After accompanying Qian Feixue to the secret realm once, some subtle changes began to occur in Frozen Winter City.
First, a rumor of unknown origin spread through the city: it was said that the Qian Family and Yaochi had fallen out, and Yaochi had already left Frozen Winter City.
Second, the cultivators of the Magic Path in Frozen Winter City noticed something strange.
The Qian Family and Wanhuagu, which had been desperately hunting them just a few days earlier, suddenly seemed to lose interest.
They no longer acted as if they wanted to catch and kill them.
What these changes meant was not yet known to anyone, but everyone sensed that something had become different.
And Miss Youye, who shared an inextricable connection with Wanhuagu, became the first to experience this shift.
She was actually invited by Wanhuagu of their own accord.
The invitation came through the Tianmomen cultivators in the city.
After multiple verifications, Tianmomen confirmed that Wanhuagu was serious this time.
They really wanted to meet with Youye.
Youye hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to accept the appointment.
But she dared not enter Frozen Winter City, fearing it was a trap to lure her in.
So she sent word that she would meet with Wanhuagu outside the city.
Wanhuagu agreed to her request without surprise.
Soon, Youye met her contact amidst the snow and ice.
“You are…” Staring at the vaguely familiar young woman before her, Youye fell into thought.
“Hua Xinrui. I am Miss Hua Jian’s attendant, here in her place to meet with you.”
Hua Xinrui smiled and bowed slightly to Youye, stating her identity directly.
“In place of Hua Jian to meet me?” Youye was curious. “Could this little attendant be authorized to make decisions on Hua Jian’s behalf?”
“Oh, do you have the authority to decide?”
Hua Xinrui shook her head calmly. “No.”
Youye frowned, about to say something, when she saw Hua Xinrui close her eyes.
When Hua Xinrui opened them again, Youye realized the situation might be different from what she had imagined.
“Ah—ah—” Hua Xinrui opened her mouth and made two sounds, then touched her throat with a somewhat unfamiliar motion.
“Sorry, this is my first time using this method. I might be a bit unaccustomed.”
This tone, this gaze—a flash of shock crossed Youye’s eyes.
“You’re Hua Jian?!”
How was that possible? Had Hua Jian seized Hua Xinrui’s body?
No, that couldn’t be. Hua Jian wasn’t facing a life-or-death crisis. Why would she stoop to entering Hua Xinrui’s body?
What was going on?
“You’re surprised? I thought that when you saw Xinrui, you would have guessed that I’d use this method to speak with you.”
Using Hua Xinrui’s body, Hua Jian spoke this long string of words haltingly.
Her voice was stiff, carrying a sense of forced control that made one’s hair stand on end.
Youye’s pupils contracted even more. How could she have known that Hua Jian would use such a method to meet her? This was simply…
She struggled to suppress the churning emotions inside her. Facing this indescribable being, she only wanted to leave quickly.
“What exactly do you want to tell me?”
“Nothing much. I wanted to tell you some good news.”
“Huh?”
“Weren’t you curious about what the Qian Family was doing? I already know. I snatched the Qian Family back from Yaochi’s hands.”
“Hua Xinrui” tried hard to force a smile, but in the end failed.
Hua Jian’s control over this unfamiliar body was still a little weak.
Helpless, she drove the vines inside Hua Xinrui’s ears to crawl up to the corners of her mouth, forcibly pulling them into a smile.
That smile only made it more horrifying.
“Stop smiling. Take back your demonic tricks.”
Youye couldn’t help but take a step back. Even she, a sorceress who had killed without mercy, was frightened by Hua Jian’s methods.
Hua Jian was treating a living person like a puppet! That shouldn’t be an ability a Spirit King could master!
Even reaching the Venerable Realm required long, arduous practice to do something like this.
“Oh, I thought you’d prefer a more lively conversation partner.”
Hua Jian withdrew the vines as if following a suggestion.
‘I really can’t appreciate this kind of liveliness.’ Youye muttered to herself, then began to ponder what Hua Jian had just said.
If what Hua Jian said matched the intelligence they had gathered, Wanhuagu was indeed very close to the Qian Family, and had indeed squeezed Yaochi out.
