage? No, more like Qi Refining Stage Ten, half a step into Foundation Establishment.

Not just her cultivation, but her raven hair and blue eyes, delicate features, willow-like brows, and a chill in her beauty, along with a special Ling Immortal Palace outer robe woven from century-old ice silkworm silk, gave her the aura of a cold ice queen.

Without a doubt, she was an ice mountain-type beauty—not Dongfang Xiaotian’s type.

But he paid no mind and immediately ran toward the mountain’s base.

The Four Sages Academy’s outskirts were under a no-fly zone set by high-level cultivators’ formations. Cultivators below Golden Core Stage had to walk part of the way up and down.

If it weren’t for this turtle-shell-like array, and without an Inner Sect token, Dongfang Xiaotian wouldn’t even have bothered to disembark from his celestial boat.

His disregard for a celestial being irritated Chun’er, who had just tried to speak to him.

Though only a maid, she was still Foundation Establishment Stage and could easily kill a Qi Refining Stage Seven cultivator with one slap. To be so ignored!

She cursed silently. And he was rushing off to die.

Indeed, to die.

After inquiring around, she knew the Lingdan Ruins had undergone drastic changes recently, with countless deaths.

Back in the day, even late Qi Refining Stage cultivators had a hard time surviving there. Now, several Foundation Establishment cultivators had died—never mind a Qi Refining cultivator.

But Chun’er saw he was in a hurry and didn’t try to stop him. “To each their own death.”

Turning to find someone else, she noticed strange looks from the crowd.

Suppressing the odd feeling, she found a fairly decent-looking female cultivator and asked, “Esteemed Dao Companion, could you please notify our young lady’s Dongfang Xiaotian, Young Master Dongfang? Our young lady has come to repay a favor and wishes to meet him at his residence.”

Chun’er chose a polite approach, not bluntly stating the purpose was a marriage annulment, hoping to coax him out instead of having him hide and delay the young lady’s promising future.

But the female cultivator’s expression grew even stranger as she pointed to the scholarly cultivator who had just brushed past Chun’er.

“That is our Senior Brother.”

Seeing Dongfang Xiaotian walking away, Chun’er was dumbfounded.

“He’s Dongfang Xiaotian?!”

The female disciple nodded.

“Then why is he running?” Chun’er couldn’t help but ask.

“He’s probably headed to the Lingdan Ruins, tens of kilometers away. That’s the direction he’s taking.”

What?

Dongfang Xiaotian was actually running away?

Was he really going to the Lingdan Ruins?

Just a Qi Refining Stage Seven cultivator, barely entering late Qi Refining Stage, going there?

It wasn’t safe; even Foundation Establishment cultivators had died there.

He didn’t want to annul the marriage at all?

But then again, who would willingly annul a marriage with their own lady?

“Miss, what shall we do now?” Chun’er looked toward the direction of Dongfang Xiaotian’s flying boat. Its speed was quite fast. She could only seek her young lady’s advice.

If he was willing to die rather than annul the marriage, what could Chun’er do? If asked, her advice would be to let him die honorably, saving on compensation fees.

After all, the Ling Immortal Palace Inner Sect Disciple slot was a favor worth countless resources.

Beichen Yue sighed helplessly, disappointment flickering briefly in her eyes for the long-renowned Green Dragon Sword Immortal.

But that was all. In a blink, Beichen Yue resumed her usual indifferent expression.

The young lady rose from the carriage, stepping out lightly toward the mountain’s base.

Beichen Yue’s crimson lips parted as she said, “Let’s go. Follow him.”

The Beichen Family’s treasury key was of utmost importance—it must not be lost!