In a corner, Hu Yan Yazhi sat alone, unwilling to let the lower-class people pollute her air. She appeared to be studying formations, but her ears were actually perked up. She had applied a Wind-Listening Talisman to eavesdrop on Lin Huanhuan’s conversation.
As time ticked away, Hu Yan Yazhi’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. She couldn’t help but curse inwardly:
‘Why are they always talking about love and romance? What’s the use of that stuff? Hurry up and talk about arrays! Don’t they know I’m eavesdropping?!’
Earlier, she had observed that Lin Huanhuan’s strength in the Dao of Arrays was quite formidable—likely even surpassing her own. Although her direct inquiry had been rejected, she remained undeterred. She planned to take this opportunity to secretly learn a few things so she could surpass Lin Huanhuan and eventually take her revenge.
She had assumed that for Lin Huanhuan to possess such cultivation in arrays, she must be like herself—studying the Dao of Arrays day and night without wasting a single moment. Even though this was a social gathering, Lin Huanhuan should have been discussing array-related knowledge with others. She never expected that the woman would spend the entire time chatting about useless nonsense.
At first, she felt a surge of annoyance, but then a different thought occurred to her, and she felt a sense of secret joy: ‘Heh, she really is a fool. She thinks she’s in the lead and has grown complacent, not realizing someone is desperately chasing her from behind. This is for the best; it will make it even easier for me to surpass her.’
‘But how should I obtain that array knowledge from her? Though she’s slackening, she’s still cautious. She probably guessed my intentions and rejected me for that reason. I need to come up with a better plan.’
Troubled, she looked left and right. It was a rare moment where she had to actually think deeply and plot, but she couldn’t seem to find the right approach. She cycled through several ideas, but each one seemed to have flaws.
Feeling frustrated and a bit lightheaded, she quickly grabbed a complex book on arrays and skimmed a few pages. Only then did her mind feel clearer and more at ease.
“Miss Hu Yan Yazhi, can we have a private word?”
Hu Yan Yazhi looked up to see a “nobody” whom she didn’t recognize at all standing before her, polluting the air in her vicinity.
The nobody gave a light smile and said, “It’s about something you care for. Let’s talk over there for a moment; you’ll definitely be interested.”
***
Ever since seeing Lin Huanhuan reveal that powerful array cultivation, Green Leaf had become even more determined to latch onto her.
Ideally, she wanted to become Lin Huanhuan’s plaything. That way, she could enjoy cultivation resources without having to put in too much effort. It was a perfect plan.
However, to achieve this beautiful goal, she needed to eliminate one obstacle: Ye Jinxiu!
In her heart, Green Leaf felt even more resentment toward Ye Jinxiu: ‘Damn it, why does Ye Jinxiu get to enjoy all of this? It’s possible her rapid breakthroughs aren’t even due to talent, but rather Lin Huanhuan’s financial support.’
‘She’s only grown this much by sucking Lin Huanhuan’s blood. Why couldn’t that person be me?!’
Although Green Leaf was furious, she never considered launching a sneak attack to kill Ye Jinxiu. While the Lingyun Sect wasn’t overly strict about managing its disciples—mostly letting them grow on their own—they would definitely investigate until the end if a disciple were to die.
Back when the White Tiger Hall wanted to seize Ye Jinxiu’s Hidden Spring Spirit Vein, they had brought Lin Huanhuan onto their side to minimize the impact. Even then, they hadn’t dared to think about silencing Ye Jinxiu permanently, fearing they would completely enrage the Lingyun Sect and bring about their own destruction.
After thinking it over, she decided that framing Ye Jinxiu was a better strategy.
‘As long as Ye Jinxiu commits a major mistake, the sect will surely punish her. With Lin Huanhuan’s status, there’s no way she’d choose to stay with someone who has a stain on their record. When that happens, I can step in and take everything for myself.’
Since she was going to plant evidence and frame someone, she couldn’t do it alone. The success rate would be too slim. She needed someone with some weight—she had learned her lesson from the White Tiger Hall incident.
After thinking carefully for a while, she quickly set her sights on Hu Yan Yazhi.
‘I’ll choose Hu Yan Yazhi as my partner. That array master looks so arrogant and stuck-up; she must have immense self-esteem. Not only was she defeated by Lin Huanhuan in public, but her requests to learn about arrays were also rejected multiple times. Her pride has practically been trampled into the dirt. She must be harboring deep resentment.’
Green Leaf stared at Hu Yan Yazhi in the corner and smiled knowingly, thinking to herself: ‘I’ll take the initiative to seek a partnership. I’ll promise to hand over Lin Huanhuan’s array knowledge once the deed is done. She will definitely see me as her savior. Even if she doesn’t say it out loud, she’ll be grateful in her heart.’
‘This way, once I successfully frame Ye Jinxiu, I’ll not only gain Lin Huanhuan’s favor but also earn the goodwill of Hu Yan Yazhi. Killing two birds with one stone—I really am a genius.’
With that thought, Green Leaf stood up and asked Hu Yan Yazhi for a private talk.
After speaking, Green Leaf wore a faint smile. ‘She probably hasn’t processed it yet. This proud array master might already be feeling grateful. Well, gratitude is useless; you aren’t my main target anyway.’
Hu Yan Yazhi’s brow furrowed, and she quickly took several steps back to reach a safe distance before speaking. “Where did you come from? Why are you standing so close to me? Are you trying to poison me with your filthy breath!”
“Huh?”
The smile on Green Leaf’s face froze instantly. Thinking she hadn’t made herself clear, she hurried to explain. “Miss Hu Yan Yazhi, I’m Green Leaf, your fellow disciple. We just repaired the formation together earlier. I can find a way to get you the array knowledge you need. We just need to go over there to talk.”
Hu Yan Yazhi saw that she had no array cultivation whatsoever. She was clearly the lowest of the low. Hu Yan Yazhi sneered at her words.
“Are you joking? Look at that stupid face of yours. You dare to say you know anything about arrays? Go be an apprentice for the rest of your life and try learning in your next one.”
Green Leaf felt a surge of blood rush to her head. She had to pinch her thigh several times to calm herself down. After taking a few deep breaths of cold air, she said:
“You might have misheard me. I said I would get you array knowledge, not that I understand it myself. Although it’s unlikely that I understand it, it doesn’t mean I know absolutely nothing.”
“You don’t look like you understand anything; your own words are fighting with each other,” Hu Yan Yazhi insulted her first before continuing, “Get me array knowledge? Where would you get it from?”
“I naturally have my own channels. Let’s go somewhere private to discuss it. It wouldn’t be good if others overheard,” Green Leaf said with a mysterious smile.
“Fine,” Hu Yan Yazhi nodded casually.
***
“Stop moving around!”
Lin Huanhuan finally couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed Ye Jinxiu’s hand, which was wrapped around her slender waist. However, the movement was a bit too large, and Yi Jia caught a glimpse of something.
“Senior Sister Lin, what are you doing?”
Lin Huanhuan hurried to say, “Nothing, nothing. I was just adjusting my seat. It’s nothing.”
Ye Jinxiu gave a faint smile and gripped Lin Huanhuan’s hand back, pressing it against her own lower abdomen. She whispered, “Since it’s nothing, then don’t move around recklessly.”
Lin Huanhuan’s body trembled violently. She could clearly feel that the hand pressed against her lower abdomen was being controlled by another hand, gently rubbing and kneading. A tingling, strange sensation surged from her abdomen, more intense than it had been just moments before.