But what did that have to do with Hua Jian herself?
It couldn’t be that Hua Jian had suddenly taken a liking to charity and planned to share some intelligence with her, could it?
She didn’t believe Wanhuagu was that kind-hearted!
“Just say what you want!”
“I want to tell you to prepare your spirit stones. Soon, the Qian Family will be auctioning off spots to enter the secret realm.”
So she really had come to share intelligence. But this intelligence was a bit… useless?
Youye frowned, unable to understand Hua Jian’s intentions.
The Qian Family auctioning spots to enter the secret realm—what did that have to do with Tianmomen?
“I know what you’re planning. You’re looking for materials to help that breakthrough of yours, aren’t you? That secret realm might contain what you’re looking for.”
“Heh, and you think I’d believe your nonsense? Empty words. Why should I trust you? Besides, who knows if this is a trap.”
“Hahahaha… Of course, it’s a trap. But not the kind of trap you think. I believe you’ll choose to walk into it willingly.”
With that, Hua Jian closed her eyes.
A second later, Hua Xinrui regained control of her body and curiously touched her face.
That feeling was quite strange.
Then she remembered her task and quickly took a jade token from her Storage Pouch, handing it to Youye.
“Miss Hua Jian said that after you look at this, you’ll understand what she meant.”
The sudden change in conversation partner left Youye speechless again. Hua Jian’s image in her mind had completely flipped, turning into an extremely eerie existence.
This person was more terrifying than any Wanhuagu cultivator she had ever met.
And after reading the jade token Hua Xinrui handed over, that thought became even more firmly rooted.
No wonder Hua Jian had said it was a trap, but one that made people want to jump in.
Wanhuagu hadn’t bothered with any fancy tricks; it was simply a case of the willing being hooked.
The secret realm contained what they wanted, and they had to pay spirit stones or equivalent spirit items to fight within the realm.
Only the victor could leave with the treasure.
This was an artificially created arena! And they were the beasts inside!
“What makes you think I’ll fall for this?”
Youye pursed her lips and looked at Hua Xinrui, waiting for Hua Jian to answer.
But Hua Xinrui merely shook her head calmly, as if Hua Jian had said everything she needed to say. Asking now was useless.
With that, Hua Xinrui turned and left without hesitation, flying toward Frozen Winter City.
Leaving Youye alone in the wind and snow, pondering Hua Jian’s intentions.
“Miss Hua Jian, will she really walk right into the trap?”
After returning to Frozen Winter City, Hua Xinrui found a busy Hua Jian and asked her question.
Hua Jian set aside the plan she had written and replied with a smile, “Whether she wants to or not is her business. Even if it’s a trap, under the temptation of that treasure, Tianmomen will send people to compete without hesitation.”
“This is a gamble. The stakes are that treasure, and the price Tianmomen will have to pay is a hefty entry fee and the lives of a few Spirit Kings. Those costs aren’t too high for Tianmomen.”
“Though Spirit Kings are the backbone of their combat strength, for a Demonic Sect, betting a few Spirit King lives for a chance isn’t too painful a choice.”
“If they win, everything’s fine. If they lose, it’s no big deal.”
“What we need to do now is make Tianmomen believe that this time, we just want to make money and nothing else.”
“To put it more plainly, make this look like Wanhuagu is acting as Wanhuagu—ruthlessly bleeding the Demonic Sects. That way, the other Magic Path sects will believe that Wanhuagu really just wants to exchange the secret realm and its treasures for cash.”
“Once the other Magic Path sects understand that, they’ll join the fight without hesitation, contributing to Hua Jian’s plan.”
“To lure Tianmomen, we use that treasure. To lure the other sects, we cater to their interests. But I don’t know much about the other sects, so I’ll have to delegate.”
Hua Jian paused, then added, “As long as this secret realm can attract all the Magic Path sects for a gathering, won’t the Magic Path forces all fall into the trap? Wouldn’t I instantly become the great hero of the Right Path?”
“Alright, many people may enter Frozen Winter City in the coming days. You and Ai Qi keep an eye on them. Watch them closely and report to me immediately if anything happens.”
“Understood!”
Ever since being entrusted with this heavy responsibility by Wanhuagu, Hua Jian had truly experienced what it meant to be swamped.
Intelligence from all directions piled up on her desk, making her dizzy.
Plans involving so many parties were truly not for humans. Hua Jian finally understood why Qian Feixue had looked so lifeless when she went to find her before.
Ah, the young miss of the Qian Clan lived like this too, didn’t she?
Now Hua Jian not only had to handle Wanhuagu’s affairs, but also update Qian Feixue daily on developments, and occasionally chat with Linglong at Qian Feixue’s place.
Yaochi had ostensibly withdrawn, so the one who couldn’t appear publicly now was Linglong.
On the other hand, Hua Jian could run around openly without hiding her identity.
The better-informed members of the Qian Family already knew that Wanhuagu had snatched the Qian Family from Yaochi’s hands.
And the brightly dressed young woman who often appeared in the inner city silently confirmed the news.
With the Wanhuagu Saintess herself walking around the inner city like this, what more needed to be said?
Word spread, and soon the entire Frozen Winter City knew the secret.
Wanhuagu was in Frozen Winter City and had formed a partnership with the Qian Family!
Even the common folk knew the secret, so the spies hidden in Frozen Winter City couldn’t possibly be unaware.
The news quickly traveled through various intelligence channels to the Magic Path sects.
This was exactly the effect Hua Jian and Qian Feixue wanted.
As for the Saint Sect disciples stationed in the city, they all remained silent, as if they hadn’t seen anything happening at all.
It was as if the cooperation between the Qian Family and Wanhuagu was nothing more than ordinary business.
They had some understanding of the plan Yaochi had originally intended, and knew the role Wanhuagu had played in it. Given the current situation, it was hard to say whether Yaochi was hoodwinking the Magic Path.
Within the Qian Family, many noticed that Qian Feixue had recently been frequently running to Qian Feixue’s own courtyard. Many speculated that the mysterious Wanhuagu Saintess might be hiding there to meet with her.
And why was the Wanhuagu Saintess in Qian Feixue’s room? Who knew? But Hua Xinrui was definitely speaking at Qian Feixue’s place, right?
Those who knew Qian Feixue better thought more deeply. They knew she had always favored the Yaochi Saintess, but now the Wanhuagu Saintess had squeezed out the Yaochi Saintess.
Under these circumstances, the Wanhuagu Saintess was simultaneously at Qian Feixue’s place—could this be a very interesting way of showing off?
Though it sounded far-fetched, when they considered it was the Wanhuagu Saintess doing it, it didn’t seem impossible…
“I doubt I’m as petty as they say.”
Hua Jian pressed her prepared plan onto the table and said to Qian Feixue and Linglong, who were sitting around it.
She came to Qian Feixue’s place for no other reason than that it was quiet and had few people, and she could talk to Linglong.
Other places had too many eyes and ears, but here, where Qian Feixue was under house arrest, it was just her—no one else. A suitable place for chatting.
“As for what Qian Feixue thinks about having her space commandeered… What could she think? Even if she had thoughts, they’d be useless.”
“The one who came is Sister Hua Jian. She’s not a puppet either, and in the end, she can’t beat her. The more she stares at the puppet, the more she loses!”
“Alright, I’m such a kind person. How could I do something like that? Their prejudice against me is way too deep.”
Hearing this, Qian Feixue couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Prejudice? She actually thought her clansmen’s prejudice against Hua Jian was far too shallow.
If the Qian family knew how many mischievous ideas Hua Jian had come up with in here, they wouldn’t see her that way anymore.
Instead, they’d think she was trying to steal Linglong’s fans.
As Linglong read the jade slip Hua Jian had written, Qian Feixue’s expression gradually twisted into an indescribable complexity.
She handed the slip to Linglong beside her, motioning for her to look at the ingenious mechanisms Hua Jian had designed.
“You have to activate the mechanisms in a specific order. After activation, you can only leave the secret realm at a designated spot half a day later, and the window to leave is just a single moment. How exactly did you come up with this method?”
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